The only .243 bullet I can find out there is the 105 AMax. Is there another heavy weight bullet out there with a high BC rating above .400 in that weight class that will expand?

Is the Berger BT bullet designed to expand, or is it a match bullet?

I haven't used the 105gn Berger but assume it has the same jacket as the 95gn Berger VLD . They expand more readily than the 105 A Max in my experience . You will need an 8 or 9 inch twist to stabilise .

Wouldn't a lighter bullet, 65 or 75 grain v-max or similar be better? They would have higher velocities and flatter trajectories, but your gun may not shoot them well. My Ruger loves them with Varget powder pushing them. The 105 grain is at the high end of the spectrum for .243 bullets.

Berger makes a 105 gr Match BT (it is pretty frangible but should kill a PD.) Sierra makes a 100 grain Gameking bullet. Sierra also makes a 107 gr HPBT Matchking (it too will be very frangible, but should take care of a PD). Speer makes a 105 grain Hotcor Spitzer SP which should dispatch a PD with no problem.

I have a fast twist 6mm Rem...two in fact..

I shoot 115 grain Bergers out of them, plus bullets down to 75 grains pretty often..

In tackling the problem you mentioned, I go the opposite way, for bullet weights..

my main go to bullet is the 75 grain Hornady HP... of course their 75 grain V Max is an option also.. but I have been using the HP for so long and it has performed so well... just keep using them..That bullet can be launched in the 3650 to 3750 fps range in a long action, with the 6mm Rem using a variety of the slower powders...

othe good options to consider...
80, 90 and 95 grain Balistic Tips..
85 grain Sierra SP and HP
87 grain HP, SP and V Max hornadys...

with deer bullets or the heavier match bullets, you would have to consider concerns over their ability to riccochet...

i've been using the speers in a 6mm/250AI with good success, however it's one of the few speer bullets that groups well for me

I am seeking 105 grain bullets,(or possibly the .400 87 grain Vmax too), for a 6x45Lapua PD rifle that will be fired only at 400-600 yards.

An example of how inefficient the lighter bullets become at these distances is the following example:

55gr Nosler BT bullet, muzzle velocity 3,800FPS. Velocity at 500 yards= 2,115FPS. Ft.lbs energy at 500 yards= 546

105Amax muzzle velocity 2,950FPS. (yes...850 FPS slower then the 55 Grain BT at the muzzle) Velocity at 500 yards= 2,104. Ft.lbs energy at 500 yards= 1,032

58gr, 65 gr, 70gr, 75gr bullets all have similar dismal comparisons, with terrible wind resistance rating.
Most people intend to shoot their rifles at all different ranges including from 100 yards on out. For this, the lighter bullets make sense.

I've been told he match kings will only drill holes in PDs.

quote:

I've been told he match kings will only drill holes in PDs.

Well I'd agree with that.. same with the Bergers...

so I would say that the 105 A MAX is your 'huckleberry' then...

Site them in a 500 yds or so... it will definitely drop them in there..

2900 fps out of a 6 x 45 is pretty impressive out of that case for a 105 grain bullet...

sure would like to know your load for that one..

Loading for targets at our range that sit out there at 725 yds, I usually shoot 75 and 80 grain bullets in 6mm for those and it drops them right in there...

Good luck and let us know how it turns out..your results should be motivational and interesting..

While I think the 2,950 figure is attainable with the 6- 6.5x47 Lapua cartridge, I believe 2,900 FPS is more easilly achieved. I had recently reverted to using the 2,900 FPS figure instead of the 2950 figure that I posted above, when comparing ballistic stats between the bullet weight choices. With the high .500BC of the Amax, the stats don't move down a whole lot when changing it from 2,950 to 2,900.

To arrive at these velocity figures, I study the stats of the available loads posted at the 6BR websight. The 6BR-DX is doing 2,850FPS with 107's and 3,300 with the 88's. A 6BRX with a 31" barrel, and loaded with 107's and a charge of 34.5 grains of Varget is reported to have done 3,104fps (while also delivering a 5 shot .185" group.)

So, I would suppose that a 29" barrel with a larger 6x47Lapua case ought to deliver at least 2,900FPS.

Why not use a very established, inexpensive.. easy to find components and time proven...
243? or 243 AI?

The 243 AI you say? Yep...yep. I had infact already bought a long action Rem 700 Sendero exactly for that, planning to seat the heavier bullets in the longer action. The rifle still sits propped against the wall.

I came to my senses that the improved 6BR-250 case is probably the threshold for good barrel life, lower recoil, and possibly even a maintained sight picture for the longer shots in a 17 pound rifle. Especially so in PD country. For that matter, I have ALWAYS wanted a .257-284 So where do you draw the line for the maximum practical cartridge? The 250/6XC case is where I drew it.

Now don't start tempting me after weeks of researching archives and finally ordering the 6x47 brass!