.243 Win powders

[ZWCoffindaffer]

I'm still really green in reloading. By very green I mean I just loaded my first rounds this week. I had absolutely amazing results in my 7mm RM. however I bought my fiancé a savage .243 that I couldn't find factory ammunition that would shoot well. So I tried loading three different rounds all with Sierra game king btsp 100 gn, nothing better than a 2" group. I feel like it's a powder problem. Does anyone else load .243 that has a good powder suggestion? Rifle has a 20" barrel with a 1:9 twist rate. Any suggestions are welcome and much appreciated

 

[jwrowland77]

With the 100gr bullets, I have found pretty good success with IMR 7828. With a bullet that heavy in a .243, a slow powder will work best like 7828, H1000, etc.

 

[ZWCoffindaffer]

One of my bad groups was with H1000 but it was a "starting" size load of powder. I may try to add a little weight and try the 1000 again. I was well below what Hodgdon had as the max load on their website

 

[splattergun]

Low end charges are often not where you'd find the accurate nodes.

Pick the bullet you want to use. Work up one powder at a time. Work your way up by loading rounds 5 each from your starting load, adding 1 grain each step, up to near max charge. You will probably find a node more accurate than the rest that you can work with to get more accuracy.

 

[jwrowland77]

When you do a workup, go for min all the way up to max in at least .5gr increments. I normally do mine in .3gr increments. Look for signs of pressure all the way up.

 

[GooseGestapo]

In the .243 H1000 works better near the top loads as do most slower burning powders. A sleeper powder in the .243 is IMR4831. It's my first to try in a new rifle. Second and usually very accurate is 41.5 grn under the 100 grn Sierra. Seat to nearly touch the lands of the barrel. Reduce to 40.0 and seat to "hard" chamber to the lands if 41.5 doesn't do it.
That failing, try 42.5 grn of IMR 4064 under a Hornady 65grn V-max at 2.650". This load is a tack driver in every .243 I've fired it through.(Several!) And I don't even "like" .243's!

 

[ZWCoffindaffer]

That may be the issue then. I was at the lowest starting load I saw from 2 different manuals and Hodgdons website. I will try to start increasing them bits at a time and see if it helps. it's strange though, I got my best group out of my T/C 7mm with a load 1 gn heavier than what Hodgdon considered the starting load with H4831(which to my knowledge is a rather slow burning powder) . I suppose every rifle is different.

 

[jwrowland77]

You can generally find two different loads that work. One on low end and one on upper end.

 

[J_McLeod]

I've had good results from H414 and 95 or 100gr bullets. I've usually had the bet accuracy 3/4 of the way through the load range, but don't start there.

 

[ZWCoffindaffer]

that load I worked up with 4831 in my 7mm RM is as accurate as you could want a hunting rifle to be, but I'm concerned it may not be carrying the velocity id like for it too. I don't have access to a chrono though so there's no way of being sure

 

[243winxb]

Imr or h4350 85gr Sierra hpbt gameking.

 

[ZWCoffindaffer]

Do you deer hunt with an 85gn bullet? I feel like 85-95 gn would stabilize better in the 20" barrel with a 9" twist but I worry about the lighter bullet putting a deer down.

 

[JimKirk]

ZW ... the 100 gr bullets should stabilize without any problem in your gun ...

I too like IMR 7828, IMR 4831, RL22 ...

RL 17 will also do well ...


I am working with RL 26 ...it also looking good ... but I have not settled on a load number yet ...

 

[Arkansas Paul]

My wife's Ruger M77 .243 likes 85 grain SGK bullets but I'm not sure what the twist rate is. As far as powder, we have had excellent results with both H4895 and H380.

And I'll tell you, the H380 is a dream to load with. It meters like butter and throws charges extremely consistently. You can set your powder thrower and forget about it (well you know, still check periodically but you likely won't have to touch it).

Happy loading.

 

[Don McDowell]

H414 is my preferred powder in the 243, followed by 4350 and 4064.
The 414 and 4350 will deliver the best in accuracy and velocity with bullets across the spectrum. 4064 works well with 75 and 80 gr bullets.

 

[RainDodger]

IMR-4064 is always a good choice. Your 1:9 should be ok, but I would try a lighter bullet. I was using a 90 grain Berger in a Sako with a 1:10 twist and it didn't like it at all. As soon as I dropped down around 75 grains, my groups tightened up nicely.

 

[lightman]

I use 4350, 4831sc, and RL-22 in mine and all shoot great. Some of my friends deer hunt with the 243 and most use the 100 grain Nosler.

 

[JimKirk]

Here is a link that will help calculate what your twist should stabilize ...

http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi

Standard twist in a .243 is 1 in 10" ... however with some of the heavier for caliber bullets that have appeared for the .243 caliber ... there have been faster twist made ...

Your 1 in 9" should do well with 100 gr and even the 105 gr ... you may even get lucky and be OK with heavier bullets ...

 

[gamestalker]

I've run a bunch of powders in .243, most have produced very good accuracy. IMR-4831, H4831, IMR-7828, H1000, IMR-4350, and RL22 have all been very good for me at the upper end of the table.

GS

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I've run a bunch of powders in .243, most have produced very good accuracy.

My experience has been much the same.
Maybe I just got ahold of a good gun that isn't picky, but our .243 has shot well (as in 1.5" or less) with just about every load we've tried.

 

[jwrowland77]

I tried some 4000-MR in my .243 and it didn't like it at all

 

[wbrco]

I just started .243 myself. I tried 4350 and Varget under Sierra 90 gr SP. Varget printed sub 2" with the book starting load from porch rail at the farm. 4350 wasn't quite as tight, about 2.5". Windy day.

Rifle Savage 110 with Accutrigger.

 

[Buck13]

Do you deer hunt with an 85gn bullet?

I couldn't attest to mule deer, but in my experience, if you hit the smaller deer in the ribcage with an 85 grain Partition, you'll get a hole out the other side you could plug with a quarter. I would hunt deer with that 85 grain bullet.

 

[wbrco]

I couldn't attest to mule deer, but in my experience, if you hit the smaller deer in the ribcage with an 85 grain Partition, you'll get a hole out the other side you could plug with a quarter. I would hunt deer with that 85 grain bullet.

I personally can confirm that exact statement, on multiple examples of MO whitetail.

The hundred grainers leave an exit hole about the size of a half dollar @ 100yds.

Longest shot has been 250-275 and animal dropped in it's tracks.

Of course, bullet placement is just as important. Last two (this year) were frontal right in the middle of the sternum. Exit wounds were middle of the back.