Hey everyone,
This is posted on another forum with no responses and was hoping you guys could help.

Does anyone have or has anyone tried a quite or quiter .243 load? I am hoping to bring it down closer to .223 levels using the light projectiles about 65 grain. Seen an article using a certain cotton to take up the space in the cartridge? Also does anyone know if a company makes target turrets that screw on to a bushell elite 3200??

Thanks
Ben

This may be close to what your looking for.

Hodgdon Youth loads.

Your going to run into a lot of problems trying to down load for smaller bullets.As well as your rifle having any accuracy with lighter grain bullet and the twist in your barrel.It can get dangerous,(REAL) downloading! Just stick to the loads you can find in loading manuals is your best bet. VAN

Not to dispute Jay or Van....

But I have some experience here, that proves different...

Hodgdons YOuth loads are hit or miss on accuracy...

Drop me a PM, and let me know what grain of bullets you want to use, and what kind of velocity you are looking for....

I can definitely help ya out on that one...

cheers
seafire

eh?
( since you are Canuck, eh?)

Minimum loads of the fastest powders that manafacturers advertise (eg H322, N133 etc) do very well but H4895 is probably the best as advertised in the youth loads

I use SR4759 data from the Lee load notes and run a 80gr BT at 2,800fps with 25gr. Sort of 223plus.

The 243 is one of the most useful cartridges and with a reduced load one can cut the report down to that of much smaller rounds and yet carry the full charge load for a long shot. My latest 243 puts 55 gr bullets at 2800 fps, 58 gr bullets at 3750 and 95 gr bullets at 3000 fps all very close to each other at 100 yds.

I use the 50% rule for reduced loads. Thats for IMR's SR 4759 which was designed as a high bulk powder for reduced loads. A high bulk powder will reduce the chances of a double charge and 4759 will produce nice pressures so as to seal the case off and also burn clean.

50% means to select a light bullet for any cartridge and to load 50% of the normal charge weight of regular powder using SR 4759. Thus a 243 holds about 46 grs of powder so your load is 23 grs. Thats easy.

I use the 58 gr Vmax in the 243 for varmints and the 55 BT for reduced loads so as to tell them apart. The reduced load shoots less than 1 MOA and hits 1/2" high at 100 yds when the full charge load is 1/2" high at 200 yds.

Loading like this makes the 243 look good. The reduced loads don't heat up the barre much either and don't shake the windows.

They make the 243 far more useful than a .224" rifle for many purposes.

My 243 walking varminter is the one on the right in the picture below. This Kimber 84M Montana came perfect out of the box from the factory. It shoots tiny groups at 200 yds and if I could write better I could describe how nice a gun this is. It weighs 8 lbs and is a long range varmint rifle with the bipod. With the pod off it goes 6.75 lbs with that scope and is a light walking varminter. With a smaller scope it's a small deer rifle for some.

quote:

Originally posted by van:
Your going to run into a lot of problems trying to down load for smaller bullets.As well as your rifle having any accuracy with lighter grain bullet and the twist in your barrel.It can get dangerous,(REAL) downloading! Just stick to the loads you can find in loading manuals is your best bet. VAN

This is not correct in my experiance which spans 53 years of handloading.

For instance the manuals are full of loads using all kinds of powders with small bullets, cast bullets etc. at low velocities. Also the twist is not a problem with all due respect.

thanks for all the insight guys! This site is awesome! Either tomorrow or wednesday Im going to go to my local shop and pick up my new dies and all the stuff I need, Never loaded .243 yet. Im going to also pick up some SR 4759 and whatever bullets they have in stock that are around 60 grain. will be checking back to update you guys with what I got!
This load is to start my brother shooting without angering the neighbors with noise and scaring him off. The rifle is a model 700 sps stainless with an 9 1/8 twist!

Ben

Take a look at http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/small_charges.htm -- there's some data there that should be helpful.

The 50% rule is just a guide to get what I call a 'Hornet' load for a larger but similar cartridge. It also works well with much bigger ones too but the load can go much lighter. Just be sure if shooting very light loads with jackedted bullets that they don't stick in the barrel.

Some light loads shoot too low even at shorter range when the original scope sight setting is retained. If you have a conventional variable scope then the top of the bottom plex can be used like a post as the aiming point for your reduced load. Just change the power to sight it in. Higher powers raise the point of impact.

I have worked up two light loads for my 243. I have loaded 16Gr of 4198 with a 75grHP at about 1600fps Witch is a little louder then a 22 mag. i had about an inch and a half at 100 yards with that load.
The other load is 7.5 grains of blue dot with a 75grHP, at about 1200 fps. Witch is a little louder than a 22 but not as loud as a 22 mag. That load for me puts them in the same hole at 50 yards.
I would go with the speer 75 gr hp if you were to shoot under 2000fps because I have found it to open up the best at low speeds compaired to the 60grHP,75grV max. 75gr sierra and hornady Hp, of witch I have all tested on small game

wow guys this is awesome! Im happy to hear all the responses and hope someone else can learn something other then me! I picked up some SR 4759, And Also have some win 748 for my .223 but doubt will do me any good here! I also picked up some 58g vmax's. I haven't loaded any but will try a few of the suggested loads. Looking for mayble a little faster then .223 but same volume? about the same all around! And only looking for maybe 1 1/2 moa!

Ben

quote:

Originally posted by Ben_mm7:
I also picked up some 58g vmax's. I haven't loaded any but will try a few of the suggested loads. Looking for mayble a little faster then .223 but same volume? about the same all around! And only looking for maybe 1 1/2 moa!Ben

With that bullet and 22gr. of Blue Dot my .243 turns out 3200 fps. and a 7 shot 3/8" grp. at 50 yds. The Ruger Varmint just loves that bullet at almost any reasonable speed. roger