H and R .243 and 100 gr bullets?

[song dog slayer]

Just starting out reloading and am looking for a good deer load for my h and r .243. Any suggestions on powder and bullets? i had some 100 gr game kings and was not impressed.

 

[Guy Miner]

What didn't you like about the Sierra Game Kings? They're typically accurate and effective on deer.

Here's a link to an article on handloading for the .243 Win, with probably more info than you'll ever need:

http://www.6mmbr.com/243Win.html

My son and I have hunted for years with the 6mm Remington which is very, very similar to the .243 and of course uses the same bullets. Our favorite deer bullet is the 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, an exceptionally accurate and deceptively tough hunting bullet. A close second is the 100 grain Nosler Partition, which is almost as accurate and has even better penetration on game. I'd hunt any deer with either of those bullets, favoring the Partition at closer ranges and the Ballistic Tip if ranges tend to be longer.

Some serious .243 shooters/hunters should be along shortly with their favored powder & bullet combinations. It's a great little cartridge for deer!

Regards, Guy

 

[jimbires]

I load 100grain partitions with IMR7828 powder , in my sons 243 . it is a hammer on Pa whitetails . jim

 

[SJB358]

I load 100grain partitions with IMR7828 powder , in my sons 243 . it is a hammer on Pa whitetails . jim

I am using 44gr's of RL19 in my son's 243 with the 100gr PT as well. They clock 2900. I think I could nudge them further but they are really shooting well and seem to make it to 300 yards pretty easily. I use WW cases and BR2 primers. It is an accurate combo. Scotty

 

[Hegland]

I've had decent luck with H4831 and the 100 gr PT, and also with IMR4350 behind 100 gr Speers. Either Winchester or Federal match large rifle primers. Pretty much anything in that 4350-4831 burn rate should work. RL19, 22, and either IMR or Hodgdon versions of 4350 & 4831. H100V might also be worth a crack.

Good luck, and let us know what you settle on!

 

[jimbires]

I load 100grain partitions with IMR7828 powder , in my sons 243 . it is a hammer on Pa whitetails . jim

I am using 44gr's of RL19 in my son's 243 with the 100gr PT as well. They clock 2900. I think I could nudge them further but they are really shooting well and seem to make it to 300 yards pretty easily. I use WW cases and BR2 primers. It is an accurate combo. Scotty

my son hasn't hunted for about 5 years now , so I haven't played with it for a while . when he was hunting and shooting I didn't have a chrony . the IMR7828 was just starting to come on the market in the short cut version , this would help out a lot . I'll have to get it out one of these days and shoot it through the chrony just to see what it did produce . I used winchester primers . not sure what case or how much powder, I'd have to look ! LOL Jim

 

[SJB358]

I load 100grain partitions with IMR7828 powder , in my sons 243 . it is a hammer on Pa whitetails . jim

I am using 44gr's of RL19 in my son's 243 with the 100gr PT as well. They clock 2900. I think I could nudge them further but they are really shooting well and seem to make it to 300 yards pretty easily. I use WW cases and BR2 primers. It is an accurate combo. Scotty

my son hasn't hunted for about 5 years now , so I haven't played with it for a while . when he was hunting and shooting I didn't have a chrony . the IMR7828 was just starting to come on the market in the short cut version , this would help out a lot . I'll have to get it out one of these days and shoot it through the chrony just to see what it did produce . I used winchester primers . not sure what case or how much powder, I'd have to look ! LOL Jim

I used IMR7828SC last year Jim. We used the 95gr BT and a decent charge of 7828 in WW cases, with CCIBR2 primers. It was really accurate and hammers deer. I chronoed them at 2850. I know it wasn't smoking fast, but it was meant as a young hunters load and they wouldn't be shooting over 200 yards and more in the 50-100 yard range, so I was very happy with the load. I just got the trigger tuned up in my son's 243, so I am excited to really see what it does now. It has shot some impressive groups with the heavy trigger and I think it is going to be better yet with a lightened trigger. Heck, I might even AI it this Winter! Scotty

 

[jimbires]

after using a few good triggers, I sure do appreciate them .


the 243 is fast , so hunting inside of 100 yards is really testing the bullet . I had problems with a couple bullets fragmenting on impact . after I switched to the Partition ,the problem was solved ! Jim

 

[efw]

What is the rate of twist on that H&R tube? That might have something to do w/ the lack of performance w/ the 100 gr Sierras.

I'm interested to hear how things work out, as I've had my eye on a replacement barrel for my sons' 22/410 combo. Can't decide between 223 Rem or 243 Win, although at $145/ea I don't know that I need to... thing is, Wyoming says 6mm min for big game and my oldest REALLY wants a pronghorn.

If I had a 243 Win w/ at least a 1 in 10" twist, I'd run 95 gr ballistic tips for everything, personally.

That having been said I have a slower twisted 6mm-250 that really likes the 90 gr version. I doubt deer know the difference.

 

[song dog slayer]

i cant seem to find what the rate of twist is. it is a 22 inch barrel. i think the problem with the game kings was human error. a buddy of mine suggested tumbling them to moly coat them. i said sure and the end result was bullets with sharped tips the were no longer straight. some were slightly bent. i tried to only use straight ones, but i may not have any that are truly straight. The bullets were tumbling slightly. they grouped better than the factory loads i used to use but were tumbling. going to try some nosler BTs. thanks for all the help. ill post my results.

Jack

 

[DrMike]

I can't say that I'm a fan of moly coating my bullets. Having voiced my negative thought, I'd encourage you not to jettison the Sierras too quickly. They are a good bullet and will perform very well on game. Finding the twist on your rifle is uncomplicated. Using a cleaning rod with a brush wrapped with a patch so it is tight, start the rod through the bore. Stop and mark the rod when you've entered the bore an inch or so. Now, push the rod until it has made a complete revolution and mark the rod again. The distance between the two marks will be your twist (e.g. 1:10 means that the bullet travels ten inches to make one complete revolution).