I'm looking for a light Deer bullet for my .243

[njc110381]

I shot a Munty with my .243 the other day. Needless to say with the 75grn Hornady Hollow point I lost most of the far side of the carcass! It wasn't a head shot moment and the Deer had to be shot, so I'd like to find something a bit more suitable.

 

The rifle is used mainly for Foxing so I want to stay as light as possible. What I want to do is lose the fragmenting style of the bullets I'm using now. I've looked at some 80grn bullets made by Remington which are said to offer slower expansion than hollow points. They may well be good?

 

Does anyone use a light bullet for Deer that doesn't break up? I'm not interested in the "just neck them" comments as sometimes that sort of shot is just too risky. I want to be able to blat them in the boiler room without turning them inside out!

[al4x]

silly question but smaller bullets equate to faster and presumably more damage

[Redgum]

I have used 100grain Federals on Munties and just goes straight through em, not alot of meat damage but they can run a little bit which is not good at dusk in thick cover ( lucky I have a good tracking dog). Was talking to a chap in my local RFD's on the weekend and he uses 85grain sierra soft points on anything up to fallow does and reckons that they stop the deer better than 100grains and are much flatter out to 300yds (not that I ever shoot that far at deer). When I have loaded a nice load and used em then I will be in a better position to inform.

Regardless to say that if you use varmint heads on deer you will have a fair bit of meat damage, no doupt you will get some good suggestions on here.

[mikee]

I use mostly Hornady 100gn btsp factory ammo and never get any great amount of damage even with animals shot at very close quarters,

 

i recently bought a box of Norma 100gn soft points so i could keep the brass for reloading, I have shot 2 muntys with these both side on at about 120yds, both hit just behind the shoulder and both deer absolutely smashed to bits, so much so that the haunches were the only salvageable parts,

 

give the hornady's a go, i tried some federal 80gn and got similar results to the norma ammo, i think the slightly slower bullets on small deer save some damage, just my opinion on what ive seen

 

mikee

[garyb]

Sierra Spitzers get my vote for Deer bullets.

 

But you wont get them in 243 and sub 100grn sadly :blink: - there is an 85grn Spitzer, but it's listed as a Varmint bullet.

 

Sierra also list a 85grn Gameking HPBT, it's not listed as a Varmint bullet - but will no doubt do the business on ginger.

Edited September 13, 2010 by garyb

[kent]

Tried alsorts and the very best seems to be the 95 grn Nosler B/Tip i now use it for all my foxing and also my .243" deer work in England. It has good terminal performance on fox without too much damage to venison, is just about the perfect Roe bullet IMO never shot a munty in my life though. Sometimes things go wrong and you loose a little meat but on balance it is by far the best i have found and this can happen with any bullet, bear out the fact that i no longer bother with a Fox specific bullet

[Dunkield]

The exit holes I get on muntjac are only about 10mm or so, but when I clipped the shoulder it was a whole different matter.

That is a .223 so of no use to you here, but it doees show that light/quick bullets don't always lead to meat damage.

[kent]

The exit holes I get on muntjac are only about 10mm or so, but when I clipped the shoulder it was a whole different matter.

That is a .223 so of no use to you here, but it doees show that light/quick bullets don't always lead to meat damage.

 

Well put it's a balance point of impact ,range, shot angle they all matter it just about getting the mix and compromise you are happy with overall

[njc110381]

I think that bullet construction plays the most important part. Having said that if you're close to the animal and the velocity is high I don't suppose it helps?!

 

On the Munty I recently shot the bullet missed the ribs on the way in and still fragmented. I found some small shards of jacket in the gralloch and there was a lot of mess on the far side. I knew it would happen, the Hornady 75grn hollow point is a recognised varmint bullet so was never going to be ideal. I just figured that the Munties are doing so much damage on my shoot that I had to take it at the cost of a bit of meat, and being a small animal the varmint round would still get in far enough to do the job even if it hit bone on the way in.

