Best Round for .243 Hawkeye

[jtomes]

I bought my son his first rifle and we are going Deer hunting. We are experimenting with different factory ammunition and are looking for any suggestions. So far the most accurate has been the Super Hornady 80 gr. GMX. The Barnes were all over the target but the Hornady is shooting decent groups. The Hornady 139 gr is a tack driver on my Win. Model 70 in 7 rem mag. I was thinking of trying the Hornady super performance in the 95 gr SST but will take any and every suggestion. I am not a very expericened hunter and appreciate the help.

 

[Silverado]

I just got the rifle a few weeks back, came with a VX1 - 3-9x40 scope. The purchaser said he got the best accuracy from Hornady 95 gr. SST's., so I purchased a box.

Only fired 10 rounds getting it sighted in at 100 yards, and it seems to be the round I might stick with. Next weekend, will do some accuracy shooting a see what kind of groups I can get.

 

[rugerfreak]

For deer---I would use some of the heaviest bullets you can find----which means 100+ grains for the .243.

Try several different loadings and see which works best in your rifle.


I've had great results in both .270 and .30-06 with the cheap Federal loads from Walmart.

You don't need some hyped up bullet---just a regular soft point ---but in the .243 you need a heavier bullet to anchor a deer with a good solid hit.

 

[jtomes]

Rugerfreak and Silverado,

Thank you for your input.

Silverado I ahve heard a lot of good and bad on the SST. Accruate as all hell but alot of feed back on the bullet breaking up on impact.

Rugerfreak,

Have you tried the Federals with a Nosler Partition in a 95 gr.?

 

[sp]

My thoughs are -- if the bullet is under 100 grains and not designed for hunting go with a Nostler partition or Hornady GMX or Barnes triple shock -- these bullets weigh about 80-85 grains and will often shoot completely through a deer with a broadside shot and go through about 2 feet of deer on an angling shot at an impact velocity of about 2750 - 3000 fps.

Shooting a good size hole in the beast will ensure a quick kill.

 

[sp]

My thoughts are -- if the bullet is under 100 grains and not designed for hunting go with a Nostler partition or Hornady GMX or Barnes triple shock -- these bullets weigh about 80-85 grains and will often shoot completely through a deer with a broadside shot and go through about 2 feet of deer on an angling shot at an impact velocity of about 2750 - 3000 fps.

Shooting a good size hole in the beast will ensure a quick kill.

 

[pisgah]

On oddity of the Barnes bullets I discovered years ago -- they do not like like the metallic fouling left by ordinary cupro-nickel jacketed bullets. Clean the dickens out of the bore and try 'em again before you mark them off your list of potential bullets.

 

[Major T]

My .243 does not really care for the original Barnes all copper bullet, but I am hearing really good reports on the Tripple Shock and will try them. In the meantime, I have used the 95 and 100 grain Noslers and they work. Now regular cup and core bullets will kill deer, but I have had them break up, although the lung/heart area was shredded. Kind of makes me wonder what would have happened if the shoulder was struck first, rather than a rib? My personal opinion is that the smaller the caliber, the better the bullet needs to be. Good day, Jack

 

[jtomes]

My son and I went this weekend and tried three different cartridges. Nosler Custom in a 95 gr Partition, Winchester Silver 95 gr and Hornady 95 gr sst. All three shot 1 inch groups or better and the Hornady SST was an unreal 1/2 inch group. I called Hornady and the tech stated in a .243 he would hunt with the 80 gr GMX because of higher velocity and the that GMX would penetrate through the shoulder if my son misplaced his shot. I am going to try those this weekend. I have been getting great results with the GMX in 7mm Rem Mag for my Wichester Model 70 and I think they should shoot well. I will post next week.

 

[208packinheat]

I have been loading Nosler 100 Grn Solid Bases (I am dating myself since I last bought bullets for the 243, but have a boat load of them) with 35 gr 3031 for Deer and Antelope in open terrain. Been shooting loads and bullets I bought and loaded 25+ years ago. Deadly and accurate. Now the bullet name and configuration is called the Accubond (I think), but I note it is only available in 90 gr. The ballistic silvertip has a 95 gr.

