I'm now testing Hornady SST 95 grain .355 B.C., bullets in my .243/06 Wildcat and .243 Win., on deer. When printing tables use Portrait Orientation with .12" both sides and bottom margins. In all tables: Lead is always in feet, wind drift and trajectory is always in inches. Figure leads from heart/lung area on deer. Coyotes and deer can run up to 40 mph. Lead in feet perception due to distance - use the length of the animal to determine the length of a foot at distant ranges. A big buck is around 6½ feet long, a large doe around 6 foot long.

If they can hunt and kill elk with a bow and arrow, well placed shots with the barnes X bullets from a .243/06 Wildcat cartridge ought to do the job. This is an elk or deer bullet that should give deep penetration. These X bullets are supposed to begin expanding at around 1600 fps, with a 2 times original bullet diameter expansion and retaining nearly all of their original weight!  I'm going to use the 250 yd zero for everything, it's too easy for me to misjudge the range and shoot over fox and coyotes.

I worked up these charts to give you a general idea of what it takes to gauge the speed, angle, and approximate lead required to make a killing shot on a coyote or on that once in a lifetime trophy buck that is headed for thick cover if you don't drop him before he gets there!

There ought to be variable speed moving targets on every rifle and handgun shooting range. The target system should be movable to various ranges and run at various angles. Practice is essential to improve those shooting skills and to further determine each individuals range limits on running game. Remember that nearly everything that is shot, with a shotgun's shot pattern, is running or flying and those shooting skills vary a great deal between individuals due to numerous factors, with practice being a major one.

Start at the shorter ranges until you become proficient and move up, limiting yourself to reasonable shooting ranges.

In this ultra high velocity 243/06 Wildcat (according to Michael Courtney) the Barnes X bullet's will retain close to 100% of their original weight and maintain an expanded diameter of two calibers. These 85 or 95 grain X bullets will penetrate a deer fully from any angle and dump energy evenly along the wound channel. Get all the copper fouling out of your barrel before you start using X bullets, or you will experience heavy copper fouling and accuracy problems! Clean often and don't get your barrel hot!

If Whisky Chamberlain of Idaho can take 15 consecutive big bull elk with a straight .243 Winchester I believe with these X bullets or the 100 grain Nosler Partition bullets in my 243/06 Wildcat ought to do the trick. Using 25/06 cases it's a breeze hand loading for it. I still need a good variable range finder scope to mount on it. I had this Wildcat built back in the mid 1960's.

243/06 Wildcat Data:

105 gr. Speer  60.7 grs. N560 Powder 3,438 fps MV; 26” BBL

95 gr. Nosler BallisticTip Hot Load! 62 gr. N560 Powder 3,587 fps MV - 26" BBL 65,000 psi

85 gr. Barnes XST Hot Load 63.1 gr.  N560 Powder  3,732 fps MV - 26" BBL

These loads appear way too hot to me!

 .240 Weatherby
.243/06 has more powder capacity

RL 19 powder
Min. 51.0 grs.     MV 3275 fps
Max. 56.0 grs.    MV 3598 fps

IMR 4350

Min.  49.5 grs    MV 3326 fps.
Max. 54.5 grs.    MV 3600 fps.

Darrell     udarrell

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