Jump to content

Light load for 243Win


Recommended Posts

Does anyone know of a 55 or 60g bullet thats useable in a 243Win / a good friend told of a patch of grass he has that has deer,,,, so meaning a forth rifle.

 

Any ideas would be most interesting. Thanks Tom

 

 

Tom, you have two problems here. First is the twist rate of the .243" barrel, to duplicate .222 trajectories you will need a 1in12 twist to handle 58 grain V-max. Then you have to be 'deer' legal, 1700ft-lb muzzle energy. This can only really be achieved using 75 grain bullets, and there is a third problem there are not 75 grain bullet designed specifically for deer shooting, so and NOT that I recommend this, the only option would be to use a 75 grain V-max. This can be driven to deer legal velocities (3195 fps) but isn't ideal on anything bigger than Roe, and IMHO not good for Muntjac. A 75 grain bullet will not duplicate faster .222 bullets. In short as a compromise, you could use a 75 grain V-max load for fox & Roe (not that I believe V-max are legal for deer or ethical) but it would be a dual purpose load.

 

75 grain V-max / 43.5 grains of H380 will produce 3210 fps.

 

John

And here we go again...

 

Tom has no problems at all.

 

Take 55gr Nosler, add H414 (around 51-52 grains of it). Enjoy. If you hit 3800fps, you're deer legal (england), end of. Now, be careful - only use on roe and below, and shoot in the head or neck. But it works very nicely on Charlie. I have got a touch over 4000 occasionally from 52gr H414, most often it sits around 3980 fps.

 

My rifle prefers the 70gr Nosler though, which I can run at a shade under 3500fps (H4895 powder).

 

 

 

Link to post

  • Replies 137
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

The topic header suggests that the OP requires a "light load". I think the OP may well be surprised that there are only a few possibilities out there. Best I have come up with, which is a REAL load

No arguement about the speeds required to make certain bullet weights deer legal, but just pointing out that there is no legal minimum speed for bullets in law!... not semantics, accuracy! There are

Well i think ive solved the problem

Gona sell the girl Friend into the white slave trade then i can have both .222 and a 243

Good decision sidelock...have you considered a 22/250? or are you looking at range with greater accuracy? :thumbs:

Edited by chocky14u
Link to post

Hello Chocky,

 

Yes i did wonder about a 22/250 but know very little about them. What im after is a cartridge thats will give me near to flat traj out to around 200yards give or take a mile or three, plus the added problem of the odd shot at deer, as the deer will be very few and far between i didnt want to tie up the cash in a rifle i wont need very often, thats why i was looking at a down load for a 243 for fox ( a 50/55g bullet) then on the odd days ill get to bash Bambi i can use a full 243 load, cheaper to tie up a few quid in ammo then a lot of quids in a rifle.

 

What i was trying do was cover 4 uses with three guns,

ie, 17hmr - long range bunny

22lr - Sub sonic

222 - long range fox

243 - Odd deer

Link to post

Hello Chocky,

 

Yes i did wonder about a 22/250 but know very little about them. What im after is a cartridge thats will give me near to flat traj out to around 200yards give or take a mile or three, plus the added problem of the odd shot at deer, as the deer will be very few and far between i didnt want to tie up the cash in a rifle i wont need very often, thats why i was looking at a down load for a 243 for fox ( a 50/55g bullet) then on the odd days ill get to bash Bambi i can use a full 243 load, cheaper to tie up a few quid in ammo then a lot of quids in a rifle.

 

What i was trying do was cover 4 uses with three guns,

ie, 17hmr - long range bunny

22lr - Sub sonic

222 - long range fox

243 - Odd deer

22/250 and 222 have always been popular for the foxes but at the moment the 22/250 has the benefit of being used also for Roe in Scotland making it a versatile weapon for professional stalkers in the Scottish Borders.

 

Its not a caliber i have, but a family member does and he uses it mainly for the foxes but did take Roe deer occasionally when he shot in Scotland. All our current shooting is in England so the .243, 6mm ack has become the weapon of choice for us both.

 

We dont have an abundance of smaller deer in our location but sightings are increasing, so couldnt comment on its effectiveness for them.

Link to post

I prefer the 65grVmax or the 70gr Sierra HP - They work fine on coyotes - My longest coyote shot with a .243 shooting 70gr Sierra HP -- 480 yards witnessed. .243 is my favorite calibre it 's versatile....

My longest hunting kill shot was a coyote with a 7mmSTW shooting a 120gr Vmax - 750 yards witnessed...

