.243 shot placement

[Griffin]

Playing around with a .243 wssm, not much different than a .243win. 90% of the shots will be head/neck shot but in the event I need to shoulder shoot one do you guys opt for the double shoulder or behind it and why? I was set to go double shoulder route with a barns TTSX but am having issues getting them to shoot well. I have a deadly accurate 95gn nosler ballistic tip load but I don't have the faith in the this bullet that I do in the barns. I'd like to hear y'alls experiences. Don't turn this into a .243 bash or I'll start using a 22-250

[jws]

Ive killed three with mine all shot in the shoulder with 100 gr corelocks. None went too far.

[Timberman22]

I have shot factory Win. 100 gr. CXP2 power points for 27 years without a hiccup. I've shot behind the shoulders, pinned the shoulders, neck and in the face. 90% are DRT. I normally pin both shoulders or slip it right behind the shoulder. I did shoot some ballistic tips 1 year with with a marginal success rate in my teens.

[Sawdust]

I prefer behind the shoulder. If I shoot a double shoulder with the 100gr Hornady's it will usually blow out at least the far side shoulder.

[CWPINST]

Playing around with a .243 wssm, not much different than a .243win. 90% of the shots will be head/neck shot but in the event I need to shoulder shoot one do you guys opt for the double shoulder or behind it and why? I was set to go double shoulder route with a barns TTSX but am having issues getting them to shoot well. I have a deadly accurate 95gn nosler ballistic tip load but I don't have the faith in the this bullet that I do in the barns. I'd like to hear y'alls experiences. Don't turn this into a .243 bash or I'll start using a 22-250

Why don't you have faith in the NBT? That bullet is plenty capable. You may be overthinking this issue. Put it in the boiler room and walk over and get your deer.

[Griffin]

Why don't you have faith in the NBT? That bullet is plenty capable. You may be overthinking this issue. Put it in the boiler room and walk over and get your deer.

I'm sure you're 100% correct. I have used the NBT with tons of sucess just all in 30cal applications. I have the faith and they shoot really well. I'm just wondering if they will hold together going thru both shoulders

[CWPINST]

I'm sure you're 100% correct. I have used the NBT with tons of sucess just all in 30cal applications. I have the faith and they shoot really well. I'm just wondering if they will hold together going thru both shoulders

I have killed quite a few with the 100gr NBT in .257, including one that went through the neck and a shoulder of a 193 pound buck. It was still in one piece when I found it under the skin behind the shoulder. Not the same exact bullet of course, but probably in the ballpark. I wouldn't think twice about using the 95gr. NBT in a .243.

[quackaddict]

You tried the Hornady 80gr GMX? I bet it shoots pretty good...but I wish it was closer to 95+/- 5gr.

[quackaddict]

OR a Nosler Partition. They make them in 85, 95, and 100gr buwet.

[YoungBuckTX]

Can someone please explain the reason for a neck shot, and best location? I grew up taught to shoot vitals. Do most neck shots drop? Seems to me there's greater margin for error with deer constantly moving there head around.

[Carolina Counsel]

Theory behind a neck shot is DRT. I have shot throat patch, mid-neck, and where neck joins body.

[trentsmith]

I usually take neck shots but I've shot 2 bucks in the neck this year and didn't find either. I dropped one of em in his tracks and he kicked around for about 20-30 secs, got up and ran about 100yds falling 3 times otw and made it to the woods. I jumped him up 4 hours later never to be seen again.

[Saltydog235]

Of the 9 I killed last year, 6 were taken with a .243 Win. Of those 6, 5 were shoulder shots with a 90grn Nosler BT out to 150yds. All 5 of them dropped DRT. The 90-95grn BT isn't going to splat against the bone or bounce off. Yeah it'll explode more often than not but only after it has turned the scapula into a whole bunch of shrapnel. If you hit him in the high shoulder, chances are the scapula get broken and damage is done to the spine, they don't move when the spine is severed or compromised contrary to the stories you read on the internet. And if they do, chances are the person didn't hit the deer where they said they did, unless they did it at 1000 yards with the .243

[nitro5x6's]

Nosler catalogs a 90 grain Accubond for the .243... That would be a viable option..

Good luck. That 243 WSSM is a wicked cartridge.

[ndbrown213]

Shoulder shot. I have shot deer with the 243 in 95 grn BT and 100 grn SP. In the cases where it was high shoulder they all where DRT. If it missed the high shoulder they normally ran 50 yards or less. I quit using the BT because it made such a mess inside of the deer. The old man was having fits when we cleaned the deer.

[Benji]

shoulder shot.. 80gr. tipped triple shock bullet handloads..

Came off another website, but supposedly was approx a 500yrd. shot... wound cavity looks pretty good for that sized round though! i've been looking for one of these guns for a while.. not to many around here.

[Sportin' Woodies]

Aim for your own vagina then use a mans gun

[Lightninn]

I have a deadly accurate 95gn nosler ballistic tip load but I don't have the faith in the this bullet that I do in the barns.

Griffin - I had a similar predicament earlier this year, except I'm shooting a .223. I started out trying to use the Nosler Partition projectile. My rifle didn't group well with them enough to give me the confidence needed for a neck shot. I took a shot just behind the shoulder with them and the deer ran 60-70 yrds before expiring. I wasn't happy with that result at all. I switched to the Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets. These grouped well enough to be almost touching at 100 yrds. I've shot 4 deer using these bullets and all have been neck shots. Every one of the four have been dead on the spot. The Ballistic Tip placed in the neck is absolutely deadly. So my point is why not use the BT and take neck shots? Sounds like your rifle likes that round. Plus you don't lose any meat like you will with shoulder shots.