mbaysinger89
Active member
like the title says I'm looking for a do all: coyotes targets of opportunity, whitetail, load for the 243 with a 1 in 10. Im thinking about a Sierra 85 or Vld hunting 87. any other opinions?
I need a do all load for the 243 winchester
- Thread starter mbaysinger89
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Kermit in Va.
New member
I'd say that would be a good choice.
Kermit
Kermit
mbaysinger89
Active member
that was my first choice is it discontinued though? nosler said no backorder
My do all load for .243 uses the Speer 85gr BTSP. Just plain kills deer and coyotes right now. Excellent accuracy out of my gun. Only 3 deer and 5 coyotes to date but nothing has taken a single step. Very little meat damage on the deer, all double lunged. One of the coyotes was almost cut in half the other 4 had minor pelt damage. I am pushing these bullets pretty hard as that is where I get my very best accuracy with them.
Smokin Barrel
Active member
87gr Vmax under 4064
I would go with an 85grn pointed soft point, whichever one shoots well in your rifle. Sierra 85 would be an awesome choice. You can probably get them up to 3100fps without a whole lot of effort. That would be a good target, coyote and deer load I would think. I know for certain it would hammer coyotes and it would be easy on the shoulder for targets. An 80grn Barnes TTSX is another great one but they are pricey.
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GC
Well-known member
For a long time my standard .243 "do it all" load was a Sierra 85 gr. HPBT Game King running right at 3,150 fps from a 22" barrel. No complaints with that load but I've been shooting the 95 gr. Nosler BT at 2,950 fps for several years now. The Nosler is just as accurate and a good bit tougher. It's a great deer bullet.
limbhanger10
Active member
My 1/10 RRA predator hp .243 loves
77 gr CuttingEdge MTH over 40 gr H4350 for yotes(we cant use SAs in PA for deer)
77 gr CuttingEdge MTH over 40 gr H4350 for yotes(we cant use SAs in PA for deer)
Originally Posted By: marco85gr Speer BTSP!!! 46gr RE19!
+1
win case, win large rifle primer
Work to this load in your rifle, I have one barrel that maxed out at 44.5g but was very accurate at that load at 3300 fps.
I bumped shoulders every firing with a Forster neck sizer, and get 12 firings out of a case.
I have shot several bullets over the years, but usually did not have a dual purpose for deer and coyotes.
85g Sierra bthp has been a stellar bullet, small groups, and R#19 again rules the day. I shot around 44-44.5g of R#19 with this bullet because it had more bearing surface than the Speer btsp, each bullet will have it's own requirements.
The 95g Ballistic tip is a tough bullet, I never shot them on coyotes, but shot the 95g and the Black coated 95g Noslers in the 243. I love the black coated bullets as the coating reduces pressure dramatically and was able to achieve more speed with accuracy.
The 243 is an easy case to work with, no need in having a do it all load but that is just me.
I will say this, with 85-87g bullets, IMR 4064 will produce some incredible accuracy, BUT R#19 will be about 200 fps faster. I used F210's with IMR 4064 and Winchester large rifle primers with R#19.
The Hornady 100g BTSP and Flat base are very, very good bullets for both coyotes and deer. My family has killed a house full of game with this bullet ranging from 40-41.5g of IMR 4350 depending on the barrel. This load is an excellent hog bullet also. I love the flat base version of this 100g Hornady bullet. The 100g Hornady does a good job penetrating shoulders and pretty good on quartering shots, only the 95 & 100g partition is better in the cup and core bullets.
With any of these bullets, and even the 70g NOsler ballistic tip, they will kill deer with extreme prejudice when the bullet is placed correctly. Quartering shots, running deer can produce tremendously difficult tracking jobs in thick terrain. So, pick your shot.
When ever you shoot deer in the lungs, expect them to run. If running deer are not what you want, then you have two options, neck shots or shoulder shots.
