95 gr. berger vld

[LR6mm]

Hey everyone,

I've been lurking around this site for a while now, but just joined and this is my first post. I shoot a Remington 700 VLS in .243 Win. I have been trying to come up with a good long range load for it, so I tried the 105 gr A-MAX with IMR 4350, and Retumbo. It seems as though the twist rate of the barrel isn't quite fast enough to stabilize the bullet. According to Remington, the barrel is a 1:9.125" twist. Hornady recommends 1:9 twist. I thought I might try the 95 gr. Berger VLD in this rifle, but would like some input from some of you that have experienced a similar situation. With this barrel, am I limited only to the low BC varmint bullets, or is there hope for me. I would like to find something to get me by until I can rebarrel with a faster twist, or a different caliber. Thanks guys.

[Iron Worker]

I just started shooting that bullet in my 6x284. Mine has a 10" twist.So far so good.You should be fine with that bullet in your BBL. Hey want to change calibers? How many inch BBL is your rifle now? If its 24 or better yet 26" you could have the chamber opened up to 243 AI. Or re-barrel it to what I have 6x284 its bad to the bone.A poster on Benchrest central posted that he gets 3,600 FPS with a hot load of IMR 7828 in a 27" BBL with the 95gr Berger.

[LR6mm]

Yeah, I probably will rebarrel someday. I would like to shoot this barrel out first, but will probably switch it out before that happens. The 6X284 looks like a good option. I have been reading a little about the 6.5 mm rounds such as the .260 Rem and the 6.5 X .284. Although barrel life is fairly short with some of them, the high BC 140 gr. bullets look like they would have a lot of potential. What sort of powder is working in your rig? I would like to try H4831sc as a midway point between 4350 and Retumbo.

[Iron Worker]

Actually H4350 and Re#19 have been my best powders. Just recently started using Re#22. I should probably take another look at H4831SC.Retumbo is out of the question for both yours and mine.