Thread: Hand load suggestions for Tikka M55 .243 18"

Hey all, I just finished setting up a rifle my ex-girlfirends old man gave me a while back. Its been shortened and suppressed with a weaver grandslam 2-8 perched on top. Will only be used for shooting out to 200m or so in river flats and bush clearings.
About to start developing a load for it but am not too sure where to start.

I've been for a couple of years now and have developed nice accurate loads for my .243 ultimate shadow, .308 and 7RM so am comfortable reloading but I work away from home so get very little time at my bench which is why im fishing for projectile, powder, OAL suggestions for the M55.

Any experiences or suggestions would be much appreciated.

cheers
Strider

Simple: 43 grains 2209, fed 210 primer and a Sierra Prohunter parked on top. If you want to reach out further: 43gn2209, fed 210 with a 95 Berger, job done.

Me and the hunting crew all run .243 Norma Brass with 44.4g of 2209 CCI or Federal LR primers with Sierra 85g HPBT, and have a very similar load for the 100g SBT if needed...
18" barrel 1:10, suppressed. was 3150fps at 22" will be ladradar testing next week on the 18"

Bluddy 'ell, I still got some work to do on my load development then!
I think I'm currently at 40gr 2209 with the Sierra 85 HPBT and 39 with the 100 Prohunter, Norma brass, Fed 210 primer. No pressure signs yet, i have been taking it slow and steady, but rifle hasn't been to the range since October.

42gr 2209 with 100gr Sierra; 44gr 2209 with 85gr Sierra and 45gr 2209 with 80gr TTSX.Point the latter at deer and they die very quickly. The 85gr is robot reliable. Very good roar pill.

Mate runs the 80gr ttsx in his 18" bbl 243. Second one in the mag after a SP as reckons it shoots through bush better if the animal runs off needing a 2nd hit

Ive shot a lot of deer with the .243 over the last 50 odd years.

The best killing load I ever tried was with the last one. 20" barrel XBolt. Shot dozens of deer with it. 85grn Interbond and N550. Lethal.

I load for a .243 and in my howa the barrel only likes 85gn or less. I load a light 38gns of 2213sc behind 85gn sierra btsp and they go very well / are economic to run too.