# .243 caliber/Texas whitetail



## asolde (May 22, 2004)

Is the .243 caliber big enough to kill an average hill country whitetail? The gun is sighted in with federals barnes 85gr tsx bullets. Any input would help thxs Alex


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

I've killed a bunch of deer with a .243. You should not have any problems with that caliber and bullet if you hit where you are aiming.


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## SwayOveride (Aug 12, 2004)

Yes, a .243 is enough to kill an average white-tailed deer in the hill county. 

Actually my first deer was killed with a .243 from about 150 yards away in the good ole hill country. I wouldn't hesitate to take a .243 with me into the blind any day of the week.


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## Don Smith (Nov 24, 2007)

You can kill a whitetail with a .22 with proper shot placement. But that does not mean it's the best caliber for the job. But, to answer your question, the .243 will certainly kill a whitetail. It shoots flat and has pretty good range. Just keep in mind that the bullet is only slightly larger than a .22, so shot placement is critical.


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## DANO (May 23, 2005)

Haute Pursuit said:


> I've killed a bunch of deer with a .243. You should not have any problems with that caliber and bullet if you hit where you are aiming.


X2


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

I have killed no less than 12 deer with the .243 (80 gr to 105 gr)and another 12 or so with the .270. Can't tell the difference between them. All were typical 30 to 150 yard shoots thru the vital.


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## 4ADVNTRE (Apr 30, 2007)

Will do the job all day long, great caliber.


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## LouietheDrifter (May 18, 2009)

one of my faverites


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

sure is, happens every season.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

Yes.

TH


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## peelin' drag (Oct 21, 2005)

Shot placement with 100gr core lokts. Did the job and still is.


asolde said:


> Is the .243 caliber big enough to kill an average hill country whitetail? The gun is sighted in with federals barnes 85gr tsx bullets. Any input would help thxs Alex


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## buckbuddy (Sep 1, 2008)

Bucksnort said:


> sure is, happens every season.


 YUP!! You got that right! A gun is only as good as the person behind it. 243 cal. is plenty. I've knocked down 170 lb.+ south texas deer with them. GOOD LUCK THIS SEASON!


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Yup it shure is and you are shootin the best bullet available. Might think about going up in weight a little.

Charlie


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## Lezz Go (Jun 27, 2006)

I just sighted my .243 Savage 14 Classic in today for deer season. It's partial to the 100 grain Core-lokts and the 95 grain BSTs. Like the 25.06, the .243 is a versitle caliber.


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## Etexhunter (May 11, 2008)

That's all I used when back in my growing up days. Great calibur.. I use a 270 w/ muzzlebrake now.


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## Marshman (Jul 24, 2008)

Good choice, one of my favorite bullets too. That 85 gr TSX will do a good job and almost always makes a good exit wound too. Flat shooting enough for those shots where a little placement makes a difference, but enough punch for the shoulder quartering shots. Shot one BIG axis thru the right front shoulder, thru the boiler room, exiting rib area, bled like a garden hose, jumped once, dead 100 feet away.

Enjoyit, it is cheap to shoot too!

MM


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## catchysumfishy (Jul 19, 2008)

This Caliber has probably harvested more deer in TX than any other Caliber!


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## yack (Jun 2, 2009)

thats all my brother shoots and it has taken at least 15 west texas deer. great shooting round


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

Not my choice but we all know it works.....
IF Mr big walks out, I would just rather have a little more bullet and power.


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## deadeye68 (Jan 19, 2007)

Back in the mid 60's I took a 450# black bear with a .243. This was back when your bullet choices were limited at best. Remington and Winchester ammo in 75 to 100 gr. were on the shelves of every mom and pop store in Texas. I have to admit that it took two shots to bring him down, but he was about 60 or so feet up a very large tree and both shots hit him in the back right between the shoulder blades. IMO the caliber is quite capable for whitetail, but as stated by others shot placement is what counts.


