With it’s low recoil and flat trajectory the .243 round offers incredible accuracy. This has made it a popular deer hunting ammo with both experienced and beginner hunters.
But which is the best .243 ammo for deer hunting?
Let’s look the the top 5 .243 rounds on the market.
Top 5 Rated .243 Winchester Comparison Table
| Name of Product | Weight | Rounds | Muzzle Energy | Muzzle Velocity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Power-Shok Ammo | 80 grain | 200 | 1970 ft lbs | 3330 fps | $$$ |
| Sellier & Bellot .243 Cartridges | 100 grain | 20 | 1873 ft lbs | 2904 fps | $$ |
| Hornady American Whitetail | 100 grain | 20 | 1945 ft lbs | 2960 fps | $$ |
| Federal Fusion Ammunition | 95 grain | 20 | 1873 ft lbs | 2980 fps | $$ |
| Nosler Ballistic Tip Projetile | 90 grain | 20 | 1799 ft lbs | 3000 fps | $$ |
Federal Power-Shok Ammo
This ammunition is manufactured by the Federal Power-Shok. If you have noticed, the Federal is a rather popular brand in the ammunition industry, where some of its popular designs include the well-known American Eagle. Hence, it is known as a hard hitting rounds that will deliver excellent performance in the field.
Believe me, you’ll be very happy with these Federal bullets. Moving on, it is equipped with 200 rounds altogether (bulk ammunition). These 200 rounds on the other hand are divided into 20 rounds per box and 10 boxes per case. In addition to that, they are arranged in a tray per box, in an organized manner hence contributing to easy transportation as well as simple handling and removal from the box.
Why are bulk ammo useful? If you’re an avid hunter, then you should totally go for it because you get to fire multiple rounds without worrying about it getting finished so soon. Not to mention, bulk ammo is a lot cheaper, in terms of price per round, hence you’ll be saving cost compared to buying multiple 20 or 50 rounds per box.
Weighing 80 grains, the bullet is of the soft point (SP) type. What does it mean? To answer your query, the soft-point cartridge, also known as the soft-nosed round is a jacketed expanding bullet that is equipped with a soft metal core. The soft metal core on the other hand is enclosed by a stronger metal jacket, which is left open at the forward tip.
Its advantages include, being able to expand upon entering the target thereby causing a wound diameter bigger than the bullet diameter itself. Apart from that, the projectile leaves the muzzle of the rifle and travels at a velocity of 3330 fps, paired with muzzle energy measuring 1970 ft lbs. It is suitable to be used for target practice or staple hunting.
In terms of ammo casing, it is of brass construction, hence ensuring that it is corrosion-free when in contact with rain or moisture. The primer on the other hand is of the boxer-style which comes in handy for easy reloading of the primers. In other words, the old primer can be removed and replaced with the new ones, with maximum ease.
Suitable for :
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- 200 rounds altogether
- Soft point bullet (80 grain)
- Boxer-primed brass
- Non-corrosive and reloadable
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Sellier & Bellot .243 Winchester Cartridges
Manufactured by Sellier and Bellot, these cartridges are great to be used for shooting exercises, target practice and medium sized game hunting. However, it is mainly used for deer hunting purposes. That being said, these ammunition are made from high quality components which are used by almost everyone ranging from competition shooters, hunters, military officers as well as law enforcement agencies.
Back to its history, Sellier and Bellot have been producing ammunition since the early 1800s, hence making them one of the oldest economical and precision machined European cartridge produced. Moving on to the casing, it is equipped with a boxer-primed brass casing which ensures that it is reloadable and corrosion-free.
In other words, the old primers can be removed and replaced with new ones, by just a simple pin punch. For your information, the boxer-style primers are very popular and widely used in the United States. The brass construction on the other hand ensures that it is rust-resistant, therefore contributing to its durability in the long run.
Apart from that, it comes in a total of 20 rounds per box. These 20 rounds are packaged and organized neatly in a tray, which comes in handy to provide easy and convenient transportation as well as ensure easy handling and removal of the rounds, when needed. You can even take them out of the box and store them in reloader strips and pouches, for your added convenience.
