243 W1N for F class ????

coyote

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Gooday guys I went shooting with a fellow gunnuter friday morning he wanted to try some new loads and our range is 685 yds so a good place to practice,
Thing is I was kind of interessted in what he had to say about the competitions and would like to start shooting F class but I don't have a long range rig like his 308.
The best I got would be a 243 medium heavy barrel 26" 1in 10 twist.
llast night I was looking at the berger website for bullets the best I could shoot out of a 10 twist is the 90gr with a .410 BC some of the better bullets semm to have a BC of over .500 .
I'm thinking I may be alright out to maybe 600M or so but I think I might be suffering past that.
I don't expect to win the nationals with it but I should be able to get started untill I build something else.
what do you guys think any advise for me.
 
I'll have to try some I just loaded up some loads with some sierra 100gr BT I will try tomorrow morning after my kids find all the eggs the easter bunny hid lol.
I tried some H4831 I don't have any short cut left .
 
The 243 can do it but the wind is not your friend .
I shot at Borden 2 years ago with my 243 for precision out to 800 yards .
Zeroed for 300 I had to put on 18.2 minutes to get out to 800 .
 
Prob need a 9 or faster twist.
My old 243AI 1-8.5" MacClennan would should 105 Bergers and 107SMKs over 3000fps.
Pretty sure the barrel would be red hot after 20 rounds in a row though
 
The 90 Bergers are a great bullet and should work very well. Also, I would TRY shooting some of the 105 Berger boat tail match (not the 105 VLD). Pushed hard, these just might work and they are not seating depth sensitive.

Yeah, it is not an ideal 1000M twist rate, but it is what you have and you should be able to make it work well enough that you can learn to read conditions.

The other bad news is that its barrel life aint great and you may find yourself barrel shopping after 1500-2000 rounds max.
 
Im back from the range I tried some H4831 and some nobel 47n {wich is similar to 4350]behind some 100gr sierra gameking BT wich is all I had to try the 4831 didn't do well the 47n was the best 5/8 at about 125yds with wind maybe 15mph and no flags .
I am uncertain about the twist rate I measured it with a cleaning brush and rod I came up 1-10 it is a ruger target grey with the laminate beavertail stock,maybe someone can enlighten me on the true twist rate.
Obtunded I was aware of the early barrel thing I read about it on 6br .com last night Rembo had mentioned to me to check out the site.
I am looking to build a 308 in the near future after I sell off about 7or 8 guns I don't use anymore.
The plan is to get started I have shot a fair amount of benchrest out to 400yds or so mostly with my 22br's and 6ppc out to 300 but I realize reading conditions out past that can be challenging also got to get the gun shooting tighter than 5/8 at 125.
 
308 is fine in F-class if you are in FTR, since you are only competing against 308's and 223. Some of the iron-sight TR shooters give scoped F-Class shooters a run for their money with their 308's.
 
Coyote,
You have a gun in hand with a scope and pod. Get out to the range with some of the LR shooters in your neck of the woods and have some fun.If you enjoy it enough you can take a look at building up a more competitive gun and round but still will have learned a lot just with what you brung. Get ahold of your PRA (NBRSA) and see what's cooking!
Gord
 
I'll be laying on the ground soon enough just need to work up the right load combo first .
The only reason I was going to build a 308 was to shoot FTR but reading some of your feedback I am inclined to maybe build something else.
A few of my friends and I have our own private range 685yds 5 min from my house so I can get all the range time I want.
What is a 260 like on barrels compared to a 243 and does it buck the wind any better.
I always thought of something between a 6br or dasher and 6x47 lapua using the later case just a thought.
 
I do not know enough to answer your question. Hopefully rnbra shooter will pipe up as he will know the ins and outs of fullbore. Also where in New Brunswick are you. I am in Northern NB and my range is limited to 300 yards. 400 If I shoot from our parking lot.:)
 
Coyote,
Given that you can spend a good part of this summer joining in with the shooters in FO,FTR,TR ,you can gain a great amount of knowledge and hands on experience with people who have gone through what you are now.
Don't rush into building too quickly until you've kicked some tires and done some in depth research.
I like FO class because of the freedoms to wildcat. Not for everyone though as it can be more time consuming .FTR is a fast growing class that has it's advantages for a newer
shooter.
If you get involved in this,by the end of the summer you'll have had enough input and opinions and experience to make the correct decision for yourself.
It's more important that you find out what your needs are in real time,than jump into a build without testing the waters.
Have some fun this summer and ring out the best from your current equipment.As you outgrow your tools,you'll know what is right for you.
Enjoy
Gord
 
Coyote, I'd bring your existing rifle to one of our matches starting this May, and see how it does. Your .243 will put you in F open class. We'll help you sort out the wish list from the need list. I suspect it will do just fine for your first season.
 
Thing is I was kind of interessted in what he had to say about the competitions and would like to start shooting F class but I don't have a long range rig like his 308.
The best I got would be a 243 medium heavy barrel 26" 1in 10 twist.

What makes you think a .308 is superior to your 243 for long range shooting? Compare the energy and drop numbers for both and you will quickly see that the 243 is superior to the 308 from muzzle to 1000yds, where the .308 falls on its face and the 243 keeps going. The 243 has more energy than the 308 from the muzzle all the way out to 1000 yds due to its higher velocity. And it does all that with less felt recoil.

llast night I was looking at the berger website for bullets the best I could shoot out of a 10 twist is the 90gr with a .410 BC some of the better bullets semm to have a BC of over .500 .
I'm thinking I may be alright out to maybe 600M or so but I think I might be suffering past that.

A 168gr .308 has a BC of roughly .460 which is not that much better than the 90gr Berger. Take a look at the 95gr Scenar, it has a BC the same as the bigger 107gr bullets but can be pushed faster.

I shot my .243 to well over a mile. Try THAT with a .308.
 
What makes you think a .308 is superior to your 243 for long range shooting? Compare the energy and drop numbers for both and you will quickly see that the 243 is superior to the 308 from muzzle to 1000yds, where the .308 falls on its face and the 243 keeps going. The 243 has more energy than the 308 from the muzzle all the way out to 1000 yds due to its higher velocity. And it does all that with less felt recoil.



A 168gr .308 has a BC of roughly .460 which is not that much better than the 90gr Berger. Take a look at the 95gr Scenar, it has a BC the same as the bigger 107gr bullets but can be pushed faster.

I shot my .243 to well over a mile. Try THAT with a .308.

Thank you Suputin, I was under the influence that bigger is always better, but seeing as how I can cut the cost of 308 loading in close to 1/2 with a 243, I might just have to build one of those and use it.
 
Thanks Suputin for the heads up on the reality of the 243 potential I had a feeling it was a good cartrige for f class but I thought maybe I didn't have enough barrel twist.
Now reading what you said I might try some of those 95 scenars I think Peter Dobson might have some I will check would like to try the bergers to .
 
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