Thread: Speer 85gr BTSP 243

Anyone used the above? Picked up 200 that were in the "clearance box" at the local for $65 so thought it be rude not to try them. Have been using 85gr Barnes exclusively in my 243 and they have been excellent killers on about 15 or so deer that I've shot with them so far, but, they're spendy as hell and I'm getting a hankering for tinkering again. Would the speers go alright as a mainstay in the 243 0-300yds? Mostly fallow but would probably get the wee rat gun out on the big hills after Chams and reds in the summer. Cheers

Many years ago, 1989, Graeme Omlo wrote an article for Rod & Rifle about 243 projectiles. He rated the 87gr Hornady spire point the best of the lot. He mentioned a Speer 90gr but it wasn’t as good as the Hornady, but he also reckoned the Hornady was better.
Personally I’d give them a go.
If you don’t like them I’ll buy the rest off you.

Ive used a heap of 80 grn speers, They are great. I would expect the 85 to be the same.

Speer make great cup & core hunting bullets, they should be fine for fallow etc.

Speer make bloody good pills. Haven’t used any in 243 but plenty in 7mm and 308. They produce quick kills so long as you place the pill in the right spot. The BTSP are more frangible in my experience than the FB hot core Speer line so I’d expect them to perform great on fallow at 200-300 yds. Don’t have the flashy pointy bits like others but the boat tail boosts the BC and you’ll drive them plenty fast out of the 243. A bargain!

I've gone back to 85gr projectiles in the 6mm lately, they pretty much all do the job.

Been using 85gn Nosler Partitions for a while now. Shot a really large bodied Red Stag yesterday and projectile performance at 300 yards was impressive.

The btsp is referred to as the poor man's eldm. Used them in a 308 and they were wicked killers so I would say you will have no trouble getting them to shoot then find they drop game.

I have used the 80gr version of the same bullet. It has been my primary 243 pill for goats for over a decade. Accurate and deadly.

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Anyone used the above? Picked up 200 that were in the "clearance box" at the local for $65 so thought it be rude not to try them. Have been using 85gr Barnes exclusively in my 243 and they have been excellent killers on about 15 or so deer that I've shot with them so far, but, they're spendy as hell and I'm getting a hankering for tinkering again. Would the speers go alright as a mainstay in the 243 0-300yds? Mostly fallow but would probably get the wee rat gun out on the big hills after Chams and reds in the summer. Cheers

I used to years ago, they worked on the same load as my 87 vmax. the advertised BC is way higher than actual, killed a few fallow with them, they worked fine, just stuck with vmax as it worked just as well with more BC

Originally Posted by Dusty Fog

165 gr in the 300 wsm but again bloody hard to find

Dunno bout that, reloaders supplies has plenty of them in stock