The .243 is the crossover cartridge — a deer rifle that shoots varmint bullets very well — and that dual identity is visible in the table below, where bullet weights run from 55 grains to 95.
It hits harder than any .22 centerfire on this site. The 75 grain Superformance carries 773 foot-pounds to 500 yards; the best .223 load manages 431.
The loads
| Brand | Load | Bullet | Grain | BC | Test barrel | Muzzle | 300 yd | 500 yd | Muzzle energy | 500 yd energy | Drop at 500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | V Shok | Nosler | 55 | 0.276 | — | 3,850 | 2,721 | 2,105 | 1,810 | 541 | -28.9” |
| Nosler | Varmageddon | FBHP | 55 | 0.252 | — | 3,800 | 2,587 | 1,936 | 1,763 | 457 | -31.8” |
| Nosler | Varmageddon | FB Tipped | 55 | 0.192 | — | 3,800 | 2,269 | 1,509 | 1,763 | 278 | -40.9” |
| Winchester | Varmint X Lead Free | Hollow Point | 55 | 0.195 | — | 3,910 | 2,374 | 1,603 | 1,867 | 314 | -37.3” |
| Hornady | Superformance Varmint | V-MAX® | 58 | 0.140 | 24” | 3,925 | 2,674 | 2,007 | 1,984 | 519 | -29.6” |
| Winchester | Varmint X | Polymer Tip | 58 | 0.250 | — | — | 2,619 | 1,959 | 1,909 | 494 | -31.0” |
| Browning | BXV Predator & Varmint | Polymer Tip | 65 | 0.280 | — | 3,400 | 2,400 | 1,845 | 1,668 | 491 | -37.7” |
| Federal | V Shok | Nosler | 70 | 0.309 | — | 3,450 | 2,511 | 1,983 | 1,850 | 611 | -34.6” |
| Hornady | Superformance Varmint | V-MAX® | 75 | 0.181 | — | 3,580 | 2,670 | 2,155 | 2,134 | 773 | -30.5” |
| Remington | Premier Accutip-V | ATVBT | 75 | 0.330 | — | 3,375 | 2,504 | — | — | — | — |
| Hornady | Custom ★ | V-MAX® | 87 | — | 24” | 3,240 | 2,530 | 2,114 | 2,028 | 863 | -34.8” |
| Remington | Premier Accutip-V | AccuTip V | 95 | 0.355 | — | 3,120 | 2,347 | — | — | — | — |
What I would buy
The 58 or 75 grain V-MAX for coyotes. Both are varmint bullets built to come apart, and the 75 grain is the best long-range load in the cartridge: 773 foot-pounds at 500 yards, more than any other load here by a clear margin. The Federal 55 grain is fractionally flatter at that distance — 28.9 inches against 30.5 — but arrives with 541 foot-pounds against the 75 grain’s 773, and at 500 yards in a wind I would take the energy.
Ignore the 95 grain unless you are also shooting deer with the rifle. It is a hunting bullet, it will pass straight through a coyote, and you will be sewing.
And be honest about whether you need this much cartridge. A .243 is more recoil, more blast and more expensive per round than a .22 centerfire, in exchange for wind performance you only cash in past 300 yards. If your country is close and brushy, the .223 page is the more sensible buy. If you are calling open ground in a crosswind, this is the answer.
The full chart
Every load, every published figure, from the muzzle to 500 yards. It scrolls sideways.
