I will be recieving my 15" 243 encore barrel in the next few days and wondering what ammo most would suggest for whitetails. Gramps reloads but will prob start with factory ammo this season. It seems around 100gr bullets is recommened. Thanks for any tips.

JMHO...

Winchester Supreme® Ballistic Silvertip® Rifle Ammunition - 95gr 243 Win

I agree with TCMan, if you shoot factory ammo and the 95gr NBT if you reload.

Hornady 100gr BTSP work good and produce pretty good groups as well. Just my .02

I have had excellant succes with Factory Federal ammo with 100 grain Sierra bullets on mule deer

Those of you that have been on here for a while probably know about my preference for Nosler Partitions. Especially in the .243 caliber I would go with Nosler 95 or 100 gr. Partitions if reloading or for factory: Federal Vital-Shok, Moly Coated Nosler Partition ammo. The Partition bullet is designed for expansion as well as penetration.

If you go with the "more explosive Ballistic Tips," shoot for a broadside rib shot, not a shoulder or angling shot. MHO

And MHO comes from what I have personally experienced as well as what I have seen in 24 years of running the HHI Antelope Hunt.

Nothing wrong with Ballistic Tips if you have the ideal shot, but I feel the Partition gives you a better all-around bullet especially in the little 6mm.

I have taken a couple of Whitetails with a 15" .243 T/C Encore, plus a few other whitetails with both the 6mm-223 and 6mm T/CU in handguns. My single favorite bullet has been the Speer 80gr. Hot Core Spitzer in the 6mm Handguns.

In the case of the 15" .243 T/C Encore I was handloading the Speer 80gr. Hot Core Spitzers with H-4895 to a muzzle velocity of 2920 FPS. I used the Encore during a special January Antlerless Season a few years back to take two whitetails at the same time. The two does came down a trail I was watching from abotu 200 yards away.

I decided to take both does since I had two tags and shot the back one first, putting the Speer 80gr. Hot Core Spitzer mid way top to bottom right behind the shoulder. The doe dropped at the shot and never took a step.

The second doe was walking when I shot and I messed up hitting her too far back. At the shot she took off, ran a couple hundred yards and stopped under the branches of a russian olive tree. I didn't like the range but due to the wounded deer had no choice in the matter. I quickly checked my drop chart, held accordingly and squeezed the trigger. At the shot the doe dropped in her tracks.

At one time I did load some 85gr. Nosler Partitions in the .243 but never did get to shoot any critters with them. I am quite confident that they would have done the job though.

Larry

barnes ttsx over some 4350 works wonders

I use the Sierra 100grn Pro Hunter flat base for about the last 5 years in my 243 Encore pistol barrel. I took three whitetail with it, several coyotes and hundreds of prairie dogs. Yes, I used the 100 grn soft point because the pistol shot it very well out to 300 yds and I made a great deal on 1000 of the bullets at the Sierra factory one day while I made a visit there. They were discolored seconds and purchased them by the pound.
I'm shooting the same bullet now in my Marlin Edge rifle for a loaner rifle. It shoots the 100grn Sierra bullet great and is a good deer gun out to 200 yds.
Mike