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

I use .243 with 100 gr Federal Premium BTSP. Bullet performes very good groups under 1" on my Rem 700 ADL and makes good holes with little bruising arround the wound. Good all arround gun for Texas.


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## llred (Jun 30, 2008)

KIKO said:


> I use .243 with 100 gr Federal Premium BTSP. Bullet performes very good groups under 1" on my Rem 700 ADL and makes good holes with little bruising arround the wound. Good all arround gun for Texas.


+1 on the federal 100 gr.

also Winchester has a 100gr. power point bullet that works well and a 95 grain ballistic tip that works wonders on hogs.


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## Sometimer (Nov 2, 2006)

I've actually killed several Hill Country deer with a .223, but as mentioned, shot placement is the key - no matter what caliber you're using.

The .243 was made by necking down the .308 case to .24 caliber (or 6mm). The 7mm-08 was also made from necking down the .308 case.

I've killed several deer with a .243. It's a good choice with little recoil. My wife uses hers on South Texas deer and hogs - no problem.


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## BigBuck (Mar 2, 2005)

*243*

I guess I will be the lone dissenter. I grew up using a .6MM, balistically almost identical to the 243. I killed a large number with it, and it will do a number on whitetails. Some have used it to kill elk, so it will do the job. However, in my experience, I had a number of bullets that did not pass through, and so the tracking job was tough. I got to where I would wait for a complete broadside to avoid shoulders to get a better blood trail. I moved up to a .280 after about 12 years of using the .6 MM. I still handload for them (we have 2), they are fun to shoot. When we take kids for their first deer or first buck, we let them shoot one of the .6 MMs, so I guess I still have confidence in it. 
Place your shot carefully and it will kill any deer that walks. I just prefer a little heavier built bullet. 
I might add that our hill country bucks are a little larger that most hill country leases, we routinely kill bucks that field-dress in the mid 100's.
My .02
BB


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## Leemo (Nov 16, 2006)

yes, a 243 is a good choice for whitetails with proper shot placement, a better choice is a 100grn. G5 Montec :cheers:


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Big buck. I'm not sure you meant what you said below. I can't think of a "heavier built bullet" than the barnes xxx.

I'd be interested to know what type bullets you were using on those deer where you did not get a pass through. I would venture to say it was one of the older style bullets that shed 30-50% of their weight because of their construction.

I fully believe that because of the premium bullets available these days, that you can confidently move DOWN a caliber from what we used to use in the 60's and 70's and still have the same killing power.

I agree, it's not the ideal caliber, but with a good bullet, a good broadside presentation, and under 150 yards, that 243 should be totally sufficient.

Some interesting ballistics: 243 with barnes 85 xxx vs. that 280 shooting a 150 gr core lokt. Energy of the 243 at 150 yards 1430 ft pounds; energy of the 280 at 300 yards about 1500 ft pounds. ( Almost the same) So I guess if you would feel comfortable shooting a 280 150 gr core lokt at 300 yards, you might be comfortable shooting a 243 85 gr bullet at 150 yards. I know kinetic energy is not the all encompassing thing that so many think it is, but this also doesn't take into the account the difference in the construction and penetration of the core lokt vs. the XXX.

THE JAMMER


BigBuck said:


> I guess I will be the lone dissenter. I grew up using a .6MM, balistically almost identical to the 243. I killed a large number with it, and it will do a number on whitetails. Some have used it to kill elk, so it will do the job. However, in my experience, I had a number of bullets that did not pass through, and so the tracking job was tough. I got to where I would wait for a complete broadside to avoid shoulders to get a better blood trail. I moved up to a .280 after about 12 years of using the .6 MM. I still handload for them (we have 2), they are fun to shoot. When we take kids for their first deer or first buck, we let them shoot one of the .6 MMs, so I guess I still have confidence in it.
> Place your shot carefully and it will kill any deer that walks. I just prefer a little heavier built bullet.
> I might add that our hill country bucks are a little larger that most hill country leases, we routinely kill bucks that field-dress in the mid 100's.
> My .02
> BB


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## Mowdy Ag (Dec 19, 2005)

For 243's, Federals with 85 grain Barnes bullets are absolutely deadly. Used same last fall with excellent results.

