.243 bullet grain questions

[CD82]

so i have a Savage 11 Trophy Hunter XP in .243
factory 22 inch barrel in the 1 in 9.25 twist..
so im wanting to reload for it and im wondering.
with the twist rate of the barrel what grain bullet i should start?
i am a fan of hornady so i think it will be my bullets of choice.
2 to 300 yards will be max shot hogs a deer here and there and
some coyotes when i dont want to use the .223 for them.

 

[Bfh_auto]

The 100 grain interlock is a good choice if you just want a hunting bullet.
I shot a big sow with one and it died. Accuracy is more than acceptable for 300 yard hunting.
On coyotes and deer the 87 vmax is my current choice. I like unconventionally soft bullets for the game I shoot. So keep that in mind.

 

[LoonWulf]

I've defaulted to 95gr tipped, or 100gr psp bullets in my .243s. anything over 100 really needs a faster twist.
Ive shot the 87vmax for goats and sheep and had good results.
My Savage 11 didn't do well with any vld types over 95gr

 

[Varminterror]

Try out both the 87 and 95 VLD Hunting bullets from Berger. If the 95’s stabilize, use that. If not, use the 87’s.

Favoring Hornady bullets, the 100 Interlock is a good deer bullet. Nothing wrong with the 95 SST either (interlock ring, plus more aggressively expanding tip), but the 100 Interlock has a higher BC and a bit more controlled expansion on coyotes - if you are concerned about pelt preservation, that is. The 95 SST has tended to shoot smaller for me than the 100 Interlock, but both shoot well enough for conventional 0-400 yard hunting fields.

 

[troy fairweather]

Welcome,
I was really liking the hornady interbond in the last couple of 243 I had. Really tho most 80-100 grain bullets are good for deer.

 

[Bartojc]

Out of anything I tried for hunting deer the Sierra 100gr Pro-Hunter shot best. I have meat in the freezer to prove it kills fast.
I want to try the Hornady 100 Interlock. I prefer 100gr bullets for deer, or as close as I can get to 100.

-Jeff

 

[Aletheia]

If you want to use the.243 for hogs and deer, you should go with heavy for caliber bullets of sound construction (which is why I would leave out Bergers) because bullet weight and integrity will be important in those applications. I like Nosler Partitions and Accubonds because they shoot very well in the .243's I load for, and their terminal performance has been always predictable and effective. Any bullet suitable for hogs and deer will certainly do the job on coyotes, with possibly less hide destruction than lighter weights, if that matters.

 

[JimKirk]

80 grain Barnes TTSX..... Deadly on deer...

 

[shooter1niner]

75 gr. Hornady HP's for varmints and 100 gr. Nosler Partitions for deer work for me.

 

[jmr40]

Twist rate is actually about bullet length, not necessarily weight. A 100 gr "hunting" bullet is not as long as a 100 gr "target" bullet and might be OK in your rifle, might not. You'll probably get poor results with 100gr and heavier target bullets with that twist. If you want to go that heavy you'll just have to experiment. Something in a 85-90 gr bullet is probably a safer bet.

You run into the same thing with solid copper bullets. Since copper is lighter than lead an 80 gr TTSX is going to be longer than an 80 gr lead bullet. It might shoot well in your rifle, might not.

 

[horsey300]

so i have a Savage 11 Trophy Hunter XP in .243
factory 22 inch barrel in the 1 in 9.25 twist..
so im wanting to reload for it and im wondering.
with the twist rate of the barrel what grain bullet i should start?
i am a fan of hornady so i think it will be my bullets of choice.
2 to 300 yards will be max shot hogs a deer here and there and
some coyotes when i dont want to use the .223 for them.

103s should stabilize, those and Berger 95s are my only exception to a mainly sierra fed gun for deer, for coyotes (with hides in mind) I like 80-90 gr monometals.

 

[Mr. Zorg]

I've purchased some .243 factory ammunition but I haven't used it yet on deer or hogs. The twist rate of my .253 rifle's barrel is 1:10 inches. Calcs indicate these shouldn't have stability problems in my rifle.

