Your favorite .243 recipe for whitetail?

[45Badger]

Bought my son a Remington ADL youth model in .243 last year. Just bought a BDL for myself. We've got about 80 rounds of empty brass, two more boxes of cheap 100 gr Federal ammo.

That's plenty of excuse for me to start reloading for deer. Anybody got a favorite deer load? I would prefer to stick with heavier and sturdier bullets. Thanks!

 

[wdlsguy]

100 gr Nosler Partitions.

 

[Will Fennell]

what he said.....

100 gr. partitions......

 

[uk roe hunter]

partitions?

Do you get good enough expansion with these? have you tried 105 grain speer spitzers? if you have what are they like and what are your recipes?

steve

 

[GooseGestapo]

Hornady 100gr BTSP @ 2.675"oal. (Nosler #4 max load; listed best accuracy)
RL-22 @ 42.5gr
2,975fps @ 20' (22"bbl)
5shots @ 0.660" @ 100yds. (4 were touching!)

This bullet has given outstanding accuracy from my Stevens m200 (Savage m12 clone). It has also given my brother and nephew outstanding performance from his Savage M110 both for accuracy and game performance on both Mule deer to 300lbs, as well as whitetail deer from Montana to Alabama and Georgia.

He uses 42.5gr of IMR4831, for just over 3,000fps and 1.25" groups
(can't get him to try the RL-22)

 

[griz]

When I used a 243 for deer it was with a 100 grain Hornady SP and either H-4350 or AA 3100. Nosler's Partions would be good if your deer are on the large side.

 

[Shoney]

100 gr Nosler Partitions are great game getters, but under 250 yards ruined too much meat. The front half is designed for rapid expansion, while the rear of the H mantle stays intact. The rapid expansion IMHO was exposive. Great for putting down game quickly in wooded areas or heavy brush, but unnecesary in the open plains.
Hornady 100 grains were excellent game getters with much less meat loss than the NPart.
100 gr Hornady BTSP were excelent, but had several core separations which passed thru and left the copper jacket about 90% of the way thru.
100 gr Hoarnady SP were excellent, with no core seperations noted.

DO NOT TRUST anyone elses load data, take them with a grain of salt for comparison with published load data.

 

[Stinger]

This year I will be shooting a max load of IMR 4350 behind a 100g Sierra Pro-Hunter. Clocks about 2950 (that number is off the top of my head, I would have to check my records to be sure.)

I'll probably also use the 85g Sierra Gameking this year as well.

Regards,

Stinger

 

[Matthew T.]

I used 41.5 grains of Hodgdon 414 with a 95-grain Nosler Partition on a 60-pound button buck last year. It wasn't particularly explosive - maybe a 1" exit hole. The bullet expanded a little and went on its merry way, going through ribs on the way in and out. The deer ran 40 yards or so with substantial portions of its lungs and heart shredded, then fell over.

 

[Hawken50]

i've had good luck with 100grn sierra game kings and imr 4something... i'll get back to you on that.

 

[uk roe hunter]

thanks guys

like it says on the label, thanks guys