What grian of bullet for deer

I have seen and actually shot deer with 85gr Sierra Pro-hunters out to 400yds, and they did the job well.
A better bullet I have seen used is the 85gr TSX. These bullets can both reach 3300fps out of a .243 and work very well.
If I was shooting factory ammo I would use the new Fusion ammo with confidence.
Oh and grian rhymes with Brian. Grain rhymes with brain.
 
I say the following will all work nicely all are factory loads:

Remington 90gr Swift™ Scirocco™ Bonded
Federal with 85gr Barnes triple-shock

both those loads carry more energy then a 100gr partition that is also avail from Federal.
 
federal fusion 95 gr, remington scirocco 90 gr, federal 85 gr barnes x, federal 100 gr nosler - all good choices
 
I guess it makes a difference where you are hunting too. For example any 100gr factory load is plenty for Vancouver Island or Queen Charlotte Island deer, but you may feel more comfortable with a Partion when you chase huge bodied Alberta or Saskatchewan Whitetail bucks.
 
The key is not so much the bullet weight as the bullet construction. You need to determine if the bullet in question is for varmint shooting, match shooting, or big game. Most .243/100 gr bullets are suitable for big game, and if you are buying factory ammo, it is unlikely you will get a box of match ammo. If you choose a bullet weight lighter than 100 grs, pay attention to what that particular bullet is designed for.

If you are handloading the choice of 6mm bullets can be a bit bewildering. My choice would be the 85 gr TSX. The biggest reason is because these things work by fluid driving the expansion of the bullet rather than by the need to impact dense tissue to expand, which is perfect for deer sized game. They also stand up to high velocity impacts quite well.
 
casterpollox said:
any grain will work but like it was already mentioned, make sure it's made for big game and not for varmints. I use a 95 grain SST.
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How have you liked the performance on deer with those SST's? I have worked a load out for my 6mm Rem with those. Show good accuracy and decent velocity as well. I have not been able to get consistent sub 1" groups with the 85 grain TSX and wondered how the 'Super Shock Tip' worked on deer.......
 
I have used the 85, 95 & 100 Partitions with confidence for 25 years in my 6mm Remington. Never lost an animal, even large bodied deer at 350+, and only ever recovered two bullets out of about 20 deer shot. All the rest exited, leaving typical partition exit holes. I would have no issues using the 85 TSX. It will do the job just fine. Regards, Eagleye
 
Curt said:
How have you liked the performance on deer with those SST's? I have worked a load out for my 6mm Rem with those. Show good accuracy and decent velocity as well. I have not been able to get consistent sub 1" groups with the 85 grain TSX and wondered how the 'Super Shock Tip' worked on deer.......
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I use a Savage hb for my hunting rifle so my performance might be a bit different that what you use. I pop steel rams at 500m with confidence with the 95 sst but I would never shoot that far on a real animal.

I figure 300m is the limit but that's just me. I like the bullet, my rifle likes the bullet and that's why I use it. Plus they're cheap compared to the TSX or that stuff.

My uncle recently switched to the sst in his 30-06 and will never use anything else.

For deer all you need is a bullet that stays together, travelling at a decent speed and hit them in the boiler room.
 
Deer are not difficult to kill. A bullet throught the heart/lung area will do the job.

6mm bullets (243) are made as varmint bullets and deer bullets. The former blow up real good. You want deer bullets. I have never used one on deer but saw a deer shot with a 100 gr soft point. It was instant kill. I use 85 gr soft point on ground hogs. Noisy but effective.
 
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Yes, today's deer will need a "SUPER SHOCK TIP" as a minimum, preferably an MRX, Partition,Bonded scintered tungsten core bullet, as long as it's the latest hyped bullet out of the gun mags. Gone are the days when a deer will drop from just a well placed shot.
 
Well said Ben Hunchak. Factory Winchester Power Point in 100 gr works awesome. So do hand loaded 100 gr Noslers or Federal Premium ammo with Nosler Partition. Come to think of it so did everything else I've seen used. Deer are easy. If there is brush or shots over 300 yards I pass them up and try to get closer or a clearer shot. My Savage is not fussy about what I feed it and the deer don't seem to be fussy about what they get hit with either. No varmint bullets of course.
 
ben hunchak said:
Yes, today's deer will need a "SUPER SHOCK TIP" as a minimum, preferably an MRX, Partition,Bonded scintered tungsten core bullet, as long as it's the latest hyped bullet out of the gun mags. Gone are the days when a deer will drop from just a well placed shot.
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That's cause in the good ole days deer rifle calibers started with a 4 instead of a 2. A bullet that starts with a 2 has to be going 4X as fast as the bullet that starts with the 4 and even then it doesn't do as well. Mostly deer hunting isn't a long range gig, so the 3000 fps fire breathers don't have any advantage over a .44-40, .405, or .45/70. Of course a .30 caliber cup and core bullet loaded to a moderate velocity kills deer nicely, but that's boring according to some.
 
ben hunchak said:
Yes, today's deer will need a "SUPER SHOCK TIP" as a minimum, preferably an MRX, Partition,Bonded scintered tungsten core bullet, as long as it's the latest hyped bullet out of the gun mags. Gone are the days when a deer will drop from just a well placed shot.
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Yep - next years variety will most definitely require using High Explosive Incendiary Shells (HEIS).

Check with your local gun shop and watch out for these tough buggers - they're out there !!!......:rolleyes::p
 
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