I need some powder options for 243 PLEASE!!!

A

AROKHUNTER

New member
Okay, here is the deal. I am fairly new to the reloading scene and the 243. I have been reloading for a few of my different rifles already, but I am still learning. I have a 243 rifle at the gunsmith right now getting a new 20" CBI with 1 in 9" twist barrel mounted up. I have been looking all over the internet for a while looking for different powders that would would work better in this barrel with different bullets and I have seen soooooooooooo many different opinions. My head is spinning from all of the looking I have done. I have come to trust this forum more than most for advice, so this will be my "go to" spot for this info. I need help in deciding on which powders would be reccommended for this rifle. I will list the particular bullets that I have chosen to try and use for now to help determine the powder choice. If there are some other bullet/powder options that would work well in this barrel, please let me know what you think. I will be using the rifle as both a predator rifle and a deer rifle when needed. So, a range of bullet choices seems necessary. Here are the bullet choices that I have so far.

55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip
70 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip
80 grain Hornady GMX

I know that the 55 grain Nosler is a stretch for this barrel and twist rate, but I thought that I just had to try them and see if they will shoot. Let me know your thoughts and opinions on these bullets and possible powder combos or any others that you may know of that might work well in rifle setup. I do not want to go over a 95 grain bullet for this rifle. PLEASE let me know your thoughts and advice. Thanks in advance.
 
Can't remember the RPM limit for that that bullet. You would have to call them. IIRC they can hapily take 320,000RPM, so should have no issue.
I like Win760/H414 for the light weight stuff in my 243.
In the 243 when it is HOT you may need to back your cool weather loads off a grain, but no worries otherwise.

My jug of 760 falls in between Nosler's 414-760 data.
 
I just recently did a good bit of messing around with a 22 inch barreled .243 and 80gr bullets. I used Superformance,N150, Norma MRP,IMR4064 and W-W760 and settled on W-W760. I got the most velocity from Superformance but only by a narrow margin over the W760. Accuracy was a toss-up all shot very good..... but that was to be expected it was a Savage.
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Imr 4064 is a great 243 powder, all around. As is Varget.

8208 XBR would be great for the light stuff.

Win-760 makes great loads, but is pretty temp sensitive.

I have also had good luck with RE-15 as well.
 
My 1-9" liked IMR 4064 and the Berger 87VLD's. They looked to be decent bullets and had good accuracy, just not explosive enough for me to use in my varmint application. Should be the ticket for a light deer bullet, not sure if they are too tough for coyotes though. They seemed to penetrate more than their V-max counterpart in the same weight. I ran 70NBT's with either IMR 4064 or Varget for a while varminting and they did good also, I was using my factory 1-9 1/8" barrel then. They rarely exited groundhogs running around 3450fps. I'd say this is too light for deer though, might work well on coyotes. The good news is that you have lots of avenues you can follow by going with the 9" twist. Good luck with your pursuit.
 
I had pretty good luck with both IMR-4064 and Varget with a range of bullets from the 58gr up to 85. Ended up sticking with the 4064 though as it was more consistant (meaning it had a wider margin on the optimal charge with good accuracy) with the Hornady 75g HP's.

Did just pick me up a pound of the IMR-8208 XBR though to see how it does. I'm hoping I can find suitable loads (MOA or less) for both the 75g .243 and .223 in the 40-55gr range. From what I'm reading, this is a power that could fill both those needs...course, the proof is in the puddin', so we'll see.
 
K-22hornet
I always have H4350 and usually have some Varget around. That is all I keep since that is what works in my other rifles. I was hoping that one of these would be a good option so that I do not have to keep a lot of different powders around.
 
I am running Varget at the max load in the Nosler book pushing a 70 NBT and it has worked good for me so far. No yotes yet but have taken more than a few deer at 400 yds and one quite a bit further but it did run a little bit. Most are just dropping in their tracks. Factory Rem 700 varmint 26" barrel with 9 1/4 twist. During the heat I am icing down the shells so I don't have to back the load down. Learned that from a member on here.
 
IMR4064 for any weight bullet in the semi-auto R25
Accurate 4350 for the 95g in bolt action.
IMR 4064 and 58g V-max is all the R25 may ever see anymore..so long as I own it anyway.

ETA-regarding the R25; maybe a but load of 80g FMJ should the need arise.
 
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tractorman---
What do you mean by "icing down the shells"?

Boy, you guys never do let me down on the fast responses. Keep'em coming! And THANKS!!!
 
Literally putting them on ice in a cooler. Ambient temps effect loads. Someone can probably explain this better than me as I am still learning.
 
55g NBT to 58g Vmax bullets all you will need is W760 or H414...same stuff by weight and accuracy
70g all you need is Varget.
They will all go into nice small holes on paper and hit the 600 yard steel with authority.
They will drop a coyote in its tracks.
 
Originally Posted By: tractormanLiterally putting them on ice in a cooler. Ambient temps effect loads. Someone can probably explain this better than me as I am still learning.

Putting ice on Varget?

IMR-8208xbr will handle the light stuff. No ice required.
 
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