I use molycoated bullets in all my high power rifles and I never shoot more than 3 or 4 shots - then I let the barrel cool down before shooting again.... I sight in all my rifles on a cold clean bore.... Heat is the enemy of a good rifle ... 1 shot is all that is usually needed then I swab out and cool it out...

SGS :gunsmilie:

Link to post

Hello Chocky,

 

Yes i did wonder about a 22/250 but know very little about them. What im after is a cartridge thats will give me near to flat traj out to around 200yards give or take a mile or three, plus the added problem of the odd shot at deer, as the deer will be very few and far between i didnt want to tie up the cash in a rifle i wont need very often, thats why i was looking at a down load for a 243 for fox ( a 50/55g bullet) then on the odd days ill get to bash Bambi i can use a full 243 load, cheaper to tie up a few quid in ammo then a lot of quids in a rifle.

 

What i was trying do was cover 4 uses with three guns,

ie, 17hmr - long range bunny

22lr - Sub sonic

222 - long range fox

243 - Odd deer

22/250 and 222 have always been popular for the foxes but at the moment the 22/250 has the benefit of being used also for Roe in Scotland making it a versatile weapon for professional stalkers in the Scottish Borders.

 

Its not a caliber i have, but a family member does and he uses it mainly for the foxes but did take Roe deer occasionally when he shot in Scotland. All our current shooting is in England so the .243, 6mm ack has become the weapon of choice for us both.

 

We dont have an abundance of smaller deer in our location but sightings are increasing, so couldnt comment on its effectiveness for them.

 

 

Not quite sure what you are saying but just to qualify, the .222 is also Roe legal in Scotland with the right load! :thumbs:

Link to post

Ive been informed they are Roe Deer, and in England

 

 

I have to admit I have skipped through this so a lot of this may have been said or passed over.....

 

....a 22CF will knock down a Roe just as easily in England and Wales as it does in Scotland, problem is it isn't legal.

 

Deer Act says a .240, but seeing as they are about as rare a rocking horse s**t the reality is it tends to end up as .243, but then you can take ALL deer legally...

 

So forget the .222 and get a .243, 58g V-Max is an excellent fox round!!

 

ATB

Link to post

Ive been informed they are Roe Deer, and in England

 

 

I have to admit I have skipped through this so a lot of this may have been said or passed over.....

 

....a 22CF will knock down a Roe just as easily in England and Wales as it does in Scotland, problem is it isn't legal.

 

Deer Act says a .240, but seeing as they are about as rare a rocking horse s**t the reality is it tends to end up as .243, but then you can take ALL deer legally...

 

So forget the .222 and get a .243, 58g V-Max is an excellent fox round!!

 

ATB

 

rare as rocking horse shit! you can say that again, I recall someone telling me that Holland & Holland made a .240 cartridge - I did a search and it's called .240 Apex or Belted Nitro Express or Magnum Rimless, though it does fire a .245" bullet to bigger than the .243 anyway...

 

Cheers

DB

Link to post

And here we go again...

 

Tom has no problems at all.

 

Take 55gr Nosler, add H414 (around 51-52 grains of it). Enjoy. If you hit 3800fps, you're deer legal (england), end of. Now, be careful - only use on roe and below, and shoot in the head or neck. But it works very nicely on Charlie. I have got a touch over 4000 occasionally from 52gr H414, most often it sits around 3980 fps.

 

My rifle prefers the 70gr Nosler though, which I can run at a shade under 3500fps (H4895 powder).

 

 

Interesting, running your suggestion through Quick Load shows that Tom would have to use 49 grains of H414 to produce 3798 fps or 1762 ft-lb using a 55grain Nosler. 51 grains would give a 99.7% case fill of powder, some compressed load Tom would have, but not for long because such a load according to quick load would produce well over safe pressures, so Tom wouldn't have much to worry about at all, not even council tax. I would love to see 51-52 grains. Pry tell, what load do you use with the 70 grain bullets? Now according to Quick load 52 grains of H414 would over fill the case by 1.6% or give a 1.6% compressed charge.

 

Very interesting, I must come and see you shoot one day, albeit behind lexan glass.

 

 

 

John

Link to post

The .243 Winchester

 

By Chuck Hawks

 

 

Illustration courtesy of Hornady Mfg. Co.

The .243 Winchester is a better varmint cartridge than the .25's, while remaining adequate for deer and antelope. The .243 launches an 80 grain varmint bullet at a muzzle velocity (MV) of about 3,350 fps. This means that it shoots about as flat as a .22-250, only its 80 grain spitzer bullet has a BC of .365, compared to the 55 grain .22 spitzer's BC of .255. This is an enormous difference, and explains why the .24's are so much better than the .22's on windy days.