MA


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## noslen (Jul 6, 2009)

Barnes bullet is a good choice w/ 243 if it groups well. Should ensure an exit wound, making recovery much simpler. This is sometimes an issue w/ the 243.


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## saltrod (Oct 10, 2008)

*243*

YUP! AIM , FIRE , GRILL


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## word-doctor (Sep 20, 2005)

I grew up in Minnesota, where the deer tend to be considerably heavier and more often than not we were shooting through brush. We tended to use somewhat heavier calibers (30-06, 308, 300, 30-30), more out of habit than anything else. Some of the guys started using 243s and 6.6mms just about the time I was leaving, and there was no increased problem with lost game--not much travels far if you hit it through the lights.

Down here, shooting out of a blind at 100 yards or less when you're not freezing and wet makes ear shots a distinct possibility!


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## djduke47823 (Jun 7, 2005)

*117 yrds.....*

*My son Alex killed his first deer with a .243 @ 117 yrds......*


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## Fuelin (Jun 21, 2005)

Oh the .243! Of all the hunts I have been on my best memories were with a Ruger 1 .243 hunting South Texas with my Dad. 100 yard feeder and a good deep breath did the trick every time.


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## Brute (Apr 29, 2009)

I have a winchester .243 that I carry in my my truck 24-7, 365 a year. Shoots what ever I am hunting at the moment.


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## GunDog (Jun 6, 2006)

My first, and so far only rifle is my Remington .243. I have heemed and hawed about getting a rifle with a larger calibur bullet but it is hard to when you have a gun that can drop a hog or deer at 150 yards; and you have confidence that it can do it.


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## Pecos (Feb 20, 2006)

The .243 is a great caliber for anything smaller than an elk...and plenty of elk have been taken with them too. As stated above, a .243 is a .308 case necked down to .243 caliber so it has plenty of room for powder. In the "old" days, more than seven or eight years ago, we did not have the wonderful choice of GREAT bullets that we have now and smaller diameter projectiles that were not as well built as today's bullets were often blamed for "failures". The "failures"...when not the result bad shot placement... were almost always the result of the projectile not getting enough penetration to reach the games vitales either because of excessive expansion or the bullet actually coming apart as it entered the animal or hit bone. 

And then... along came Nosler Partitions, Barnes Triple Shocks, Speer Trophy Bonded, and all the rest. The problem was solved when we hunters became educated as to the need for us to match the projectile to the game. A .243 will still be prone to "fail" if you go deer hunting with a lightly constructed varmit bullet that is designed to expand on prarie dogs. Guess what...so will my .300 Winchester Magnum if I load it with a 110 gr varmit bullet...unless I shoot them in the ear.

The .243 is light in recoil, light in muzzel blast, generally light to carry afield, flat shootng, and deadly. For Texas whitetails, mule deer, or antelope I cannot think of a better caliber.

Pecos


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## brasos (Jan 7, 2006)

asolde said:


> Is the .243 caliber big enough to kill an average hill country whitetail? The gun is sighted in with federals barnes 85gr tsx bullets. Any input would help thxs Alex


yes - especially with a barnes bullets


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

yep, plent good hill country deer medicine. jus' be shure to hit 'em where they'll die. gut shot deer with a .243 or a .600 will run along ways


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## jimk (May 28, 2004)

I have friends that have come full circle....started off with a .243, then went to magnum cannons and are now back to the .243....if I didn't have a .270, I'd have a .243.


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## jboogerfinger (Jun 16, 2009)

.243 100 gr bullet. Killed many a deer in Rocksprings. (long range hunting). Don't ever let anyone tell you its just a varmint gun. The bullet itself is relatively small, but shoot one and you will have no doubt it is a "deer" rifle.


