243 Winchester load developement

Longshot338

Longshot338

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Hello all,

I will be purchasing a coyote rifle soon; an old Rem700 with a wood stock and sporter barrel.

Thr rifle comes with dies, brass, and bullets.

I want to find out what powder/bullet combination this rifle likes without shooting a ton of test loads and burning the barrel out.

I will be using bullets in the 60gr range. +/- 10grains I suspect.

The powders I have to try are:

Win748
H BL-C(2)
H-Varget
H4895
H-Benchmark
H322
IMR8208XBR
IMR4350
Vihtavuori N-140

Which of these powders should I try in the 243 Winchester? Are there any that stand out as great? Are there any not worth my time and money trying?

Is there any other powder that performs well enough in the 243 that I should consider buying a pound just to try? I am not aversed to doing so, how do you think I ended up with all these different types in the first place ;).

What bullets should I try? I am usin the rifle mainly for coyote hunting and practice. The 243 isn't an ideal round for high-volume target practice due to the barrel life. However, this particular rifle shoots VERY well, and I want to use it to deelope my precision shooting skills (or lack thereof at this point).

Thanks,
Alec
 
I haven't done a lot of development for the 243, mainly because I was able to work up a load using H4895 so easily - though that was for a heavier bullet than you are planning for (it was the 85 gr TSX). H4895 is a very versatile powder. I suspect Varget would work well too.
 
Max load of varget and a 70 nosler or sierra match king have always worked extremely well in my 243's
 
I've had good experience with Varget and 4895 when loading light bullets in the .243. With 60 gr bullets either Varget or 4895 will produce good performance and accuracy. When you decide to shoot heavy bullets (85 gr +) slow powders are the way to go.
 
I have shot 10s of thousands of rounds from many different 243s but I've never used anything lighter than 80 gnrs in the last 30 years, IMR 4350 has always given me the best velocity and accuracy with the 80-90 grn bullets I prefer. Not a lot of help I know, but if you decide to step up your bullet weight a touch it may be of some value to you. I have found 80 gns to be the optimum bullet weight for the 243 after 40 years of playing with this caliber. It gives the highest velocity per grain and retains a decent BC for longer shots, giving it a flatter trajectory and higher retained energy when it gets out there a ways.
 
+1 for varget and h4895 work well for me in the 70-85 grain range, i can cloverleaf them, and it would be like 1000-1500 rounds till u burn that barrel out, so 25-50 for load development isnt that bad
 
"...bullets in the 60gr range..." Hides an issue? 60 grainers are varmint bullets and will make big holes. In any case, Remingtion uses 1 in 9.125 rifling. It'll prefer heavy bullets. 85's and up. IMR4350 works well with the 90 grain FMJ's and 105 SP's I've used for eons.
Didn't bother spending too much time of the load as my rifle isn't up to driving tacks(Cooey M71). Shoots consistently into 2 or 3 inches(Minute of Deer). Good enough. Any missing has been me.
 
In any case, Remingtion uses 1 in 9.125 rifling. It'll prefer heavy bullets. 85's and up.
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My factory 40X in 6mmrem, shot sub 1/2moa with 60gr bullets. In fact, that is the bullet weight used to shoot the test group that came with it.
 
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IMR 4064 (38gr) and 70gr Nos BTs' are getting it done on my end. I do have to do some fine tuning for the 87gr VM I have..
 
another vote for varget and 70 grain ballistic tips. Just finished a ladder test and looks like 41-42 grains of varget might be the sweet spot.
 
c-fbmi said:
I have shot 10s of thousands of rounds from many different 243s but I've never used anything lighter than 80 gnrs in the last 30 years, IMR 4350 has always given me the best velocity and accuracy with the 80-90 grn bullets I prefer. Not a lot of help I know, but if you decide to step up your bullet weight a touch it may be of some value to you. I have found 80 gns to be the optimum bullet weight for the 243 after 40 years of playing with this caliber. It gives the highest velocity per grain and retains a decent BC for longer shots, giving it a flatter trajectory and higher retained energy when it gets out there a ways.
Click to expand...

I have in fact been considering the heavier bullets; I may just try them yet. So far, I am just starting with the bullets that came with the gun; they are all lighter bullets, and it shoots them well.
 
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