 

When using the .243 to hunt medium size big game animals, bullet selection is paramount. Rapid (but controlled) expansion is very important, as the small diameter 6mm bullet has little shocking power if it does not expand and expend its energy inside of the animal. Two bullets in the 90-100 grain weight range that have earned a good reputation on medium size big game animals are the Remington Core-Lokt and Nosler Partition.

 

Winchester's Supreme 95 grain Ballistic Silvertip big game bullet is factory loaded to a MV of 3,100 fps with 2,021 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy (ME). If that load is zeroed to strike 2.5 inches high at 100 yards the bullet will then strike 3 inches high at 150 yards, 2.3 inches high at 200 yards, and 3 inches low at 300 yards. At 200 yards that bullet hits with 1,455 ft. lbs. of energy, and at 300 yards it still retains 1,225 ft. lbs. of energy. With this load so zeroed the .243 Winchester is about a 300 yard deer and antelope cartridge.

 

Reloaders with a .243 are in luck. There are bullets from 55-115 grains from which to choose, and many common powders are adaptable to the .243. Also, .243 brass is strong and plentiful. Generally, bullets from 70 to 80 grains are the best choice for varmint hunting, and bullets from 90 to 105 grains are the best choice for hunting CXP2 class game. Here are some important specifications for reloaders: bullet diameter .243", maximum case length 2.045", maximum COL 2.71", MAP 52,000 cup.

 

Bullets lighter than 90 grains are generally varmint bullets, and bullets 90 grains and heavier are generally intended for big game hunting. The distinction is important because the internal construction of the two types of bullets is quite different. Very few bullets are adaptable to both purposes.

 

According to the Nosler Reloading Guide No.5 their 80 grain Ballistic Tip varmint bullet can be driven to a MV of 3041 fps with 38.5 grains of H380 powder and 3291 fps in front of 42.5 grains of H380.

 

My favorite general purpose .243 load uses a Hornady 87 grain BTHP bullet in front of a maximum load of 37.1 grains of IMR 4064 powder for a MV of 3100 fps. Hornady technicians developed this load in Hornady cases using Federal 210 primers. It provides very good accuracy in my Browning 1885 Low Wall rifle.

 

According to the Nosler Reloading Guide No.5 their The 95-100 grain big game bullets can be driven to a MV of 2909 fps with 37.5 grains of IMR 4350 powder, or 3060 fps in front of 41.5 grains of the same powder.

 

The technicians at Nosler used Winchester cases and Remington 9 1/2 primers for their load development. The Nosler loads were chronographed from a 24 inch barrel.

 

Note: A full length article about the .243 Winchester can be found on the Rifle Cartridge Page.

Link to post

And here we go again...

 

Tom has no problems at all.

 

Take 55gr Nosler, add H414 (around 51-52 grains of it). Enjoy. If you hit 3800fps, you're deer legal (england), end of. Now, be careful - only use on roe and below, and shoot in the head or neck. But it works very nicely on Charlie. I have got a touch over 4000 occasionally from 52gr H414, most often it sits around 3980 fps.

 

My rifle prefers the 70gr Nosler though, which I can run at a shade under 3500fps (H4895 powder).

 

 

Interesting, running your suggestion through Quick Load shows that Tom would have to use 49 grains of H414 to produce 3798 fps or 1762 ft-lb using a 55grain Nosler. 51 grains would give a 99.7% case fill of powder, some compressed load Tom would have, but not for long because such a load according to quick load would produce well over safe pressures, so Tom wouldn't have much to worry about at all, not even council tax. I would love to see 51-52 grains. Pry tell, what load do you use with the 70 grain bullets? Now according to Quick load 52 grains of H414 would over fill the case by 1.6% or give a 1.6% compressed charge.

 

Very interesting, I must come and see you shoot one day, albeit behind lexan glass.

 

 

 

John

 

 

John...you need to lighten up a bit...there is more to shooting than a text book!

 

The world has played with hot loads ever since it could, and most people are still around to tell the tale!

 

I know 3 people (1 being Me) who have had near death experiences with factory ammo....none yet with home brews! :thumbs::thumbs:

Link to post

Hello Lads,

 

I may be wrong but i think you all seem to think i want a light 243 deer load,,,, no what i want is to down load to a light bullet for use on FOX, for the deer id use the 100g load.

My problem isnt rate of twist, too much powder weight of bullet its this ,,, I cant justify buying a rifle that may only be used once or twice a year,, the way i see it its better to use a light loaded bigger gun for fox than try to pump up a small gun to use on deer

Link to post
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.


×
×
  • Create New...