Whitetail bullet selection

Not precisely on point but I have had spectacular results with Sierra's 165 gameking hpbt on both deer and hogs. I have never had an animal move from the spot it was in when hit. I stumbled on that particular bullet because I was annoyed with the 'dubbed' nose on the soft points I was using were experiencing in the magazine. Heart/lung destruction is absolutely amazing on a side to side and I've never recovered other than fragments and jackets on that sort of shot. Hit a pig that weighed close to 300 on a quartering shot that went down like a rock. Hit a five point at about 250 with a poorly placed shot to the extreme front of his chest, (brisket), that went down as tho lightening struck....that one did require another round but he appeared dead & as I was making my way down a very steep hillside got up......he'd have died from blood loss in a short distance anyway.

I have used 150s/180s and 220s over the years & in Alaska too. All worked to one degree or another but that 165 truly does it all, for me at least.

My load by the way is 57.5 IMR4350....std ww lrp.....chronos 2850 from my old M/70.

I have never seen a bullet that has consistantly done it's job year after year like the Remington Core-Lokt bullet has. I guess that is the reason it has lasted soo long...A complete energy dump before it got stopped by the hide. I've had the same results on Blacktail deer of the Northwest with a .30-30 and 170 grain Core-Lokts. Complete penitration and stopped by the hide on the other side. 90% bullet recovery and expanded to about .45 or better...

That seems unusual for them not to go all the way through. I've shot many of deer with the 150gr Spitzer CoreLokt as well as 180gr round nose CoreLokts. All have gone through completely. Ranges from 25' to 200yds.

That being said, I also handload and have used 150gr Hornady spitzers, 150gr Speer spitzers, 180gr Sierra spitzers, and Speer 180gr Round Noses. Again all complete penetration. When I hunt in Wisconsin where the ranges are short, those 180gr round nose bullets are tough to beat. They're very accurate in my rifle, deposit alot of energy and provide complete penetration. Try em.

I’ve hand-loaded for 48 years now. Among the numerous rifles I’ve developed accurate hunting loads for are 243, 6mmRem, 6.5X55 (similar to 260), 270, and 30-06. I have taken numerous game animals with all.

My immediate and extended family did lots of bullet testing on game over the last 50 years, and for each individual it was possible to have 1 elk tag, from 2-10 deer tags, and as many as 12 antelope tags per person in a given year. Since we processed our own meat, terminal results of bullets were easy to see.

Considering the ability to take game reliably without bullet failure, for factory ammo, Rem Core-Lokt was unparalleled. Reloaders only had Hornady, Nosler, Speer, and Sierra available at that time. For deer & antelope, when considering game getting ability with little meat damage, Hornady was the best. For the absolute best game getting ability, Nosler Partitions, but they can ruin a lot more meat. The Nosler Partitions were used for hunting trophy deer, both mule deer and whitetail. Only Nosler Partitions are used for elk hunting.

If you have not purchased your 243 yet, please consider a 6mmRem instead, as it is a much better choice for numerous reasons, both for game and for reloading.

The boat-tail bullets are a lot easier to reload, because the tail slips easily into the case mouth. The superior ballistics of the boat-tail are meaningless until you get over 400 yards. In addition, boat-tails have a slightly thinner copper jacket, which can cause core separation (I have seen this many times during meat processing). The flat base bullets are a little harder to load, but do perform much better for controlled expansion and game getting ability.

Suggested best bullet weights:
243, 6mmRem - - 100gr
6.5X55, 260, 270 - - 140gr
30-06 - - 165gr

GOOD SHOOTING!

interlocks, ssts, or gamekings in every one of those calibers will stop any deer you find.

i shoot interlocks in my .06 and ssts in my .243. havent had one get away yet! and we are talking well into the 50's and 60's over the past 10 years.

I have never had a problem stopping a deer with a Nosler ballistic tip bullet in .25-06, or .30-06. I am thinking about loding some gamekings in these calibers.

Nosler Partitions would be a good choice for a 243. Just about anything besides a varmint bullet will do the job inside of 200 yards if you do your part. I know a guy that took down a whitetail with a 10/22. He just dumped the whole mag in the vitals at close range. Still very illegal.

Please don't tell me that I just bought 350 nosler 2nds in the .308 180 partitions....I hope they don't fail me! (said with a slight undertone of sarcasm)

I'd second the Nosler BT from above, its about all I load for Wisconsin Whitetail. I personally use a 100 gn out of my Ruger 77 in .250 Savage. I also load them for .270, .308, and 7 mm. It is pretty much the gold standard in my hunting party. We have had very good results with them. Do deer drop dead in their tracks? Sometimes, but our "research" shows that even if they run, theres plenty of blood to follow. (And most often, you don't follow for long)

have taken to many deer to count and my share of elk.... never lost one... good expansion and great stopping power... Hornady #3045 308 cal 165 grn. BTSP load very easy and very accurate....

.243 - Sierra 85 Grain Hollow Point Boat Tail
.264 - Sierra 140 Grain Hollow Point Boat Tail
.270 - Sierra 140 Grain Hollow Point Boat Tail
.30-06 - Sierra 168 Grain Boat Tail Hollow Point (up to and including big elk) and Nosler 180 Grain Partition (anything larger than a big elk)

I'm thinking about hunting with a 243 this year, and I have some 100gr Hornady Interlock BTSP that provide excellent accuracy for me. I've also kicked around using 95gr SSTs, or similar weight Sierra Gamekings.

Click to expand...

Any of those will work fine. I used the 95g SST's in a .243 and 165g Interlocks in a 30-06 last year with excellent results. Accuracy is more important than anything else when selecting a whitetail bullet IMO. Hit a deer in the vitals and you won't have a problem.

Be honest now ricciardelli. You just use those bullets so you don't have as much weight to drag out. Like in the Glentana to Four Buttes walk in areas.

shoney +1 very interesting site... thanks for the info.

Ricciardelli---.30-06---Sierra 168 bthp..(SMK) ?