Reloading for the Win .243??

[benny]

I bought a S&W 1700 bolt for my daughter, now I need to get some good whitetail loads worked up.
I want to use a 100 gr or bigger if they make them just for pure knock down shock.

Problem is I don't know enough about what to look for in a bullet for weight retention,vital shock and expansion.

I heard the Barns and the noslers were best but how do I figure out what I am looking for?

Thanks, Benny

[farmerj]

thin skinned go with thin jacket. (Varmint)

My cousin uses a bunch of old I think they are 103 gr hertes my uncle had the foresight to buy a ton of when they were made.

I am partial to the Hornady line. Have yet to use the .243 with deer yet, but in a similar boat as you are.

6MM .243 100 GR INTERLOCK® BTSP are what has my eyes at the moment. They are really similar to the A-max's which are about as accurate as anything I have ever shot hand loaded. I am talking .3"=.5" groups at 200 yards in 178 gr 7.62 Nato's.

A-max's are designed for target, Interlocks are designed for hunting.

[Seismic Sam]

Don't shoot .243, but there are some generalizations that can be made.

The heavier the bullet, the more the recoil, so for your daughter this might not be the way to go.

Weight retention: Nosler came up with the partition bullet if my old memory serves me correctly, and it has always been very effective. Weight retention has turned into a sort of artificial marketing scam, and 97% weight retention may not mean superior terminal performance. Nosler's can't get to those numbers, but you wind up with a dead deer anyway.

The other thing is that the heavier the bullet, the slower you can drive it. There's a lot to be said for hydrostatic shock from a fast moving smaller bullet.

[DeanC]

I would consider Varget for powder. It seems to work well with most .308 case derivatives like the .243, 7mm-08, and the .260.

[OldmanFCSA]

Shot placement IS much more important than bullet weight within a particular caliber.
With the 243WIN or 6MMRem (same bullet), most hunters think they can shoot the heavier 100-105 grain bullets and place the shot like they would with a 30-30 or 30-06, aim behind the front shoulder and it will drop.
Not the case with a 243 bullet regardless of type of construction, the bullet is traveling fast, that makes it vulnerable to expansion prior to penetrating to vital organs. True, there are many projectiles like the Nosler Partition bullet where the expansion is controlled thru bullet design and construction, but those may expand too early also resulting in reducing the depth of penetration. A deer's hide may be thin or as in Winter hunting conditions, the hide may have much thicker underhair which may be matted with snow and ice, which will stop an even well placed shot.

Does this mean I'm against shooting the 243 or 6mm for deer? NO - just be sure to place the shot correctly with the bullet of your choice. Normal hunting conditions - almost any bullet can be used as long as careful consideration of placement is coupled with condition of deer's physical status, side shot, slightly angled away, slightly angled toward, full frontal, South-end of a North-bound deer, standing in brush, standing at distance, etc.

I have taken deer in Northern Wisconsin with my 243WIN using a 75 grain varmit bullet driven fast to the placement of the eye socket angled into brain.
I have taken deer in Northern Wisconsin with my 6mmRem using same 75 grain varmit bullet driven fast to the placement of behind the head angled into brain.
I will not try a neck shot! Too many chances for a wounded deer, unless shot placement is pecfectly placed to get to spinal column. During the Rut, the neck of a buck is drastically expanded, resulting in possible deflection of intended path of bullet.
I have taken deer with the classic "behind the shoulder" shot, but my concentration was the same for placement as if I was doing a head shot. And I was using a 105 grain bullet to help drive into vitals.

END RESULT = SHOT PLACEMENT.

PRACTICE! PRACTICE!! PRACTICE!!!

TRIGGER TIME! TRIGGER TIME!! TRIGGER TIME!!!

And my daughter is a much better shot than I and has proven it with running deer shot that resulted in hammered deer on shots I would not have attempted. Their hand-eye coordination is much better than us guys, same reason women will pickup accurately shooting pistols so quickly.

[Holland&Holland]

Many deer have fallen to the .243 Remington 100gr core-lokt load. Any many of these have been youths shooting at the classic behind the shoulder vital area shot. Despite the fact that many now poo-poo this round, it has worked well for years. Go figure.

That said when using something like the .243 I have no problem stacking the deck in my favor using a more premium (read perhaps better constructed bullet designed to be a bit tougher yet still expand well). I have taken many deer using trophy bonded bear claws in .25-06 which of course has a bit more punch but is in a similar class. I have had good luck with this combination. If I where loading for this I would go this route or similar (read as nosler partition, etc...)

If looking for factory ammo, I would try the fusion line. My son has had good luck with it in 7mm-08 and it is reasonably priced. I have always wanted to try for some reason the Winchester XP3 on whitetail. A bit spendy for my tastes but always thought that would be the choice in factory ammo for a .243.

[farmerj]

Seen more deer run it from .30 and 338 cal than the 243/25/7mm class guns than I care to witness.

[rockcreek]

The .243 works better than most give it credit for. I have seen a ton of deer drop right in their tracks when shot with the .243, including big Mulies out west. Any of the 100gr bullets like the Remington core-lokt, or Winchester power points work well. If you are wanting something that shoots a bit flatter, the bonded bullets in the 80-90 gr range work equally well on deer. Nosler Ballistic tips will not get good penetration at close range, but work okay once the velocity drops a bit. +1 on using Varget powder.

[JJ]

I have my wife shooting a 243 AI. I have used 243win cases loaded at max charges for fireforming and pushing the 85g Barnes TSX for the last couple of years. Not once has she needed even a follow up shot. Before that I had her running Seirra 100g SP's.