 

I will buy a box of the 85 grn Gamekings and give them a go. If they blow up too much I'll try the 95 grn Noslers or 85grn Barnes TSX (but they're a bit expensive really). I do need to consider that there have been some Fallow spotted just over the road from where I shoot, so it may be that I'll need to be able to take them too soon.

 

The search for a good "all round" bullet is never easy. Something that is good at everything will always also be a compromise! I think when that happens the choice has to lean towards the Deer side of things. Any bullet will smash up a Fox, it's just the flat trajectory I want to try to keep.

[Bazooka Joe]

Have a look at Hornaday's 87gn's,

 

they come in thre different heads,

 

Soft point, Hollow point, & V Max.

 

All the same weight, makes one reloading for the 243, but take your pick of which head to use,

 

BJ

[Dekers]

The 90g PRVI SP works well enough on Muntjac and Roe, etc, but will almost always exit the animal.

 

Meat damage is usually quite acceptable depending just quite what was hit on the route through.

 

SP/HP will almost always go through, the more frangible bullets will tend to stay in, sometimes fragments will pass through, sometimes they just destroy the animal with massive meat damage!

[njc110381]

Well in my experience with the 75grn Hornady hollow point all you have to do to gralloch the Deer is cut around its backside and tip the contents out through the exit wound! How it wasn't a green soupy mess rather than a dark red one I'll never know. I guess I was just really lucky?!

 

BJ, I'll check out those 87 grainers. Thanks for the tip.

[Dunkield]

How it wasn't a green soupy mess rather than a dark red one I'll never know. I guess I was just really lucky?!

You missed it's guts, first time for everything eh

[al4x]

You missed it's guts, first time for everything eh

 

 

oh I don't know after the sitting rabbits with a shotgun thats not all thats possible to miss

[njc110381]

You missed it's guts, first time for everything eh

 

 

oh I don't know after the sitting rabbits with a shotgun thats not all thats possible to miss

 

Oh I see, it's pick on Neil day is it?

 

Sitting Rabbits with a shotgun are officially impossible. I can't hit them and that's that. It's like they're ghosts or something - big cloud of dust and grass explodes around them and they just run off laughing! Anyone who can pull off that shot has my respect because I just can't master it.

 

I've only clipped a Deers guts a couple of times. Not pretty is it?! I'm fine with a rifle usually though so generally speaking my Deer shots go fairly well. I tend to leave them if the shot isn't a simple one, too much risk of injuring them. I'm leaving myself open for being called a recreational stalker now but that's all I am, I don't have a cull plan to meet.

 

I pulled off a cracking shot on a Bunny last night. 200 yards and I could just make him out through the canopy of an old Apple tree (I was shooting well down hill). So, I picked a route through the branches and let him have it. Clean head shot with the same bullet as I shot the Munty with. It fragmented and left some impressive streaks in the lawn.... Saves scarifying it I guess!

[al4x]

Neil its because you are now shooting with a proper scoped rifle and none of that combi gun nonsense, If you can hit a bunny at 200 yards with the combi I'll offer to eat it afterwards

When you can comfortably take bunnies at 200 yards it just means deer and foxes are a straightforward shot, and why I like having a rifle I use a lot as you do gain the confidence. I've one bit of ground that you can shoot rabbits at about 230 yards and its great practice for gaining confidence to take longer shots on foxes. Took my longest one under the lamp on Monday that I probably would have left had it not been for a load of practice and the fact it was lampshy so it was a now or never kind of shot when it stopped for a moment

[kent]

I think that bullet construction plays the most important part. Having said that if you're close to the animal and the velocity is high I don't suppose it helps?!

 

On the Munty I recently shot the bullet missed the ribs on the way in and still fragmented. I found some small shards of jacket in the gralloch and there was a lot of mess on the far side. I knew it would happen, the Hornady 75grn hollow point is a recognised varmint bullet so was never going to be ideal. I just figured that the Munties are doing so much damage on my shoot that I had to take it at the cost of a bit of meat, and being a small animal the varmint round would still get in far enough to do the job even if it hit bone on the way in.

