new cartridge for a noob relaoder

[Goose25]

I started reloading this spring for my .30-06, so I am still fairly new to this. I have a new rifle on the way, a .243 with a 1:9 twist (26" barrel). I got a couple questions...

What can I do to extend the barrel life of my .243? is moly bullets worth the extra coin? how many rounds can I expect to go through before I see my accuracy go south with regular copper plated bullets?

should I resize .308 brass, or just get .243 brass?

what are the "go to" powders for the .243?

I want to develope a load for punching paper. Generally speaking, what are the dissadvantages/advantages to a heavier/lighter bullet for target shooting? whats better for the .243, a long slow and heavy bullet, or a bullet that is short light and fast?

any dissadvantages/advantages to FMJ bullets (again, for target shooting)?

 

[iceman2]

I am not that familiar with the 243, but as with any round/rifle combination experiment with various loads and bullets. No two rifles are the same. Get yourself a few reloadind manuals and compare different loads. I would use 243 brass. Resizing 308 might make the necks too thick. The 243 is not that hot and barrel life should be quite long,maybe someone else has more knowledge re barrel life. FMJ bullets are good for target if your rifle likes them. Have fun experimenting.

 

[prosper]

moly does little to improve barrel life. It does reduce fouling though. Moly plated bullets are not expensive if you plate them yourself

The generally accepted barrel life of a 243 is 2,000 rounds. BUT - that's coming from the benchrest guys who need 1/10th MOA. You don't. Plus, the BR guys are notorious for loading +P pressures that would be considered dangerous in a standard sporting rifle with sporting tolerances. Hell, you could probably get 5000+ out of your average sporter before you start to notice anything. Things are different for purpose-built benchrest rigs and factory-built rifles.

I like using 308 cases as this results in thicker necks and a tighter fit into standard chambers. Just ensure it's not TOO tight...

Powder? I use Varget mostly. H4350 would also be a good choice, and 4832 might also be good for the really heavy bullets.

the 243 was designed for 90-105 grain bullets. Longer bullets mean less drift, and better ultra long range trajectory. The 105 AMAX should be easily capable of 1000+ yard shooting.

No one uses FMJ for anything serious.

 

[todbartell]

you should be able to get 3000 or so rounds out of a 243 before accuracy starts to go south

RL15 & Varget work well with bullets between 55 & 90 grain, and H4350 or RL19 are better for 90-105 grainers

 

[mikeelliot]

Cant wait to start loadin for my 243 AI!!

 

[sunray]

Mine's has more than 2,000 rounds through with no change in accuracy. The .243 being a hunting rifle barrel burner is a myth.
"...powders for the .243..." IMR4350 and IMR4064.
"...copper plated..." That's jacketed, not plated. Copper plated bullets are cast then plated. Not the same thing.
"...just get .243 brass..." Yes.
Your barrel will prefer heavy bullets with that rifling twist. 85 grains and up.
There are 105 and 107 grain match grade HPBT bullets available. Not exactly cheap though, but no match bullet is cheap.
"...No one uses FMJ for anything serious..." Hide hunting coyotes and fox. Target bullets they ain't though. A 90 grain bullet makes a puncture wound in a ground hog with no exit wound. Commercial FMJ's are not the same as milsurp FMJ's.

 

[adriel]

No one uses FMJ for anything serious.

Except for war, but who takes that seriously, right?

 

[Boomer]

Barrel life is effected by the heat from the powder combustion, not from the passage of the bullet. A worn barrel will erode form the chamber forward, and this is the cause for the loss of accuracy. In theory full powered loads that will give the longest barrel life are those with heavy bullets and a shorter column of any given powder. Heavier bullets in the .243 seem to produce the best results with powders that have a burn rate consistent with 4350. If you consider powders as fast as H-380 or as slow as R-19, you will have quite a few to choose from. You will know that your powder is too slow if you cannot get enough powder in the case to reach the expected velocity, and the powder is too fast if the load produces high pressure signs before you can reach the anticipated velocity.

My .243 sees more rounds of 55 gr Nosler BT's backed with 45 grs of Varget than any other load. I have well over a thousand rounds of this load through this barrel, and accuracy has not deteriorated that I can tell.

If you make .243 cases from .308, you will have to do extra work in your case prep. I would simply purchase .243 brass, for the hunter/plinker the brand is probably unimportant. If you are interested in the accuracy game I believe Winchester is the best North American brass, and Lapua , Norma, and RWS all have good reputations if you feel the need to buy premium Euro brass.

If paper punching is your interest, then match bullets are what you are after. Unless you have a barrel with a fast twist barrel, you will be restricted to bullets which weigh under 105 grs. I tried to shoot some 107 gr Sierra match in my 1:10 Lilja, and while I got no keyholes, neither did I get any realistic groups. Most measured larger than 6" at 100 yards. On the advise of some here I switched to 95 gr Scenars, and 5 rounds fired from 100 yards tore a single ragged hole in the paper.

I think Prosper pretty much covered the use of FMJ's. Monolithic solids due result in barrel wear because the bullets, normally made from lathe turned bronze are harder than copper and are less compressible.

 

[H4831]

243!

moly does little to improve barrel life. It does reduce fouling though. Moly plated bullets are not expensive if you plate them yourself

The generally accepted barrel life of a 243 is 2,000 rounds. BUT - that's coming from the benchrest guys who need 1/10th MOA. You don't. Plus, the BR guys are notorious for loading +P pressures that would be considered dangerous in a standard sporting rifle with sporting tolerances. Hell, you could probably get 5000+ out of your average sporter before you start to notice anything. Things are different for purpose-built benchrest rigs and factory-built rifles.

I like using 308 cases as this results in thicker necks and a tighter fit into standard chambers. Just ensure it's not TOO tight...

Powder? I use Varget mostly. H4350 would also be a good choice, and 4832 might also be good for the really heavy bullets.

the 243 was designed for 90-105 grain bullets. Longer bullets mean less drift, and better ultra long range trajectory. The 105 AMAX should be easily capable of 1000+ yard shooting.

Prosper, sure glad to see you state that bench rest shooters use high pressure loads! I knew this, but was always reluctant to write it, because every body and his brother is forever stating that to get good accuracy you have to use lighter loads. Something else about bench rest shooters that will drive many handloaders nuts, is the fact that BR shooters commonly load the bullets to snuggly fit the lands.
A 243 is bad to stretch the necks of the cases. They should be checked for length after only about two loadings, and maybe trimmed. This is something for a new loader to take note of. But Prosper, you made a typo on the slow powder, it should be H4831!

 

[Goose25]

thanks for the info guys...

I'm curently using imr 4350 for my .30-06, so Ill start with that powder for my .243. I also have some rl-15 "lying around", I'll be trying with lighter bullets.