savage 243

[Slugz]

If you go the handloading route lots of powder mfgrs have youth reduced load charts out there that work well. I taught the kid with a 7mm-08 and reduced loads that were like the .243. I just went that route to save a gun purchase. He used that till he was 17-18 years old for deer/elk.

As others have said and eluded to.....these modern bullets are good......rarely do you hear when used correctly that they don't perform to spec or better. Hence then you can go a little lighter and get realistically the same or most probably better performance than what was planned for or needed.

 

[Red Raider]

Big fan of the 80gr Barnes

 

[boiler]

Put some food dye into the water and milk jugs for a little bit more effect.

I even know of some that will go purchase cheap soda pop and use it for a smaller target.

My dad was a Pepsi delivery man, so we had tons of out of date pop to shoot when I was a kid...there are no better targets for kids!

 

[theleo91386]

Pretty much all my dear have fallen to a 100 grain Interlock out of my 243. Factory equivalent loads would be Remington Corloks or the Hornady American Whitetail loads. Balistic Tips are bombs, they come apart in a hurry out of a 243.

 

[Tim McCoy]

My dad was a Pepsi delivery man, so we had tons of out of date pop to shoot when I was a kid...there are no better targets for kids!

Haha, brings back good memories. When teaching my boys to shoot at a young age, to show them the power of a gun, I'd take a warm shaken up Pepsi and shoot it, usually with a 17HMR at about 25 yards. Truly a sight to behold. They got all wow and cool and can I do it, and then when shown a 25-06 next, with a 100 gr BT on a small watermelon about head sized, they got the lesson. When my youngest said we should have shot the watermelon where the sage rats would come out to eat it, I knew I had a hunter.

 

[Kevin W]

This one (Remington 100 grain PSP Core Lokt.) gets the nod in my son's Savage 243 topped with a Nikon BDC scope.

 

[HuskyMusky]

depending on your twist you might get away with 105 or 110gr...

federal use to at least load a 100gr that had one of the higher BC standard loadings and a bit more energy at 500yds than other loads.

We've used
85gr TSX
95gr ballistic tips
100gr soft point

all on antelope and decided we like the 85gr TSX best, they now load a 80gr tipped TSX too.

My vote is shoot that 80 or 85gr TSX on everything!

best of luck!

 

[drifli]

I used a 243 until I was in my late 30's. There is a great meat shop I know of where the owners wife hunted with a 243 her whole life. She is still hunting with a 243 into her 60's. Now if you witnessed her and his game room or been in the meat shop I'm talking about, you would be hard pressed to think some of those animals fell from a young lady's 243, who just doesn't miss.

 

[Hilltop]

My son and wife both shoot Hornady Superformance 95 grain SST. The results are devastating on deer and antelope. If your gun will shoot them accurately, there isn't a better factory load out there IMO.

 

[ivorytip]

thanks for all the input, we went out and I set up a bunch of melons and cheap Shasta soda cans(unopened). I had him watch some videos on getting scoped and how everything should look through he scope. i shot a melon first and he thought it was just the coolest. I put in ear plugs and put on shooting muffs for him and had him on shooting sticks with him on his knees. it took him a bit but he finally pushed the safety off with his thumb and was working his breathing he learned from shooting bows, slid his finger inside trigger guard and that melon exploded and ive never seen him smile so big! then it was..... "can I shoot the pop cans now"? we had a blast! I had the targets only at 25 yrds. cant wait till fall.

 

[Hilltop]

Good stuff there- I'm sure your hunts will be amazing! My only regret with my oldest on his first hunts was not filming any of them. I plan to film my youngest once he is old enough. I picture him showing the hunts to his son in 25 years...

 

[ivorytip]

ive been eyeballing some gopros for that very reason