deer bullets, whats your experiance with....?

The grandkids shot two deer on Youth Day this year, using the Hornady GMX in .243 Win rifles. Both fully penetrated and did a great job inside.

The first was at 50 yards, a 125 lb buck and the second, a 144 lb doe at 175 yards.

Placement was quartering on the buck, breaking the shoulder, through the lungs and out through the ribs on the opposite side. The doe was a crossing shot, killed with one shot, high in the lungs and near enough to the spine to drop it instantly. The lungs were destroyed in both cases.

I told both kids and fathers to limit shots to 200 yards this season. Maybe that could be stretched to 300 yards in the future.
 
Bullet placement, it's gotta get into the boilerworks, brainpan or spine. Gutshot ain't good with any bullet. Pick shots you can make or let him go.
 
120gr TTSX: I used Barnes Vortex ammo with this bullet while shooting my 260 Remington on a doe antelope last year. 180-200 yard shot. Entered just at base of neck, exited just before rear quarter. Landed in next county. Antelope was DRT.

Not140-->165gr nosler BT. Fed Vital shok in 30-06. I used the last of these bullets for deer hunting a few years ago and took a 11 point Mulie buck. 225 +/- yard shot. I didn't account for trajectory and the bullet hit above the right shoulder and hit the bottom of the spine. It blew up and put shrapnel in the backstrap, but enough of it continued on to break the rear left hip. Landed in next county.

My take Nosler Ballistic Tips fly like arrows. They are great bullets that way, but will shed weight on impact. I hit a cow elk in the ribs with a 165 grain bullet from 75 yards and dropped it, but I'd never do that again.
If you're a guy who likes to shoot shoulders, then go with the TTSX as they fly flat and straight and hold together well. If you like to shoot ribs, the NBT will be okay. It will probably make a mess of the innards, so eating the heart or diaphragm might be a dicey prospect. If you don't know what kind of shot you will have, go TTSX.

Good luck.
 
Killed a 180 lb whitetail yesterday. 140 Nosler Bt 7mmWSM. Shot was 175 yards. Deer was DRT with high spine shot. The bullet did not exit so, if he had not been DRT, may have been a difficult tracking job due to lack of bleeding.

However, all is well that ends well. But I think that the 7mmWSM is a little fast for that bullet inside about 250 yards or so. It was a Federal Premium factory round. I am going to try the 150 grn Powershock next.
 
Elder son got a nice doe on Saturday, his last opportunity this year. He used my 150 grain, Hornady GMX, 30-06 handloads in the Rem 700 I gave him.

The shot was about 80 yards threaded through the woods, hitting it in the lungs and completely trashing them. That's the third family kill with GMX bullets this year.

I'm hoping to get a buck, since I wasn't drawn for an any-deer permit. Haven't seen anything I could shoot yet.
 
Whichever bullet you have sent downrange 200+ times.

All I ask from a bullet is reliable through and through penetration on a broadside to quartering shot and 1.5" accuracy at 100 yards.
 
Barnes fan here.

Don't shoot 7-08, but I've had exceptional results with the Barnes TTSX/TSX in .270, .308, and .300WM. Elk, bear, deer...lots of pass throughs, and bang flops. I've only recovered two bullets, and they had very good weight retention (high 90% range) and nearly perfect x shaped expansion. Very good accuracy to boot. They're not the cheapest, and I'm sure a good ol' core loct would work, but for me, it's the only hunting bullet I use. They perform.

Just my $.02
 
At velocities below 3000 fps, cup and core bullets work great. Have used Hornady Interlocks in 308, 30-06, 280 for more than 40 years. Like Hornady says, Accurate, Deadly, and Dependable.
 
I'm shooting the 140gr. Nosler BT.
If I could find some of the 140gr. Gamekings, I would use them. Right now they are made of un-obtainium. :D

Really any of the bullets you mention would work. The Hornady 139gr. Interlock flatbase are my range fodder. Good accuracy and from price point. $28 for 100.

I also shoot a lot of the 139gr. SST. Again, accuracy and price.
 
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