Reloading 95gr Nosler Ballistic Tips for 243Win

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CanXB

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Hey all. I have been fortunate enough to pick up one of the new Tikka T3x rifles chambered in 243 Winchester with a stainless heavy barrel from one of the site sponsors. I am looking for suggestions on what people have found to really work with the 95 Nosler ballistic tip. I have read that many have had good results with IMR 4350 at around 40.5 - 41.0 grains. If anyone has any recommendations on a load that works for them please share. I realize i would need to work up to it but i would love to see what is working for some. Thanks for any advice.
 
To bring this to the top, I just got a 243 and am starting with the 70 grain Ballistic tip and Varget but would also like to get info on the 95 grain.
 
Hope this helps. Once on the page, just click on the "95-100 Grain" tab.

h ttp://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/243-winchester/
 
I would try RL26 before anything else. A fellow on 24hr campfire was getting 3186 fps with that combo out of a 22" barrel
 
I was out the other day and had some imr4350 and h4350 reloads. Best I found was the h4350. I could cover a 5 shot group with a toonie. I can definitely do better I just need to slow down and breath. This was one shot after another with no rest time between shots at 100 yds.
 
If you're planning on deer I'd go with a stronger jacketed bullet,like the 85,95 or 100gr Partiton. I've seen too many exploding making surface wounds with both the old solid base and ballistic tips. They are scary accurate but spray like cream corn through a goose on shoulder hits or raking shots.I'm driving 100gr Sierra's at 3 G out of a similar .250 Sav Rem 700 and have nicely mushroomed bullets with great weight retention out to 300 yards.Will be hunting antelope Monday with it......Harold
 
CanXB said:
I was out the other day and had some imr4350 and h4350 reloads. Best I found was the h4350. I could cover a 5 shot group with a toonie. I can definitely do better I just need to slow down and breath. This was one shot after another with no rest time between shots at 100 yds.
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Good for you for firing them one after the other, like a rifle is designed to shoot.
The T3 has a good barrel, free floated, and is very tolerant. I too am loading for an older T3 with a walnut stock. There are many powders that work just fine. This rifle is either the sixth or seventh 243 that I have owned and loaded for, all with 10 inch rifling. I think 100 grain is a bit iffy in a 10 inch 243, as I have never had one that did quite as well as bullets a little lighter. I always build the loads for velocity only and when the velocity I want is reached, I just load up and shoot.
One load that seems to be great in any rifle is a good 70 or 75 grain, preferably HP, with either 46 grains of 414 or 49 of Superformance. These loads are right out of Hodgdons. The velocity is 3500 plus, with deadly accuracy.
 
mbogo3 said:
If you're planning on deer I'd go with a stronger jacketed bullet,like the 85,95 or 100gr Partiton. I've seen too many exploding making surface wounds with both the old solid base and ballistic tips. They are scary accurate but spray like cream corn through a goose on shoulder hits or raking shots.I'm driving 100gr Sierra's at 3 G out of a similar .250 Sav Rem 700 and have nicely mushroomed bullets with great weight retention out to 300 yards.Will be hunting antelope Monday with it......Harold
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Like mbogo3 said. The ballistic tips do not penetrate very well. The plain old Hornady 100 gr Spire pt is very good in the 243 if deer are on the menu.
 
I use 40+ gr of Varget with the 95 gr Ballistic Tips. It shoots about 1-1.5" at 100 yards(not a Tikka). My son has used it on deer, black bear and mountain goat, only the goat required more than 1shot.
 
Varmit said:
To bring this to the top, I just got a 243 and am starting with the 70 grain Ballistic tip and Varget but would also like to get info on the 95 grain.
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If your looking for an alternate option on those 70gr BTs, I run 38grs of 4064 out of a Savage 110 Predator. 1:9.25 is the twist on it.
 
Just loaded up 40 rounds with 46 gr of H414 under a 70 gr Sierra Match King with a COAL of 2.625 in. and a CCI Bench Rest primer to light it off. Will post back here tomorow afternoon when i get back provided the weather holds.
 
my best load for my 243 was with a 87gr v max with 36.5gr of varget and with a berger bt 90gr with 36.5gr of imr4064 , the 95 gr i tried never grouped as well, but varget and imr4064 are my go to go powder , with lapua case and cci br2 primer , results were 5 shot in 1/2 inch at 100 with my ruger mk2 target
 
rokoro said:
Like mbogo3 said. The ballistic tips do not penetrate very well. The plain old Hornady 100 gr Spire pt is very good in the 243 if deer are on the menu.
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if there is a softer 100 gr bullet in 243 than the hornady interlocs both the fb version and the boattail then I don't know about it. the hornady bullets are very soft in 6mm for some reason. id guess the 95 gr ballistic tip retains more weight.
 
Hornady changed something in their jackets a decade or so ago,and they are not the bullets they once were in the old red box.I've had bullets literally come apart like a shotgun from a 286gr 9.3x62,140gr .270 win and 180gr .308NM A call to Hornady was a WOT as ,"this is the first we've heard of it" response.Except two of my buddies had also called the same week with like problems.Scirocco ii's and Partitions are both great bullets and I'm sure there are more out there.........Harold
 
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