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## jboogerfinger (Jun 16, 2009)

Get used to bow hunting at within 30 yards, and any rifle almost feels like cheating. LOL. Funny but so true.


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## backlashingcooger (Aug 2, 2006)

I have a number of "Deer Rifles" and have killed more with a 243 than any other.I have always used 100 gr bullets...most were handloaded Sierra Gamekings at about 3000 FPS,but both Winchester and Federal Premium have also been used....Only time I want something bigger in on the long senderos of South Texas....300+ yards requires the 300 Wn. Mag or the 7MM STW.


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## zrexpilot (Jun 14, 2007)

.243 is bad medicine on deer, my boy, 9 at the time took this deer at 210 yds using federal 100 gr game kings.


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## BigBuck (Mar 2, 2005)

*.243*

Jammer, you are right, I should have wrote "better built bullet" rather than "heavier built bullet". I always used the 100gr Sierra Game King bullets. At the time I started handloading for the .6 MM (1973) there weren't any premium bullets available (at least I do not remember any). I may have to pick up a box of Barnes and develope a load for it. As I stated, we still use them for the kiddos. I will not (I don't think) give up my .280 or .25-06, but it might be fun to try occasionally.
BB


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Big Buck,

Understand, but I still don't think that in a 243, or many other calibers, you can find a "better built bullet" than a Barnes TSX. It expands to twice its original diameter, and consistently weighs exactly the same when you recover it, as when you shot it. 

About 8 years ago, I shot a caribou in Canada head on at 95 yards with my 1885 highwall in 45-70. I was shooting a 300 gr Barnes X. When I recovered the bullet it had gone through the entire length of his body, and was lodged deep in the animal's thigh. When I weighed it when I got home, IT WEIGHED 300 GRAINS. 

Not trying to get into a ******* contest, but I don't know how you can build it any better than that- expands to twice its original diameter, and sheds ZERO weight. I know you said you've never tried them. You might be surprised. It's always the first bullet I try with a new rifle, and if it shoots, I usually don't go any further. The down side, is that it sometimes just won't shoot in some guns. It's very cantankerous.

THE JAMMER


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## BigBuck (Mar 2, 2005)

*Hijack*

Backlashingcougar, I did not mean to hijack the thread, so last post on this topic. Jammer, when I said "better built bullet" I was referring to the 100 gr. Sierra Game king, not the Barnes. I do not think the jacket was thick enough to hold the bullet together to get a complete penetration on shoulder or quartering shots. Close range I would find a lot of shrapnel, especially if I hit a big rib or shoulder on the entrance. If the bullet had stayed together, it should have exited, in all but the most severe angles. As stated, I may buy some barnes to see how they perform. We are on MLD ranches (two of them) so my wife and I shoot A LOT of deer every year. We can really compare shots, distances and performance on calibers and bullets. A large majority of the deer I shot with the .6 MM was DRT, but the ones that did run I thought I should have had a better blood trail. 
No knocks on the .243, I personally just prefer a little more gun.
BB out


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

BigBuck

Give the Barnes a try. I think you will like them. As the Jammer said though sometimes they can be a little tough to make shoot in some guns. I always fall back on the excuse that the Barnes bullet is much longer than a regular bullet of the same weight because it is all copper and no lead. So twist rate and sectional density might come into play. In the small calibers .224 I went through everything available and only Barnes does the job every time. I dont think there is much of a problem in the larger calibers regarding accuracy.

Charlie


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## zrexpilot (Jun 14, 2007)

I just dont see the need for premium bullets for deer. Ive seen a 55 gr balistic tips out of a .243 blow through deer everytime, I wouldnt use the 55 gr on hogs but deer are like butter, very thin skinned. I rarely dont get a pass through with the .243


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## Brute (Apr 29, 2009)

I agree, most people can't shoot to the capabilities of their gun or bullet. I have laid out good boar hogs at 300+ with just regular ol Remington Core-Lock with the .243.