She just got home on Monday from a muley and antelope hunt in WY. In 243AI fireformed cases, I had her loaded up with the Speer 85 BTHP @ 3500fps. She took both a speed goat and a muley. Both were single shots. Neither went more than 40 yards.

She has never shot for the head or neck. She only takes her shots in the vital zone. She has never lost a deer (around 10-12 now).

I have used 4064 with success in the AI cases in the past, but have now settled in on RL17.

Any big game bullet from a good maker will do the trick. I worry much less on the construction (as long as it is a big game bullet), and instead on what shoots the best. Sierra, Nosler, Barnes, Speer, all make a great bullet.

Don't over think it.

[cobb]

I have my wife shooting a 243 AI. I have used 243win cases loaded at max charges for fireforming and pushing the 85g Barnes TSX for the last couple of years. Not once has she needed even a follow up shot. Before that I had her running Seirra 100g SP's.

She just got home on Monday from a muley and antelope hunt in WY. In 243AI fireformed cases, I had her loaded up with the Speer 85 BTHP @ 3500fps. She took both a speed goat and a muley. Both were single shots. Neither went more than 40 yards.

She has never shot for the head or neck. She only takes her shots in the vital zone. She has never lost a deer (around 10-12 now).

I have used 4064 with success in the AI cases in the past, but have now settled in on RL17.

Any big game bullet from a good maker will do the trick. I worry much less on the construction (as long as it is a big game bullet), and instead on what shoots the best. Sierra, Nosler, Barnes, Speer, all make a great bullet.

Don't over think it.

For those that do not know, when JJ is referring to when he mentions a .243AI, he is talking about what started out in life as a .243 Winchester brass and is fire formed that changing the shoulder or tapered area of the original .243 Winchester brass. What he has now is what is called a .243 Ackley Improved, a bit more case capacity for powder, so a bit faster muzzle velocity.
A link to some info. http://www.6mmbr.com/243win.html

Yes a .243 will get it done with the correct bullet and good shot placement. Many know that I am not a huge fan of a .243 for deer, I much prefer a big bore for everything I do, but I have to agree that a .243 will do the job. My Dad used a .35 Remington for both mule deer out west and for moose in Canada, work for him many time over, but not on the top of anybody's list for either task.

So for a .243 and your daughter, being it is getting close to the deer hunting opener, may I suggest a standard factory load for this year. A 90 to 100 grain bullet should work fine, I think the 100 grain bullet is pretty much a standard for deer. Much more important to get her time behind the rifle and comfortable with it instead of dad getting time behind the rifle to develop a load. Sure, she could work the trigger during the load development, but as a reloader I know how frustrating it can be developing the perfect load, for the daughter to go through this may make her question her shooting ability. So go with a good 100 grain factory load this year for your daughter and then when time permits, work up a load that gives her the result of Thor's hammer for next year.

[crbutler]

If you are going to use a .243, and its a new shooter, I would also recommend the Barnes bullets, either the TSX or the tipped version.

The tipped would be a little more likely to expand.

The 85 grainer would do the job with the Barnes, but I would consider over 100 grains in any cored bullet, such as the partition or Swift A frame.

My personal feeling is that the smaller guns require a bit more of the shooter to be effective- more accuracy and better knowledge for shot placement.

That said, a .243 is more than enough for any whitetail that walks the planet if you can keep it in the heart/lung area, and you are within reasonable range. The biggest issue will be that small a bullet will not leave the best blood trail for tracking in the case that becomes necessary.

The Barnes with its solid copper construction is not going to separate and will penetrate well. Given that, it would be my choice for folks that might be a little bit unsure of their shooting or anatomy- you can clip a shoulder bone and it will go on through and penetrate even in a small bore.

Have fun!

[farmerj]

It's almost a tit-for-tat exchange...

when you go to the .243, you need to have better placement. (It's always placement, but less forgiving)

With the smaller caliber, you have less recoil and less likely to develop a flinch. I see this in both men and women. This tends to allow the shooter to just not pull the gun off target. My cousin has been shooting most of his life since he was old enough to hold a red rider. Give him a .243, he's great. Put him behind an M1 Garand or an M14 or even my Stevens .30-06, furgetaboutit. You'll be tracking that deer.

As you go up in caliber and recoil (magnums also such as the 7mm mag) you get reactions to recoil and muzzle blast. Shots get pulled as some people develop a flinch.

Any of the decent bullets made will do the job on deer. No need to reload this year. just find something it likes to shoot well.

[45Badger]

39 gr of 4350 under a 100 gr hornady soft point. Groups 1/2" at 100 yards out of Remington ADL youth.

[benny]

Thanks guys, after reading the posts and talking with a few others I think we will stick with the Winchester silver box 100 gr till after season then work on some reloads.

Not enough time to work them up and get her shooting them well.
She does good with these Winchester rounds and will group them in 1-1/4 patchat 100 yards, which is probably 50 yards further than she will be shooting this season.

I started her out with my old Winchester 94 and a side mount scope, she shot her first buck two years ago with it but I just don't like the safety aspect of them old 94's and a nebee handling them.
Plus she was flinching real bad after a few rounds of 170 gr Remingtons out of that gun.

I was with her the whole time that first year, but last year with the S&W she was by her self for the most part.

I wanted to find a 7mm-08 but the price was too good on this S&W to pass up.

Thanks for your help guys, Benny

[cobb]

She does good with these Winchester rounds and will group them in 1-1/4 patchat 100 yards, ..........

That will put meat in the freezer. Tell her good luck from us and to be safe.