What's the top speed of .243 Winchester?

A max load of H380 under a 55 gr Nosler BT gives me 4050 fps from my 26" barrel.

I shot a groundhog at 25 yds with that load and had to move it with a shovel to keep it from falling apart.
 
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Considering that I can drive that 55 grain Ballistic tip just over 4200 fps in my 6mm Remington, I would think that 4000 would be doable.

Now the 100 grain pills will be considerably slower, probably 0n the order of 2950 fps or a bit more.

Dave.
 
4000+ f/s are max loads. However, the bullet weight matters a whole bunch. 4,000 or a tick more is as fast as a 55 goes.
6mm Rem isn't a .243.
 
Was this question out of curiosity? Or you planning to make fast ammo?

If the latter, remember that this will burn out a the barrel faster. I like to get at least one season out of a barrel, preferably two.

As you drive bullets faster, you run the risk of them blowing up in mid flight. All you see is a grey smudge in the air, and no bullet on target.

I have seen this as low as 3500 fps.

And light bullets drift more in the wind. Makes it harder to hit the target.
 
Don't get too hung up on velocity figures from ballistic tables. I have almost never registered the velocity shown in ballistic tables when I have duplicated their load. What counts is what you register on your chronograph, assuming it reads correctly.
Regarding 100 grain bullets in a 243, my old notes show that on Nov. 14, 1990, five shots from my Ruger 77, with 22 inch barrel, loaded with 47 grains of Norma 205, averaged 3094, 12 feet from the muzzle, with es of 45, shown on my Oehler chronograph.
47 grains of the old WW2 surplus powder that Hodgdon named H4831, did almost the same, with a high of 3093 and a low of 3065.
The same charge, 47 grains of modern H4831 will show a bit more than 100 fps less than those figures.
 
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