would a 80Gr Nosler Balistic tip kill a deer

K

Kyler

BANNED
BANNED
BANNED
EE Expired
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I use a .243 and I am going to start my first year of deer hunting by hunting white tail deer in southern Saskatchewan. I was just wondering if a 80 Gr. Nosler Balistic tip bullet would do the trick, would it lay a deer over at 150-200 yards.
 
It probably would, but shot placement will have a much greater effect than anything.

Place it in the lungs, it'll be dead, place it in a hoof, it'll walk.

That said, there are better choices for deer sized game in a .243.
 
I just looked at the Nosler Manual. The 80gr is listed as a Varmint round and the 90 and 95 Ballistic are listed as a hunting round. Which means the 80gr will not be built as solid as the 90..... I would not use a Varmint round on a deer...
 
This pronghorn took a 55 gr BT at 4k from a .243 head on. That little bullet darn near exited the back end of him. He just tipped over backwards. However, I'd use and will use the 85 gr TSX on big game.

P1010863.jpg
 
Chuck, you have some nice rifles...:cool: (even if the handles are on the wrong side ;) )

Kyler, I'd skip the 85gr and go for something a little tougher, just in case you hit bone...
 
although I would not reccomend it, I shot a decent sized mulie last fall with a 55 grain Ballistic Tip in my 243. It was what I had in my hands at the time (hunting coyotes) and I made sure I made a precision shot into its ribs at a fairly close range (75 yards). You can see the exit hole in this pic

Nov%2027%2007%20Mulie%20002.jpg.jpg


I would suggest a 90 or 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, or better yet, a Partition or 85 gr Barnes TSX
 
This thread clearly demonstrates one of the reasons for my objection to the use of .243 as a big game cartridge. The possibility of choosing a bullet with the wrong construction is the first part of the problem. The second part of the problem is that the rifles tend to be wonderfully accurate and the rounds tend to be very flat shooting, a combination that results in shots on game well beyond the reasonable limits of this cartridge. The .243 with a properly constructed big game bullet is an effective 300 yard deer cartridge, but under the right conditions its easy to hit deer size targets out to 500 yards. The combination of a light weight varmint bullet and a long range shot on a big game animal is not a recipe for success. If long range game shooting is a consideration with the .243, the TSX is the best choice of bullet. Expansion of the TSX is caused by fluid entering the nose cavity rather than the resistance of dense tissue or bone to drive expansion, so even after velocity has dropped off below 2000 fps, the TSX will still expand and penetrate into the vitals. A varmint bullet that hits a bone will come apart resulting in a shallow wound, regardless of the range. Been there, done that, won't do it again.
 
I used 90gr Ballistic Tips out of a 6mm Remington.

It was a pretty hot load.

Shot 2 bucks that Fall.

1st buck:

Shot was perfect broadside.(100 Yards). Bullet broke apart on going through 1st side ribs. Part of bullet frag went into the guts the other impacted on opposite ribs and ended up just under the skin and failed to exit. Hardly ANY blood trail was visible in fresh snow. Deer only made it 60 yards before piling up. Insides of Deer looked like grenade went off.


2nd buck:

Heart shot. Broadside. Again massive explosive tissue damage BUT no exit wound and very little blood trail. Once again Deer only made it 60 yards. Heart was blown clean in half and massive blood loss.


My conclusion.

Ballistic Tips will kill as good as any other bullet. Shot placement is Key.

If a blood trail is required(as sometimes it is) I would choose another bullet design if I were you.

I decided to go with the 100gr Nosler Partition.
 
Boomer said:
This thread clearly demonstrates one of the reasons for my objection to the use of .243 as a big game cartridge. The possibility of choosing a bullet with the wrong construction is the first part of the problem. The second part of the problem is that the rifles tend to be wonderfully accurate and the rounds tend to be very flat shooting, a combination that results in shots on game well beyond the reasonable limits of this cartridge. The .243 with a properly constructed big game bullet is an effective 300 yard deer cartridge, but under the right conditions its easy to hit deer size targets out to 500 yards. The combination of a light weight varmint bullet and a long range shot on a big game animal is not a recipe for success. If long range game shooting is a consideration with the .243, the TSX is the best choice of bullet. Expansion of the TSX is caused by fluid entering the nose cavity rather than the resistance of dense tissue or bone to drive expansion, so even after velocity has dropped off below 2000 fps, the TSX will still expand and penetrate into the vitals. A varmint bullet that hits a bone will come apart resulting in a shallow wound, regardless of the range. Been there, done that, won't do it again.
Click to expand...

