Anyone use the 85gr Nosler Partition for deer?
- Thread starter Craiger12
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DM~
Member
I've used them in my .243Win. and also my 240WBY., i have to admit, they did work on the rib shots i took, but i like the 95's and 100's better as they will penetrate deeper if i take a less than perfect shot...
DM
DM
WTBguns10kOK
member
Well it's hard to say if they'll be accurate in your future gun, but I'd have confidence in their ability to perform. I used a Barnes 80 grain bullet this year that passed through a deer.
hardluk1
member
The SST is a bit tougher than the NBT and the GMX Hornady and black hills loads the sst, see if anyone loads the barne's x.
KodiakBeer
member
I'll bet I killed 100 deer with the 100 grain Noslers. Doesn't Federal still offer these?
25cschaefer
Member
I have to agree with DM, I liked the 95s for deer, but At the time I lived in WY. My sister would use the 85s for antelope and they work just fine, I don't think your deer in CT are much bigger than antelope. With the 85s in antelope, we never had one pass out and never had one stop in the bone, always in the hide on the other side or in the shoulder meat. We did have one enter through a rib, clip the heart, bounce off of the shoulder blade on the back side and exit about an inch from the entrance, massive wound cavity.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Federal loads the Sierra 85-grain HPBT for the .243. I found them to be as good for tight groups as I'd always had with my handloads. (Good Federal! Good Federal! Here's a doggie-treat! 
)
The bullet is really better for coyotes, but for neck shots and cross-body heart/lung shots it works great. I don't take angling shots, and tend to stay inside of 200 yards.
)The bullet is really better for coyotes, but for neck shots and cross-body heart/lung shots it works great. I don't take angling shots, and tend to stay inside of 200 yards.
federal loads the tsx for the .243.. I would use nothing else if it were me. I'm not saying the partition or any other bullet isn't effective, but I would for sure say that none will perform on the level of the tsx. they are expensive, but they are worth it. I shot two deer this year and both fell DRT. and there is a reason that they work the way they do. there are several other posts on here that give all the details and examples... even a 70gr tsx from a 223 are nasty medicine for whitetail.. you will never wish you used a different bullet in a .243. they punch a nasty hole through and through, they won't deform on ribs and they won't ruin the meat. the wound channel is large and very nasty. but unlike ballistic tips they don't make blood pudding out of stuff.. just my two cents
41 Mag
Member
The great thing bout a .243 is the lack of recoil with most any load you use. This allows you to hit where your aiming without the worry of being hammered when the trigger is pulled.
I hunted with one from the time I was 6 until I was in my mid 20's and used about every weight available. In that time span, the old discontinued 85gr Nosler Solid Base probably accounted for as many deer as anything else. When it was dropped from their line, I used the Partition, and the Barnes X and had just as good of results as ever.
Nowadays, I still have the same rifle I started off with along with a Remington pump and a Sako Forrester. They are all firing the 100gr bullets. Even with them there is relatively little recoil compared to a heavier bullet fired from a bigger caliber. In fact the 9yr old grandson used the Sako to drop a nice hog right around New Years with the 100gr bullet running just over 3000fps.
If your looking for what seems to be a accurate factory loading, give the Hornady Custom 100gr load a try. It has shot so well in several rifles, including mine, that it is all my friend and his family use. This would be 1" accuracy from 7 different rifles of different makes. If it were from just one I could admit it liked that particular load, but for several years we have shot it through all they own and mine included and they all shoot it well. We're either very lucky or the load is pretty decent.
The 100gr SPBT they use has reliably dropped deer and hogs for them year after year. I keep a couple of boxes on hand just in case I run out of handloads, or run off and leave them home or at my farm. They are only a bit off from my handloads and are just as accurate from my rifles.
I would give them a try, I doubt you will be disappointed.
I hunted with one from the time I was 6 until I was in my mid 20's and used about every weight available. In that time span, the old discontinued 85gr Nosler Solid Base probably accounted for as many deer as anything else. When it was dropped from their line, I used the Partition, and the Barnes X and had just as good of results as ever.
Nowadays, I still have the same rifle I started off with along with a Remington pump and a Sako Forrester. They are all firing the 100gr bullets. Even with them there is relatively little recoil compared to a heavier bullet fired from a bigger caliber. In fact the 9yr old grandson used the Sako to drop a nice hog right around New Years with the 100gr bullet running just over 3000fps.
If your looking for what seems to be a accurate factory loading, give the Hornady Custom 100gr load a try. It has shot so well in several rifles, including mine, that it is all my friend and his family use. This would be 1" accuracy from 7 different rifles of different makes. If it were from just one I could admit it liked that particular load, but for several years we have shot it through all they own and mine included and they all shoot it well. We're either very lucky or the load is pretty decent.
The 100gr SPBT they use has reliably dropped deer and hogs for them year after year. I keep a couple of boxes on hand just in case I run out of handloads, or run off and leave them home or at my farm. They are only a bit off from my handloads and are just as accurate from my rifles.
I would give them a try, I doubt you will be disappointed.
2ndtimer
Member
You might also try Federal's old blue box 80 gr soft point load. (I think they are using a red box now). They indicate it is for medium game on the box and I believe it is loaded with a Speer Hot-Cor bullet. While I haven't taken any game with it, it was very accurate in both a Stevens 200 in .243 as well as a Sako A-7 in .243. Of course they also offer a 100gr load and those are available at the local walmart for less than $14 a box. Me, I will use a handloaded Nosler 95 gr Ballistic Tip or 100 gr Solid Base on deer and antelope this fall.
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