Which .243 round for target shooting?

[AB3006]

I just bought a .243 for my teen... I mean that I bought it for myself, but I'll let him use it sometimes

I wanted to start us off on some target practice and some break-in on the rifle. Can you suggest some not-too-expensive options for ammo that would be good to practice with? I'm hoping to shoot from 25 to 400 yards.

 

[Fox]

My opinion, probably wrong but it is what it is.

I do not like running super high velocity, it wears out barrels faster and really is not necessary.

There is no reason why a 100gr load in the 243 cannot be a good target load, especially because the 85gr and 100gr winchester grey box will cost about the same amount.

If you are running factory loads, those grey box will do just fine, save the brass for reloading later.

I am getting my wife into a 243 for hunting deer and varmints, will probably just run 95 or 100gr for both, keep the barrel life up.

 

[mikeyb]

I'm trying 103s in my 1:9 twist .243 to see how they shoot. Box says 8-twist required but every barrel is different. Other than that, I like the 95 grain Ballistic Tip.

 

[AB3006]

My opinion, probably wrong but it is what it is.

I do not like running super high velocity, it wears out barrels faster and really is not necessary.

There is no reason why a 100gr load in the 243 cannot be a good target load, especially because the 85gr and 100gr winchester grey box will cost about the same amount.

If you are running factory loads, those grey box will do just fine, save the brass for reloading later.

I am getting my wife into a 243 for hunting deer and varmints, will probably just run 95 or 100gr for both, keep the barrel life up.

I'm trying 103s in my 1:9 twist .243 to see how they shoot. Box says 8-twist required but every barrel is different. Other than that, I like the 95 grain Ballistic Tip.

Thanks everyone. I still have a hard time navigating the relationship between twist rates and bullet weights.

The boomstick in question has a 22" barrel with a 1:9.25" twist. Will that be OK with ~100 grain bullets? I know they'll shoot, but will they be OK with reasonable accuracy for target shooting, or would 85s be better? I do understand that it will also vary from gun to gun, especially at the lower end of the price and QC scales.

For hunting, I'm definitely thinking 100gr.

 

[Suther]

Thanks everyone. I still have a hard time navigating the relationship between twist rates and bullet weights.

The boomstick in question has a 22" barrel with a 1:9.25" twist. Will that be OK with ~100 grain bullets? I know they'll shoot, but will they be OK with reasonable accuracy for target shooting, or would 85s be better? I do understand that it will also vary from gun to gun, especially at the lower end of the price and QC scales.

For hunting, I'm definitely thinking 100gr.

100gr typically shoot fine in a 10 twist as long as they're not a super sleek vld shape. Your 9.25 should have no issues.

I typically stick to 100gr bullets in my 243, Hornady interlocks is what I'm reloading currently. I'm pretty sure the Hornady whitetail ammo line uses that bullet. It's not a premium line of ammo, should be a bit more expensive than Winchester superx but nowhere near nosler or the good stuff from federal.