243 caliber 55 grain

warrenb

warrenb

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Does anyone shoot the lighter grain 243 caliber loads.

What are they like as a light shooting varmint and just general all day target load?

I'm thinking of getting a 243 and wondering how they perform at the lighter load end of the spectrum.

Also are these rounds more expensive than the regulary say 100 grain 243s I see everywhere?

thanks,
warren
 
Depends on what brand you use and what type of bullet.

Most of the lighter 6mm bullets are for gophers and groundhogs and coyotes. They are no good.. and not intended for deer because they "fracture" when they hit the target and do not hold together.

I shoot a 65gr Vmax in my .243 as well as the 62gr Varmint Grenade. Both are very accurate and turn gophers into a red mist. As far as targets go I use them but they get blown around by the wind a lot. If its windy I use a heavier bullet but if its calm... I like the lighter load.

My rifle did not like the super light bullets that much and since there was little to no price difference between the two options... I, of course, went with the ones that shot better.

As for price... 65 gr Vmax are about 25 dollars a box and if I remember correctly, the 95 gr SST that I use for deer and long range shooting is closer to 30 dollars a box. Not much difference in price but totaly different functions.

I guess I should mention that I reload, something you didn't mention in your post. This is the best way to get peak performance out of any calibre. There are so many options with the 6mm bullet that its not even funny.

Play around and find what works for you. I use two loads for no other reason than... just because.

I could use the 95gr SST on gophers but I just don't. I get very similar groups from each.. and with a little load tailoring.... I have a exact same point of impact at 100 yards and then use a drop chart to figure it out from there. So its just a matter of grabbing the right box when I go deer hunting.
 
I think you might find that the 55 gr loads in the .243 are a handloading proposition, and can be a very expensive as a factory round. The only .243/55 gr factory rounds I've seen is Winchester's Ballistic Silver Tip that Ruseels have listed for $32 a box. They list Hornady 58 gr factory loads for $24, and Federal .243/100 gr blue box for $16.

I probably shoot more 55 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips through my .243 than any other bullet. They are hunting accurate out to 600 yards, and are extremely destructive on pest sized animals. The Noslers are a exceptionally good choice of bullet in areas where ricochets must be avoided. TB reported that he killed a big game animal with one not so long ago, but that he didn't recommend it, and I'd concur.
 
Sierra 60 grain HP's in my Tikka will shoot 3/8" 5-shot groups (at 100 meters) all day if I do my part. I have just started to reload the lighter bullets and the Sierra's like to be launched fast, at least in my rifle.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. From what you'v said I trust the 243 will do more than I need. I ordered myself a 7600 in 243 to go with my 7600 in 308.

Much Appreciated.
 
they work decent on deer.........:p

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My buddy just took a big bodied black tail wiht a .243 and 85gr TSX, penetrated both shoulders, ended up on the offside hide...

As much as I dislike the .243, it's got it's place, especially with the good bullets.:)
 
my rifle wont shoot the 55 grain bullets very well but they are zinging the only critter i shot with them was a porcupine and it made a big mess, pretty neat
 
Like Gatehouse stated, use the right bullet for the intended game AND good shot placement. Unlike Gatehouse, I love the 243 Win :p but I am also well aware of its limitations and I am a damn good shot :sniper:
 
You'll find a 55 grain bullet won't stabilize well out of a 7600. The rifling twist is 1 in 9.125". 85 grains and up will work better. However, Federal loads a 55 grain Nosler V-Shok. Varmint weight bullets are not suitable for deer sized game though. Varmint bullets are designed to expand rapidly upon impact with little penetration.
 
Sunray,
are you saying the 7600 will not shoot loads lower than 85 grain accurately.