Weighing 100 grains, this deer hunting ammunition is of the soft point type. The soft point bullet is basically a jacketed expanding bullet that comes with a soft metal core enclosed by an alloy jacket, left open at the forward tip. It is popular due to its great expansion characteristics when in contact with the target, hence resulting in a wound diameter greater than the diameter of the bullet itself.
That being said, the soft point cartridges consists of a soft lead exposed nose that creates controlled expansion as well as an amazing mushrooming effect. In terms of bullet performance, the bullet travels at a muzzle velocity measuring 2904 fps, together with a muzzle energy of 1873 ft lbs.
Suitable for :
- 20 rounds per box
- 100 grains soft point projectile
- Controlled expansion & mushrooming effect
- Reloadable and non-corrosive
Hornady American Whitetail
Begin your own ammo tradition by getting the American Whitetail rounds! These cartridges are from the Hornady line of ammunition. Why is this product one of the most sought-out .243 rounds? Well, it is mainly because this product is equipped with Hornady’s legendary Interlock projectiles. All in all, these ammunition has great terminal ballistics as well as delivers an excellent performance.
That being said, it is especially designed for whitetail deer hunting (if it’s not obvious from the title itself!). In addition to that, it comes in 20 rounds per box altogether. These 20 rounds are organized neatly in a tray hence ensuring easy handling and removal, in the midst of hunting.
If you’re an avid hunter however, you should go for the ammunition available in bulks because they’re a lot cheaper, in terms of price per round not to mention, you don’t have to keep on buying the 20 or 50 rounds per box on multiple occasions. Not only that, you may never run out of ammo during your hunting trip, especially if you plan on hunting the whole day.
In terms of performance, this projectile leaves the muzzle and travels at a velocity of 2960 fps, with muzzle energy measuring 1945 ft lbs. The theory is rather straightforward where the heavier the bullet, the higher the energy and velocity, and voila the more devastating the results produced.
Besides that, the cartridge weighs 100 grains and is of the soft point Interlock (SP) type. That being said, the Interlock bullets comes with a raised ring inside the jacket, which is embedded in the bullet’s core. It is designed in such way to keep the core and jacket locked together during the expansion to further retain energy and mass.
The ammo casing on the other hand is made of brass construction therefore contributing to its non-corrosive characteristics which further contributes to the durability of the product. The boxer-style primers comes in handy as the old primers can be removed and replaced with maximum ease, therefore it is conveniently reloadable.
Suitable for :
- Soft point Interlock projectile
- 20 rounds per box
- Specially for whitetail deer hunting
- Great terminal ballistics
Federal Fusion Ammunition
The Federal Fusion cartridges are basically electrochemically joined to an extreme pressure formed core, with pure copper material, thereby ensuring excellent performance down range. This solid construction results in high terminal energy upon impact, which in return produce radiated shock upon entering the target.
That being said, it is mainly utilized for hunting medium sized games such as deers. It weighs 95 grains altogether which is the right weight to ensure excellent bullet performance when game hunting. Anything lower than 80 or 90 grains, you’ll have to settle for varmints instead of games due to its little power.
Moreover, this .243 Winchester ammunition is of the bonded bullet type. So, what are the benefits of bonded bullet? First things first, they are bonded to prevent the jacket and core from separating upon impact, hence they tend to retain weight better, which further results in deeper wound channels.
Bonded projectiles technically perform better when encountered with larger games as they have deeper penetration. Hence why, they are a little on the expensive side compared to the non-bonded projectiles. In addition to that, it comes with a total of 20 rounds per box altogether, where these 20 rounds are arranged and packed in an orderly manner.
The bullet exits the muzzle and travels at a velocity measuring 2980 fps as well as muzzle energy measuring 1873 ft lbs. Just so you know, higher velocity and energy will result in deeper penetration, hence coming in handy when you’re dealing with medium to larger games.
Speaking about the ammo casing, it is of the boxer-primed style, which is the most popular priming style in the United States. With this boxer-style, it is easily reloadable in which you can remove and replace the old primers with the new ones, by just a simple pin punch, for your added convenience.