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## asolde (May 22, 2004)

*Barnes*

This a bullet I recovered out of a Hog. The bullet ended up lodged in his rear ham (long story). The bullet is a barnes 165gr tsx and when I wieghed it, it wieghed 165grs.

I purchased a Browning x bolt .243 madalion and installed a ziess 3x9x40 conquest scope. I have been shooting federals barnes tsx 85gr out of it.


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## noslen (Jul 6, 2009)

Don't want to steal the thread to talk about Barnes bullets but I've been told the reason Barnes are hard to get to pattern in some guns is because each bore or drill used to drill the barrel has a run life of 10 runs or so. The first run will be very slightly larger than the rest, within tolerances, but slightly larger. As the drill drills it wears very slightly on each successive run therefore the bore is very slightly smaller on each successive run. By the end of the run life of the bit the bore is barely within tolerances on the small side. Because the Barnes bullet is all copper, it doesn't deform as well as copper jacketed and issues such as barrel cleaning start to make a larger difference in internal pressures and therefore group consistency. If grouping is a problem, you can try cleaning and removing copper after each shot on the range. If this solves the problem you'll know you first shot should be good, but remember any subsequent shot in the field may not be. I would guess that if you shot enough through the barrel it might wear the barrel enough to eliminate the problem, but it might be easier to work with a different bullet.


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

noslen said:


> Don't want to steal the thread to talk about Barnes bullets but I've been told the reason Barnes are hard to get to pattern in some guns is because each bore or drill used to drill the barrel has a run life of 10 runs or so. The first run will be very slightly larger than the rest, within tolerances, but slightly larger. As the drill drills it wears very slightly on each successive run therefore the bore is very slightly smaller on each successive run. By the end of the run life of the bit the bore is barely within tolerances on the small side. Because the Barnes bullet is all copper, it doesn't deform as well as copper jacketed and issues such as barrel cleaning start to make a larger difference in internal pressures and therefore group consistency. If grouping is a problem, you can try cleaning and removing copper after each shot on the range. If this solves the problem you'll know you first shot should be good, but remember any subsequent shot in the field may not be. I would guess that if you shot enough through the barrel it might wear the barrel enough to eliminate the problem, but it might be easier to work with a different bullet.


Jammer
Comments please on this......


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## Pecos (Feb 20, 2006)

The old style, pre TripleShok Barnes bullets would drive you crazy trying to handload them. If your gun "liked" them, they were accurate and really worked well on game...but many, MANY guns would not group the darned things no matter what you did and pressures could jump to dangerous levels VERY quickly as you tried to "work up" a load. I swore off of them three times and still have three partially used boxes of Barnes projos out in the garage to prove it.

Very accurate, read that 1/2", guns would refuse to group no matter what powder I used or how far off the lands I seated the bullet...and I was not the only handloader having problems with them. To stay in business, Barnes had to literally redesign what he was selling and boy did he do a great job with the TripleShoks! I have yet to find a gun that will not shoot the TripleShoks well and the bullet performance on game is OUTSTANDING. .22cal, 53gr TripleShoks have made honest to goodness deer rounds out of .223s,22-250s, not to mention the .224TTH. Loaded in a .243? *Close to perfect for Texas deer and antelope.*

Those grooves that are in the sides of the bullets almost work like majic. I *know* the grooves keep the pressures from spiking as fast as there is less contact between the bearing surface of the bullet and the bore. I *suspect* the grooves allow the bullet to more properly mate with the lands and grooves of the barrel as it passes down it and thus the incease in potential for accuracy.

The only downside to them is that they are pricey...but you get what you pay for. Do you NEED premium bullets for Texas game? Not if you properly match the type of bullet to the type of game. The "run of the mill" Speer, Hornady, Sierra projectiles have all had their construction "tweaked" in the past few years and are good choices for virtually any caliber. But when you get down to .22 and .243 sized bores, I honestly believe premium bullets make a worth while difference.

