The hpbt is a gameking and it will work just fine, before I get too in depth on this as .243 is one of my most trusted and favorite cartridges to load for, I believe your savage has 20-22" depending on the model? Skip the sst they are NOT worth it, if you're unlucky enough to be presented with a shot under 100 yds, that bullet will probably NOT penetrate reliably, I would trust the 85 gameking over them until b.c. becomes an issue at or above 300 yds where MOST ppl shouldn't even be aiming. In another .243 thread, I shared the results of a lovely lady throwing a 100 gr Sierra pro hunter (flatbase) at a decent sized muley buck at about 50 yds from a near Max load of h1000 (over 2900 fps) from a very hard quartering to angle that blasted his vitals to bits and exited the far side mid ribcage with a piece of either bullet or bone fragment exiting the far ham. For a high velocity game, THAT is a tough bullet and it's carrying enough speed and energy that I would not hesitate to use one on a deer at 400 if I had to, but I'm pretty decent at using my terrain and can usually get to 250. Nosler will warn you on factory ballistic tips that shots at 50 yds are not recommended, having tested BOTH bullets, the sst has an even thinner jacket. You said varmints but didn't specify which flavor, I found something new to try for hide saving, but if you wanna just blow stuff up, I recommend playing with 70gr varmageddon or similar. Sierra makes an 85 gr flat base that has been super accurate and FUN but just tough enough to fall perfectly between varmint and game hunting, I would use em on deer if I had no other choice with the knowledge that they are NOT the 100 gr pro hunter but I'm not gonna throw them at a yote for hide purposes either. There are bonded and copper solids available for you, I have generally shunned Barnes but nosler and hornady offer coppers and that gmx is exciting at close range, I don't know if I would trust it in deer at 300 unless I wrecked a shoulder, the etip has a bit larger cavity that I'm toying with and ballistics show that my velocity should make it feasible past 300. If it passes all my tests, I will definitely be torn between it and the 100 pro hunter, that flat base is soooooooo accurate! If I shop online. I usually find better prices at midsouthshooterssupply.com than midway unless midway is running a good sale. The big problem with the .243 I have is that there are too many choices to play with, the prohunter will always be my "ol reliable" but it's too painful to wonder about this one or that one at 3400fps or either of these 2 at 2990 etc etc etc. That savage twist should stabilize every hunting bullet you'll ever need, so enjoy her!
ETA if I could not for whatever reason, get a 100 pro hunter I'd throw the 95 partitions at em.
The 95gr SST bullet has been my go-to in the 243 for a while now. So far it's two for two on deer. It explodes the insides and still exits. I use the SST bullet with other calibers too. It has never failed to disappoint when used in my 243s, 257 Roberts, 300 Blackout, 270, and 50cal muzzleloader.
