.243 reloading

Lukrative

Lukrative

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So my first .243 rifle is in the mail - CZ 557 luxII, 24". Price was right @ $850 after tax.

I'm assuming is 1/10 twist. Not 100% sure until I get my hands on it, these rifles are discontinued and it's been difficult to find much info online, especially for the .243 version.

Already eyeing up a bag of 100 1xf Norma brass from tradeX ($60) as I will be reloading, excited to do so with this caliber because of the wide range of projectile weights available.

So with that said; does anybody have any suggestions as to what projectiles I should be starting off with?

I'm already loading several other calibers with H4895, H4350, and H335 - so those powders will be at my disposal initially.

Primary targets will be paper, steel, & pop cans at relatively short distance - 100m (all my local club has..), with the odd camping or range trips @ longer distances to stretch the legs a bit.

Thanks for any input!
 
I have had great luck with 70 grain nosler ballistic tip bullets and varget. And 87 grain Hornaday Vmax with H4895 in several rifles. The 85 grain Sierra hpbt game king is also a proven performer but I don't currently remember what powder I run behind that bullet.
 
I see some Varget in my future then...
Want to extend the barrel life as much as possible, but it looks like there will be no problem hitting 3000+fps with 55-75g pills and relatively light loads.

Thanks for the feedback!
 
I have loaded 243 extensively in the past, mainly 100 gr bullets though for deer. A few years back I did a bunch of load testing for a buddy with 55 gr and up, you can get those little bullets moving. Gave him all the data unfortunately so don't have any to pass on. Have fun it is a great cartridge.
 
Lukrative said:
I see some Varget in my future then...
Want to extend the barrel life as much as possible, but it looks like there will be no problem hitting 3000+fps with 55-75g pills and relatively light loads.

Thanks for the feedback!
Click to expand...

If you are looking to extend barrel life id stay away from the super light bullets and think 80-100 gr. I dont think it makes a huge difference though, but I can achieve everything I want with 90 gr and if it saves barrel, awesome. Just my two cents.
My favourite loads are 90 gr Nosler Ballistic tip and accubonds with h4350.

North
 
I've been loading .243 since 1979. I forget how many I own. For want you plan on using it for I'd buy cheap bulk 80-90 grainers or thereabouts. If you hunt deer with it, just use low end 100 grain pointed soft points. I've killed more deer than I can remember using those out to 200M.
The powders you have are fine. I use what ever brass I can scrounge and use it till it shows signs of head separation using a dental pick to feel inside the case.
You aren't trying to hit groundhogs at 500M so serious precision isn't called for. No need to complicate it unless you like the journey.
Enjoy the new toy. The .243 is a handy cartridge.
 
My rifle likes the 100 gr Nosler partitions with RL17. It’s strictly a hunting load so I wasn’t overly concerned with ES and SD, but was pleasantly surprised when I ended up with SD’s of 7 FPS.
 
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