[aquacanis]

I have been using a boat tail hollow point 100 grain Sierra bullet in my hand
loads and have good kills but no pass through on white tail deer. Result is
poor blood trails if any. I brought the little 234 down to Texas to hunt wild boar
and loaded some 100 grain Nozler Partition bullets thinking I would get better
penetration on the boars tough hide. I was told when I got down here that the 243
was not enough rifle to hunt boars with. I was told they have an armor plating of scar tissue that builds up as they fight and the 243 will not penetrate it well. I shot a 225 lb. boar just behind the front shoulder and directly in the thick scar tissue. The partition bullet took out
both lungs and passed completely the armor plate on the other side! I can't wait to try this
bullet on white tail deer this fall. I am very impressed with the performance.

 

[broom_jm]

Welcome to ShootersForum, Aquacanis. You'll find this is just about the friendliest and most knowledgeable gun site on the web.

Having witnessed a 243 hit a large boar in the shoulder at ~250 yards and never find a single drop of blood, I would tend to agree that it is on the small side for bigger hogs. The same gun/bullet shot a smaller boar just above the eye at 25 feet and there was no tracking involved, so bullet placement, along with construction and the shot distance involved all combine to make a big difference.

The Nosler Partition is a fine bullet and I bet you'll be very happy with the results on deer, this coming fall. I switched from Sierra bullets to Accubonds and have been pleased with the results. Hope to see more of your posts around the forum.

 

[Tnhunter]

I have been using a boat tail hollow point 100 grain Sierra bullet in my hand
loads and have good kills but no pass through on white tail deer. Result is
poor blood trails if any. I brought the little 234 down to Texas to hunt wild boar
and loaded some 100 grain Nozler Partition bullets thinking I would get better
penetration on the boars tough hide. I was told when I got down here that the 243
was not enough rifle to hunt boars with. I was told they have an armor plating of scar tissue that builds up as they fight and the 243 will not penetrate it well. I shot a 225 lb. boar just behind the front shoulder and directly in the thick scar tissue. The partition bullet took out
both lungs and passed completely the armor plate on the other side! I can't wait to try this
bullet on white tail deer this fall. I am very impressed with the performance.

Having been in on a couple of big hog kills myself, I'm a bit surprised/impressed. I'm curious just how thick the sheild on that boar was. You did not mention if the hog dropped in place or not, did he?

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

[M1Garand]

Another welcome to the forum.

Sierra doesn't make a 100 grn HPBT Gameking, but they do an 85 grn. I'm assuming that's the one you're referring to. The reason you're not getting pass throughs is that bullet is a varmint bullet and probably why you're getting good kills, but poor blood trails. Direct from the Sierra manual on this bullet is:

"...designed as a thin-skinned long-range varmint bullet..it shoots like a Matchking and performs like a Varminter"

and

"...the bullet has proven to be highly effective on medium game such as deer and antelope, as long as shots are carefully placed"

My opinion is while it appears to work (and has for you) even Sierra admits shots have to be carefully placed. I think there are better choices for a deer bullet and not one where conditions have to be optimal. You want a bullet to work not just when conditions are optimal but also when they are &%#@. I've had great results on deer with their Pro Hunters (in 270s though). Give the 100 grn Pro Hunter (or GK) a try and see what you think, I think you'll like the job they did a little better.
​

 

[MikeG]

The 6mms are a little light for pigs, absent careful shot placement. My wife shoots a 6mm Rem and we get about 14" - 16" of penetration from 100gr Core-Lokt bullets. They don't exit though.

She is a deliberate shot and has DRT'd several, including one that probably pushed 200 lbs. by the size of the skull. Usually a high shoulder shot that breaks the spine does pretty well.

Right now I've got about 200 Hornady 100gr. Interlocks that I'm hoping will improve on the performance of the Rem bullet. 200 bullets would be a lot of pigs! If not then on to something else..... probably jump straight to one of the monolithic bullets.

 

[30-30remchester]

Welcome and you appear to have a firm grasp on one of the two top criterias for good game taking. About the only for sure things count for proper hunting. Bullet placement and penatration. I have seen hundreds of game animals taken with about every type of bullet. I have never seen a Nosler Partition fail. I use them on everything from coyotes to elk. Let me warn you not to be dishaertened by your with your next whitetail kill. The Noslers work great but doesnt have the dramatic effect as other fast opening bullets but they work in all situations.

 

[2Bits]

If your going to stay with the .243 caliber, you may want to take a gander at those new Hornady "copper bullets" or those Barnes TSX bullets. They both will add to penetration of that boars armor plating.

I once upon a time, put a .243 Nosler Partition bullet through 9 inches of solid wood and two pieces of 16 gauge steel barn siding. So I know with the right bullet the .243 will shine for you!!!

 

[Big Bore]

Sierra dose make a 100 gr. GameKing but but it is a spitzer SP. Their 107 gr. BTHP is the Matchking and sad to say, there are a LOT of people who insist on using this bullet on game and I have been part of many heated discussions who say even Sierra people use them on game (behind the scenes of course). I tend to go with what they publish, the MK is a great target bullet but unreliable as a game bullet, especially on larger game. I fear that this is yet another time where the MK was used on game and of course, the bullet gets blamed for being used on something it had never been designed to be used on.

I am like anyone else, I like the best accuracy I can get, but one owes it to the game animal to use the correct bullet for job even if it does give up a little accuracy. In most hunting situations it does not matter a lick if the bullet is a 1/4 MOA bullet or a 1 MOA bullet. But it does matter to the animal if the bullet only wounds instead of making a clean kill.
When it comes to accuracy and lethality, the Barnes TSX bullets are my choice also in almost all calibers. I am almost always shooting Barnes or cast, with only my match guns getting A-Max or Sierra MKs.