minimum gr bullet for deer .243

Jay T

Jay T

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so my daughter is going to be hunting deer for her first time this year with myself and my hunting buddy. She has a .243 and I was wondering bullet gr size. I have some 90gr for her rifle and her shooting skills are excellent so I wonder could I go smaller gr bullet and effectively kill deer? Or should I stick to the 90's?
 
^^^^A few grains one way or the other won't matter as much as having the point of impact change. Unless she gets enough trigger time to get as proficient with heavier bullets.
 
Stick to the 90gr range imo.....90gr Accubond, 85gr TSX, 85gr TTSX get my vote.

Right now I use the 95gr BST's for predator hunting but when my boys get a little bit older, I will load 90gr AB's and maybe by then Nosler will have a 100 to 110gr Accubond out for deer hunting for them.
 
skypilot said:
Accuracy over bullet weight any day. I shoot the 100 gr when I deer hunt with mine. Without exception they all expired were they stood.
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We are talking about deer hunting here. I can't imagine 10 grains either way is going to make enough of a difference in accuracy to change anything. By the sounds of it he is hand loading anyways so there is lots of options for bullets, and accuracy testing.

Most people would opt for the heavier bullets for deer but there are lots of folks here who have taken deer with even a .223 with 70-90 grain bullets, so I wouldn't be too concerned.

Just curious why the temptation to go lighter?
 
Bullet construction matter more than weight. A 55gr nosler bt is not a deer bullet but if there was a 55 Barnes x or similar bullet then it could be an effective deer getter.

Thanks republic for the spelling lesson
 
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If the 85 Partition will shoot in her rifle, I can vouch for it's effectiveness on deer out to 350 or so.
This bullet, placed correctly, kills deer like lightning.
The 90 Scirocco is another effective deer bullet to try.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
Nosler BT's are velocity sensitive IMO. Drive them too fast & they can come apart.
I would stick with Nosler Partitions 100gr or Barnes TSX 85gr bullets. Choose whichever bullet shoots best in your daughters rifle.
 
mlehtovaara said:
We are talking about deer hunting here. I can't imagine 10 grains either way is going to make enough of a difference in accuracy to change anything. By the sounds of it he is hand loading anyways so there is lots of options for bullets, and accuracy testing.

Most people would opt for the heavier bullets for deer but there are lots of folks here who have taken deer with even a .223 with 70-90 grain bullets, so I wouldn't be too concerned.

Just curious why the temptation to go lighter?
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My point exactly, if she's accurate with the 90's why change? I would rather take accuracy over a different weight bullet.
 
Deer are thin game with a fairly large vital area. As long as she waits for a broadside shot it won't really matter. 55gr varmint bullet to the center chest broadside will liquefy the lungs and humanely kill the deer. A 90gr partition will likely smack thru both shoulders. A premium bullet is not needed for whitetail. Accuracy counts more then anything. If she's comfortable with the 90s and if they shoot accurately why change? A heavier bullet of stronger construction will allow a greater choice of shot angles though.
Personally I prefer heavier for caliber bullets in all hunting cartridges
 
90 + have always been my preference but I inadvertantly shot the biggest deer of my life with an 80 that was in the wrong box.
 
I have a 6 mm Rem. I've always shot 100 grain bullets through it at deer and antelope.

Get a bullet made for deer sized game. Varmint bullets will kill a deer, but using the correct bullet is always the better way to go.
 
Jay T said:
so my daughter is going to be hunting deer for her first time this year with myself and my hunting buddy. She has a .243 and I was wondering bullet gr size. I have some 90gr for her rifle and her shooting skills are excellent so I wonder could I go smaller gr bullet and effectively kill deer? Or should I stick to the 90's?
Click to expand...

My future daughter in law used a 243 youth model savage I bought her last year with a 85 gr Barnes TSX to smack a little buck at just under 200 yards.


It worked very well.
 
Was just curious, because I loaded her some 55g rounds and her rifle LOVES them, with the 90g the groups open up abit, now bya abit I am talking going from 55g groups of 2 inches at 100m to the 90g shooting 3 inch groups at 100m. Also remember she is a 12 yr old girl so I am concious of recoil for her, the 90's are a bit more kick than the 55g managable but she doesn't like to shoot the 90's very much I am worried about flinch and her wounding an animal and getting turned off hunting.

Obviously I need to do some more loading research. (Translation more range time for her and I with different rounds)
 
Wife and I have killed several deer with the 85tsx/80ttsx. Fantastic light little package to carry all day and has put them all in the freezer.
 
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