243 range fodder??

Suther

Suther

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Just bought a 243. Mossberg atr. 1:10 RH twist, 22" barrel. Mostly bought as a range toy, i wanted something with less kick then my 270 to shoot from the bench. I'll be taking it out for coyote eventually, but the current goal is to punch holes in paper.

Im looking for suggestions on affordable-but-accurate bullets. The two options at my local lgs are hornady vmax 75gr and interlock 100gr, for $36-37 a box (these are both 100rd boxes aren't they?) But i can go elsewhere if there is a better option.

So what say you? What makes a good range bullet in the 243? (Range is only 200yds, and with a 1:10 twist i don't think 100+gr VLDs will be much good...)
 
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cupar1 said:
I'd think they were 20 round boxes but I have been wrong in the past.
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I'm talking just bullets, not loaded ammo. I'm pretty sure they are 100/box, but some companies do boxes of 50 so I'm not sure

Xippper said:
I would tend to agree. With 1:10 I would start with 75 gr bullets, perhaps even lighter.
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From what i read, 1:10 *should* stabilize up to 100gr with regular bullets, it's only the long-for-weight offerings like VLDs and monometal bullets that it might not... i have two boxes of rem core lokt 100gr factory ammo i bought with the rifle, but won't have time to try them for a week or two - its the end of hunting season soon so range time has to wait while I try to fill the freezer...
 
Suther said:
Just bought a 243. Mossberg atr. 1:10 RH twist, 22" barrel.
Im looking for suggestions on affordable-but-accurate bullets. The two options at my local lgs are hornady vmax 75gr and interlock 100gr,
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Berger is the only manufacturer that publishes all the data required to make a good selection. See this Quick Reference Sheet, to get a handle on what each bullet requires for twist. You might be able to shoot those that are listed as a 1 in 9", as Berger rounds there recommendation to the next full inch. Try their Twist Rate Calculator to get a more exact recommendation on each of their bullets (from the drop down box), while entering your specific twist, temperature, elevation, and muzzle velocity. You can also check other manufacturers bullets if you have the BC and overall length. This bullet length database may be helpful with length.

The 75 grain V-Max is probably OK, but not the 100 grain unless it is a flat base.

For what it is worth, the most accurate .243 bullet I have found for my 12 twist 6BR is the Berger 68 grain Target Flat Base, over 34 grains of Varget, and a BR4 primer.
 
I was about to suggest 85 grain Sierra GameKings - used to get them for sub-30 bucks/100 but see they are close to 40 bucks now.

I also shoot a 1:10 twist 243. It "likes" a lot of bullets. My absolute best groups come from 80 grain factory loaded Federal soft points.

I did try a number of different bullets and the only thing it had a problem with was a 95 grain Swift Scirocco II - they started to keyhole on me but to be fair they are an uber-long bullet with a massive BC - my 1:10 is just not quite capable of stabilizing it. I didn't bother trying the (similar) accubond for that very reason - don't need to spend 50 bucks for 50 bullets that I can't shoot :)

But everything I have shot, without exception, in the 80 to 87 grain range all shoot sub-moa @ 100.
 
So what's the opinion of the vmax? Good accuracy? Seems the 75gr vmax is my easiest starting point especially if they tend to be accurate bullets?
 
We have used 75gr Vmax with good success. We now use 55gr Vmax or Ballistic tips. They have proven to be very accurate for us in our 111 Savage. They also come in boxes of 250. Our last ones came from Mystic Precision.
 
Ron AKA said:
The 75 grain V-Max is probably OK, but not the 100 grain unless it is a flat base.
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Thats very strange Ron AKA, I shot 100 grain boat tails in a Remington 700 243 and a Savage 243 for deer hunting all the time without any accuracy problems.

Suther said:
Just bought a 243. Mossberg atr. 1:10 RH twist, 22" barrel. Mostly bought as a range toy, i wanted something with less kick then my 270 to shoot from the bench. I'll be taking it out for coyote eventually, but the current goal is to punch holes in paper.
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Suther, go with the light bulk bullets as stated above for plinking at the range, you can shoot all day long and your shoulder will love you.

I used 100 grain .312 pistol bullets in my No.4 Enfield rifles for plinking to make the brass butt plate "softer". :d

I ruptured a disk in my neck in 1992 and had a cervical fusion. And long sessions at the range with heavy bullets "will" give me a sore neck and a headache.