Suitable for :
- Suitable for hunting medium game
- 20 rounds altogether
- High terminal energy upon impact
- Bonded BT projectiles
Nosler Ballistic Tip Projectile
The Nosler ballistic tip rounds are loaded with the solid ballistic tip bullets. It is a must-have because every bullet weight as well as muzzle velocity are optimized to provide you with maximum effectiveness on medium sized games such as hogs, antelope and deers. That being said, it is obvious that this product is mainly designed for hunting.
Its tapered bullet jacket design controls the expansion upon entering the target thereby resulting in an ideal balance of penetration and energy transfer, to provide you with the best shooting experience. In other words, its track-record of accuracy as well as terminal ballistic performance is proven to be amazing.
Speaking of the bullet performance, it leaves the muzzle and travels at a muzzle velocity of 3000 feet per second, with 1799 ft lbs of muzzle energy. The muzzle velocity is actually really high compared to that of the other ammunition hence, it has deep penetration. Deeper penetration is important especially if you’re targeting larger games because it needs enough power to shoot through the animal’s flesh, to reach its vital organs.
Weighing 90 grains, it comes in a total of 20 rounds altogether. These 20 rounds on the other hand are arranged and packed into trays, in a box for easy transportation as well as convenient handling. In addition to that, the bullet’s primer is of the boxer-style, which is very popular in the United States.
For the boxer-primed ammo, it is rather easy to be reloaded since the old primers can be removed and replaced with the new ones simply by just punching out the old primers. Therefore, these primers are reloadable as well as non-corrosive.
Suitable for :
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- Ballistic Tip bullet
- Ideal balance of penetration & energy transfer
- Great terminal ballistics performance
- 20 rounds per box
- Non-corrosive and reloadable
The .243 Round
The best .243 ammunition or also known as the .243 Winchester is one of the well sought-out rifle cartridge. They are mostly utilized for varmint or deer hunting applications not forgetting, it can be used on larger games according to your preference.
However, they are a little light in terms of bullet weight hence the lighter ones are not suitable for large games. In fact, the cartridges that weigh at least 90 grains are suitable for large animals meanwhile those less than 90 grains are commonly used to hunt varmints. That being said, this product is very popular in demand among the target shooters as well as long distance shooters.
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Hence, you may be wondering, what makes this bullet great? Firstly, it provides great accuracy and has a low recoil, for your added convenience. Just so you know, this product is designed, based on the necked down .308 cartridge case. In addition to that, they are designed as well as manufactured by the Winchester brand.
Key Factors When Choosing Your Ammo
Bullet Weight
First things first, the bullet weight is measured in grains. Since the .243 Winchester ammunition is a rifle ammunition, it is mostly used for varmint hunting or deer hunting. Therefore, the bullet weight matters a great deal. If the bullet weight is less than 90 grains at least, it won’t be suitable for medium game hunting (not enough power), so you have to settle for varmint hunting.
Meanwhile, if it is above 90 grains, then deer hunting would be good. Why does the weight matter? For starters, it needs to have enough power to pierce through the flesh of the game in order to reach the vital organs for a quick kill. And the heavier the weight, the higher the velocity and energy which further results in a more devastating result.
Bullet Type
There are various bullet types and designs out there. The most popular type is the soft point cartridge. It is also known as the soft-nosed bullet which is basically a jacketed expanding bullet that is equipped with a soft metal core. The core on the other hand is enclosed by a stronger metal jacket which is left open at the forward tip.
Their added benefit is that, it expands well upon entering the target therefore causing the wound diameter to be larger than the bullet diameter. Apart from that, there is the bonded bullet as well. These types of bullet comes in handy as it prevents the core and jacket from separating upon impact. Therefore, they are held together which results in deeper wound channels and penetration.
Primer Type
The most common type of primers used for these rifle ammo are the boxer-style primers. These primer styles are popular in the United States and comes in handy because they are reloadable. In other words, you get to remove and replace the old primers with the new ones, by a simple pin punch, for your added convenience.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, the .243 Winchester ammunition is a great choice for your rifle (fancy a pair of shooting gloves?) as it provides you with excellent accuracy, low recoil and not forgetting, the bullets are rather light in terms of weight. They make a great addition for varmint hunting or deer hunting. Hence, I hope my review assists you in making the right choice.