A co worker of mine has a .243 he uses for deer hunting here in CA. He doesn't know the barrel twist. He was out the other day sighting it in at 100 yards. I don't recall now what loads he was shooting ( all factory loads though ) and from the description he was giving me it sounded like one of them wasn't stabilizing and was key holing. What's the recommendation for this rifle for deer? His .243 is a short barrel Remington bolt action.
Prefered round for .243?
- Thread starter Pthfndr
- Start date
WalterGAII
Moderator
Lots of guys around here use 95gr. Ballistic Tips for Whitetails with .243's.
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
First off, the faster the twist, the heavier (longer) the bullet the barrel will stabilize. Slower twist, shorter bullet, stability. There are compromise twists which will do an adequate job for both, although ultra-accuracy might not be had.
So: To measure the twist. Take a cleaning rod with enough patch to ensure it will twist when you pull it through the barrel. Push it down the bore almost all the way. Put a piece of tape around the rod, and make an index mark on the tape and the muzzle, with a felt pen. Pull the rod out until the index marks line up once again. That gives you one turn in (?) inches.
Generally: One turn in 8 or 9 inches means heavier bullets are better stabilized. One turn in 10 or 11 inches means varmint bullets are better stabilized. One in 9 or 10 is sort of a compromise. Roughly. Approximately.
Somewhere in the TFL archives is a formula for caliber, bullet weight, and twist.
My 1970-vintage Sako Forester does very well with 70- and 85- grain bullets; less well with 100-grain. I guess I gotta get off my duff and check the twist, one of these days.
FWIW, Art
So: To measure the twist. Take a cleaning rod with enough patch to ensure it will twist when you pull it through the barrel. Push it down the bore almost all the way. Put a piece of tape around the rod, and make an index mark on the tape and the muzzle, with a felt pen. Pull the rod out until the index marks line up once again. That gives you one turn in (?) inches.
Generally: One turn in 8 or 9 inches means heavier bullets are better stabilized. One turn in 10 or 11 inches means varmint bullets are better stabilized. One in 9 or 10 is sort of a compromise. Roughly. Approximately.
Somewhere in the TFL archives is a formula for caliber, bullet weight, and twist.
My 1970-vintage Sako Forester does very well with 70- and 85- grain bullets; less well with 100-grain. I guess I gotta get off my duff and check the twist, one of these days.
FWIW, Art