What round?

shotguntom

Well-Known Member
I am picking up a howa 1500 .243 at the weekend, was just wondering what round you would recommend for roe and muntjac? i was think 85gr BT.

any thoughts.

Tom
 
100 grain soft points,why would you want to use Ballistic tips,unless you are going for head/neck shots only?

Martin
 
ive tryed allsorts in my 243 over the years but ive found my self always coming back to 100 grain softpoints.

they do drop off alittle, but if your using your rifle mainly for deer thats not a issue as most deer are shot within 150 yards so thats not a issue

ATB

Dave
 
Why can't you use BT for Heart/Lung shots ?

Mike

You can and they are very effective and they certainly get the job done fast , i have found roe usually drop on the spot with v max,
Also found that this comes at a price ie fair bit of meat damage and bruising around the ribs. DF
 
The last muntjac I shot was a doe, with a 120gn Norma BT from my 6.5x55. The exit wound was almost as big as my fist. The only other muntjac shot with this ammunition was a buck, and the damage was not as bad. I have now decided to go back to soft points though. Most of my deer are heart/lung shot, and BT's have been a bit harsh in some cases.
 
Hello shotguntom,


I have a .243, and I home load my rounds for it, I use a sierra .243 round (of course) # 1560, this is a 100 grain soft point boat tail round (SBT) loaded with 36 grains of 4064 IMR powder, CAOL (cartridge actual overall length) is 2.710 maximum. this produces a muzzle velocity of about 2,850, a good all rounder in my view. This round is big enough to use on most deer species in UK, and is of course legal in Scotland, should you wish to stalk there, enjoy it. I do however recall contacting Sierra bulletsmiths in the States requesting their reccomendations for bullet size/type for shooting Red Deer in Scotland, and they suggested an 85 g bullet (SPT), they clearily did not know the minimum bullet weight for the use of deer stalking in Scotland, which is of course a 100grain bullet
 
I have used all sorts on the continual search for the perfect round. I would not advocate using BTs on Deer unless they were the specific "Hunting" type ballistic tip. Even then I would use them with caution. I have seen too many problems arise with their use. They can explode on contact,on the outside of your target. They can make a great deal of meat damage. You could possibly have parts of your bullet spread over a greater area within the meat - - not good to eat. Bullets can either explode or be diverted by hitting the smallest piece of grass, brush or reed.A fairly close neck shot with a BT (which I'm not advocating either before the fur flies !) is certainly is very effective on Roe but generally speaking I would use SPs.
A well placed SP of any legal weight and calibre usually results in a problem free kill without too much meat damage.

Thanks for this Thread by the way - - It comes up regular as clockwork and always brings out all the opinions.

JR
 
I believe Tom is referring to an 85 grain boat tail by his abbreviation since Nosler don't make 85 grain Ballistic Tips.

Regards,

Tim
 
I have two roe deer loads for the .243

87gr SPBT Interlocks over 46.3gr N160
100gr SP Interlocks over 38.16 N160 (also have this in a Round Nose option)

prefer the latter as it is a bit slower and more punchy
 
My CZ 243 likes 85 grn Sierra hollow point boat tails with 36 grns of Varget COL 66 mil. very accurate in my rifle and drops everything almost on the spot.
I also use this for foxes.
Tusker
 
Hi Tom Federal 85gr use the Sierra BTHP . I load these for roe and have get great accuracy and results with them.

I have just loaded some 100gr Hornady BTSP Interlocks over 38grns of Hodgdon H414 there are very accurate out of my T3 and great on roe.
 
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