243 win 87 or 95 grain berger

[mrb1982]

I think I am going to take the plunge and buy a 243 SPS Varmint as a little project. Gonna make some stock and trigger upgrades along the way. Then some handloading to finish it off. I am interested in either the 87 or 95 berger. Gonna be more of a varmint gun but might see a little deer action along the way. That is why I think this bullet range would be good for multi purpose. When running the numbers the 95 bucks the wind quite a bit much better so was wondering if the little speed I would gain with the 87 is worth it? Any experiences here would be great. Don't have a range limit at this point as far as energy goes they will be fairly compareable. Thanks.

 

[mrb1982]

I have done some searches but not with much luck for whatever reason. If you ha E a link to a good thread that would be great too

 

[stonehands1]

I believe that rifle is the 26" barrel with the 9.125 twist. If so it should shoot 95's real nice. As far as which bullet will perform better on game is going to depend on the game. That said I don't think there will be enough of a difference to really notice. In my opinion your limited to 500yds or less for deer on either bullet weight so whichever one shoots better would be my choice.

 

[Jud96]

I believe the 95s should stabilize in your 1-9.125 twist but Berger recommends a 1-9 twist. I tried 105 A-MAXs in my Remington with the same twist and they wouldn't stabilize past 100yds and Hornady recommends a 1-9 with them as well. I know 87 V-MAXs shoot outstanding in my rifle and so do 100gr Sierra SBTs but nothing with a slicker profile like the 105s.

 

[mrb1982]

Yeah seems like the 87 grain work for about everybody. I agree on the 500 yd limitation. That in itself might even swing me to a little lighter barrel rig and then when my kids are ready they would have a respectable weapon to do it with. Thanks for the input

 

[davkrat]

Just throwing this out there as well. I've been looking for 95 grain Bergers for a while with no luck. Wasn't the 87 designed specifically so it would stabilize in the slower factory barrels? I'm hoping the 95's will once I get my hands on them but the 87's I believe were developed for exactly that reason. That said Remington's are slightly faster twist than some of the 10" twist barrels from other manufacturers.

 

[Jud96]

I would stick with the 87s to be on the safe side. If you're keeping shots under 500yds, you could consider the 95gr SST (.355 G1 BC) or 95gr Ballistic Tip (.379 G1 BC). Their BCs are fairly low, but for mid range shots, they will do a number on deer. I have personally witnessed the wrath of the 95 SSTs on deer and it dropped two does dead in their tracks at 100yds. They did a phenomenal job and if I had a .243 I used for deer hunting, it would be loaded with the 95gr SSTs.

 

[Catahoula]

The 90 grain Accubond is a very good bullet.
Thanks, Kirk

 

[Bbear]

+1 on the 90 gr AB. My 24" 1-10 barrel puts them inside .5" at 100 and has put 4 shots inside of 2.5" at 400.

 

[TAC]

I love the 243 and I've owned a bunch of them. Each had a particular load and bullet weight that shot best - which is sometimes disappointing as with my 243AI. I wanted to shoot the 105 Amax with it but groups said otherwise. I ended up with a 95gr Nosler BT. It was not because I wanted to shoot them... it but because it was very accurate with them. What I lost in BC I gained in confidence knowing with certainty of where my bullet would impact. Of course try and shoot the bullet that best suites your needs, However the gun will ultimately dictate what you'll shoot. You may find you need two loads, one for varmints and another that's acceptable for deer.
It's a very forgiving round... Have fun!

 

[AZShooter]

You didn't mention which 95 gr Berger. While the 95 gr VLD may not stabilize, I can assure you the classic hunter will work with your twist. Berger says the classic needs a 1 in 10. It also isn't fussy as to seating depth. It has a higher BC (G1 .437) than all the previously mentioned bullets except the 95 gr VLD.

I am using the 95 Classic with a Remington 243 takeoff rechambered to 6mm-284. If you want the highest velocity with your 243 to give RL-17 a try. Start at 40 gr and work up.