New (to me) Cartridge

[dagger dog]

New cartridge (to me) .243 Winchester, any fans out there, looking for y'alls favorite loadings?

Powders I have on hand, Hodgdon's Varget, CFE 223, H 335, RE 10 x 15 and IMR 4895
but all others that I don't have are welcome.

Primers are important so I'd like y'alls input on that too.

Twist rate on rifle 1 in 9.25, so hows about your favorite varmint and a white tail deer bullets.

 

[Show Me]

Blc 2 is liked in one with 80 gr speer hot core and staball is liked in the other with 100 gr bt speer

 

[Larry in wyoming]

If your ranges for deer are short (200yds or less) use heavy, and or controlled expansion bullets. The 243 got a bad rap as a deer cartridge due to bad bullet/bad bullet choices.

 

[41 Mag]

I got my first 243 for Christmas in 70, and still use it on occasion. I didn't start loading for it until around 78. I used a load a great friend and neighbor gave me using the 80gr Sierra and IMR-3031. It shot dime sized groups consistently and dropped deer reliably.

I changed bullets in the mid 80's to the 85gr Nosler Solid Base and it kept right on dropping deer every time I needed it to. Then I moved up a bit more to the 95gr Ballistic Tip and H 4350. It shot probably the best groups I ever got hovering around 3/8 at 100yds for 5 shots. I shot two deer with that bullet and moved on. Far too much damage for my likes. I switched to the 90gr Barnes and was back in business.

Late 90's I had issues with finding the Barnes so moved to the 100gr Hornady. Either flavor worked well so I settled on the BT version. This time I went with H4895 and again once the sweet spot was found it just worked like always, usually a bang flop, or maybe a short dash.

The long winded point is, it is an easy caliber to work with. For deer, unless your using the copper bullets I recommend staying in the 95 to 100gr range. For coyotes and such, the 70gr JHP'S are devastating over some H380 or similar. I never went below that weight even though there are lighter bullets. Another load was the 105gr RN from Hornady over IMR-4831. Those things worked awesome on feral hogs.

So including the original M 70, I also have a Sako Forrester, Rem pump, and a Ruger Compact. I load for all of them.

 

[usaral63]

I rebuilt a .308 long story there) to .243 as that was the only caliber factory bbl I could find...even then I had to have it re threaded....again, long story... I had seen the .243 used on a deer lease I had and while it seemed to do the job it also seemed to lack the down right there of the .30's..........still it interested me & when I bought a box of factory Rem's just for the cases the darn thing printed under half an inch at 100...three shots. I stoked those empties with 40 grains of AA 4350 and got identical results. Bullets are the Hornady brand of bonded stuff....Not shot any game with it yet, but I certainly would not hesitate. I would stay away from the really light bullets tho, Incidentally the last year I was in that club I boned out a spike that had a perfectly expanded .6mm bullet just above his shoulder in the 'back strap'.....entirely healed and one of the younger fella's said he recalled taking a shot at a spike heading straight away from him the previous season with his .243.........I'd assume that was that round. Weight, dunno, tho I'll speculate that if that deer had been hit with a heavier and larger caliber he would not have survived it. Anyway, fun ctg, easy to load and no shirker in the accuracy dept.

 

[NR53]

IMR 4350 , if you can find it, and 95-100 grain bullets

 

[Varminterror]

H4350 is my go-to powder in 243 win for many years and many, many deer, pigs, and coyotes.

I’m not a fan of the 100 Interlock in the 243win. It’s not a bad bullet, but it doesn’t make good use of the 243win case capacity. I firmly believe that folks recommend it because we wanted for years a heavy bullet for the “women’s and kids’ rifle,” more aligned with men’s bullets used in larger cartridges, and the 100 Interlock was kinda the ONE bullet around. But it really isn’t a good performer for the horsepower the 243win offers.

Stick a rapid expansion bullet over H4350, lay off of the shoulder and punch holes in the heart, you’ll drop deer in their tracks.

 

[Show Me]

Really a woman and child bullet. That's just plain blank. So many arm chairs in the circle. I love it when something I've loaded for years is no good. Ya use a bullet for long distance so when you shoot at a reasonable range it can kill deader with splinters inside. I started using Speer because their cheep for shooting clay targets at 200 and the women and kids love it

 

[Shooterbob]

I’m messing with barnes 80 gr ttsx bullet in a 243 savage 11 with Superformance and the accuracy seems good. Didn’t get to Chronograph it yet .the photo is only 50 yards.Need to make more and shoot further.

 

[Shooterbob]

I just figured out how to post a photo.I’m getting computer literate.

 

[FROGO207]

I find that in my two 243's most any 100 grain bullet and H 4350 will produce good on target groups. I have been using boat tail bullets lately as that is what is available. Presently it is the Sierra Game King. I have not lost any game due to this caliber being so called "light duty". YMMV

 

[Lennyjoe]

My daughters Savage 110 .243 with 100 gr Hornady Interlocks and 41 Gr of IMR4350 is a great deer slayer!

