Developing .243 varmint load - which way to turn?

[Bfh_auto]

Good point that I forgot to mention. These were all seated at 0.020" off the lands, which puts them about 0.160" into the neck. Figured to try some further adjustments to seating depth after deciding on the right charge.

I've seen excellent accuracy from short bullets using fast for cartridge powder with a long jump. Look at how far Weatherby and ultramag chambers make a bullet jump.
I had a 270 that would not touch the lands with a 90 gr varminter in the case. I struggled for a while until a member who has since died suggested I seat them deeper. It took me from 1.5 inch groups to well under an inch.

 

[JFrank]

Yep
Ya just can't go past the red ones at this altitude.
Test seating or neck tension the same way and if a guy wanted to test primers a ladder side by side would typically show one having a smaller more consistent overall target spread.

 

[barnfrog]

Yep
Ya just can't go past the red ones at this altitude.
Test seating or neck tension the same way and if a guy wanted to test primers a ladder side by side would typically show one having a smaller more consistent overall target spread.

Hmmmm......I do have some CCI LR primers. Could be interesting to see if they make a difference compared to the WLRs. Just have to find enough range time.

 

[JFrank]

Easy peezy

 

[barnfrog]

The saga continues.....but in a good way.

I loaded up ten more rounds at 42.7 grains of powder, and got a chance to shoot them this weekend. Here's what the first five looked like:

Unfortunately, I forgot to throw a round or two down the barrel to warm it up, so the first shot was through a cold bore. It definitely was not a called flyer. If you include all five shots, it's a 1.17" group. Without the cold bore shot it's under 0.4". Statistically speaking, the four closest could still be a fluke, but they're still promising and a 10-shot group for further confirmation is certainly warranted.

I shot the other five over my spiffy new Magnetospeed Sporter (which worked flawlessly from the git-go with no errors, by the way). Having tested it out the previous day with a few rounds of a target load, I knew the POI would shift and group size would increase, so I had to shoot groups and velocity separately. Anywho, average MV was 3805 fps with an ES of 20 and SD of 8. Those numbers will undoubtedly grow with a larger group, but I'll take them for now.

So thanks again to everyone who helped me with this. I'm finally feeling like I'm firming up my load development method after fumbling around with so many different ones.

 

[lordpaxman]

Whether it was a fluke or not, it’s still nice to see groups like that.

Having tested it out the previous day with a few rounds of a target load, I knew the POI would shift and group size would increase, so I had to shoot groups and velocity separately.

That’s the reason I went with the Labradar. I’m not trying to sell it, just saying it makes that task simple. Happy shooting.

 

[red rick]

I got out last Sunday and shot my Ruger American .243 for the first time . I bought it with the Vortex scope package . The first time I shot it the scope rings shot lose on the weaver base . Bad on Ruger quality control . I shot it again today using Remington 80gr. ammo . I only shot one 3 shot group because of limited ammo . It shot a 1 1/4 “ group at 100 yards . I think with some time behind the trigger I could shoot under 1” with that ammo . I can’t wait to start reloading for it and working up a accurate load .

 

[barnfrog]

I wanted to follow up on this thread, since I finally got around to trying some larger groups to verify this load. Work, the fire department, deer season and the holidays (in other words, life) kind of got in the way of progress for a little while. Here is the latest, a 100-yard group of nine shots. Weather was around 50 degrees and winds were fairly calm. Flags were hanging vertical for each shot. Two minutes between shots. The first seven shots had me feeling very good. Heck, I had started composing this post already in my head. Then came shot #8 on the left and #9 on the right. RATS! With those last two shots the group went from just under 0.9" to almost 2.5".

Now, those last two shots could have just been me getting too cocky, but they could also be the load. I wish I could say they were called flyers, but I think my shooting was solid. Statistically speaking, the group is the group, regardless of the fact that the greatest horizontal spread came on the last two shots, so I'm thinking since the vertical spread is just over 0.5" it's probably worth exploring some seating depth adjustment.