243 win 87 vmax on whitetail

Congrats to your son on a fine shot on a nice buck. I like others have mentioned would look for something more controlled in the expansion department. I love the Barnes TSX bullets though they're expensive they're great for reliability It can be rough to find the perfect bullet these days. Ammoseek is a good source for loaded ammunition as well. I know of plenty of wild hogs that have been killed with 55grain .223 loads so don't overthink it on the hogs unless you get into a big old boar you'll be fine.

Buzznrose said:

Yeah, pig hair and hide is definitely thicker and tougher than deer.

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Yes ^ ^
There's also the thing ( in this region)
that many hogs are covered in a thick
layer of dried hard mud.

I’ve killed more than a few deer and pronghorn with .243.
The standard 100gr soft points perform quite well.
The “V” in V max stands for varmint. It worked this time but save them for coyotes or groundhogs and use a better bullet for deer. Plenty of choices out there.

OFFGRID said:

right. thats what i told the boy to do with the deer but i guess he got buck fever and put it on the shoulder. muscle memory i guess. i doubt he missed his target. the kid can hit a silver dollar at 200 yards and the shot was only 57. i was pretty surprised it worked as well as it did.

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This is what happens if you hit the shoulder socket. It was still a dead deer. But the leg was held on by a flap of skin. Pieces of shoulder and rib are what actually killed it.
If you generally make shots inside 100, get a partition, SST, or corelock. Stay away from interlocks. They are right on the limit of being too hard for 243 and deer.
I like the interlock in my rifle but I get a couple hundred more fps than a 243 can.

OFFGRID said:

didnt run far, did it?

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About 25 yards in a circle.

Bfh_auto said:

This is what happens if you hit the shoulder socket. It was still a dead deer. But the leg was held on by a flap of skin. Pieces of shoulder and rib are what actually killed it.
If you generally make shots inside 100, get a partition, SST, or corelock. Stay away from interlocks. They are right on the limit of being too hard for 243 and deer.
I like the interlock in my rifle but I get a couple hundred more fps than a 243 can.

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Interesting comment about the interlocks. 100gr interlock is my favorite bullet in my 250 savage.
Naturally Hornady discontinued it. Once my meager supply is exhausted, I'll switch back to 100gr ballistic tip.

Larry in wyoming said:

Interesting comment about the interlocks. 100gr interlock is my favorite bullet in my 250 savage.
Naturally Hornady discontinued it. Once my meager supply is exhausted, I'll switch back to 100gr ballistic tip.

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I was only referencing the .243 one. They work well in a lot of other calibers. Southern Missouri has relatively small deer compared to corn fed states or up North.
In 243 they don't always expand very well unless the shoulder is hit.

Maybe that's why Hornady discontinued the 257100, too soft for the likes of the 25-06. I thought it was perfect for my uses .

Congratulations on a fine kill. That being said, I can think of at least 10 superior loads for medium game.