I am new to reloading and I have many questions.

My background and things to keep in mind for these questions:
I purchased a .243 to do everything from varmint hunting to deer.
I live in the west were there is lots of open ground for all types of hunting. I am a fan of high velocities and flat trajectories and got into reloading so that I could save an arm and a leg and to produce ammo that is better than the factory.

1) I reloaded a batch of Nosler 55gr BT with 45.1gr of Varget and I am getting a very large, and noticable through scope, muzzel flash. Is this normal for Varget? I am thinking about switching to H4895 for this bullet to get rid of this flash. I have a 24" barrel.

2 part a) My main question is on the topic of deer hunting. Since I will have chances of taking deer all the way to the .243's max range, I want to use a bullet with a high BC. The Speer Spitzer BTSP 100gr and Sierra's 100gr SBT gameking. These bullets have a .430 BC. As for powder, I am undecided between H414, H4350, IMR 4350. I am leaning towards H414 because it has higher velocites over a larger range of bullets. What powder should I use for this hunting load? Hold onto your anwer until you've read part b.

2 part b) In my research for the best deer load, I discovered that Speer's 85gr Spitzer BTSP (BC of .404) backed by 45gr of H414 @3306 fps has the same energy as Speer's 100gr of the same bullet backed by 40gr of H414 @2963 fps. Since the 85gr has a flatter trajectory, should I use this bullet for deer rather than the 100gr?

Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

P.S. What sort of primers would be best for this deer load?

I always had very good results with the Sierra 100 grain spitzer boat tail. I loaded this bullet, WW-760 powder, Fed. brass and Fed. 210 primers. I took several white tails as various yardages with this bullet. I was very satisfied. I think you will like your .243. Best of luck... an' whack a biggun'

tec spec man, I use nosler 55's with win 748 and also Imr 4064 . Lots of m.v. there. I also use rem 80gr pspcls with imr4064 and hit just behind the ear on hogs out here in north cal. takes em out every time up to 200yrds. Dave ps with the win748 I use rem 9 1/2M, with the imr4064 I use rem 9 1/2,they work for me!

I really like H414 but I have found that best accuracy is usually a bit under the max load. I sacrifice a bit of speed for precision.

I use a .243 with a 24" barrel, a CZ550 American, all the time for fox and roe deer in the UK.

At the moment, I use, for deer 100gn Speer BTSP with 42gns of H4350 at 2876fps, although Hodgdon recommend only 40gns as Max. and 70gn Speer TNT with 45.5gns of H414 at 3334fps for foxes.

For your 55gn Nosler BT, Hodgdon recommend 45gns and Nosler 45.5gns of Varget as Max so maybe this may the reason for the muzzel blast.

I am just working up a load for Nosler 70gn BT and it looks to be between 41.2 and 41.8gns of Varget with a velocity of around 3550fps. I am waiting to try some more loads with .3gn increments as 41.5 seemed to be the better grouping between 41 and 42gns but I did notice that if any of the trial loads were around 3550fps, they were nearly in the same grouping.

Have you chronographed any of your loads?

Dave

I don't have a chrono but I am concidering purcahsing a chrony F-1 so that I can calculate ballistics. Should I take the plung? How are you suppose to use it to aid in reloading?

Thanks for the help, but what about
small bullet higher velocity vs. large bullet slower velocity; both have the same energy?
If they have the same energy, by conservation of energy, they should have the same impact on the animal. Any thoughts?

When they say "work up a load" does that mean that you can go higher than the powerd manufacture's max load? How much margin for error is there if you do go higher?

tech spec man wrote:

I don't have a chrono but I am concidering purcahsing a chrony F-1 so that I can calculate ballistics. Should I take the plung? How are you suppose to use it to aid in reloading?

Without a cronograph you have truely no idea how fast your bullets are traveling. Knowing your velocity is important in calculating your ballistics as well as an indicator of loads reaching dangerous levels.

Quote::

Thanks for the help, but what about small bullet higher velocity vs. large bullet slower velocity; both have the same energy? If they have the same energy, by conservation of energy, they should have the same impact on the animal. Any thoughts?

This is true, however you also have momentum. A lighter bullet looses energy faster than a heavier bullet so lighter is not always better when shooting big game. Also a heavier bullet has more mass and is therefore is affected less by wind and air drag.

Example. A Very fast light bullet will loose velocity much quicker than a heavy bullet... so at longer ranges, a heaver bullet will actually have less drop than the lighter one because it lost less velocity.

It comes down to what you are wanting to shoot. Big game animals need heavier bullets that retain energy more for penetration, than bullets designed for shooting small game animals.

Quote::

When they say "work up a load" does that mean that you can go higher than the powerd manufacture's max load? How much margin for error is there if you do go higher?

Every rifle is different, every chamber is different, every barrel is different. The depth of where the riflings start, tolerances etc etc all vary. Some rifles shoot very fast, others shoot slower. The main thing to look for is signs of excess pressure.. to "work up" a load is to start at the minimum recommended load and increase or "work up" in small increments of powder until you begin to see signs of excess pressure.


-DallanC

Regarding powder choice, H4350 is less temperature sensitive than its IMR counterpart. It is one of Hodgdon's extreme series, all of which share a temperature insesitivity. It is a versatile powder that serves well in many hunting cartridges.