Below is like playing Blackjack - Stay light and beat the dealer (recoil) ;)

HODGDON® H4895® REDUCED RIFLE LOADS
For Youth Hunting, Informal Target, and Plinking
https://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/H4895%20Reduced%20Rifle%20Loads.pdf

IMR® TRAIL BOSS® REDUCED LOADS
FOR RIFLE AND PISTOL
https://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-Reduced-Loads%20R_P.pdf
 
bigedp51 said:
Thats very strange Ron AKA, I shot 100 grain boat tails in a Remington 700 243 and a Savage 243 for deer hunting all the time without any accuracy problems.

]
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Are those 1:10 twist rifles? I know some savages (axis specifically) are 1:9.25 in 243.

Either way, internet consensus seems to say normal 100gr bullets should be ok, long ones won't be though. Ganderite claims to shoot 105gr in his 1:10 twist, but he's got a 28 or 30" barrel... as i said before, I got some 100gr factory ammo right after buying the gun, so I'll be trying those before I buy any 100gr bullets.

I hear a lot of people like deer bullets for shooting coyotes, because when the varmint bullets like the 75gr vmax exit (they don't always exit but when they do) they make a mess of things, whereas a stouter bullet will leave much smaller exit wounds. Opionions??
 
IKn older 243 rifles I shot the Hornady 58gr bullets with fabulous accuracy
IMR 4350 was the magic for these bullets in both opf my HB 243 rifles, very fun to shoot
 
Fassteel said:
IKn older 243 rifles I shot the Hornady 58gr bullets with fabulous accuracy
IMR 4350 was the magic for these bullets in both opf my HB 243 rifles, very fun to shoot
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Interesting. Hodgdon reloading website doesn't list any loads for bullets lighter than about 80gr with imr4350(and even then i think it's only GMX loads that light). We're your loads out of a manual? Imr4350 is what I've got on the shelf for my 270, so if it'll work for 75gr 243 pills too i might be able to save a trip to the gun store.
 
Suther said:
Either way, internet consensus seems to say normal 100gr bullets should be ok, long ones won't be though. Ganderite claims to shoot 105gr in his 1:10 twist, but he's got a 28 or 30" barrel... as i said before, I got some 100gr factory ammo right after buying the gun, so I'll be trying those before I buy any 100gr bullets.
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Keep in mind that accuracy does not slowly decrease as the rate of spin decreases. In fact until you have a problem, accuracy may increase as the spin decreases. 100 meter bench rest shooters build their guns with the absolute minimum twist they can get away with considering the elevation, muzzle velocity and air temperature. If they go too close to the minimum they will notice right away, and change bullets or barrels.

The longer distance target shooter, has another issue. When stability drops below 1.5, the actual ballistic coefficient starts to decrease. While the bullet is still stable, the BC loss will increase drop, and wind effect on POI. So a shooter going for a high BC bullet may actually get less when they factor in the BC loss due to lower stability.

The hunter and casual shooter is a bit different again. They certainly will not notice the small accuracy increase with reduced twist. They may not even notice that the bullet has lost stability unless they shoot a sight in target and see they have keyholes instead of round holes. And most likely they will not notice the loss in BC, unless they shoot some long distance paper.

So consider the source when you get "internet opinions" on what twist is needed.
 
Suther said:
Interesting. Hodgdon reloading website doesn't list any loads for bullets lighter than about 80gr with imr4350(and even then i think it's only GMX loads that light). We're your loads out of a manual? Imr4350 is what I've got on the shelf for my 270, so if it'll work for 75gr 243 pills too i might be able to save a trip to the gun store.
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yes sir they were straight from the Lyman 48th page 158 , 58gr Vmax bullet
 
The 70 grain Nosler Ballistic tips shot the best in my Winchester, with 41 grains of Varget. 100 grainers in factory ammo were terrible. The Remington 80 grain factory ammo shot very good.
 
I've been playing around with some loads for a new .243 I picked up. The Nosler 55gr varmageddon are shooting sub-moa for me at 100 and 200 yards so far. They are fairly cheap at $26/100.
 
Rickster66 said:
I've been playing around with some loads for a new .243 I picked up. The Nosler 55gr varmageddon are shooting sub-moa for me at 100 and 200 yards so far. They are fairly cheap at $26/100.
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I'll make note of that, but i don't think i want bullets that light. Being in BC I don't really have access to groundhogs ect so this will be a range toy mostly, with a side of coyote hunting. I was hoping to eventually work up two loads, one 70-80gr coyote load and a 95-100gr deer load (pending I can find a bullet that weight thatll stabilize.)
 
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