I don't want this gun fpr deer but was looking for a light shooting gun with the same feel as my 308. That way I could jump from one to the other "seamlessly" shall we say. Did I mess up buying this rifle due to the twist rate?
 
sunray said:
You'll find a 55 grain bullet won't stabilize well out of a 7600. The rifling twist is 1 in 9.125". 85 grains and up will work better. However, Federal loads a 55 grain Nosler V-Shok. Varmint weight bullets are not suitable for deer sized game though. Varmint bullets are designed to expand rapidly upon impact with little penetration.
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hmmm well my factory twist 243 (1-9.25") shot the 55 grainers awesome, 3/4" 5 shot groups if I did my part.

Although not something I would suggest doing, I did shoot a 250 lb deer with the 55 gr ballistic tip last year. 75 yard broadside lung shot, it exited the far side. Your mileage may vary...........:)


Warrenb, you made a good choice for your intended use. Dont listen to Sunray, because soon he will tell you to sight in your rifle 5 inches high at 100 :D
 
"...sight in your rifle 5 inches high at 100..." Depends on the cartridge and the bullet weight. Learn something about ballistics.
"...7600 will not shoot loads lower than 85 grain accurately..." The rifling twist of 1 in 9.125 will tend to shoot heavier bullets better.
"...Did I mess up buying this rifle..." Not at all. It's just that nearly all .243 commercial hunting rifles are made for deer sized game. That means they'll shoot varmint bullets, but not as well as they will heavier bullets. The difference in felt recoil between a 55 grain bullet and an 85 grain bullet isn't much anyway.
 
Ah.., OK.

I mis - understood. I supose the only way I'm gonna know for sure is to try out a bunch of different ammo when I get the gun.

cheers.
 
sunray said:
"...sight in your rifle 5 inches high at 100..." Depends on the cartridge and the bullet weight. Learn something about ballistics
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hahaha...Do tell, Mr ballistic super genius, what cartridge would you recommend sighting in +5 inches high @ 100 yards? :) Im interested to know


Here's some groups with 55 gr Nosler BT in a 1-9 1/8 twist factory Rem 700 I had a couple years ago :

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55nbt%20%282%29.jpg


god damn flukes! :D :rolleyes: shoulda used 85 grainers......

55nbt-box.jpg



they bounce off critters too, use a heavier bullet :dancingbanana:

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Nov%2027%2007%20Mulie%20005.jpg



PS - I win :D
 
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I have a plain .243 Mod 70 Win . "Ranger " 22 in. brl and an older M77 Ruger V with 24 inch brl. .......... and both will shoot well under an inch with the 55 gr Nosler BTip...the 60 gr sierra Hpt ..70 gr Hornady..75 gr. Hornady...90 gr Speer ...100 Sierra Hpt Btail and 105 Gr Speer.......pretty much covers the whole spectrum from lightest to heaviest weights available to me to test.

With the 55 gr Noslers' useing either Imr3031 or H335 I am getting +3880 fps in the Ruger and 3680 fps in the Win. 70. and witnessed 3-5 shot groups provide the same accuracy as depicted by Mr. Bartells photos ...even with the variation of velocities between my two rifles.
The 60 gr. Sierra almost performs as well accuracy wise using the same two powders.

The Ruger using 100 gr sierras' prefers Imr4350 at 3090 fps avg and will stay at about 0.75 inch over the years..

I would suggest that there are a very large amount of .243 shooters out there that get even better results....and their rifles just don't know they aren't supposed to shoot the lightweights as well as the heavyweights.

IIRC Mr Bartell was not recommending useing the 55 gr Nosler on deer in the original post of his photo of the Buck sometime back.. but was hunting coyotes when the deer showed up and that's the load he was carrying at the time and it worked fine..
 
hs4570 said:
IIRC Mr Bartell was not recommending useing the 55 gr Nosler on deer in the original post of his photo of the Buck sometime back.. but was hunting coyotes when the deer showed up and that's the load he was carrying at the time and it worked fine..
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exactly. I let the deer come within 75 yards and turn broadside before I decided to shoot.
 
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