For vermin, the 70 gr Nosler solid base boat tail has been excellent out here in the Idaho Spring time wind. Pushed from 39.5 grns 3031 at 3440 +/-. Purple haze is the result. Again I think the closest Nosler now is the Accubond, but not in that weight. I note the Ballistic Varmint has a 70 gr., which is where I would go to start for the 6mm Varmint load.

I have never settled in on any other load for the 243, as it has performed very well for what I use the little 6mm for.

 

[FergusonTO35]

The Hornady Interlock 100 grain is an excellent deer bullet. My best friend has shot several deer with it at close range and never had one break up. Its very accurate too. The plain old Remington Express Core Lokt 100 grain ammo works surprisingly well if you don't reload and are limited to what department stores carry. He has taken a couple of deer with that one too, no problems.

 

[mattsbox99]

For everything I do, and in every rifle cartridge I load for, Nosler is the bullet of choice. There is no question of reliability, accuracy, or consistency.

They have a Ballistic Tip for Hunting in 90 and 95 grains, an Accubond in 90 grain, Partition in 85, 95, & 100 grains, and the E-Tip in 90 grains. They make some varmint Ballistic Tips and Competition bullets too, but the above bullets are all suitable for deer and pronghorn hunting.

 

[MKII]

Try plain old no frills Remington 100 gr. Core-Lokt for a factory loaded round. It has proven over the years to be a deer killer of the first order.

 

[Major T]

My vermin load is also a 70 grain bullet at something over 3500. It shoots exactly 3" lower than my 100 grain Nosler and on the same horozintal plane. If I would not be so cheap and put a Burris plex or a Leupold Varmint ot Hunting scope with the multiple crosshair marks, it would be ideal. I get along pretty good using the standard duplex and a little Kentucky elevation. I am no longer a young man, so it may be time to break this one out for some more serious work. Recoil is nil. Good day, Jack

 

[6mm Remington]

jtomes if you do not reload I would buy some Federal loads with either the 95 or 100 gr. Partition. I have shot a lot of antelope, deer, and a spike bull elk with the 100 gr. Partition in my 6mm Remington and it has ALWAYS worked perfectly! Love those Noslers!

David

 

[rugnelli]

Nosler Partition...

 

[jtomes]

As a follow up we settled on the Hornady superformence GMX in 80 grains. My son got very confident and very accurate with that round. He killed a 5 x 5 Red Stag (management animal) with one shot. It was just over 200 lbs and he broke it's neck at 75 yards. Great first for him. He is really happy with his rifle and it has been very accurate for him. Thank you all for your input. BTW I used the Hornady superformence GMX in 7 MM Rem Mag with devastaing results on the trip as well. It comes in 139 gr and is super flat and accurate. Dropped my Stag instantly like a sack of potatos at 170 yards. Went clean through and blew out both lungs. I do not think we will ever use another round.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

I've had great results in the .243 with 55gr and 95gr Noslers, 70gr Sierras, and 100gr Hornady Interlocks. I really like this caliber.

-- Sam

 

[SundayShooter]

I found this thread after Santa gave my son a new 243 Hawkeye for Christmas. We have been trying a couple types of factory ammunition. So far, we tried the Remington Core-Lokt, which my Tikka loves, but did not have successful groups for the M77. It was about two inches with some fliers. We then tried the 95gn Fusion and had excellent 1 inch groups at 100 yards. It seems to like that ammo. Will try it on deer this season. I put a Nikon Monarch 3 2-8x32 scope on it with Nikon's BDC reticle. Zeroed at 100, the first circle down is basically right on at 200 yards with the Fusion round. It was satisfying to see consistent 3 inch groups at 200 yards (probably the limit of my skill) and handy that the BDC circle seems right on at 200 yards (though the ballistics app lists it as 216 for that round). Interestingly, the Fusion cartridge will push feed if you top feed it, though this is not something that should normally be done. I have heard it can eventually damage the extractor. (I did it accidentally, being used to a push feed rifle). The Remington would not push feed. I suspect this may very from rifle to rifle. Anyway, if someone is looking for an starting place, try the Fusion 95gn, which is the 243 Fusion round I tend to see sold at the big box stores.