Two loads for 243

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JRWhit

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As a soon to be holder of a 243 win, I'm starting my list of supplies. I plan to work up two loads for use in this rifle. One for white tail and one for varmint.
As a newb to 243 I was hoping some veterans could help me narrow the field on bullet and powder choices. Varget seems to get some fairly consistent reviews and looks like a strong contender for a light weight varmint load. For the heavier load I was eyeing hybrid 100v but I have zero first hand knowledge of either. Add to that the endless line of bullet weights and I'm stuck at the menu board.
What say the 243 reloaders?

Loads will be shot in a bolt action,24 in barrel with a 1in10 twist.
 
First of all, make it easy on yourself. Whatever bullet you choose for deer will also work for varmints.

I like 85 or 87 grain bullets over Varget.
 
I like to to load IMR 7828 under a 100 gr bullet for deer ... I've had very good results with it ...

I have also used RL19 & IMR 4831 under the same 100 gr bullets ...

I would be careful with H 100V as it can be "spikey" as far as pressure .... a powder that is near H 100 V is RL 17 ... I have not used either in .243 Win ... but have in other cartridges with good results ...

Maybe others will be along to help with the varmint stuff ... I shoot .223 for that or .25/06 for the really long range...
 
H-414, WW 760, Re 15, IMR 4350, H4831, IMR 4895 are the ones I've used most. I like 100 gr Hornady bullets for deer and I think they are 87 gr for little critters. I've shot some 55 gr Balistic Tips too but my Sako didn't particularly care for them. I'm sure there are other newer bullets and powders available since I used these. I've not hunted deer with it since the late '80s and now have a pletora of .224s I shoot little critters with. But when it was my little gun these worked well for me.

PD
 
What kind of varmints are you talking about? I did the same thing back in the day with my 25/06. I used 75 grain hollow points at 3700 fps for pdogs and 115 Nosler partitions for deer. The problem is you will have two POI with two different loads. I bet you could use an 85 grain bullet for both and you will only have to learn one trajectory. Find one that is accurate and tough enough for deer, use it for everything. I solved my problem by buying a .220 Swift for pdogs and kept the 25/06 for deer.
 
Nothing says you can't work up a deer load and use it for varmints. Speer 105 grain SP's work well with IMR4350. So do 90 grain FMJ's for hide hunting or varmints.
You sure about that twist? .243 is usually 1 in 9.125 or thereabouts. Isn't terribly critical though.
 
What kind of varmints are you talking about?
Mainly coyote and occasionally ground hog. If I ever catch em out in the day, armadillo. They do some serious mining making for a big surprise when I hit their hole with a tractor tire.
You sure about that twist?
The rifle is a Vanguard S2. Their spec page lists it as a 1 in 10. Maybe rounded?
 
I never could get varmint bullets to group well in my Winchester M70 but 100gr soft points were great. I eventually got ok groups with 85gr but it was easier to load lots of 100gr soft points and use them for everything. My scope turrets could rust in place and it wouldn't matter, haven't changed them in years.
I've used 4895 and 3031 and accurate 2520.
 
I have a Winchester M70 Featherweight with 1 in 10 twist. As you might expect from the twist rate, it shows a strong preference for lighter bullets. Everything from 70 gr to 85 gr HPBT (and 90gr deep curls back when they made them) shoot lights out. Back when I got the rifle and had only tried 100 gr bullets, I actually sent it back to Winchester because it wouldn't reliably group with the heavy bullets and I hadn't tried any lighter offerings. They sent it back with 3 targets showing sub 3/4 in groups with 80gr Federal Power-Shok loads, no letter explaining... none needed. I felt pretty dumb, but learned something about the rifle.

Your's might do well with 100 gr bullets, but if it doesn't you might try Sierra SGK 85gr HPBT's. They are a medium game bullet, and lots of folks are quite fond of them. I ultimately got the excellent 95gr Nosler BT's to group well in my rifle with a stiff load of H4350 (a good powder choice for heavier bullets in .243).
 
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65gr Hornady V-max over 42.5gr IMR4064 2.650"oal varmint;
100grn Hornady over 41.5gr IMR4350 for deer.
 
Thanks for the info guys. Typical of me to buy the cart before the horse, I have a scope, mounts , and some reloading gear but am still waiting on the rifle. :eek:
I appreciate the help.
 
I have a Remington 788 chambered in 243 and I love it. It is without a doubt the most accurate rifle I've ever owned.

My favorite load is as follows:

Hornady 100Gr BTSP
Large Rifle Primer (I use whatever I have not brand specific)
35 Grains Varget

I would not hesitate to shoot deer, hogs or most any game deer sized or smaller with it. My son hit a golf ball at 100 yards with it, no problem.
 
I know you weren't looking for a match load, but I'm working up a load for my new Savage. Varget behind a Berger 90grain match.
 

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I'm not a fan of H100v, it just doesn't get the velocity I like, and if you work it up, it starts spiking.

My go too powders are, IMR-4831, H4831, IMR-4350, IMR-7828, RL19 & 22, under a 90 or 100 grain bullet. My favorite deer and other big game bullet in .243 and 6mm, is the 90 gr. Speer Hot Core.

I don't do much in the way of varmint loading for .243, but I'm sure that would be an easy load to build.

GS
 
100 gr hornady interlock and h414 is a tough combo to beat. The 100 gr bullet will hold up better over long range in the winds that so often are present hunting coyotes, and they really aren't any harder on pelts than the 80 gr.
75 gr hp's and 4064 are a bunch of fun in a prairie dog town, but you need to be cautious about not getting the barrel to hot..
 
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Thanks again for the help guys. Due to the powers that be, what I was able to get locally was IMR 4350 and 95gn Hornady SSTs. It wasn't looking that great at the lower end, but the performance poured on at 40gns. From there it started opening back up. Definitely feel like I found a good solid load for my rifle. The four shots were taken from sand bag at 100 yds. First three are the ones touching.
 
o.k. had a coworker give me some 55gn noslers that were coated. My rifle does not like these. Throughout the load I was unable to get any consistency. Seams they were just not stabilizing. I was using CF223. I have received many praises for the powder as a near as you can get match to varget. I'm gonna try a 58gn vmax and if that doesn't perform I suppose 75-95 will be my sweat spot.

Don't mean to carry on, but when I post this stuff you all often bring up the stuff I hadn't considered.
 
Dads 244 (1:10 twist 28" barrel) loves 87 gr vmaxes over max minus 0.2 gr charge of imr 4064.
Velocity is 3425. Over a chrono 7 of 8 were within 7 fps.
 
Haven't tried the 58gn yet as I'm sure to get the same result as the Noslers. They have a huge jump to the lands and I had a veteran loader suggest that as the cause for inconsistency with the small ones.
I did try some 75gn varminters over H-414 and am pretty happy with the results.
The best performance came at a max load of 46.5gn yielding the tightest 4 shot group. But all hits are approximately 1 MOA right of my zero for the 95gn SSTs. However at 44.5gn I am still getting hunt worthy groups and the harmonics seam to match that of my load for the 95gn SSTs. Meaning that there is only 1" vertical difference between what would be my deer load and my varmint load but left and right they match perfectly. Feels a little weird intentionally abandoning the best load.
 
85 grain Sierra Varminter for both deer and coyotes is what I run in both 243 and 6mm Remington. Load it on top of a max dose of IMR-4350 over CCI or Remington primers and start killing critters. It will punch through any deer that walks and doubt one will ever run over 25 yards on you. Try it, you will not be disappointed.
 
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