Heck, I'd hunt elk or moose with a .243 loaded with TripleShocks or Trophy Bondeds out to two hundred yards or so.

PECOS


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Regarding Noslen's comments. Whether it's a copper jacketed bullet or a solid copper bullet, it's only the very outer skin of the bullet that is engraving the rifling, and therefore shouldn't make any difference. I guess the only way to really check this out would be to recover some bullets, and measure the depth of the grooves cut into the rifling. If they are the same depth, then I don't necessarily buy the solid copper being less accurate than the jacketed bullet theory. I guess it's possible that because the lead inner of a jacketed bullet is softer than the copper inner of a barnes bullet and that it might compress more thus giving a deeper engraving when engaging the rifling, thus more consistent accuracy, but I tend to think not.

Secondly, practically speaking if a bullet I'm working on is only good for the "first shot" and will not group, I'm not using it. I'll go to a different bullet. If I have to clean between every shot--- AIN'T HAPPNIN.

Also I totally agree with what Pecos said above regarding the old style barnes and the newer XXX's. Another thing about barnes is that they seem to be much more sensitive about seating depth than any other bullet I have ever loaded. And there is no rhyme or reason to it either. They say in their manual start 50 thousandths off the lands, but I have been both sides of that a bunch.

The triple shocks are head and shoulders above their old ones, but I still can't get a 62 xxx or 52 xxx to group in my 1X9 colt AR. I've run a fortune of components through that gun. It'll shoot BT's into 1/2" but it won't shoot the barnes.

THE "THIS IS A GREAT DISCUSSION" JAMMER


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Jammer

As you know I went through a lot of stuff trying to get the XXX shoot in my Model 7. Setting at this computer I dont have the COL for my finished 223 but it is real short. As I moved the bullet further and further away from the lands it began to shoot better. I am afraid to seat it any deeper. It shoots little less than an inch but to be safe I would say an inch so I have accepted this for a hunting round especially with the performance of the bullet. Now before the 53 gr XXX the only barnes bullet I could get to shoot was the 45 gr BT. They no longer make it. In fact Barnes made mine special for me when they were making some 45 Gr coated bullets. I asked them to hold me 100 out of the coating process. Now those shot almost one hole and did kill several deer with them. 
I know when you pull the trigger on a Barnes there is no worry about performance. 

As said above I do believe in the smaller caliber rifles the projectile is very important. As you get larger there is less worry. In the 224 stuff it better be right. I dont want another bullet blowing up on the outside of a rib cage and the animal running. With Barnes that doesent happen.

PS Midway has them on sale rite now and j ust ordered a box of 50 53 Gr TSX.

Charlie


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## mywifeshusband (Nov 19, 2006)

*243*

My wife shoots a Mossberg 800D and we use the nosler ballistic tip. she can castrate a knat at 150 yards and the center feeder at her blind is 175 yds. we have only lost 1 deer in all of her many kills, no blood trail and yes you can ask any of the guys on my lease and they will tell you that when a deer is lost they want me tracking. Yes a 243cal is a good round less recoil and dead on shots = meat in the freezer, And she also has a BLR 7mag that she can cover 3 shots with a quarter at 200yrds. The nice scope has a lot to do with that. Beau


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

I have to say I got away from the barnes as well back before triple shocks.
Now I load them in almost everything I shoot. From 257 roberts to 338 win mag.
Those three rings made all the difference in the world.
The only problem is that they are very expensive. 
So much so that I wouldnt buy any for my sons 280. That cal was outrageous a year ago. I dont know about now.
He shoots the 139gr Hornady Interbonds.


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## hook'n'em (Aug 11, 2007)

and...yes. It's all I have ever shot.


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## workorfish (Sep 5, 2007)

*Absolutely*

X50

While I shoot the 6mm Rem instead of 243 Win, same bullet a bit more powder. Starting hunting hill country in the mid-70's and have put down a dump truck load of deer with that gun. Hit a vital and he's good as dead. Period.