 

I will buy a box of the 85 grn Gamekings and give them a go. If they blow up too much I'll try the 95 grn Noslers or 85grn Barnes TSX (but they're a bit expensive really). I do need to consider that there have been some Fallow spotted just over the road from where I shoot, so it may be that I'll need to be able to take them too soon.

 

The search for a good "all round" bullet is never easy. Something that is good at everything will always also be a compromise! I think when that happens the choice has to lean towards the Deer side of things. Any bullet will smash up a Fox, it's just the flat trajectory I want to try to keep.

 

Don't get wrapped up in drop it's a pretty long range shot that elivation realy matters between a 75 grn or 95 grn bullet from a .243"

[njc110381]

Neil its because you are now shooting with a proper scoped rifle and none of that combi gun nonsense, If you can hit a bunny at 200 yards with the combi I'll offer to eat it afterwards

When you can comfortably take bunnies at 200 yards it just means deer and foxes are a straightforward shot, and why I like having a rifle I use a lot as you do gain the confidence. I've one bit of ground that you can shoot rabbits at about 230 yards and its great practice for gaining confidence to take longer shots on foxes. Took my longest one under the lamp on Monday that I probably would have left had it not been for a load of practice and the fact it was lampshy so it was a now or never kind of shot when it stopped for a moment

 

Not sure how I just posted the quote but I'll edit in a reply!

 

Well I have plenty of ammo for the combi... No prizes for guessing what I'll be doing next time I'm out. How many shots do you recon it will take for me to get a bunny with it at 200?

 

I have a wonderful shoot to play with the range a bit. It has an old concrete shed base in the middle of a valley and then there's a clear view for well over 500 yards. At the moment I tend to keep live shots to around 250 yards as that's about where my confidence starts to fade! I've taken many bunnies at 250 with both the .22 and .17 Hornets, and the 6.5 too. 300 is pushing it though, the wind really starts to play games at that range and I start to lose it. Drop's not the problem really is it, it's not a variable.

Edited September 17, 2010 by njc110381

[Redgum]

You must be aiming at the clouds to hit a bunny at 250yds with a .22lr, sure someone hasnt cut a bit off the end of your measuring tape.

[njc110381]

You must be aiming at the clouds to hit a bunny at 250yds with a .22lr, sure someone hasnt cut a bit off the end of your measuring tape.

 

It was a .22 Hornet not a .22lr! With a 60 yard zero on my .22lr I'm not sure I'd even take on a shot at 100 with it, the drop is about six inches at that range with Winchester subs!

[njc110381]

I picked up 40 PPU 90grn soft points today to up the number of cases I have. I'll try those out and then once they're gone I'll start loading. £13 per box, what a bargain!

[Dekers]

I picked up 40 PPU 90grn soft points today to up the number of cases I have. I'll try those out and then once they're gone I'll start loading. £13 per box, what a bargain!

 

 

So if I could offer you PRVI .243 90g SP at £60 100, interested?

[Westcountryman]

I picked up 40 PPU 90grn soft points today to up the number of cases I have. I'll try those out and then once they're gone I'll start loading. £13 per box, what a bargain!

Where are you getting prvi mate? I can't find them anywhere local.

[njc110381]

I got them from the Gloucestershire Gun Co. Pretty much everything I buy comes from them.

 

Dekers - that's not a bad price. To be honest as long as I can get them from my regular shop I'd rather pay him the extra and support him because he's always good to me! If he gets short and I need more though I'll keep you in mind. Are you trying to move on some that your gun doesn't like or are you trade?

[Dekers]

I got them from the Gloucestershire Gun Co. Pretty much everything I buy comes from them.

 

Dekers - that's not a bad price. To be honest as long as I can get them from my regular shop I'd rather pay him the extra and support him because he's always good to me! If he gets short and I need more though I'll keep you in mind. Are you trying to move on some that your gun doesn't like or are you trade?

 

 

I use PRVI myself in my .223, .243 and .308, does everything I want in all of them, just seems I can help a bit on the price.