243. Win first time loading

[backwoods83]

There are only 3 other options I can think of other than the 105 amaxs.
Berger 95grn classic hunter hybrid .427
Berger 87grn hunting vld .412
Swift 90grn scirocco II .420

The 95grn SMK will likely shoot good but it bc it lacking to say the least. Cook your barrel off with the vmaxs and get a custom 8 twist and shoot the 105 Berger hybrids, adds a whole new prospective to the 243!

 

[matt_3479]

yah i guess it doesn't really make sense stepping up to the 95 gr bergers and such when there BC is only .27 higher then the 87 gr vmax. I with the 87's i can push a little harder, and with a bc of around .4 it must be decently close to me even running the 95's. Plus it is about a 1/3 of the price for me to run the vmax vs a berger and way easier for me to get my hands on! might just stick with them then till the barrel is either burned or get sick of it and want to rebarrel it anyways its not like they aren't shooting good or anything

 

[backwoods83]

Matt the true 95grn Berger hunting vlds have a .486bc but they are designed for a true 9 twist, but quite a few people get lucky with remingtons claimed 9.125 twist at 2500ft asl and higher, the 95grn classic hunter that I spoke of is a much shorter bullet and I have seen them completely stable at 1000ft asl from a 10 twist 6x47L, but they don't have enough bc advantage over the vmaxs but do make for a better choice if whitetail or pronghorn hunting is in mind. The 90grn Scirocco II is a good compromise of weight and bc but they are HIGH! I would just continue the 87grn vmax/rl17 combo, just be carefull of temp swings if it gets over 75 outside.

 

[matt_3479]

Is reloader 17 that temperature sensitive that i should watch out for it in warmer weather? lucky this gun is used mostly for coyote hunting (winter) but would like to use it for some serious target shooting (summer)

 

[backwoods83]

If you're at max pressure or real close with rl17 at 50 degrees its likely you will be over pressure at 80, not always the case, but its quite sensitive to high temps. I have 2 6br loads with rl17, 34grns for 55 and up and 34.2grns for 25-55, I know that don't sound like much but the 6br is quite small but comparitively the 243 is just a stretched version with a 20 degree shoulder so your difference would probably come in around .4grns for the temp changes.