Underwood with 90 grain Accubond at 3200 fps muzzle velocity.

https://www.underwoodammo.com/colle...grain-accubond-spitzer?variant=18785712275513

Norma with 100 grain Semi-spitzer bonded Oryx bullets. No long bullet profile.

http://www.selwayarmory.com/norma-u...er-100-gr-oryx-protected-point-box-of-20.html

The component bullets for these are readily available from online vendors.

Happy Hunting!

 

[stillquietvoice]

I just got a savage m11 243, and bought these to work up loads for range and hunting season. I actually bought it for my granddaughter to start hunting with, but I have to find a load that works well in it.

 

[Olympus]

I always had great success with the Hornady 95gr SST in my 243s. I never loaded them screaming fast though because the SST prefers moderate velocities for expansion. That 95gr SST moving at about 2800fps was absolutely devastating inside the chest cavity of a whitetail.

 

[243winxb]

https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi and https://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistics/lengths/lengths.shtml#Hornady

At 300 yards, velocity & RPMs will be lower. May cause some bullets to become unstable?

 

[CD82]

Twist rate is actually about bullet length, not necessarily weight. A 100 gr "hunting" bullet is not as long as a 100 gr "target" bullet and might be OK in your rifle, might not. You'll probably get poor results with 100gr and heavier target bullets with that twist. If you want to go that heavy you'll just have to experiment. Something in a 85-90 gr bullet is probably a safer bet.

You run into the same thing with solid copper bullets. Since copper is lighter than lead an 80 gr TTSX is going to be longer than an 80 gr lead bullet. It might shoot well in your rifle, might not.

do you think Nosler 95g be a bit much? like the ballistic tip?

 

[Swampman]

100 grain Nosler Partitions, especially if you might come across large hogs.

Even on smallish whitetail, it'll give clean kills at angles where bullets with less penetration might be unable to reach the vitals.

http://www.shootersproshop.com/load...er-6mm-100gr-partition-spitzer-blem-50ct.html

 

[horsey300]

do you think Nosler 95g be a bit much? like the ballistic tip?

I promise they shoot out of EVERY Savage I've tried, just gotta watch the seating depth, some Savages have short throats.

I just got a savage m11 243, and bought these to work up loads for range and hunting season. I actually bought it for my granddaughter to start hunting with, but I have to find a load that works well in it.

That should be a fun project! We haven't found anything too picky but if the kid's lighter or more sensitive, we run 4166, if the kid's more seasoned, 4451 or h1000 deliver a lil more thump and speed. The 4895 reduced loads are handy too but we've yet to NEED them, looking forward to testing some staball as well, should be a hoot!

 

[stillquietvoice]

4895 reduced loads are handy too but we've yet to NEED them, looking forward to testing some staball as well, should be a hoot!

I wanted to try that powder too, but I hot h 4350, superformance, and ramshot hunter Instead. I have imr 4350, imr 4895 and win 760. So I have a lot of loading and testing to do. I swapped the stock with my m11 223 to see if it would feel better during testing. Short lop hard plastic butt plate.

 

[CD82]

well i got rl 17 powder because in both my nosler and hornady books there are a good deal of loads for it ..
i will get more powder later on but i thought it would be a good start i also have varget as well ..

 

[jmorris]

Hogs and deer...I’m with the Nosler partition group.

 

[Stevenvalleyky]

Unless you take a shot under 30 yards, I've gotten great groups and very quick kills with the 95 gr SST and the 95 Nosler BT. If shots are likely to be under 50 yards or closer, I would go with the partition or a tougher bonded bullet. With the SST and BT, I've had blowup with little penetration with shots around 30 yards and bullets going 3000 fps at the muzzle. But outside of up close and personal, they have both been great in both of my 243s.
Note, this doesnt account for hogs as I've never shot one, just whitetails and a couple yotes. At 275 yards, a 95 gr SST to a coyotes throat will almost decapitate.

 

[CD82]

coyotes im not really worried about making small holes im not a pelt guy. i kinda like to see them blow up lol do a flip etc..

 

[Ks5shooter]

Hornady 103 Gr ELD-X is my go to

 

[rkittine]

With that twist, depending on your Free bore, I like 90 grainers. I shoot 105/7s in my 1:8 and 65s in my 1:13.5

Bob