goldypurple Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 As title what round do people use for .243 I'll be using the rifle for fox and deer, after something that will do both. Rifle is a cz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redgum Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Depends what the rifle likes, for deer I use 100grain soft points, for fox and small deer I use 85grain soft points or 87grain vmax. I reload and generally stick to the 100gr as I don't shoot alot of fox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 I stick with 100grn soft points for fox and deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Personally I'd use the heaviest your gun can handle well and make it a decent quality bullet too. Anything light will make a mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 100 grn Remi Core lokt or Lapua. 95 grn Remi Accutips. Tend to use the 100 grn soft points now as I have some land with Red in Scotland and do not want to be switching bullets to stay legal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 95 grn Nosler b/tip run at around 3000 fps. std 100 grn deer bullets over penetate and you get a lot of foxes get back up and run a fair way before bleeding out. Normal varmint / fox 75grn std sort of stuff reck deer carcasses and can fail horrifically on bad placements. The 95 grn Nosler is designed for deer but kills foxes very quick and reiably, generally a small entry and a missive exit on cavity shots on foxes, strangely on deer this massive expantion happens internally in the heart lungs and you get normal exits on deer like Roe. Like all terminal balisics range and speed are very relivant i am talking from short range to say 150yds, after this point the bullet will gradually become less explosive. I have no access to muntjack or CWD so cant comment on how it does with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 As title what round do people use for .243 I'll be using the rifle for fox and deer, after something that will do both. Rifle is a cz Hi mate first of all will you be relaoding or using factory,next thing is what will you be shooting most deer or fox and the last thing what speices of deer will you be taking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldypurple Posted August 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 probably mainly deer with ocas fox, probably factory ammo until i find some reloading gear cheap, Deer anything from muntjac upto reds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 I am fortunate that I am supplied with a few home brews of differing types that work remarkbly well in my T3 .243 Hunter. Factory wise I don't get very clever, 90g SP PRVI and ALL deer and fox don't argue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted August 13, 2011 Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 probably mainly deer with ocas fox, probably factory ammo until i find some reloading gear cheap, Deer anything from muntjac upto reds OK in that case if using factory you will have to se what your local RFD stocks as there nothing worse than running out and not being able to get what your shooting. I would look towards the 70 to 80 gr weight only issue you will have on the bigger deer your shot placement would have to be good thats why I ask whats the main thing you will be shooting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 13, 2011 Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 It got little to do with weight bullet constuction and impact speeds are the critical bit. If you look at an 87grn v-max and a 95 grn Nosler b/tip there is liitle difference outwardly but a big difference terminally. Varmint bullets from a .243" at around 100yds deffo don't mix well although as the range gets a lot further they can perform better than std deer bulets which will fail to expand at all if they impact at slow enough speeds. If you took all the deer and foxes i have shot with 95grn Nosler b/tips they would more than fill one of those roll on roll off skips, trust me they work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimsim81 Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 It got little to do with weight bullet constuction and impact speeds are the critical bit. If you look at an 87grn v-max and a 95 grn Nosler b/tip there is liitle difference outwardly but a big difference terminally. Varmint bullets from a .243" at around 100yds deffo don't mix well although as the range gets a lot further they can perform better than std deer bulets which will fail to expand at all if they impact at slow enough speeds. If you took all the deer and foxes i have shot with 95grn Nosler b/tips they would more than fill one of those roll on roll off skips, trust me they work fedral 100 grain soft point great all round ideal for deer and fox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 It got little to do with weight bullet constuction and impact speeds are the critical bit. If you look at an 87grn v-max and a 95 grn Nosler b/tip there is liitle difference outwardly but a big difference terminally. Varmint bullets from a .243" at around 100yds deffo don't mix well although as the range gets a lot further they can perform better than std deer bulets which will fail to expand at all if they impact at slow enough speeds. If you took all the deer and foxes i have shot with 95grn Nosler b/tips they would more than fill one of those roll on roll off skips, trust me they work so you're saying 87grn vmax are varmint bullets? Even though I hate to agree with Ackley sometimes those weights of bullets will shoot far better than 95 and 100's I use 85grn softpoints seem to work well on everything, If I get a bit of bruising and a couple of broken ribs so be it I prefer some damage as it helps make things fall over. That and I'm not that keen on ribs as long as you tuck it behind the shoulder the difference between the 100's and the 85's is negligible in damage but they do seem to work far better on foxes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 so you're saying 87grn vmax are varmint bullets? Even though I hate to agree with Ackley sometimes those weights of bullets will shoot far better than 95 and 100's I use 85grn softpoints seem to work well on everything, If I get a bit of bruising and a couple of broken ribs so be it I prefer some damage as it helps make things fall over. That and I'm not that keen on ribs as long as you tuck it behind the shoulder the difference between the 100's and the 85's is negligible in damage but they do seem to work far better on foxes hes quite correct the 87 gr V Max are varmint bullets V Max The industry's leading varmint bullet with polymer tip and streamlined design results in ultra flat trajectories. The match grade jacket design provides maximum accuracy at all ranges as well as explosive expansion, even at low velocities. Find out more... nothing wrong with agreeing with something thats correct,its not