SST is a fine bullet. I just can't find a gun that likes the Superformance Ammo.

I hate having to track deer my son shoots with his .243 I dont think one has ever left a good trail my .308 either drops them on the spot thru the neck or leaves a good tracking trail. if one gets off in something thick after being hit by a .243 you almost need a dog to find it. my son is getting a .308 for christmas because of this.

.95 grain nosler, it'll hook em up

A 243 in the spine is just as good as a 300 win mag in the spine. For double lung shots, I’ve often had a far better blood trail from 90-100gr good 243 bullets than cheapo 150-180gr 308 bullets. All the anecdotal stories aside, where you shoot them and with what bullet, has far more to do with it than the head stamp or diameter of the pill.

After you get done reading all the pecker stretching and the “you need a magnum to kill a deer” replies, get some 80 gr Barnes TSX. Shoot them through the lungs where deer are supposed to be shot. There will be lungs and blood a plenty.

If the 55gr 223 version can produce pass throughs and heavy blood trails, the 243 will do just fine.

I’ll agree that the cup and core bullets are less than spectacular in 243, the Barnes are a game changer.

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/wi...243-winchester-95-grain-rifle-ammunition
We’ve been killing deer with 95 gr ballistic tips for years. Never lost a deer with that bullet.

100 gr Hornady

Love my .243 and 25-06. Hornadys and Partitions.
They will Keel.

A few years ago I was helping a farmer shoot deer at night in soybean fields(with a permit). I was using my 243 because it has less recoil and easy to shoot. I started out shooting Hornady Superformance SST. A couple of deer were dirt, but most ran off. When I ran out of the SST’s I picked up some federal blue box at Walmart and started dropping the deer in their tracks. That year at harvest the farmer found a few of the deer that ran off after shooting with the SST. In my opinion the cheap Federal blue box ammo done a much better job of killing than the SST did.

Blue box

Agreed, I have shot them out of several rifles with great results from each. And excellent terminal performance on deer and being inexpensive is just a bonus!

Been shooting the Hornady 95 grain SST's for about 10 years now. As mentioned above....put it about 2" behind the shoulder blade a letter rip....WICKED Lung destruction!!

This!!!!!

80 g Barnes ttsx is the baddest .243 bullet there is if your gun will shoot it

You don't need a Barnes till you take the little 6 after some elk...

I’ve killed 10 bucks with the SSTs out of a 243. My tikka shoots em really good.

All the deer where at varying distances between 30 and 170 yards.

I made a mediocre shot on one (he was quartering to me more than I realized) and had to shoot him again, but he actually dropped about 10 yards from where I shot him, but then jumped up staggering all over the place 30 minutes later when I went to get him. Best I could tell, the bullet entered behind the front shoulder, hit the opposite rib cage and ran toward his rear, exited the stomach and entered the opposite hind leg. The second bullet was true and went through and through behind the shoulder. It was just a weird scenario all around.

Aside from that one, 4 dropped where they were standing. And the other 5 ran less than 50 yards, most of them running less than 30. All had trackable blood trails except one, but I honestly think we weren’t on the trail he took and ran into him before finding his trail. Exit wounds are about 50-50 but regardless, there always massive damage internally.

This ammo shoots great out of my daughter's Remington Model 7.

I think all the kids are big enough to shoot a man's rifle so I hope that this season is the first in many that I will not have to romp through everything on my property looking for some stupid doe one of the kids shot with a dern .243.

The worst offender who is a very good shot....has enough sand in his britches to shoot a .270 this year according to his Daddy. He was near shaving last year I figured on taking him with me and letting him shoot my gun just so I wouldn't have an all night tracking job.

You know what I hate worse than a .243? A kid losing his deer.

Give it a break man...

horseshitt.........

my go to gun is a Rem 700 243 in a youth stock, shooting Fusion 95 gr bullets. Kills like a bolt of lightening. Probably killed 40 deer with it without a loss or even a long tracking job. My grandson Dylan has killed three nice older bucks with three shots. Furtherest any of them ran was 75 yards with good blood.