243/6mm bullets for hunting

It would be a 243 winchester Dan

How would i determine the "toughness" of a bullet, or what twist rate best suits the bullet when i'm just scrolling Xreload or budget shooter supply etc?
Price would be a good indication, but realistically nothing on their website is going to tell you what is tougher. You'll have to ask people who know, or search out information on the bullet(s) you are looking at.

Unless I'm mistaken All 4 bullets you list in your first post are standard cup and core bullets, but even those can be different depending on things such as jacket thickness and alloys used. Then you've got premium bullets that generally fall into one of 3 categories (and sometimes multiple categories) - partitioned bullets, bonded bullets, and mono-metal bullets. There's also frangible bullets for varmints, solids for dangerous game...

Long story short, you'll probably have to research every bullet you're interested in to really understand the differences.
 
It would be a 243 winchester Dan

How would i determine the "toughness" of a bullet, or what twist rate best suits the bullet when i'm just scrolling Xreload or budget shooter supply etc?
That's not too bad in this regard then. Most 100 gr bullets will work for you. An older gent I hunted with for decades (his son and I have been friends since around 1980) hunted everything from pronghorn to moose with 100 gr Remington corelokts. If you think your shots will be close enough that those won't be tough enough, any of the 6mm partition bullets will do the job. I shoot quite a few 6mm's, from the 6x47 Rem to the 6mm Mach IV. There's a bullet or three for any speed range you need. - dan
 
Last edited:
Shot from a 243 win, or 6mm rem I have used 100 nosler partitions, Hornady 100s, 85 TSX. My preference these days is the 85 tsxs. Deer in the 200yd and in you expect will see very good results from the 85s. And from any of the bullets you have mentioned. But up close, expect the cup and core bullets to fragment. I would pick the Nosler partition if you remain with leaded bullets. The TSXs will fully perform and typically blow through game. Largest game I have harvested are elk, bear, mtn goat and deer with the 243. Be sure of your twist rate in your rifle and match the bullet.
 
I have killed all the big game species available in Manitoba with a 243 loaded up with the same Speer 85 grain boat tail and a stiff charge of WW760...Flat and hard hitting...Back when I was a kid it's all I had.
 
The flat base 100 gr Sierra pro-hunter #1540 worked ok on deer, I think that's the first bullet in your list. It's a little tougher than the boat tail in my limited experience.
 
Another that is not on your list and i believe is highly overlooked is the 85gr speer BTSP or the 90gr Hot core. I settled on the 85gr with a mild load of varget going about 2950. This was to be a do all bullet that works well in the x bolt for coyotes and the BAR for deer.. This load will put 5 into a loonie at 100 yards with both rifles. There is no pelt damage to the coyotes and complete pass though on 5 or 6 mature Whitetail bucks. All shots were within 70-240 yards. Once varget runs out i will be trying them with AA4350( as i have 6 lbs of it) and hoping the velocity increase doesnt make them act much different. If thats the case i will hopefully get the same results with the 90gr HotCore.
Cheers
 
The 90 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip Hunting bullet, is supposedly "the best" 6mm hunting bullet, garnering success even up to elk. I still have 4 boxes in my basement for a rifle that never (and probably never will) materialized.
 
6mm Sierra Tipped Gameking work well too, a bit sleeker than the lead tipped Gameking

TnYkIsO.jpeg
 
I have shot a truckload of deer with both the Speer Grand Slams and the Nosler Partitions in the 100 grain variety. I have yet to recover one. They seem to completely penetrate deer from any angle. Need lost a deer thus shot. .
 
Back
Top Bottom