going to hurt and it aint going to make you look silly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 (edited) Some of these "varmint" bullets are simply glorified hollow points... I've used v-max and sierra blitzkings in my 243 for that past couple of years. I can probably count on one hand the amount of foxes that needed a spade to scrape them up off the floor. Most of the time they look like simple entry / exit wounds, and not the violent expansion the makers claim - I guess this is why some I know continue to use them on Deer (rightly or wrongly) Personally I use softpoints on Deer myself. Edited August 17, 2011 by garyb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Some of these "varmint" bullets are simply glorified hollow points... I've used v-max and sierra blitzkings in my 243 for that past couple of years. I can probably count on one hand the amount of foxes that needed a spade to scrape them up off the floor. Most of the time they look like simple entry / exit wounds, and not the violent expansion the makers claim - I guess this is why some I know continue to use them on Deer (rightly or wrongly) Personally I use softpoints on Deer myself. you will find the "varmint" bullets are more explosive the lighter they are the heavier ones tend to expand quite nicley hence why people use them on deer which is perfectly leagal and Ok to do so as there classed as section 5 expending ammo,unlike people using A max which is classed as a non expanding match bullet the rule of thumb is the heavier the bullet the less damage caused Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 55grn doing 3850fps.. and they still look like I shot them with my HMR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 (edited) 55grn doing 3850fps.. and they still look like I shot them with my HMR. obvioulsy not hit bone,you dont get massive wounds every time as you are finding out,bullets do strange thing once they hit something,as long as the end result is the same everytime it matters not,persoanlly I dont like big massive open wounds messy to transport and not really needed 3850 from a 243 I presume ?? I run 80gr at 3764 fps but it is AI I used to be obsessed with light bullets and speed but pointless as you get better barrle life and better BC using aheavier bullet plus of if actually looked at the drops there very little in it Edited August 17, 2011 by Ackley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Agreed. I just don't believe all the manufacture hype any longer. Dead is dead anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Agreed. I just don't believe all the manufacture hype any longer. Dead is dead anyway. its all hype mate,Ive used just about every make of bullet there is and still go back to berger,I wouldnt use V max if they were free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavman Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Not as simple as it sounds and deffo not a stupid question....... The answer is what works for you and your kit and what you are pointing it at! I had a lot of heart ache for both 223 and 243 and its a lot to do with twist rate (what have you got) Rifling is described by its twist rate, which indicates the distance the bullet must travel to complete one full revolution, such as "1 turn in 10 inches" (1:10 inches), or "1 turn in 25.40 cm" (1:25.4 cm). A shorter distance indicates a "faster" twist, meaning that for a given velocity the projectile will be rotating at a higher spin rate. The combination of length, weight and shape of a projectile determines the twist rate needed to stabilize it – barrels intended for short, large-diameter projectiles like spherical lead balls require a very low twist rate, such as 1 turn in 48 inches (122 cm).[1] Barrels intended for long, small-diameter bullets, such as the ultra-low-drag, 80-grain 0.224 inch bullets (5.2 g, 5.56 mm), use twist rates of 1 turn in 8 inches (20 cm) or faster.[2] So in a nut shell you end up buying what you think will work and testing on paper I use Hornady 58 grain Vmax for Fox and am very happy, 70 grains for CWD & Munty, dont have to re zero just hold over a tad more (but not often) I find i cant get a group with Fedrals or Rems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 fedral 100 grain soft point great all round ideal for deer and fox I actually used these for about two years, many foxes got back up and ran a fair way and the bullets broke up badly on the oposite flank of Deer of Fallow size and above totally wasting the other shoulder with bloodshot meat. Shame as they shot well in my gun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Some of these "varmint" bullets are simply glorified hollow points... I've used v-max and sierra blitzkings in my 243 for that past couple of years. I can probably count on one hand the amount of foxes that needed a spade to scrape them up off the floor. Most of the time they look like simple entry / exit wounds, and not the violent expansion the makers claim - I guess this is why some I know continue to use them on Deer (rightly or wrongly) Personally I use softpoints on Deer myself. If varmint bullets impact at slow enough speeds they will work just like a deer bullet, if deer bullets impact slow enough they will act like a target bullet or solid if you like to look at it that way. Your simple one hole in and one out might be speed related in the case of a handload or speed as a result of increased range. That said an ideal fox varmint bullet would enter with one hole blow up inside with the reminants of the bullet lodging under the pelt on the far side in effect the perfect terminal balistics. Problem is sometimes we strike bone on the way in and often we might slip between the ribs on the way in and the way out. Expending the highest amount of enegy inside is what gives us the "bang flop" type kill. Deer bullets are simply too hard more often than not they zip though with little expantion no fragmentation, ok they will kill and i have no reservation about shooting foxes with them but the further out you get the more chance of insufficient expantion occuring due to the thin body cavity and the decrease in velocity. Not much of an issue if you get a centre hit on the heart say but it can be a different story if you put one through the tail end of a single lung, hit the liver or worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 I actually used these for about two years, many foxes got back up and ran a fair way and the bullets broke up badly on the oposite flank of Deer of Fallow size and above totally wasting the other shoulder with bloodshot meat. Shame as they shot well in my gun why carry on using them for 2 years if you knew they caused problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bewsher500 Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 I wouldn't use federal as a paper weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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