243 bullet what the best

Gonna try the .243 this year.
Whats the best Bullet for killing deer.
Many loads vary from 85- 100 grain.
What is the hardest hitting drop in their Tracks bullet in a .234 this is hard form me since I am a 300 mag guy but, now have a bum shoulder.
Speed, expansion,energy what drops em?
thanks
southnboy@gmail.com

If your worried about your shoulder start shooting a 44 mag 240 grain hollow point. Deer want walk away. Plus it will help with your shoulder problem.

Bullet placement is the key . I would use the 100 grain winchester or 95 gtain ballistic silver tips from win..

Shot placement is the key but all I have used is Federal Premium 85 grain hollow points they do the trick out to 200 yards they have been tested and have not failed

Second that. Federal 85 grain hollow points all you need i dropped 5 dead with them from 10-50 yds.

Listen to that CWB he's got it right Hollow points are the way to go in any small caliber, combined with higher speeds they have fantastic hydralic shock !! drop dead shots are normal for this and other calibers just my 2 cents from hand loading and hunting for over 60 years LOL Capt Bob

shoots the best because all that matters is were you hit the deer. so, shot placement, shot placement, and more shot placement is the key!

Been shooting the Remington Core Lokt 100 gr in my 243 for about 15 years now. I have had many deer drop in their tracks! I agree that shot placement is key, but this round has done really good for me.

I have a friend that has lost 2 hogs and a deer this year so far using the winchester ballistic silver tips. Personaly myself I have shot for the last 13 yrs 100 grain, Federal Premium , the vital shocks or the fusion. All of the federal bullets are really good bullets.

Southnboy,

I have a buddy that has killed over 100 deer with his 6mm (ballistically the same as a .243) and he likes the 100 grain Sierra bullet in the Federal load. He also likes the Remington core-lokts. I've heard good things about the 85 grain hollow point from Federal but you might not get an exit with one of those and if you need a good blood trail it could pose a problem.

By the way, I used my brothers 7mm-08 last week to kill two deer and I was amazed at how little recoil it produced (probably just a little more than the .243 since both use the same case). Both of my deer died on the spot and it was a really fun round to hunt with. You might consider the 7mm-08 too.

100 Grain Corelok

My 8y/o killed two deer and a coyote last year with 100gr Federal out to about 100 yd. dropped all three in there tracks with no exit. I was very impressed. His Rossi single shot grouped the federals the best. The cor-lock were all over the paper. As already stated you need to try several manufacturers to see what shoots best in your gun..
Good Luck

100 grain core lokt

If your a bazooka kinda guy, get a brake put on your 300. You would probably still be able to shoot it easily and you would be hunting with a caliber you like. I like small calibers.

Shot placement is the absolute most crucial thing, so first and foremost you need to try alot of different loads (243 bullets are generaly fairly cheap) and narrow it down to the ones that shoot the best, preferably sub-moa. Once you get it narrowed down, narrow it down further by picking out the heavier bullets. Ultra-light bullets will probably break up, since the 243 is pretty fast, and you want to get an exit hole incase you don't bangflop it. A good bonded bullet will probably be your best bet. A hollow point is fine, as long as you stray away from thin-jacketed ones (they are made to explode). Some good ones to start off with would be cor-lokts, nosler accubond, hornady interbond, or any other "premium" bonded bullet. Remember that accuracy is by far the most important factor. Good luck with it!

the 6mm is another superior round developed by remington that is for whatever reason not as popular as a it's winchester counterpart. i have been around a lot of deer and hogs shot with the 6mm and .243. you will see a lot more exit holes on deer shot with the 6mm than the 243. the reason for that is simple. the 6mm has a higher case capacity. using hornady's 100gr BTSB as a reference, the 6mm delivers 1817 ft/lbs of energy at 100 yds to the .243's 1653. that 164 pound difference might not sound like much on paper, but it means a lot when it comes to breaking bone and poking a hole out the other side of a deer.

Good informationa and a good topic. this is what i was looking was the practical application..

Sounds like the hollow point would be good but, probably need to shoot just behind the shoulder to get and exit hole also.

the core loke, and bonded bullets should cause pretty good shock especially with 95-100 grains and should be fine to hit dead in the shoulder.

SO do you shoot shoulders or just behind it?
Whats your opinion?
High or LOW?
What works for your.

In larger calibers i am typically just behind shoulder, like to clip a piece if I can and little high had Dropped everyone I have hit there.

My 300 Browning Win Mag has the Boss on it and that sucker is loud, long, and still kicks. It never bothered me until my shoulder problems started.. I have a .308 which is my primary model 7. Its a Great gun and the Managed Recoil is nice but, wanted the .243 for the highlines and my daughter to shoot....

Agree with Mr. Coon. The 6MM is a sweet shooting gun that packs more punch than a .243.

Go with the 100 gr. for penetration if you choose the .243. But I would stick with the .308. That .308 with reduced loads is a killin machine, but the bullet drops fast (at least the heavier bullet Federal version). Just need to know the yardage out to 200 yards and it is deadly. My son shot this combo from a Ruger Compact when starting out and that Federal 160 grain is AWESOME. Dead Deer running man. Still shoots that gun, but has moved up to cheap ol' reliable core-locs