| Brand | Load | Grain | Bullet | BC | Muzzle | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 | Muzzle energy | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 | Zero | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | V Shok | 55 | Nosler | 0.276 | 3,850 | 3,438 | 3,064 | 2,721 | 2,402 | 2,105 | 1,810 | 1,444 | 1,147 | 904 | 704 | 541 | — | 0.7 | 0.0 | -4.4 | -13.6 | -28.9 |
| Nosler | Varmageddon | 55 | FBHP | 0.252 | 3,800 | 3,355 | 2,954 | 2,587 | 2,248 | 1,936 | 1,763 | 1,375 | 1,066 | 817 | 617 | 457 | -1.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | -4.8 | -14.8 | -31.8 |
| Nosler | Varmageddon | 55 | FB Tipped | 0.192 | 3,800 | 3,226 | 2,721 | 2,269 | 1,862 | 1,509 | 1,763 | 1,271 | 904 | 628 | 423 | 278 | -1.5 | 0.9 | 0.0 | -5.7 | -18.2 | -40.9 |
| Winchester | Varmint X Lead Free | 55 | Hollow Point | 0.195 | 3,910 | 3,333 | 2,827 | 2,374 | 1,965 | 1,603 | 1,867 | 1,357 | 976 | 688 | 471 | 314 | — | 0.8 | 0.0 | -5.2 | -16.7 | -37.3 |
| Hornady | Superformance Varmint | 58 | V-MAX® | 0.140 | 3,925 | 3,465 | 3,051 | 2,674 | 2,327 | 2,007 | 1,984 | 1,546 | 1,199 | 921 | 697 | 519 | -1.5 | 0.7 | 0.0 | -4.5 | -13.8 | -29.6 |
| Winchester | Varmint X | 58 | Polymer Tip | 0.250 | — | 3,398 | 2,991 | 2,619 | 2,276 | 1,959 | 1,909 | 1,487 | 1,152 | 883 | 667 | 494 | — | 0.8 | 0.0 | -4.7 | -14.5 | -31.0 |
| Browning | BXV Predator & Varmint | 65 | Polymer Tip | 0.280 | 3,400 | 3,041 | 2,709 | 2,400 | 2,112 | 1,845 | 1,668 | 1,335 | 1,059 | 831 | 644 | 491 | -1.5 | 1.1 | 0.0 | -5.9 | -17.9 | -37.7 |
| Federal | V Shok | 70 | Nosler | 0.309 | 3,450 | 3,113 | 2,802 | 2,511 | 2,238 | 1,983 | 1,850 | 1,507 | 1,220 | 980 | 778 | 611 | — | 1.0 | 0.0 | -5.5 | -16.5 | -34.6 |
| Hornady | Superformance Varmint | 75 | V-MAX® | 0.181 | 3,580 | 3,254 | 2,952 | 2,670 | 2,405 | 2,155 | 2,134 | 1,763 | 1,451 | 1,187 | 963 | 773 | -1.5 | 0.9 | 0.0 | -4.9 | -14.7 | -30.5 |
| Remington | Premier Accutip-V | 75 | ATVBT | 0.330 | 3,375 | 3,065 | 2,775 | 2,504 | 2,248 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hornady | Custom ★ | 87 | V-MAX® | — | 3,240 | 2,990 | 2,754 | 2,530 | 2,317 | 2,114 | 2,028 | 1,727 | 1,465 | 1,236 | 1,037 | 863 | -1.5 | 1.2 | 0 | -5.8 | -17.0 | -34.8 |
| Remington | Premier Accutip-V | 95 | AccuTip V | 0.355 | 3,120 | 2,847 | 2,590 | 2,347 | 2,118 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Notes on the data
These are the manufacturers’ published figures, not chronograph readings of mine, and where a maker publishes nothing the cell is empty rather than guessed. That is why the HSM and Remington rows stop at the muzzle: those two publish a muzzle figure and nothing downrange. Sources: Hornady, Nosler, Winchester, Federal, Remington and Browning.
★ marks a load added in the September 2026 catalog check. The bulk of this table was compiled some years ago, and re-reading the manufacturers’ current line-ups turned up loads that had never been in it. Where a load in this table is no longer in a maker’s current catalog it stays, because a discontinued load is exactly what you want to look up when you have half a box on the shelf.
Test barrel lengths differ between rows, and it matters more than people expect. Read that column before comparing two muzzle velocities.
Know a load that should be here? Tell me and I will add it. And check your state’s rules before you go.