.243 win new
- Thread starter josh29j
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jwrowland77
New member
Yeah, I like the Hornady bullets. 95gr SST or 100gr BTSP. Both have been very accurate for me out of a 1:9 twist. I use IMR 7828 though.
FrankenMauser
New member
IMR 4064 is a very good 'universal' powder for .243 Win.
And pretty much any powder between the burn rates of IMR3031 and Reloder 22 can work well for at least some bullet weights.
Good 'all around' powders are the 4064s, the 4895s, Varget, Reloder 17, H380, and the 4350s.
I've had the best luck with Hornady 87 gr SPs (both Interlock and non-Interlock), and Nosler Partitions (85 gr and 95 gr). ...But I load for game, rather than paper. I have high hopes for 95 gr SSTs (I have several thousand), but haven't done enough testing to make a call on them yet.
One of my brothers had very good luck with Hornady 75 gr HPs, but never got any weight VMax to shoot well, from what I remember.
And pretty much any powder between the burn rates of IMR3031 and Reloder 22 can work well for at least some bullet weights.
Good 'all around' powders are the 4064s, the 4895s, Varget, Reloder 17, H380, and the 4350s.
I've had the best luck with Hornady 87 gr SPs (both Interlock and non-Interlock), and Nosler Partitions (85 gr and 95 gr). ...But I load for game, rather than paper. I have high hopes for 95 gr SSTs (I have several thousand), but haven't done enough testing to make a call on them yet.
One of my brothers had very good luck with Hornady 75 gr HPs, but never got any weight VMax to shoot well, from what I remember.
Been using IMR4350 with Speer 90 FMJ and 105 SP bullets for eons.
Try the Hornady 87 grain BTHP vs the V-Max. More of a match bullet. Not really critical one way or the other though.
You'll most likely try a bunch of different bullets(and powders). The 1 in 9 twist will usually prefer heavy bullets. 80 grains and up.
Try the Hornady 87 grain BTHP vs the V-Max. More of a match bullet. Not really critical one way or the other though.
You'll most likely try a bunch of different bullets(and powders). The 1 in 9 twist will usually prefer heavy bullets. 80 grains and up.
FrankenMauser
New member
One other thing I forgot to mention...
I won't touch 100 gr bullets for handloads.
Even though I have a 1:9" twist barrel that's 25" long, and theoretically more than enough for the job, it just isn't worth the trouble. My old 1:9" twist 22" barrel wouldn't shoot 100s, so I'm not going to bother wasting my time in the new barrel. There are plenty of good bullets at 90 and 95 grains, if I want something "heavy".
Whether I'm shooting paper, varmints, or antelope, 5-10 grains doesn't make much (if any) difference.
I understand that some people find that decision to be arbitrary and somewhat brainless, but that's what I do with .243 Win.
I won't touch 100 gr bullets for handloads.
Even though I have a 1:9" twist barrel that's 25" long, and theoretically more than enough for the job, it just isn't worth the trouble. My old 1:9" twist 22" barrel wouldn't shoot 100s, so I'm not going to bother wasting my time in the new barrel. There are plenty of good bullets at 90 and 95 grains, if I want something "heavy".
Whether I'm shooting paper, varmints, or antelope, 5-10 grains doesn't make much (if any) difference.
I understand that some people find that decision to be arbitrary and somewhat brainless, but that's what I do with .243 Win.
gojuice101
New member
I load for my brothers Ruger American 243 using h4350 and Reloder 19, using both 58gn Hornady and 100gn sierra bullets. Every load we've ever put through it shoots greats.
William T. Watts
New member
100 gr bullets always shot well in my .243 Winchester
I've never had a problem using 100 gr Nosler soft point or Partition bullets for deer in my .243Win, both produced groups less than 1/2" at 100yds!! It has been my experience when a bullet should produce small groups and doesn't it usually means there is a problem with the barrel or the fellow pulling the trigger. Best accuracy always was with H4831 powder & mag primers!! William
I've never had a problem using 100 gr Nosler soft point or Partition bullets for deer in my .243Win, both produced groups less than 1/2" at 100yds!! It has been my experience when a bullet should produce small groups and doesn't it usually means there is a problem with the barrel or the fellow pulling the trigger. Best accuracy always was with H4831 powder & mag primers!! William
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The very best out of the dozen or so that I tried was imr 4350. This almost fills the case. 100 grain Sierra or hornady SP were MOA rounds, as we're lighter nosler hp match bullets.
Every time I changed powder my groups opened up, bbc.co utterly all bullets seemed to work for about the same accuracy results.
Data I read once suggested magnum primers. I felt a few tiny delays in ignition once in a while, and used magnum mostly since then with a slight reduction of powder.
Every time I changed powder my groups opened up, bbc.co utterly all bullets seemed to work for about the same accuracy results.
Data I read once suggested magnum primers. I felt a few tiny delays in ignition once in a while, and used magnum mostly since then with a slight reduction of powder.
Roadkill2228
New member
4064 is okay but honestly I prefer much slower powders in my .243 (a savage 99, not at all the same kind of gun of course). What range you shooting at? Your 1:9 twist should stabilize the 105 grain hornady amax and bthp bullets as well as the 105 berger if I'm not mistaken...the bcs of those bullets are in the .5-.53 range. Hodgdon's load data shows very high velocities with the new IMR 7977 Enduron powder, and my own experience has been that, despite it's unconventionally slow burn rate, IMR 7828 works well with the heaviest bullets of this caliber. With those 105s at full speed you have .300 magnum trajectory (duplicates the external ballistics of the typical high bc 168-190 grain loads) with minimal muzzle jump and no and I mean no abuse to the shoulder, no shooters fatigue. For an economical all purpose load, I really like the Speer 100 grain BTSP...it's been really accurate and inexpensive, has shot well with Superformance, 4350, RL19, and 7828. I have not used Nosler's Varmageddon bullets in 55 or 70 grain, but have used them in a .220 swift and they are accurate and also very affordable and again are totally appropriate for plinking but also can be used (as they were intended) for varminting. The 87 VMAX should be great as well, but I have no experience with it.