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

I can't tell you how many stories I have heard where the three common elements were: deer, nosler ballistic tips, and no blood trail. It happened to my son last fall, and the only reason we found him is that after an hour of tracking I did the old "I'll bet he did a button hook and was returning to his buddies where he was shot, and we found him less than 4o yards from where he was hit, but in the opposite direction that he had initially run off.

I am off of ballistic tips for anything but varmints and accuracy. In a world of partition, XXX, TSX, etc. I don't need ballistic tips. Granted they are probably consistently the most accurate bullet I shoot in any of my guns, I'm just not that convinced of their CONSISTENT performance on game.

By the way I'd sure like to see that .475 MOA BLR. That's pretty amazing for that gun.

THE JAMMER



mywifeshusband said:


> My wife shoots a Mossberg 800D and we use the nosler ballistic tip. she can castrate a knat at 150 yards and the center feeder at her blind is 175 yds. we have only lost 1 deer in all of her many kills, no blood trail and yes you can ask any of the guys on my lease and they will tell you that when a deer is lost they want me tracking. Yes a 243cal is a good round less recoil and dead on shots = meat in the freezer, And she also has a BLR 7mag that she can cover 3 shots with a quarter at 200yrds. The nice scope has a lot to do with that. Beau


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## zrexpilot (Jun 14, 2007)

THE JAMMER said:


> I am off of ballistic tips for anything but varmints and accuracy. In a world of partition, XXX, TSX, etc. I don't need ballistic tips. Granted they are probably consistently the most accurate bullet I shoot in any of my guns, I'm just not that convinced of their CONSISTENT performance on game.
> 
> THE JAMMER


 what caliber are these being shot out of because I believe the BT's are better in non magnum velocites. As with many standard bullets.
People use magnums only to take game at a 100 yds, and thats the problem, with the increased velocites standard bullets tend to come apart at close ranges, but work perfect at ranges magnums were intended, 400 yds or so.
So a .308 at a 100 yds works perfect with standard bullets, magnum shooters find they dont work to well and then move to a bonded bullet, now were right back to .308 performance with standard bullets.
Thats why magnums are not necesary for 100-300 yd shooting, if your goin to get a magnum and use it waht it was intended for (400+ yd) shooting, you'll find that even standard bullets will work very well at those distances.


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Zrex, My personal incidence was with a Model 7 7mm-08 shooting 120 gr bt's. Entry was barely there, no exit wound, no blood trail, very little damage on the entry, and not a lot of blood in the cavity, and the shot was 90 yards. Unfortunately, I didn't recover the bullet.

I can't recall the other specifics of other instances of problems with BT's, it's just I seem to have heard of more of that type of problem with BT's than all other bullets combined.

I understand what you're saying about shooting magnums at close ranges with lighter constructed bullets, and the inherent problems there, and agree. The thing is that a XXX will totally open up at I think about 15-1600 fps impact velocity and above. So whether that comes at 50 yards or 450 yards, that barnes is going to expand to the exact same diameter, and it will hold together every time, and lot lose any weight, and it doesn't care whether it came out of a magnum or a 257 roberts. If the impact velocity is there, it's going to expand and stay together.

THE JAMMER


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## Pecos (Feb 20, 2006)

Jammer,

No question that Nosler at one time made BTs that were not sturdy enough at hi velocities on game. At the Shot Show two or three years ago, I visited with the Nosler rep on this very issue and he told me the they had beefed up the construction of BTs. It was the year that they introduced the Accubond series and more that one attendee accused him of Nosler intentionally building Bts "light" so that more folks would by the more expensive Accubonds. I certainly don't believe that conspiricy theory is true. I mean heck, Nosler has been building "partitions" forever. I remember John Barnsness writing an article about the revamping of the BTs a couple of years ago re specific calibers and weights.

All that being said, premium bullets are the way to go for smaller caliber deer rifles.

BTW, what is your receipe for the .257 Roberts loads if you don't mind sharing?

