.243 Varmint bullet question

[gramps]

I have not used this caliber, but I am wondering what some of you folk might use for a bullet..ie FMJ, ballistic tips etc.. for coyotes or bobcats.  Thanks.

[DeKuma]

Gramps,
There are a couple of very informative threads on this subject over at PredatorMasters.com in the Firearms section.  Just read through them myself today, but be darned if I ca regurgitate any of what I read to you.  I will try to get you a link to the pages I read in a minute.

[billythekidrock]

Seriously thinking about it myself. Probably with the 62 gr Varmint Grenade.

[gramps]

Thanks DeKuma, will look.
BTKR..Thanks also..Have not used that bullet, the idea being that it breaks up inside the body with no exit?
I have used some fragile jacketed .224 bullets so might be the same thing.

[bobcat]

If I use my 243 for that purpose I'm thinking of trying the Barnes 85 grain TSX. On a bobcat I imagine it wouldn't open up at all, so performance would be similar to a fmj.

[GEARHEAD]

I think i can help here. i have shot close to 50 yotes with a .243, from 5 yards to 400 yards, mostly around 50 yards. (i call them) i use a factory hornady round that is called a v-max and its only 58 grains, and travels 3750 per second. you can hit a yote in the toe with it, and it will blow up and drop, right there. i highly recommend the round. i chose .243, simply as it offered me a back up for my deer gun. this is not a hide round though, as the entry wound is absolutely devastating. Even at 15 feet, i have never had that round exit a dog. blows up on impact, and very accurate, best of both worlds. I don't collect hides, i just feed the crows. regardless of caliber, i highly recommend the v-max round.

[AWS]

I'm just sizing up 50 rounds of 243 to test some of the VG's.  Bought 250 of them for another project but had to seat them so deep to get them to feed I gave up and decided to keep the 243 I was selling just to try the VG's this season on coyotes and see if they are fur friendly.  I think I'll try running them about 3700+ as most of they coyotes I call are pretty close.

I've been loading 55gr NBT's but they do a number on the fur.  I have some 65gr V-max loaded but haven't connected with one yet.

AWS

[bucklucky]

I will get a 243 for  varmits. Seems like a good round . Plus as stated above, good backup for deer.

[257 Wby Mag]

55 grain Nosler BT @ a little over 4 grand and rock on!! Pure poison on varmits..... and deer....

[EastWaViking]

Ballistic tips.  A great round for varmits.  Not so great for big game.  Very accurate
but  very little penetration if you hit a shoulder of....lets say an antelope.  Not that
that ever happend to me or any thing.  I have killed many coyotes with my 300 weatherby,  loaded with 165 grain Nosler ballistic tips.  I think they would be great in .243 also.

[bobcat]

I would not want to blow up a bobcat. Coyotes I wouldn't care, but I'd rather have a bullet that would work for both. High velocity and Ballistic Tips do not mix, in my opinion.

[cascademountainhunter]

factory 100gr. until i get my reloadin stuff out

[Bofire]

I use the cheap Federal Blue Box 80 grain. punches a small hole thru yotes and drops them right now, I shot a blacktail fork-horn in the neck at 200 yards laying down facing me. Flipped him clear over on his back and not even a leg kick.
Groups well under an inch. This weekend Cabelas has it on sale for about 15.00 a box. I use the 130 grain in my 270 love it there too. I use the Hornady Vmax in my 223, blows holes in yotes but kills them right now, very accurate, bought 10 boxes on line for 12.00 a box.
I think most of that premium ammo is a waste of money for most hunting and hunters. For some situations it does have it's uses though.
Carl

[AWS]

Got to the range this evening.  Good thing I didn't sell the 243.  Here are three groups with the 62gr Varmint Grenade over IMR-4064, each group is a .5gr different #1 group the lightest group #3 the heaviest.  I thought this was going to be tough to get them to shoot.  Other than the pesky flyer in each group I think this is going to be a winner.  I hope it is as fur freindly as Barnes claims.



AWS

[gramps]

Thanks everyone for the comments.   I think I will start with the varmint grenades.

[243slinger]

We use a Nosler bulistic tip boat tale varmit loads for it they work really good

[demontang]

I have seen good things form the 75gr sierra varminter and 70gr blitz king.

[alanger]

If I use my 243 for that purpose I'm thinking of trying the Barnes 85 grain TSX. On a bobcat I imagine it wouldn't open up at all, so performance would be similar to a fmj.

i second that. barnes varmit grenades too.

[JoshT]

If I use my 243 for that purpose I'm thinking of trying the Barnes 85 grain TSX. On a bobcat I imagine it wouldn't open up at all, so performance would be similar to a fmj.

Anyone who speculates about a Barnes "not having time to open"... hasn't shot much stuff with them. I've shot at least 20 coyotes with the 100 TSX in the .25-06 (about equal in velocity to the .243/85 grain TSX combo)... be assured that they open plenty quick, as all coyotes had exit wounds about like a softball. If you go to the Barnes website... you'll see what I'm talking about.

55 grain Nosler BT @ a little over 4 grand and rock on!! Pure poison on varmits..... and deer....

This is the truth... it don't get any better than the 55 at 4k+. I've shot (or witnessed) well over 200 dogs (and one bobcat) shot with this load... I can count on one hand the number of times a dog was shot and lost.

[atomicjoe23]

One thing to keep in mind when selecting a coyote gun is definitely what you can shoot with the caliber and when you can legally hunt with it. . .

with a .22 centerfire you can hunt up to a cougar. . .no deer. . .with sub .22 centerfire you cannot shoot cougar. . .

. . .with a .22 centerfire you can hunt coyotes year round with only a small game license. . .with anything bigger than a .22 centerfire you need to have a big game license and a tag for whatever the current big game season is in order to hunt during a big game season. . .
 
. . .this and availabilitry were why I decided on a .22-250 vs. a .204 Ruger or a .243 Winchester. . .just something else to keep in mind

[bobcat]

If I use my 243 for that purpose I'm thinking of trying the Barnes 85 grain TSX. On a bobcat I imagine it wouldn't open up at all, so performance would be similar to a fmj.

Anyone who speculates about a Barnes "not having time to open"... hasn't shot much stuff with them. I've shot at least 20 coyotes with the 100 TSX in the .25-06 (about equal in velocity to the .243/85 grain TSX combo)... be assured that they open plenty quick, as all coyotes had exit wounds about like a softball. If you go to the Barnes website... you'll see what I'm talking about.

Huh?  I never said it wouldn't have time to open. And no, I have never shot anything with a .243 85 grain TSX, not even paper. But I have shot deer and elk with them out of my 270. I've had them travel lengthwise through an entire elk and only lose 10% of their weight. I would think that a TSX would not destroy a bobcat since these bullets do not "blow up." I could be wrong and I guess I will have to find that out for myself. If it makes any difference I would be loading these to a relatively low velocity...around 2400 to 2500 feet per second.