Visited the range yesterday and shot the .243 for the first time. I started off running some factory ammo through it to zero as close as I could. At 9:30am, it was a perfect day....no wind, 60 degrees and 47% humidity....shooting at nearly 7,000 ft elevation.
I was shooting 5 guns, rotating them every 5-8 shots. By the time I started shooting the rounds below, the wind came up.....and one minute was gusty and the next calm, ranging between 2mph and 17mph.
I shot the following (cause it was the powder I had on hand), and all shots were with the Berger .243 105gr VLD Hunting....and .02 off the lands:
7 rounds: H4831, 40.0gr = 2,702fps ave
6 rounds: Varget, 32.0gr = 2,648fps ave
7 rounds: H4350, 37.0gr = 2,758fps ave
6 rounds: Retumbo, 46gr = 2,932fps ave
I am reluctant to draw too much from the accuracy with the gusty wind and.....oh boy, I dislike the trigger, despite an adjustment to "as light as it would go". Moving between my 700RL 7RM with an 8oz Timney to the 243 was frustrating. The trigger definitely caused accuracy issues. But, I will not load Varget or H4831 in the future......and how in the heck can anyone get 49gr of Retumbo in a 243 case??? I was compressing 46grs. And Retumbo was the worst with accuracy. H4350 was the most accurate.
For my next trip to the range, I think I will build up 5 rounds of H4350.... 38gr, 39gr, 40gr......maybe 41gr and 42gr (I have read that several are loading 42gr of H4350 and gettting right at 3,000fps with 105's....but that is over the pressure limits.)
I shot at 100yards and here are a couple of targets....I thought this was decent with the trigger and the wind.
I think I am also confident that my 9.125 twist is keeping the Berger 105 stabilized. But according to the calculators, I wouldn't shoot it lower than 5,000 ft elevation.
The Retumbo was the worst....
The H4350 was the best.....
I think I am going to move forward, dialing in the gun with H4350. And as of last night, the Timney is ordered and on the way. So far, I think the SPS Varmint stock, as I have it modified, is doing ok.
By the way, I really like the Mueller 8-32x44 scope. I will admit, that I don't like it much at 32x, but at 20x and 24x....it is really, good and that is all the magnification I need.
And here is some Colorado "eye candy"......