PECOS


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

ITS NOT THE CALIBER . ITS SHOT PLACEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Hey cva34,

Were you actually on CVA 34- the O' boat? I was on her 1972-1975.

THE JAMMER


cva34 said:


> ITS NOT THE CALIBER . ITS SHOT PLACEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Pecos,

Interesting info on the "beefing up" of the BT's. I wasn't aware of that. I don't know when that was done, but my personal bad experience with bt's was last Christmas with my son's 7-08, which we had only bought about summer of 2008, and I would not have bought bullets for it until then. So depending upon when the beefing up took place, I would doubt that the bullets I was using were of the "old style" but maybe.

And quite frankly there might be something to the comment about the accubonds. When I don't use Barnes, I have now switched to accubonds. Accuracy of a BT, and construction closer to a partition. So if my guns will not shoot XXX, I can almost always get them to shoot accubonds.

Also I don't shoot a 257 roberts, wish I did have one, but don't. Just used it as an example.

Thanks for the info,

THE JAMMER


Pecos said:


> Jammer,
> 
> No question that Nosler at one time made BTs that were not sturdy enough at hi velocities on game. At the Shot Show two or three years ago, I visited with the Nosler rep on this very issue and he told me the they had beefed up the construction of BTs. It was the year that they introduced the Accubond series and more that one attendee accused him of Nosler intentionally building Bts "light" so that more folks would by the more expensive Accubonds. I certainly don't believe that conspiricy theory is true. I mean heck, Nosler has been building "partitions" forever. I remember John Barnsness writing an article about the revamping of the BTs a couple of years ago re specific calibers and weights.
> 
> ...


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## Outlaw Mo (Jan 23, 2005)

I own one .243 rifle, a Remington model 700 ADL I bought used several years ago. I have killed several whitetails with it in S Texas. All one shot kills. I used Remington 100 grain Core-Lokt's for most, and also used Federal 100 grain Nosler Partition on one. The Remingtons were more accurate in that rifle, and cheaper, but I think the partition holds up better when it hits. Either way, as others have said on this post, shot placement, shot placement, shot placement. Great little rifle, and a great caliber. :texasflag


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## texas8point (Dec 18, 2006)

heck yes. great gun. excellent texas whitetail gun.


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

Haute Pursuit said:


> I've killed a bunch of deer with a .243. You should not have any problems with that caliber and bullet if you hit where you are aiming.


X2


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## jboogerfinger (Jun 16, 2009)

cva34 said:


> ITS NOT THE CALIBER . ITS SHOT PLACEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I tell my wife that all the time! :cheers:


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## Solid Action (May 21, 2004)

All about shot...............placement.


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## coogerpop (Sep 3, 2009)

For many years this has been a top whitetail deer killer...But most folks shoot the 100 gr bullet....for a number of years,since 1960 to be exact,I've used a Sako Finbear,with a 6x weaver scope loaded with Sierra BT 100 gr and 46 gr of IMR 4350..about 3200 fps and a super load .....the only lighter bullets I'd recomend are the Nosler partition 85 gr....but my gun shoots the 100's better.


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## Chase4556 (Aug 26, 2008)

Solid Action said:


> All about shot...............placement.


My dad always told me that you needed a big gun to make sure that you could knock that deer down. I used to hunt with his .308 when I was 7 or 8. Then switched to his .243, and was still killing deer. Now if I'm feeling froggy, I take my .22-250 out there, and last year I killed my deer with a .25-06 with a ballistic tipped varmit load.

I hardly ever get pass throughs, but in the same breath, I've never had a deer "run" away after I shot it. The furthest one has gone is about 20 feet. Last year, at 180 yards, with a varmit .25-06 round, a well placed shot dropped a 185 pound deer in his tracks. Its all about shot placement, not a big gun. Like everyone has said for years, a .22 is enough to kill a deer, if you shoot it right. A .243 is a perfect rifle, very versatile.


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