Last year, my cousins used the 95g SST after recommendations from a friend in New Zealand that uses them on those large deer they have. We had very good luck with the 95g SST with 12 deer accounted for, with small children taking their first deer. Some barrels like a flat base vs a boat tail bullet, this is a great choice for that application.
It would be interesting to hear from some of the California boys and how their 80g tipped tripple shocks are doing on coyotes. I worked up a load with them and never killed anything with it.
+1
win case, win large rifle primer
Work to this load in your rifle, I have one barrel that maxed out at 44.5g but was very accurate at that load at 3300 fps.
I bumped shoulders every firing with a Forster neck sizer, and get 12 firings out of a case.
I have shot several bullets over the years, but usually did not have a dual purpose for deer and coyotes.
85g Sierra bthp has been a stellar bullet, small groups, and R#19 again rules the day. I shot around 44-44.5g of R#19 with this bullet because it had more bearing surface than the Speer btsp, each bullet will have it's own requirements.
The 95g Ballistic tip is a tough bullet, I never shot them on coyotes, but shot the 95g and the Black coated 95g Noslers in the 243. I love the black coated bullets as the coating reduces pressure dramatically and was able to achieve more speed with accuracy.
The 243 is an easy case to work with, no need in having a do it all load but that is just me.
I will say this, with 85-87g bullets, IMR 4064 will produce some incredible accuracy, BUT R#19 will be about 200 fps faster. I used F210's with IMR 4064 and Winchester large rifle primers with R#19.
The Hornady 100g BTSP and Flat base are very, very good bullets for both coyotes and deer. My family has killed a house full of game with this bullet ranging from 40-41.5g of IMR 4350 depending on the barrel. This load is an excellent hog bullet also. I love the flat base version of this 100g Hornady bullet. The 100g Hornady does a good job penetrating shoulders and pretty good on quartering shots, only the 95 & 100g partition is better in the cup and core bullets.
With any of these bullets, and even the 70g NOsler ballistic tip, they will kill deer with extreme prejudice when the bullet is placed correctly. Quartering shots, running deer can produce tremendously difficult tracking jobs in thick terrain. So, pick your shot.
When ever you shoot deer in the lungs, expect them to run. If running deer are not what you want, then you have two options, neck shots or shoulder shots.
Last year, my cousins used the 95g SST after recommendations from a friend in New Zealand that uses them on those large deer they have. We had very good luck with the 95g SST with 12 deer accounted for, with small children taking their first deer. Some barrels like a flat base vs a boat tail bullet, this is a great choice for that application.
It would be interesting to hear from some of the California boys and how their 80g tipped tripple shocks are doing on coyotes. I worked up a load with them and never killed anything with it.
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DiRTY DOG
Well-known member
Originally Posted By: ackleyman
It would be interesting to hear from some of the California boys and how their 80g tipped tripple shocks are doing on coyotes. I worked up a load with them and never killed anything with it.
I've only shot 1 with the 80gr TTSX and it was DRT, front neck shot out the vertibre. That's an expensive bullet for coyotes... I have killed a handfull with 45gr TSX in my 223 and they also were all DRT. All had tiny entries and small exits, except the 1 243 that blew out some neck vertibre on the way out. TTSX/TSX accuracy is fantastic. Just too expensive for real use because I practice a lot.
It would be interesting to hear from some of the California boys and how their 80g tipped tripple shocks are doing on coyotes. I worked up a load with them and never killed anything with it.
I've only shot 1 with the 80gr TTSX and it was DRT, front neck shot out the vertibre. That's an expensive bullet for coyotes... I have killed a handfull with 45gr TSX in my 223 and they also were all DRT. All had tiny entries and small exits, except the 1 243 that blew out some neck vertibre on the way out. TTSX/TSX accuracy is fantastic. Just too expensive for real use because I practice a lot.
mbaysinger89
Active member
thanks for the replies, I think I'll try the 85 seirra first with rl 19 and 4350 as I have that stuff, then move to the 87 gr vld. if they don't perform well on deer it sounds like the 95 gr nosler is the way to go.