.243 Win 105 Amax & 95 Berger VLD loads?

[bailey1474]

I am thinking of trying these combinations in my .243. It has a 1/9.25" twist so I think I can stabalize both of these bullets. I was just wondering if anyone else had tried these in this caliber and what results they saw.

Also wondering about the seating depth. Should I seat them all the way to the lands or back off?

Both will be moly coated.

Thanks,
B.J.

 

[James Jones]

I have seen two differant 243's with 1-10 twist barrels shoot the 105gr A-max , one shot them well and the other had keyholes at 300yds , both were Douglas barreled guns.
I've got a 243Ai that shoots them great with a 1-8 twist.
As for the seating , I have found that almost all guns shoot a bit better with the bullet seated to touch the lands and with the VLD's I have used they all like to be into the lands , I shoot the 95gr Berger VLD's and they shoot their best seated .010" into the lands at a velocity of just at 3000fps , I have run them alot harder at differant seating depths but this is what this gun likes.

 

[Buffalobob]

Unless I am caught sneaking out of the house and have to mow the yard Saturday, I will try both bullets plus the 90 gr bergers in a 1-10 Douglas heavy sporter 26" barrel. This is a hunting rifle in 240 Wby on a FN action with "no freebore" and I am not going to touch the lands on the first try. Maybe later. I am currently using IMR4350 just out of long habit. I will probably re-shoot the 95 gr Nosler Ballistic tips at the same time to have a bench mark in case the long bergers and Amaxs don't stabilize I want to have shot a more conventional bullet that does stabilize and because there was some indication that the ballistic tips might be coaxed into tight groups if I concentrated on the sight picture a little more and drank a little less caffiene.

 

[bailey1474]

Thanks for the info guys. Let me know how the testing comes out. I won't be able to shoot this weekend but hopefully I will be able to get out next weekend and test both as well.

My rifle is just a stock Savage 12BVSS. I am currently shooting a 55gr Nosler BT. It will shoot these under .5" @ 100 yds. They also shoot well down range. I have shot under a 2" 3 shot group @ 500 yds with this setup.

The wind just absoulutly kills me though and being in Oklahoma, I want something to buck the wind a little better.

Would it be a good idea to do the load development @ distances greater than 100 yds with these longer bullets to check for stability?

Thanks,
B.J.

 

[jb1000br]

cram em in the lands! especially the 95! id start 20thou in with the 95, probably same with the 105.

JB

 

[goodgrouper]

[ QUOTE ]
Would it be a good idea to do the load development @ distances greater than 100 yds with these longer bullets to check for stability?

[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely! You should check accuracy at every range you intend to shoot anyway, but it is even more true when firing longer bullets of a more aggressive shape because they tend to take awhile to settle down. This is even further enhanced when shooting them from a "hot rod" caliber in my experience. My little 6br improved puts way less stress on a bullet than say a 243 AI or a 6-284.

I have fired both bullets mentioned out of the br, and both shot well at 100 from such a small case, but they still shoot smaller moa farther out!

And yes, seat them both into the lands!

 

[bailey1474]

I can't say that I've ever loaded anything into the lands.

I know this increase pressure but how much?

Where do I need to start w/my load development etc.?

Can a guy extract a round once it's chambered or do you have to fire it?

Sorry for my ignorance on this but I've got to learn somehow.

Also, what would be the best powder for me to try? From what I've seen on the net, IMR or H4350 seems to be the most popular.

Thanks,
B.J.

 

[goodgrouper]

[ QUOTE ]
I know this increase pressure but how much?


[/ QUOTE ]

Irrelevant as long as you work the load up with them all into the lands.

[ QUOTE ]
Where do I need to start w/my load development etc.?

[/ QUOTE ]


I usually start with a medium load listed in the "lawyerized" manuals of today.

[ QUOTE ]
Can a guy extract a round once it's chambered or do you have to fire it?


[/ QUOTE ]

It depends on how rough your throat is and how far it is jammed in, but you will definetly want to be aware of this. Usually, it will get stuck so keep a cleaning rod with you so you can tap the bullet out of the throat.


[ QUOTE ]
Also, what would be the best powder for me to try? From what I've seen on the net, IMR or H4350 seems to be the most popular.


[/ QUOTE ]

Those will work, but try a few others in that burn rate.

 

[jb1000br]

H4350 is a winner for this project.

Personally id start with 1 bullet and 1 powder, b/c when you get too many variables it can get messy quick

find your powder charge with a ladder, then shoot several 3-shot groups with differing OAL (i go in 5thou steps)

I bet the 95 berger with about 44gns of h4350 20-30thou in the lands oughta do well.

YMMV,
JB

 

[Centre Punch]

Hi Bill,
Just in you in case you might be interested i will be working up and testing loads with the 90grn Lapua Scenar in my 243 next Thursday, it too has a 9 1/4 twist.

Let me know and i will give you a full report.

Ian.

"I mean't to shoot the pike but the duck got in the way"

 

[GREYGHOSTt]

Also try retumbo i have had great results with it and the 105's & 107 sierias. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[LWolken]

I shoot both of these out of a 243 AI and use RL22 with both. Around 42-43 with the 105 and up to 46gr with the 95gr Bergers. You can try the lands but dont for get to try and jump them. I wasted about half my barrel trying to get them to shoot in the lands. Backed them off and found that a .020 jump seems to be what it wants.

 

[Buffalobob]

Went and tested the bullets yesterday with some pessimism.
The bearing surface on the 95 Berger is about 0.35 give or take and the throat on the 240 is about 0.31 give or take. Never one to trust my own calculations, I dropped a bullet down the chamber and then took a fired case and closed the bolt. Got the case and bullet back out by using a cleaning rod to ease the bullet back off the lands as the bolt opens. Sure enough, the bullet was just in the case by a gnats eyelash. Decided that this was not good when using an FN action because it is very difficult to ease a loaded round into the chamber without the bullet getting knocked around at some point. Seated the bullet by intuition on what I felt would keep the bullet aligned and still get as close as possible to the lands. This was probably about 0.15 off the lands. Loaded up 10 rounds all the same being as it was pretty obvious at this point what was going to happen in a 1-10 twist barrel. Fired 5 rounds at the 100 yd target and none hit the paper. Dropped back to the 50 yd target and fired three rounds. All were yawed out at about a 60 degree angle. Very interesting keyholes. Waited until the end of the day and shot the last two into the back stop to be rid of them.

105 Amaxs seated very close to the lands shot groups of about 4-6 inches and and were more than a little unstable judging by the oval holes.

When all that testing was done a thunderstorm came up with swirling winds and rain and the little 70 gr SMK went 0.5 inches for 5 rds. I conclude that my gun with the long throat and slow twist, will not stabilize these bullets and the little short 70 SMK does not mind the long jump to the lands. It is a shame because they are some great looking bullets.

Hope you have a better experience.

 

[bailey1474]

I just got my Bergers in Friday. Hope to get some loaded this week and do a little testing either late next week or next weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out.