so iv worked up a extremely accurate load for my custom rocky mountain rifle it has a match 26" barrel with 1-8 twist with 40.5 grains of rel 19 in lapua brass and 105 grain berger hunting vld's this rifle will print 3 shot groups at 200 yards off the bench going .550-.610 all day long. my question is im only getting 2588-2600 fps from a 26" barrel and im 1 a grain from listed max and the berger book shows 2865 fps from a 24" barrel.i could go to max and maintain moa so 2" groups at 200 but thats trash it needs to be 1/2 moa or better.

do i have a slow barrel?? should i try another powder maybe 4350 or 7828 ssc??

iv also considered running a 243 ai reamer in there im trying to get in the 2900-3000 fps neighborhood.

Try some varget or RE15, BLC2 also. IMR 4350 would also be a good choice. I shoot 41.5gr IMR 4350 over 100gr.

Accuracy always trumps speed in my book! Killing a critter at a higher rate of speed doesn't make them more dead; however, as Hammer suggests try some different powders.

Sounds like a damn fine rifle!

Slower powder might be worth trying for greater velocity. My 243 likes H4831 and H450 with 100 grain bullets. To hazard a guess, anything you you try will have a tough time besting those groups...

ill try some load over the next week with 1mr 4350 and 4831 and see if theres any change in speed while maintaining accuracy i shot 5 groups today at the range with my current load and was abilt to shoot the following .521 3 shot/.433 3 shot/.487 3 shot/.389 3 shot/.644 3 shot by using better rear sand bags the old 1's i had tended to shift a little every now and then all groups are at 200 yards from a concrete bench using a harris bi-pod and rear sand bags.

ill try other load but i will admit its hard to argue with this kind of accuracy. coralanes in dawsone creek bc builds 1 mean rifle . my rifle is a borden match action big horn match barrel 26" 1-8 twist and HS-presicion carbon fiber aluminum pillar bed stock barrel and action are also cera-coated, titanium grey matte. scope is a 5-20x50 huskemaw giving this scope a go just to se what all the fuss is about so far it flawless for hunting ect shot a white tail last fall at 720 yards with same load and setup and droped it like a sac of hammers.

At only 2588-2600fps and only 1/2 MOA that much error and that small of a velocity you'll be limited to field mice only, except for deer etc that don't read the internet. The only animals that will know the difference are those that do read these forums.

You might try H-100V, from Hodgdon.

They claim speeds of 3,100fps with a 100gr bullet, in a 243.

quote:

Originally posted by k-22hornet:
You might try H-100V, from Hodgdon.

They claim speeds of 3,100fps with a 100gr bullet, in a 243.

Using H4831 or H450 my 22" 243 achieves 3150-3200 fps with no pressure signs using Hornady 100 BTSP Interlock.

I never was happy with a 243 and heavy bullets, that caliber works best using velocity as it killing force, heavy bullets in .243 cross section just don't make blood trails and weight mean little or nothing..Much prefer a lightly constructed 100 gr. cup and core bullet that expands fast inside the critter..I liked the 85 gr. hunting bullets about as well as anything. Sierra, Hornady or Speer.

If one is a heavy bullet officiendo then use a rifle with a bigger hole in the barrel, like a 35 Whelen, 9.3x62 or even a 30-06 and up.

Always used a 95 NP at about 3100. Deadly little rifle!
Just bought some new IMR 4155 and loaded some units up for test and velocity across my chrono in a few weeks..Supposed to get 3150 with less pressure than what I was loading.
Anxious for the results!

EZ

First off have you found what charge shows pressure in your rifle. A good place to start is finding out where your rifle shows pressure signs. Find that first then back off .5 grains.

If you've established pressure, then have you run the Berger bullet seating test "Making it shoot" ? If you haven't done that you're kind of wasting lead. It's real simple just follow the load guide and you'll find you accurate depth quickly (hint it works with other bullets as well).

Lastly for max speed out of a .243 with a long barrel skip the traditional powders. You need to start thinking "magnum" powders. RL-22, RL-25, Retumbo, and H1000 are some good places to start. I was able to get above 3200 fps with the 105 grain A-Max and 44.7 grains of RL22. I was getting shiney head stamps so I backed it down to 44.3 and was still in the high 3100's without pressure signs.

With 115's I was still in the 2900 fps range with these powders in my 1:7 twist 26" barrel on my Savage.

The best way to ruin a hard hitting, good shooting, kill every thing rifle is to chronograph it.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
The best way to ruin a hard hitting, good shooting, kill every thing rifle is to chronograph it.

LOL SOOOOO true.
Zeke

i chronograph all my loads always do and yes the load im shooting is extreamly accurate 3 shot groups at 200 yards of .550 is the adverage( see above post for 5 group advergae at 200 yards). i dont shoot at 100 yards i find 200 to give better over all more accurate results.. plus i do alot of long range work with this rifle 600-700 yards on regular basis.

the powder i have available to me right now are h4831 so far has been better velocity wise(2900-3000fps) and is showing accuracy promise, still need to tweek a bit

other powders are imr 7828ssc and retumbo. will have to source out some rel 22.

and ray the berger vld i believe is a match grade cup and core bullet they penetrate 3-4" then shed 60-90% of their weight in the vitals
19-22" adverge penetration
iv killed a load of deer a few black bears and a hand full of cow elk(5)ranges of 200-600 yards) so far with the 243 and the 105 grain berger vld combo just never had a slow barrel/slow lot of powder before. thats why i was just seing what other use berger tech line is thinking its a slow lot of powder i got

FYI I am using Retumbo in my 1-8 twist with 105 Berger it's a 26" tube using 47.3 gr and getting 3034fps average.

i will have to give that a try i can get lots of retumbo.

I get 1/4MOA accuracy with 105 A-max with RL17. Speeds hover just over and
under 3050fps out of a 1:9.25 barrel.

You're always going to give up powder space for the longer Berger bullets. What's one reason I moved away from ballistic tips in my 308 Win; give me an Aframe with more powder and fps any day even if its 1/2 MOA less accurate.

I'm shooting 45 grains of H-1000 behind a 105 A-max in my 243 varmint rifle. 24" Wilson light varmint barrel, 1 in 9 twist and I'm getting 2860 fps @ 15 feet measured with my Oehler 33P. 5 shot groups average 5/8" in windy conditions.

iv herd of people using the h-1000 i will try it if i can can get a hold of sum but so far the retumbo has worked

I found that 39.6 grains of IMR4350, CCI mag, 105 grain Speer Spitzer and round nose were deadly on Virginia White Tails.

Jim