Best Powder for 243?

[berettaprofessor]

Friends, I've been reloading pistol (45, 38, 9) and want to try reloading 243 soon. I don't know yet whether I'll settle on 55gr varmint loads or 100gr loads for a first try or something in between. What would be your favorite powder for 243 and would I need different powders for varmint and deer loads? I essentially have no rifle powder and am starting from scratch.

Thanks.

 

[kerreckt]

The best powder really depends on the weight bullets you are shooting. There is no one size fits all especially, with .243. Heavier bullets really want a slower powder and lighter ones a midrange powder. The websites of the powder/bullet companies have lots of up to date info. I use RL15, RL17, IMR4350, IMR4831 and some others. 243 is really fun to load......many options

 

[bantam9]

Just started working up the same..

I went with 4064 and 100 gr psp. Made handful with 32 gr charge, n time to make others yet. Will work up several other powder charges and test 'em out. Haven't had time to get to shoot yet.

 

[Bbear]

In my little 600 Remington, I'm using two powders - IMR 4064 and Varget. I get consistent accuracy out of both with the 95 gr Noslers. Leaning towards the Varget though since I just nabbed an 4 lb batch for $100 from a neighbor.

 

[Don McDowell]

Started out back in the 1950's using IMR 4350, made the switch to H414 in the 80's and haven't ever looked back.

 

[matrem]

^

I didn't start quite that far back, but I also used IMR 4350 for just about everything bigger than the .22 centerfires in the seventies.
H 414 was a welcome improvement over that when I got more serious about loading for .243 in the early nineties.
Lots of great powders are available in that burn rate, hard for me to believe anyone could tell you an absolute best one with a straight face.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

Winchester Supreme 780 and RL-17 have done well in a savage .243 I load for. I'm shooting Nosler 95gr Ballistic Tips. RL-17 was slightly more accurate but Supreme 780 is a lot faster.

 

[BYJO4]

I've always had good results using IMR 4350.

 

[BoltLover]

I also use imr4350 always produces better than any factory load.

 

[Moreno]

Good suggestions so far. What powders are available? IMR 3031, Varget, IMR 4064, IMR 4831, IMR 4320, RL-15, H 4895 are some options.

 

[joed]

I have not loaded the .243 very long, had mine for a year now. But, I have loaded many other cartridges for over 37 years now.

You will want to use different powders with different weight bullets. I have my .243 shooting 70 gr bullets for my use. I tried RL19 and IMR4350 and was surprised that these slower powders did well. And actually the best was IMR4350 with that 70 gr bullet.

Somehow I expected the medium powders like RL15 and IMR4064 to do better. My guess is they would work nice with lighter bullets.

 

[billybob44]

My Two Cents Worth..

I do NOT shoot .243 Win.
I DO shoot 6MM Remington. Same bullet diameter with a little more speed.

I like IMR-4064 and BL-C(2). These two powders give my 70-85gr. bullets everything that I need..Bill.

 

[spaniel]

H414 is great around the 87gr bullet weight.

 

[gamestalker]

Welcome to the world of high powered rifle.

I load 55 gr. and everything in between and have found that with extreme bullet weights at either end of the spectrum, best results have been by using at least two different powders for the .243. I like Varget for the 55's through 70's bullets. But when I get into the 80's and heavier H4831 & IMR-4350 produce much better results. But that's from my firearms, the powder charges I've worked up, and with the seating depth I use in each weapon also, so your results may be different. This is where reloading becomes so much fun cause we get to shoot more.

GS

 

[AZ Desertrat]

H414 and 4831 have always been my two favs....

 

[ole farmerbuck]

I have used H380 with great results using 75gr Hornady Hp's.

 

[slowr1der]

I've had very good luck with IMR 4831 in a .243.

 

[kwg020]

I just loaded some 90 grain Sierra's with AA2700. I hope to get to try them out sometime this month. kwg

 

[berettaprofessor]

Thanks everyone....based on your recommendations and what was available locally, I went with H414. RL17 was the only other one available here.

 

[J_McLeod]

The only powder I've tried so far is H414, but I like it and it works well. Not so with the .308, where I've had good accuracy but significantly more recoil than other powders.

 

[CosmicCoder]

For 75gr bullets I use IMR 4064 and for 87gr and 100gr bullets I use IMR 4350. I've recently stated experimenting with Hodgdon Superformance and it is looking very promising.

 

[poco loco]

For 75gr bullets I use IMR 4064 and for 87gr and 100gr bullets I use IMR 4350. I've recently stated experimenting with Hodgdon Superformance and it is looking very promising.

Good to hear as I just picked up a pound to try in my new (to me, 1970 FN built) BLR. The velocity shown on the bottle convinced me to try a lb. Well and just seeing powder on the shelf, I had to buy a lb of something and that was all I could use, heh, oh well.

 

[david bachelder]

Hornady 95gr SST over 35 grains Varget.

Works well in my Remington 788.

 

[CosmicCoder]

.243 Win and Superformance

Originally posted by poco loco:
Good to hear as I just picked up a pound to try in my new (to me, 1970 FN built) BLR. The velocity shown on the bottle convinced me to try a lb. Well and just seeing powder on the shelf, I had to buy a lb of something and that was all I could use, heh, oh well.

The .243 Win seems sufficiently overbore for Superformance [SF] to work well. I'm also using magnum primers with SF. I'm loading for my Weatherby Vanguard S2. What you won't find is much third-party load info. I've initially been testing with 100gr BTSP bullets because I was having a problem driving them fast enough with IMR 4350 to get them to stabilize in my 1:10" twist - saw lots of key-holing at MV's below 3000fps. My last batch at just over 3050fps with SF was stable at 250yd and I'm going to up the load a bit to ~3100fps. I'm also going to start testing SF loads for 87gr V-MAX bullets and perhaps eventually 75gr V-MAX bullets.

How do you like your BLR? the FN builds are supposed to be pretty nice. I bought a new blued, pistol grip BLR in .270 Win in January, topped it with a Vortex 3-9X40 and I love it. Only downside is the 22" barrel reduces the MV about 150fps. Your .243 Win I believe has a 20" barrel - how are your velocities running?