Deer Round for Browning BLR in .243

Hornady 95gr. SST

Remington 95gr. CoreLokt or Express

Winchester 95gr. Silvertip

Federal 95gr. PowerShok or Vitalshok





P.S. If you handload, Hornady's 87gr. BTHP is a very good bullet to use for deer. I've used it to take a trainload of deer.

Any 100 grain soft point offering, especially the Hornady 100 grain Light Magnum. I believe with the .243 penetration is important, expansion will come anyway. A friend and accomplished hunter and reloader who was previous very high on the 95 gain polymer tips swore off them this year when it took 3 shoots to stop a 150 pound buck. Problem was the deer was not broadside, but at an angle quartering away. The polymer tip bullets did not penetrate well to the boiler room.

On front end or broadside shots I think the polymer tips would work great. I have killed about 12 to 15 deer with the .243 100 grain regular offers of Winchester, Federal, and Remington, but my favorite is the 100 grain Horady Light Magnum.

Had great success with the Hornady 105 gr spire points when I use handloads. Out of pure laziness the last few years, the Federal 100 gr Powershocks have been real successful. 6 mulies and 2 antelope in the last 3 seasons in MT, all 1 shot kills. Only one of them was not a DRT too. I had a doe this year run about 25 yards before she expired.

Shawnee has spoken on the .243, so I shan't disagree, except to add - pick the one that shoots most accurately in your rifle, but given equal accuracy, what Shawnee said. I plan to try some of those Hornady bullets in handloads - seems like they'd be plenty good for both neck and vitals shots.

I thought some of you were hot on 85 and 87 grainers for deer.

Shawnee has spoken on the .243, so I shan't disagree

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But aren't some of those he described 100 grains, not 95?

The kids swear by the ballistic silvertips.

isnt the .243 too small for deer? its not belted or traveling faster than the speed of light?

100 grain Nosler Partition
100 grain Rem. Corelokt
100 grain Fed. Powershok
95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip

I shot a nice sized doe last week with my BLR .243. I was using the el cheapo Federal Power Shok 100 grain soft point. I shot at an angle just in front of left shoulder...bullet exited in rear of opposing shoulder. It left a 3" measured exit hole and blood everywhere. Dead Deer

BLR .243

What's your scope set up on your BLR? One piece or two piece base (looks like two piece but I can't really tell). What kind of scope?

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blacksmithsc...Two piece Weaver base (#25) and Burris Z-rings (low).

I also have a one piece Leupold base and Redfield low rings for the BLR, but I like the looks of the Weaver/Burris combo better.

The scope is a Weaver Classic CK4 Microtrack...fixed 4X power made in Japan. It is one of the newer Weaver scopes. I have three of the Japanese Weavers. I have another like on the BLR (except matte black finish) mounted on my Marlin .45-70. I also have a fixed 2.5X one.

The Japanese Weavers, although not the oldtime made in USA ones, are great and to me are very bright...even compared to my Leupold, Burris, USA made Weaver, and Redfield scopes.

Thanks for your interest and good hunting!

homers, my .243 has too slow a twist for the 100-grain bullets. Yeah, I use the Sierra 85-grain HPBT, but I'm really picky about my shots. Neck/head or cross-body heart/lung shots, but mostly neck shots. And, I sorta restrict myself for range and size of deer. I generally avoid running shots, as well. So, mostly DRT on some 20+ bucks.

Art, thanks for the clarification. My first deer gun was (still have it) a Ruger M77, tang safety in 243. For deer I usually shoot 100 gr nosler partitions, not because deer are that tough to kill but because I never want to have any doubt if I wound one (never have yet) that the bullet worked or not.

Unfortunately, it seems all the on line discount places are out of that scope right now.

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You've got that right! Good testimony for those scopes I guess. Also not any on Gun Broker or Ebay now either.

Blacksmith...


Is this the one you're looking for ?

http://www.opticsplanet.net/weaver-rifle-scopes-k6-6x38.html

That is the 6-power version. Looks like they do have the 4x one also.

this link... http://www.opticsplanet.net/weaver-rifle-scopes-k4-4x38.html

10/4, C&L... hopefully $139.00 is a good price for him.

Judging by the magazine design, yours appears to be an "older" model.

Compare your receiver top to this pic of mine. If the ribbed area (and only the ribbed area) has a slight convex radius to it like mine use the #25.

If your ribbed area (only the ribbed again) is flat, use the #28. The top of the receiver is rounded of course but forget that...just the ribbed area where the base mounting holes are located is what you are interested in.