If you prefer the higher velocity and the flatter trajectory of a lighter bullet but plan to use it on deer sized game, consider the Barnes TSX in 85gr. For my grandsons, this bullet in 243 has performed superbly on deer and antelope and, in all cases, has resulted in complete penetration. All kills were under 250 yards. If you wish to stay with conventional bullets, heavier weights will be better.

Gidday tech spec man. I too use a .243 for hunting and have done all my load development with 70gn and 80gn bullets, eventually settling on the Remington 80gn PSP.

I use only Australian powders and have settled on an ADI powder, AS2208, marketed as Varget in the USA. After much testing I settled on a load of 38gns of 2208 (Varget) which is .5 gn below maximum. This load is very accurate in my Weatherby Vanguard and is easy on both the rifle and the shooter.

Take all advice given in this forum seriously mate. The other members have a wealth of knowledge and experience. Good luck with your load development.

Cheers, Vince

You might try the reloading data base, it has a few loads listed. The 243 is famous for its accuracy and wide selection of bullet weights and types.
Ed

PS: Good luck and welcome.

I'm interested in the Hornady 105gr A-Max molly dipped and how well it performs. The B.C. on that bullet is .500. If anyone has tried it let me know.

d_hoffman, While I have'nt used them personally, I have a few friends that do and they like them alot. In fact, I'm thinking of getting some for my 243. With a .500 bc, they would shot really flat and hit hard. lot a luck and I'll let you know how mine do,when I get them Dave

Seeing how I just got back from the range I feel I need to add my 2cents.
I have found most bullets I've tried are very accurate.....<1 inch at 100yds.
MY daughter dropped her first deer year and a half ago with a Sierra bullet. Small buck angling away at 160yds. Bullet went in just behind last rib, thru boiler room but didn't exit. It was there 100gr. Lost over half its weight.
Been playing with varmit and deer loads. I don't have a crono but the range I go to has 100, 200, and 300 yds. I use the bullet drop over the ranges and Dallans program to approximate the velocity. I think it works pretty good. I just shot 4- 3 shot groups all less than .75 in with Hornady 58gr. and Speer 90gr. I have been using 414 in the past but have switched to H-4598 for temp. stability. I have gone back to H-4350 for the 90 gr. bullets. I love the cartridge. It gives be the accuracy and confidence I need in the field. Generally I get the best accuracy just at max load or just below max.
Good luck, it's a great caliber. I can shoot bullets from 4000 f/s on down.

squirrelbait wrote:

Seeing how I just got back from the range I feel I need to add my 2cents. I have found most bullets I've tried are very accurate.....<1 inch at 100yds. MY daughter dropped her first deer year and a half ago with a Sierra bullet. Small buck angling away at 160yds. Bullet went in just behind last rib, thru boiler room but didn't exit. It was there 100gr. Lost over half its weight. Been playing with varmit and deer loads. I don't have a crono but the range I go to has 100, 200, and 300 yds. I use the bullet drop over the ranges and Dallans program to approximate the velocity. I think it works pretty good. I just shot 4- 3 shot groups all less than .75 in with Hornady 58gr. and Speer 90gr. I have been using 414 in the past but have switched to H-4598 for temp. stability. I have gone back to H-4350 for the 90 gr. bullets. I love the cartridge. It gives be the accuracy and confidence I need in the field. Generally I get the best accuracy just at max load or just below max. Good luck, it's a great caliber. I can shoot bullets from 4000 f/s on down.

So, what are you shooting them out of? What's the barrel length? Rate of twist?

tech spec man wrote:

I am new to reloading and I have many questions. My background and things to keep in mind for these questions: I purchased a .243 to do everything from varmint hunting to deer. I live in the west were there is lots of open ground for all types of hunting. I am a fan of high velocities and flat trajectories and got into reloading so that I could save an arm and a leg and to produce ammo that is better than the factory. 1) I reloaded a batch of Nosler 55gr BT with 45.1gr of Varget and I am getting a very large, and noticable through scope, muzzel flash. Is this normal for Varget? I am thinking about switching to H4895 for this bullet to get rid of this flash. I have a 24" barrel. 2 part a) My main question is on the topic of deer hunting. Since I will have chances of taking deer all the way to the .243's max range, I want to use a bullet with a high BC. The Speer Spitzer BTSP 100gr and Sierra's 100gr SBT gameking. These bullets have a .430 BC. As for powder, I am undecided between H414, H4350, IMR 4350. I am leaning towards H414 because it has higher velocites over a larger range of bullets. What powder should I use for this hunting load? Hold onto your anwer until you've read part b. 2 part b) In my research for the best deer load, I discovered that Speer's 85gr Spitzer BTSP (BC of .404) backed by 45gr of H414 @3306 fps has the same energy as Speer's 100gr of the same bullet backed by 40gr of H414 @2963 fps. Since the 85gr has a flatter trajectory, should I use this bullet for deer rather than the 100gr? Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks P.S. What sort of primers would be best for this deer load?

I would suggest you try a Hornady, 105gr A-Max Molly with a B.C. of .500 and see if you can work up a load to around 2900 - 2950 fps. Or, you could just buy a box of Hornady Light Mag. 100gr BTSP's

.243 Win., 100 gr. BTSP 8546
Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)
Muzzle 100 yd 200 yd 300 yd 400 yd 500 yd
3100/2133 2861/1817 2634/1541 2419/1299 2213/1087 2018/904

Trajectory (inches)
Muzzle 100 yd 200 yd 300 yd 400 yd 500 yd
-1.50 1.40 0.00 -6.40 -18.80 -38.20