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what grain heads would sute 243 rifle for foxes and deer


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The question isn't really what suits fox & deer. The question should be what suits the twist rate of your barrel. In my .243 57 grain V-max produce one hole groups all day long at 100 yards and are flat right out to 300 yards. 100 grain soft points, produce 1-3" groups at 100 yards but that's because of the twist rate. The other issue is muzzle energy for deer, or more to the point minimum muzzle energy, for this reason I have worked up a 75 grain v-max load which is deer legal energy wise and produces a little over .8" groups and is flat as a pan cake. The reason I have worked the load up is not really for deer ( I hate the idea of using v-max on deer ) but because the .243" is mainly a fox rifle, but I like to have the option of a deer if ever I might fancy it (unlikely with my .243").

 

John

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The question isn't really what suits fox & deer. The question should be what suits the twist rate of your barrel. In my .243 57 grain V-max produce one hole groups all day long at 100 yards and are flat right out to 300 yards. 100 grain soft points, produce 1-3" groups at 100 yards but that's because of the twist rate. The other issue is muzzle energy for deer, or more to the point minimum muzzle energy, for this reason I have worked up a 75 grain v-max load which is deer legal energy wise and produces a little over .8" groups and is flat as a pan cake. The reason I have worked the load up is not really for deer ( I hate the idea of using v-max on deer ) but because the .243" is mainly a fox rifle, but I like to have the option of a deer if ever I might fancy it (unlikely with my .243").

 

John

 

 

 

HI mate,

 

if your having trouble using the 100g rounds then drop down to 95g sst by hornady they'll group much tighter for you....

 

ANd i'm not one for nit picking but don't you mean the 58g v-max instead of 57g...???

 

take care

 

Snap.

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I'd suggest that a V-MAX isn't really the right bullet to be using on animals you want to eat, I'd have thought something like the nosler ballistic tip (hunting)or the 100gn partition would be better suited or really any other soft nose bullet, like something from Hornady , perhaps their plastic tipped SST would be good also, basically something with a thicher jacket for more controlled expansion and less obliteration of the meat, for foxing though they'd be the business I'd have thought.

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I'd suggest that a V-MAX isn't really the right bullet to be using on animals you want to eat

 

 

Totally agree and IMHO V-max isn't legal for use on deer; However I can find no 6mm SP bullets that will stabilise in my 1in12 pro-hunter. I would be a VERY happy man if I could buy 75 grain soft point bullets. :yes:

 

John

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I'd suggest that a V-MAX isn't really the right bullet to be using on animals you want to eat

 

 

Totally agree and IMHO V-max isn't legal for use on deer; However I can find no 6mm SP bullets that will stabilise in my 1in12 pro-hunter. I would be a VERY happy man if I could buy 75 grain soft point bullets. :yes:

 

John

 

 

hi john did you try the 87g bthp by hornady.... also good for deer...

 

 

Snap.

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hi john did you try the 87g bthp by hornady.... also good for deer...

 

 

Snap.

 

 

Hi Buddy, yup sure did ( if memory serves me correctly the bullets look like a FMJ with a "pin" hole at the top (?)) . I know this is going to sound very sad but I just didn't like the look/style of the bullet and the OAL was very close to Hornady 100g SP bullets.

I've shot loads of deer with the 100 grain SP's but after getting a .308 I started to use the .243 for a long range foxing tool, always choosing the .308 for deer. After shooting a few Roe with the .308 I realised that the .243" still had it's uses on the deer. BY that time I had already worked up loads with the 58 grain V-max and had given all my 100 grain rounds to my stalking partner. The 58 grainers were just short of 1700 ft-lbs, okay I knew that the roe would still be killed but I wanted to get up to the 1700 ft-lb with out losing accuracy. I had no idea that my pro-hunter would achieve a single hole group at 100 yards until I started using the little 58 grainers, I found that Speer (?) could even be Sierra produced a 75 grain SP in 6mm but couldn't find any anywhere so I was stuck on the 75 grain V-max for the time being. Due to the polymer tip the bullets are slightly longer than a traditional SP bullet but still produce .5" to .8" true groups at 100 yards. This was a massive improvement over 1" to 3" (averaging 1.5" groups) that I was getting with the 100 grain SP bullets. However I am fully aware that V-max isn't the bullet for deer and as such hasn't really helped me in my quest but has given a rest-bite.

I am convinced that the 75 grain V-max would cleanly kill a roe, with a fair bit of boiler room meat damage but to be fair there isn't a great deal of meat on a roe at the front end, that said damage isn't that bad on fox and no where near the damage that occurred with the 58 grain V-max which was explosive. The rounds do produce 1750 ft-lbs ME, so are deer legal for the larger deer but I am convinced that the rounds would crater on a red and have no penetration at all, I might be wrong but just the thought would stop me pulling the trigger.

 

John

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