 

[lightman]

I shoot mostly heavy match bullets in mine. (is what I built it for) I use mostly IMR 4350, IMR 4831 and RL-22. But for hunting a Nosler 100 grain bullet works well. I use Federal 210 Match primers in mine but theres no reason not to use whatever you have. Out of the powders that you listed I would look for data on the Varget.

 

[2ndtimer]

Of the powders you list Varget and IMR-4895 shoukd be decent with varmint bullets from 55 gr to 75 gr. My personal favorites currently are Ramshot Big Game with either a Speer 70 gr TNT or a Nosler 70 gr Tipped Varmageddon for varmints/coyotes. My particular rifle prefers flat based bullets.
For deer or antelope, my current load is a Speer 90 gr Deep Curl (no longer available) over Reloder 17. Other options are Nosler 85 to 95 gr Partitions, Accubonds or Ballistic Tips with powders in the 4350 to 4831 burn rates. I haven’t noticed that much difference between primers, CCI-200, RP 9 1/2, Federal 210 all have worked fine. (Don’t much care for Winchester after a bad lot years ago).

 

[dagger dog]

I shoot mostly heavy match bullets in mine. (is what I built it for) I use mostly IMR 4350, IMR 4831 and RL-22. But for hunting a Nosler 100 grain bullet works well. I use Federal 210 Match primers in mine but theres no reason not to use whatever you have. Out of the powders that you listed I would look for data on the Varget.

Looking through all my printed data and some on the web, Varget is probably # 1.

 

[dagger dog]

Of the powders you list Varget and IMR-4895 shoukd be decent with varmint bullets from 55 gr to 75 gr. My personal favorites currently are Ramshot Big Game with either a Speer 70 gr TNT or a Nosler 70 gr Tipped Varmageddon for varmints/coyotes. My particular rifle prefers flat based bullets.
For deer or antelope, my current load is a Speer 90 gr Deep Curl (no longer available) over Reloder 17. Other options are Nosler 85 to 95 gr Partitions, Accubonds or Ballistic Tips with powders in the 4350 to 4831 burn rates. I haven’t noticed that much difference between primers, CCI-200, RP 9 1/2, Federal 210 all have worked fine. (Don’t much care for Winchester after a bad lot years ago).

Have some 58gr VMax coming wanting to vaporize some groundhogs! Going to fire form some brass and use the Lee collet die, been having real good results with that.

 

[Bartojc]

I fell into using H414. The reason for that is it was the only powder available at the time so I made something work for me for hunting. Not sure it is the best but it works for me with 100gr projectiles. It might depend on what grain bullet you are going to use, but I would think something like H4350 would work for the heavier loads. Should be able to make Varget or 4895 work as well as you already have it.

-Jeff

 

[Bill M]

50 years ago my father in law gave me his Savage 99 in 243, along with several boxes of 100gr "Silvertips". I scoped the gun, and killed several deer with it, but quit hunting for a while. Maybe 10 years ago, my youngest daughter expressed an interest, and we spent some time with her shooting the "Running Deer" targets with the factory 100gr ammo I had accumulated. I spoke with one of my customers, (who loaded 6MM Rem), when he returned from a trip he brought me some 100gr Sierra's and some 4831SC. I worked around his load, and found one that is a tack driver in the old gun. Unfortunately she hasn't killed anything yet!

 

[AJC1]

243 was a match made in heaven for copper bullets... I'd run an 80ttsx and push with a 4350 series powder. Hunter and a few other named powders are in that burn rate. If your starting from scratch, the vv powders are cheaper than imr and hogden. A n150,n160 n550 would be my first choice.

 

[TonyAngel]

When I shooting a lot of .308, I fell into using Varget and Reloader 15. As a result, I sort of just defaulted to using one of the two when I could and always got good results, or more specifically, I was able to work a load that gave good results.

When I was going for tiny groups, I tried to use some flavor of match primer, but in the days of getting what you can, I'd just grab what works.

 

[dagger dog]

When I shooting a lot of .308, I fell into using Varget and Reloader 15. As a result, I sort of just defaulted to using one of the two when I could and always got good results, or more specifically, I was able to work a load that gave good results.

When I was going for tiny groups, I tried to use some flavor of match primer, but in the days of getting what you can, I'd just grab what works.

I've still got a batch of Federal Gold Medal match primers, did the same as you on my .308 found the Rx15 gave me smaller groups may have been the rifle or me just having a better day on the trigger.

 

[Varminterror]

Really a woman and child bullet. That's just plain blank. So many arm chairs in the circle. I love it when something I've loaded for years is no good.

Reading is a difficult skill to master. Read twice before getting yourself twisted.

 

[Nature Boy]

I firmly believe that folks recommend it because we wanted for years a heavy bullet for the “women’s and kids’ rifle,”

This old .243 trope. Let’s be fair here.

It’s also well suited for frail men of slight build and stature.

 

[usaral63]

AND old farts!!

 

[Kingcreek]

Easy cartridge to reload accurate ammo for.
Ive used 4350, 3031, and varget. My old M70 does best with 100gr bullets.