SD Handgunner
New member
With all of the working on the house, and then being in the hospital, I never did make it out shooting Prairie Dogs this summer. At any rate, I have been busy shooting though. I worked up a NEW Varmint Load for my .243 Savage Striker Handgun. I have been searching for the perfect load that would provide me with the desired velocity, good accuracy, and yet provide the least amount of muzzle blast & flash possible.
I have tested 7 or 8 powders in this handgun with 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips. Most all powders provided good accuracy with the prefered charge, but some suffered in the Velocity department. ALL were horriblly loud, and not fun to shoot at all. Well I finally found the right combination. IMR-4198 in the .243 Handgun. Muzzle blast & flash are unbelievablly mild, velocity is quite good, and the accuracy is great.
Well Crow season opened here in South Dakota on October 1st, so some field testing with my new Varmint Load was in order. I am shooting the 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips out of my 14" .243 Savage Striker Handgun at 3100 FPS. At ranges from 100 yards to a tad over 330 yards, the results have been the same, Crows litterally torn in half. Generally at the shot there is a huge cloud of feathers, and when I go to look at the carnage, it is always the same, no matter the range.
How is this bullet going to perform on a Coyote? DO I need to step up to a 70gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip? (I tested these bullets also, and they achieved 2950 FPS from my Handgun, with equal accuracy, and muzzle blast & flash.)
I have shot over 400 rounds through this handgun searching for the right load with this bullet, and it seems as though it has all been worth it. I now have everything I was after, Great Accuracy (3/8" 5 shot groups at 100 yards), Decent Velocity (3100 FPS), and very mild Muzzle Blast & Flash.
The Prairie Dogs better beware next summer.
Larry
I have tested 7 or 8 powders in this handgun with 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips. Most all powders provided good accuracy with the prefered charge, but some suffered in the Velocity department. ALL were horriblly loud, and not fun to shoot at all. Well I finally found the right combination. IMR-4198 in the .243 Handgun. Muzzle blast & flash are unbelievablly mild, velocity is quite good, and the accuracy is great.
Well Crow season opened here in South Dakota on October 1st, so some field testing with my new Varmint Load was in order. I am shooting the 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips out of my 14" .243 Savage Striker Handgun at 3100 FPS. At ranges from 100 yards to a tad over 330 yards, the results have been the same, Crows litterally torn in half. Generally at the shot there is a huge cloud of feathers, and when I go to look at the carnage, it is always the same, no matter the range.
How is this bullet going to perform on a Coyote? DO I need to step up to a 70gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip? (I tested these bullets also, and they achieved 2950 FPS from my Handgun, with equal accuracy, and muzzle blast & flash.)
I have shot over 400 rounds through this handgun searching for the right load with this bullet, and it seems as though it has all been worth it. I now have everything I was after, Great Accuracy (3/8" 5 shot groups at 100 yards), Decent Velocity (3100 FPS), and very mild Muzzle Blast & Flash.
The Prairie Dogs better beware next summer.
Larry