I see where you are coming from, but disagree. I believe that any round that can push a bullet with enough grain at enough speed to penetrate a deer in expanded form is more than exceptable for that purpose. The .243 WCF would then have to be considered a totally acceptable 400yd deer cartridge. I have personally used or seen 100gr Hornady Interlocks, 95gr BSTs, 85gr TSXs and 85gr Sierra Prohunters work on 200lbs deer out to a little past 400yds. The bullet fully penetrated broadside out to that range.
We do agree on the varmint bullet issue entirely. They can work but the possibility of failure is too high. A hunter is responsible for their equipment, and if they choose to use Varmint bullets, they have to react to the results. I would gladly take a 375yd broadside shot on the buck of a lifetime with the above bullets in a .243 WCF though.
 
Well as for your 80 grain BST its a varmint bullet I wouldn't shoot deer with a varmint bullet I would shoot at least a 90 grain BST or up. But I to like the 85 grain bullets so I shoot the Barnes TSX. I'm taking my 243 out this weekend while I look for my trophy buck.
 
Pure curiosity, so I've tried the 85 TSX. No chance - my .243 Weatherby hates them. Can't get any kind of decent group in the velocity ranges I'd demand from 85 grains. A 95 CT B-Tip on the other hand I'll use for deer if I have a decent shot - enough bullet and energy for 300 yards, but that's where I draw the line. The 100 gr Partition's another good one within the same limits, 300 yards. Boomer's right - generally. The .243 can be deadly accurate in good hands and it's a given that the right bullet in the right place is always the key. It's highly recommended as a "first" big game rifle caliber choice, and that I strongly disagree with. It's a shooter's caliber and demands control, restraint and excellent shot placement for deer-sized stuff. A borderline shot with a .243 can be bad news and won't do what a heavier bullet at the same speeds will accomplish if placed in the same spot. Give a whitetail his dues - a big agressively rutting buck is, IMHO, one of the toughest pound for pound animals out there and deserves a swift kill. I'm not even all that sold on the .25's, though theoretically they're plenty. A .270 and a 130 BoatTail is always better.
 
The CT 95 gr B.T is pretty much a ballistic tip...the ONLY difference is the Lubalox coating(black) and the plastic tip is Gray in color.

I think the only reason they sell is they have the "cool factor".

The C.T Ballistic tip and the Nosler Ballistic tip are going to perform EXACTLY the same on game.
 
Last edited:
At 150-200 yards range the 80 Gr BT will do a fine job. IF the shooter does! There are better bullets, that will give you a higher chance of success if the shot is not perfect.

Dig out the P.O Ackley books and read about the kills made with the .17 calibers. Hardly what anyone would consider an appropriate big game caliber, but proven an effective killer with appropriate shot placement.

You can pick a better bullet.

Picking (carefully) your circumstances, and the animal that you shoot at (calm, standing still, undisturbed) will drasticly improve your odds.

I'd use them if I had them. I'd rather use something else, though.

Cheers
Trev
 
Realistically, if you make a good hole throught the ticker and breathing apparatus, the lights will go out quickly. I believe through experience that the .243 WCF with the proper projectile will do this easily out to 400yds. If you for any reason believe that a larger diameter is needed past ###yds under 400yds, you are making a statement on your ability with a rifle. This is good because a person needs to know their limits, and that will create a responsible hunter. IF you think that a larger cartridge is needed to make a deer die out to that range I would suggest that you are not holding yourself within you range.
The fact that a person would feel more comfartable with a bigger hole is very reasonable, because I believe along the same lines as Finn Aargaard:
The best cartridge for the job is the largest one that you can accurately use in a hunting situation.

Again, though, the 80gr B-Tip is not designed by the manufacturer for deer, so I would probably stick to larger, more solidly constructed bullets.
 
Hunting those big Saskatchewan whitetails I would use the 85 TSX. No doubt the Ballistic tip could do the job, but I like the idea of the extra penetration that the TSX offers if you don't get that broadside lung shot.

I will be working on a load with the 85 TSX for my 6mmAI. I hope to kill one of those big Whitetails with this bullet in Saskatchewan this November.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom