As a certified old fart ,
I am sort of a traditionalist with guns and guitars. But damn a new rifle for 360.00.
Thats just a good price and i hear these little plastic wonders shoot !
So i bought one today. Reading all these posts on the deer and .243 thread I think I will like it.
I have a New Redfield 3x9 to put on it.
It will be a couple weeks or more before i bring it home. Thinking 95 or 100 grain Partitions if i take after mule deer. But a Hornady speer or sierra would do for Oregon Blacktail.
Is there a universal favorite powder for heavy bullet .243 ? ...tj3006

I4350

Thanks ted !

Agreed
IMR 4350 is the powder for any .243 I've been around.
I've not had much luck with Partitions for pin point accuracy but the 100 grain Sierra's are killers on both medium sized deer and Mule Deer. My sons rifle is using a 90 grain Speer bonded bullet that is real accurate and effective on Muleys. We haven't recovered any bullets from Deer or Antelope with his .243 Sierra or Speer.

Thanks Snellstrom !
I will look into that speer bullet. I think I read about it somewhere being designed with the old slow twist .244 Remington.
...tj3006

100 grain cup and core bullet--Remington or Winchester both work great and 4064 powder. When I first started loading for my 30-06 I used 4064. For years I kept hearing that 4350 was THE powder. I tried it and in my rifle, 4064 worked much better.

Although I haven't tried all the offerings from the various manufacturers, I can recommend you stay far away from the 95 grain Hornady SST. I've witnessed unacceptable performance both here in the U.S. and in Africa.

I'm currently loading the 80 grain TTSX using Ramshot Hunter pushing the bullet 3415 fps. Excellent accuracy and excellent on game performance.

Good luck!

I have tried H414, IMR4064,Varget, and IMR4895 for the 70gr Nosler BT and the 75gr VMax and all of them worked well, with 38gr of IMR4064 working well with the VMax in 4 different rifles.

The M77 of my brother, another friends Savage, and a Handi Rifle shot the 100gr Hornady BTSP and IMR4064 at or around 34gr very well.

But my Ruger#1 in 243Win keyholed with all of the powders above at starting loads. Re-reading the Lyman manual again it stated if a bullet will not stabilize drive it faster. The rifle finally came around with a stiff load of IMR4831 settling in nicely with 42gr with the Hornady 100gr BTSP.

So if you are gonna shoot the 100gr bullet I advise a slow burning powder to achieve top velocities in normal pressure ranges. That is what the medium powders could not do in MY rifle. I like IMR4831 really well.

However, for experimentation I may try one of the new powders that fill the case like the new IMR7977 or IMR4955 and the Hornady 100gr BTSP. All I know is that bullet kills deer well and jellies stuff in the ribcage.

Thanks for all the excellent replies !
...tj3006