Thread: 243 Loads

Ive just re-acquired an old Sako L579 forester that I rebarreled with tikka m55 243 barrel(to keep similar period) years ago due to the 308 wearing out! Im looking at trying to make a all purpose load using it for Reds & fallow what would be peoples go to for this? Im picking its a 1-10 twist and have been thinking the 100g sierra pro hunters could be the ones? I have some 2206H powder already so hopefully that’ll work
Cheers

In my Sako I use the 87 gn Hornady spire point and 43.6 gn of 2209 for everything.

My standard load is the 90gr ELD-X in front of 42.4gr of 2209. It's doing 3140fps in my Brno (23.5" barrel).

I have a box and a half of the 100gr Prohunters that I probably don't need...

Hornady 87gr HPBT in front of 37gr 2208.
Nothing complicated, just works

39.5gr of 2209 behind any 100gr soft point

So 2209 powder seems to be the go? Has anyone used 2206h? My barrel is 20”

you have got 2206.....find a recipe that uses it ..DO NOT go near a chronicgraph...... make up half dozen loads maybe 5% below book max and go and see how they group...if they good enough... just use it and be happy
I repeat..DO NOT go near a chronicgraph
you arent going to be shooting out past 350yards so speed is pretty much irrelevant
the bog std cup n core 100grn were pretty common loading,break bone and you will have a full freezer.

The anything from the bog standard Sierra 85gr Game king to the berger 87gr hunter for a bit more distance.
If fallow are on the menu then I would be staying away from the tougher premium bullets as they will pass on though, not much resistance in a fallow side on if you don't hit a leg/shoulder bone.
Even a large red stag won't go far if one of those hits him in the heart/lungs area.
I've run lots of 760/H414 in my 243's which is a very good powder for bullets in the 70-90 gr range.
Dad always ran 4350 which was the go to for mid range projectiles for a long time.
Z
PS I've never felt the need to hot load my 243's, Everything I pointy it at dies. The lever one runs a grain or more under max recommended, The bolt action (Heavy Action) I run run close to book max but I tend to load to a longer COAL.
I also like to load up 1 round 0.5 gr over what I want to run at and test that to ensure I have some room for error.

Superformance and 85gr Barnes been going pretty good for me, have shot close to 50 deer with it if not more (all fallow bar one) from right in front of me out to over 300 and it's worked awesome have only put a second one into one deer and that was my fuckup.

Greetings @Nighniz,
With a 20 inch barrel and that slow 10" twist you may wish to go to a 80 to 90 grain projectile with which AR2206H will work just fine. Look on the Hodgdon H4895 or the ADI site for loads. As Micky says, don't chronograph it and the deer wont know anyway.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Superformance and 85gr Barnes been going pretty good for me, have shot close to 50 deer with it if not more (all fallow bar one) from right in front of me out to over 300 and it's worked awesome have only put a second one into one deer and that was my fuckup.

You musta been talking to the dude up Te Kuiti way called TeTawa. His fav pill.

Originally Posted by Frogfeatures

Hornady 87gr HPBT in front of 37gr 2208.
Nothing complicated, just works

Same pill in front of 40gns IMR4320, just works.

the Hornady 87gr hpbt comes up as a varmint bullet, why do you prefer this to something like a ELD-X? I would have thought a varmint bullet would have poor penetration?

Originally Posted by rusl

the Hornady 87gr hpbt comes up as a varmint bullet, why do you prefer this to something like a ELD-X? I would have thought a varmint bullet would have poor penetration?

Because it is not a varmint bullet. Originally designated as a medium game bullet, by the people that made it. Still killing deer just the way it used to.

I used 2206H and the hornady 87gr bthp bullets for years. Shot reds from 5-300m with that combo. Was using 38 grains of powder. Pretty sure the first manual I had that was book max, but in later additions it is over book max. Just be careful. T3 with 20 inch barrel.