Need recommendations for 243. win reloading

[Millet]

Hello guys,
I am new here and in could use some help with reloading. I'm a "small" LR varmint hunter. Factory rifle; Rem 700 ADL 243. win w/ Millet 4-16 x 56 was shooting factory ammo: Hornady 58 gr v-max superformance. I am very new at reloading and I need some suggestions on bullet/powder/primer combinations. I'm not even exactly sure on the twist of my barrel. I saved around 150 rounds of hornady brass that I would probably use. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[roninflag]

Millet- welcome. i do not know what " small " means. i can tell you one of the most consistently accurate loads i have found for .243 is 37 or 37.5 of I4964 and an 85 sierra Bthp, .030 off. with either a BR-2 or 210m primer. this out of 6 or so sakos and a dozen remingotn 700s. enjoy . the .243 is and accurate and deadly round. roninflag

 

[valleyloader]

Your twist is probably 1 in 9.25" I don't think Remington offers any other twist rates in 243 win. That being said I like the 87 grain Berger VLD over 39.0 grains of varget and a CCI #200 in Remington brass for mid range accuracy (out to 600 yards). I have also had great success with the 80 grain Barnes TTSX over 45.5 grains of H4350 and CCI #200. For varmint hunting I have used the 62 Grain Barnes Varmint Grenade over 47.5 grains of H414 and CCI #200 with great success. These are all MAXIMUM loads reduce be at least 10% and work up checking for signs of pressure.

The 1 in 9.25" twist seems to be pretty universal it will work with the lighter and mid weight bullets, as well as some of the heavier ones. I have heard reports of some getting good accuracy out of this twist rate with 105 grain bullets but I have no first hand experience with the heavier bullets. Other bullets I would be looking at are Hornady 75 gr and 87 gr V-Max, as well as the Nosler 70 gr Ballistic Tip. There are many other great bullets out there in 6mm hopefully others with more experience than I will chime in on this subject.

 

[Millet]

Hey thanks for the info! That should give me some starting ideas. One thing, do you have any recommendations for a small reloading press? I don't want to go very big. Maybe in the $200.00 or less range. Has anyone used the Lee Loader with success? I don't need any thing fast as I'm only doing maybe 200 rounds a year.

 

[Jud96]

I have a Remington 700 ADL Varmint too that is fully bedded with pillars and is topped with a Leupold 6.5-20x40 Target and shoots excellent. The load I shoot has shot lights out in more than five .243 rifles with groups under 1/2 inch. The load is 44grs of IMR 4350 topped with an 87gr Hornady HPBT or V-MAX. It is a very consistent, accurate, and compact charge that works excellent. Its average velocity is 3250fps out of a 26" barrel and shoots 1/4inch groups out of my Remington and my Dad's Remington which is a twin of mine. This combination has worked for him for years and is the basis in which he tests all .243s for accuracy.

 

[reeldawg]

I am using the 95gn Berger with H4831SC and a 210M It has worked well on hogs and a few Florida deer. I am using a Rem 700 youth rifle. It is very accurate out to 200.

Jay

 

[groundhogzapper]

I have had lots of experience with the 243, and owned many Rem 700 stock models. The newer 1/9.125" twist will shoot the 105 Amax very good in 90% of the Remmy's I have shot lately, so I bought a 243 Varmint 700, and put it straight into a B&C Light Varmint stock. Groups shrunk instantly. But anyway try this load.

Win Brass
Magnum Primer (Win is what I've been using)
105 AMAX
45.9gr H1000 (work up from 45)
I am shooting them about 5tho off lands and getting consistent sub .5 moa groups to 600yds. I used cci400's , and BR4's for a long time, but per Dan @OCW loading I switched to Mag primers, and not only gained accuracy, but about 75fps as well.
Dan has always been either dead on, or super close on his load recipes, and has helped my Factory, as well as my Custom rigs get more accurate.

Also try the 87Vmax, a very affordable pill, and it does well out to 1K in my factory 700 using H4350.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

Millet- welcome. i do not know what " small " means. i can tell you one of the most consistently accurate loads i have found for .243 is 37 or 37.5 of I4964 and an 85 sierra Bthp, .030 off. with either a BR-2 or 210m primer. this out of 6 or so sakos and a dozen remingotn 700s. enjoy . the .243 is and accurate and deadly round. roninflag

I4064 is a wicked good powder in the 243 with bullets in the 70-100 grain range. It's a bit fast for 100's, but the accuracy will usually make up for the 100 fps or so down that you'll land. I wore out my last 243 ( a striker pistol) shooting the 70 grain tnt with a stout dose of 4064 and a standard primer. I've seen my pops fold so many deer with his old adl in 243 using a 100 gr hornady and 4064 that I'm probably still catching up to what his one rifle killed and I've been hunting for 21 years.

 

[LoneTraveler]

My first question would be how did the 58 Gr. V-Max perform in your rifle? Sierra 85 Gr. Flat base or Boat tail and Hornady 87 Gr. V-Max. are good starting bullets, Remington Match Primers and IMR 4350 or Al. Reloader 19 powder is a good starting point. Then work from there. If you go heavier on bullets IMR or H 4831 will work into good loads. Lighter than 85 Gr. is where IMR 4064 seems to preform great. Follow a good manual for actual loads. Have a safe good time.

 

[jt183]

The 58's shot well for me with both Varget and IMR 4064. I used Varget until I ran out. Out of necessity I had to switch to 4064. Groups size and point of impact were virtually identical with both powders. I wanted a mild load for fur hunting so I settled on 40.5 grains. Max is three or four grains more than that.