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.243 bullet/powder suggestions

4K views 36 replies 18 participants last post by  TexasTB 
#1 ·
I am about to start loading for my savage 99 .243 and am looking for a good starting point for bullets and powder. It has a 20" barrel with a 1/10 twist and I plan on using it for deer and hogs out to 300 yds, so the higher the velocity the better for flat shooting. What I'm seeing online is the 85gr sgk bthp for that twist rate but not sure if it is too explosive or not. Also the velocities don't seem to be any faster than my 18" 6.8.
 
#13 ·
Was it a bolt gun with a 1/9 twist? Only asking because the the 99's have a 1/10 and supposedly don't do so well with the longer bullets. The interweb says it does ok with up to 100gr as long as they are flat based and non ballistic tipped. The 95 SST would be perfect for me but not sure it would work with my twist.
 
#12 ·
Since H4350 has been nonexistant I picked up some Hybrid100V and love it in my 6.5 CM

From the Hodgdon website:

This powder is the result of combining the technologies of spherical powders and extruded propellants. The chemistry of a spherical powder is combined with the geometry of an extruded propellant, creating a smooth-metering, super short granule extruded shaped propellant with high energy. HYBRID 100V has a burn speed between H4350 and H4831, yielding superb performance in such popular calibers as 270 Winchester, 243 Winchester Super Short Magnum, 7mm Remington Magnum, 300 Winchester Magnum and dozens more
 
#22 ·
My daughter took her first deer last year with my .243 handload. 90 gr Speer Deep Curl, Hornady case, CCI 450, 41 gr IMR4350. Out of her .243's 20" 1/10 barrel it clocks 2940 fps, about the same as my 90 gr Gold Dot load for my 6.8, but I'm sure the .243 has more range.
 
#30 ·
I agree you can try just bumping the shoulders, but .........
Really keep your eyes on what the brass is doing when you shoot.
The 99 is one of the strongest leverguns, and also most accurate.
However, I've seen some weird stuff with some of my friends 99s.
Out of round chambers, large chambers, etc...
 
#31 ·
Loading for pure accuracy and loading for reliability are two different things. I'm not saying you cant have an accurate reliable load but when shooting at targets if you stick a bullet in the barrel or a round wont chamber due to being slightly tight you aren't out anything but time. Having the same problem in the field can cost you a missed shot or trip back home to clear the problem so err on the reliability side. If you do elect to neck size at least make sure each round you intend to hunt with will function thru your rifle before heading out, actually its a good practice with any of your reloads.
For powder the 4350 is hard to beat and a good all round bullet is the Sierra 85g. bthp. I use it in a 6mm Remington and also in a 6mm br xp-100 pistol and they both have taken deer cleanly with one shot.
 
#32 ·
I got some 95gr SST's. Going to look for H4350 or 100v but has anyone tried accurate magpro with these bullets in a .243? The #'s look good but not sure about the accuracy or temp stability guessing it is a stick powder that should be pretty stable. Also ramshot Magnum and hunter look pretty promising as well.
 
#36 ·
Well, I had no luck with the h414 and WLRM primers yet. So I recrowned the barrel and finally got my hands on some h4350 and am impressed so far. During my ladder I got a 3/8" group with 3 shots and the 4th was just over 3/4" at 100. The last shot was 2" so I have a good point to start fine tuning it. Using herters s&b brass, 210m primers and .02 off the lands. The good grouping was between 41.6-42.2 grains of h4350. Temp was 86* and velocity was 2940-3000 fps. Worked up to 44.5 just checking for pressure signs and the bolt started sticking a little with some primer cratering above 44 grains but the fps was over 3100 out of a 20" barrel so I am going​ to fine tune it around 42grains then work then see if I can find another node up to 44gr. Thanks for everyone's help and ideas.
 
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