Loading .243 Win

Max load IMR4831 is the winner for the gun I'm working with. Half inch groups at 100 and rang gongs out to 750 yards last time to range!
 
Ladder tests don't tell you much about the accuracy of a particular load. Just where the POI is related to other loads.
34.0 is a tick over max according to Hodgdon. Not enough to make any difference though. S'only .7 over and that's is just a test day variation.
Anyway, I've been using IMR4350 with Speer 105 SP's for eons. Rifle(Cooey M71 1 in 9.125.) won't shoot 1" groups on a good day, but it does shoot consistent 2 to 3 inches.
 
i have found slow burn powders to be best suited (4831, H1000) .and fast twists as mentioned above. my factory 1:10 twist 243 can only handle up to 95 gr berger vlds. the 105's wouldn't stabilize.
working on a new build to hopefully overcome the heavy bullet issues by using a 1:8 twist barrel (and thats even a little slow for the 115r VLDs)
 
My wife's .243 likes 100gn "blue-box" Federals. She only hunts with it. She gets 13/16" groups from the bench and just over an inch from most supported field positions. She shoots a box a year. No sense reloading for that. However, most of her shooting with it is done when using it for 'yotes. Uses a lighter bullet and we DO reload for them since she'll shoot a couple if hundred of those in a year. Point being, if results are acceptable with factory, why try to re-invent for low round hunting usage? If you are going to use the same rifle for practice (which I recommend, BTW), try for more accurate, lighter weight (read lighter recoil) bullets and fine-tune your round-rifle combo with a set-up that takes advantage of ALL of their particular capabilities.
my suggestion is that you sight in the rifle using the 100gn hunting load. Then, create a 10x10 square diagram on graph paper. Mark the centre "crosshairs". Then; get, and install, a collimator on the rifle, note the scope's zero, and record it in the diagram. Build more accurate practice rounds, sight in with those. Again, use the collimator and record derails. Let her practice all she wants with those and, when she goes back to full factory loads in the fall, she will trust that rifle completely.
 
rookie wildcat said:
My wife's .243 likes 100gn "blue-box" Federals. She only hunts with it. She gets 13/16" groups from the bench and just over an inch from most supported field positions. She shoots a box a year. No sense reloading for that. However, most of her shooting with it is done when using it for 'yotes. Uses a lighter bullet and we DO reload for them since she'll shoot a couple if hundred of those in a year. Point being, if results are acceptable with factory, why try to re-invent for low round hunting usage? If you are going to use the same rifle for practice (which I recommend, BTW), try for more accurate, lighter weight (read lighter recoil) bullets and fine-tune your round-rifle combo with a set-up that takes advantage of ALL of their particular capabilities.
my suggestion is that you sight in the rifle using the 100gn hunting load. Then, create a 10x10 square diagram on graph paper. Mark the centre "crosshairs". Then; get, and install, a collimator on the rifle, note the scope's zero, and record it in the diagram. Build more accurate practice rounds, sight in with those. Again, use the collimator and record derails. Let her practice all she wants with those and, when she goes back to full factory loads in the fall, she will trust that rifle completely.
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30-40 years ago, when Rifleman's Rodeo was the big thing in competitive shooting, I had a 243 made up for me on a 98 Mauser action with a Dayton trigger. I used 70 grain HP bullets and 4320 powder. It worked very well. When those competitions ended around here I sold the heavy 243 and have since worked other 243 rifles, including another custom 243 made by a well known gunsmith, usually in heavier grain bullets. A couple of years ago I bought a new Marlin XS7, the inexpensive little bolt action that gets so much glory heaped on it because of its accuracy.
On my first trip to the range with it I was so impressed with the accuracy, same grouping hot or cold barrel, that the first thing I did when I got home was to remove the stock to examine the bedding.
Marlin created a nice saddle on the front of the Tupperware stock, to give the barrel considerable pressure under it. With the ten inch twist, 100 grain bullets gave 3100 fps, using my old war surplus H4831 powder, but accuracy was still not as good as were lighter bullets.
Eagleye on here once suggested that I try H414 with lighter bullets, loaded at full tilt. I did try H414 with 70 and 75 grain bullets and that has been my go to powder ever since.
I get over 3500fps with 70 grain bullets and just under 3500 with 75 grain bullets, either pointed or HP and both give great accuracy.
The light bullets in that little Marlin rifle are a pleasure to shoot and it is the most accurate 243 rifle I have had, including two custom made rifles and a Ruger 77. If I was in coyote country that is what I would use.
 
H4831 said:
30-40 years ago, when Rifleman's Rodeo was the big thing in competitive shooting, I had a 243 made up for me on a 98 Mauser action with a Dayton trigger. I used 70 grain HP bullets and 4320 powder. It worked very well. When those competitions ended around here I sold the heavy 243 and have since worked other 243 rifles, including another custom 243 made by a well known gunsmith, usually in heavier grain bullets. A couple of years ago I bought a new Marlin XS7, the inexpensive little bolt action that gets so much glory heaped on it because of its accuracy.
On my first trip to the range with it I was so impressed with the accuracy, same grouping hot or cold barrel, that the first thing I did when I got home was to remove the stock to examine the bedding.
Marlin created a nice saddle on the front of the Tupperware stock, to give the barrel considerable pressure under it. With the ten inch twist, 100 grain bullets gave 3100 fps, using my old war surplus H4831 powder, but accuracy was still not as good as were lighter bullets.
Eagleye on here once suggested that I try H414 with lighter bullets, loaded at full tilt. I did try H414 with 70 and 75 grain bullets and that has been my go to powder ever since.
I get over 3500fps with 70 grain bullets and just under 3500 with 75 grain bullets, either pointed or HP and both give great accuracy.
The light bullets in that little Marlin rifle are a pleasure to shoot and it is the most accurate 243 rifle I have had, including two custom made rifles and a Ruger 77. If I was in coyote country that is what I would use.
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I'm loading 58gn V-Max moly coats ahead of 42gn WC735, and pushing 3900fps. She can knock a coyote down every time out to 300yds. There's no hesitation at all on her part.
 
BarneyRubble said:
Fairly new rifle to the family. Shot well out of the box with Factory Ammo, 1" groups at 100 yds.

Wanting to load 100gr Hornaday BTSP.

I have Varget, ladder tested to 34 grains, not impressed, best spread over 2.5 inchs

I am considering different powder - I have IMR 4831, H4831SC, Varget, H4895, SuperPerformance, IMR 4320, all of which should load well for this gun. Any pet loads you would like to share would be appreciated.

Thank you!
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You may want to play with your COL before changing powder. I just went through a little test with Hornady 95gr SST in .243, using IMR 4064 and IMR4350.
I found that there was some spread in group size as the charge increased, but I was able to shoot .626 with IMR 4064 and .804 with IMR4350.
Usually 2 shots will touch ( looks like a peanut) then the 3rd is off. I am going to pay far more attention to weighing my projectiles from now on, as I went through some testing with a Browning Xbolt in 270Win and was able to get the group down to .181
Some guys swear by Varget, so maybe look at the length of your rounds, or maybe weigh your components before seating them.
 
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