Hello Guys

I'm getting a 243 Win soon (its on its way) with a 26" barrel. I have to restock with powders soon also, and was wondering if I should lean in any particular direction (faster/slower) to get optimum velocity from my long barrel ??

Cheers - Foster

Tentman

I have a .243 with a 26" barrel. It's a Remington 600 Mohawk that I had redone. It shoots 70 Gr. Blitzkings at 3550 + with Varget. Very accurately I might add.

I'm fond of mid range powders over the usually pushed slower powders so trendy today....

Butn people in OZ and NZ tend to be more practical also...the way I look at it, less powder equates to slower throat erosion, less recoil,... stretching out the amount of shots per pound of powder also...

I like the IMR 4895, 4064, 3031, RL 15, W 748 numbers a lot for 308 sized cases...

For lighter bullet weights, varmint types, I lean toward even faster powders than above. Like RL 7, IMR 4198, 2400 etc.. I don't give up much max velocity, but as a lot of load manuals tell ya, back off max velocity just a little tends to give more accurate loads.... and that formula seems to work pretty well in my 243s...

Some of the real fast powders have turned a pair of 243s I have that are real accuracy pigs, into some very very accurate shooting rifles...

good luck with your 243.... a round I love!

cheers
seafire

Excellent choice! The 243 really comes alive with a 26" barrel. Muzzle blast is reduced and further from you and the velocity is greatly increased.

My own sako 22" 243 managed 3,125fps with factory 85gr BTHP, same lot of ammunition in the new 26" barrel went 3,300fps and much more pleasant to use.

For mid range bullet weights (80-90gr) H4350 is a clear winner. Hogdon announce it as such and my research has confirmed it for me.

What weight of bullet are you going to use? It makes a lot of difference.

I'm one of the "slow powder" guys. For 90's and 100's, the ADI equivalent of H4831 would be excellent (faster powders don't fall all that far behind, but you'll get wider velocity spreads and potentially less accuracy). In my 24" .243 HB I use 48.5 gr of Vhita Vouri N160 with a 70 grain Nosler BT or Sierra BK. When you drop down to the Nosler 55 grain BT, then H4895 or similar powder is about right.

On average, 1894mkII is right: 4350 or its equivalent is a good compromise for the all but the lightest or the heaviest bullets in .243, and will do even with them.

Thanks Guys

I want to use 100gn "deer" bullets. I'm going 243 because I find it increasingly difficult to handle recoil (and I suspect muzzle blast). So I was thinking that smaller charges of faster powder would be useful. I'm very interested in the comments about faster powders increasing throat life - is there a source of info that I can study this further? The idea to use quite fast powders with varmit projectiles is a very good one, especially as I don't need optimum velocity for varmits (how much faster than 3300 does it take to kill a rabbit !!), and I'll do some thinking on that.

One of the problems is avaliability of powders, here we can get the ADI series readily, but IMR are scarce, rumour has it that the last shipment was 2001 and there is to be no more imported (too much hassle post 9/11) so that sort of limits options.

I'm thinking since I can still get IMR 4350 that I should lay in about enough to wear out a tube!!

Cheers - Foster

41.5 of h414 with 85g sierra hpbt works v.well from rem.vls.26ins. Good bullet on deer, the 85 grain is better choice than 100 grain- higher energy out to 200 metres.

quote:

Originally posted by Tentman:
I'm thinking since I can still get IMR 4350 that I should lay in about enough to wear out a tube!!

Cheers - Foster

IMR 4350 is one of the better powers in the .243 with the heavier bullets like you talking about. Since those are your main interest go with a little faster twist like a 1 in 9 or faster.

I have to go with 1894MK2, H-4350 has worked very well in my tika T-3 and A Remington 700 BDL. bullet weights were 60 grains to 105 grains. these two rifles both have 22 in BBl. the 100 grains got 2960 FPS, over my chrony, and the groups were great. the bullet of choice for me is the Hornady 87 gr. BTHP. but maybe yours will like something eles, work with it, you will find it.

quote:

Originally posted by Tentman:
Thanks Guys

The idea to use quite fast powders with varmit projectiles is a very good one, especially as I don't need optimum velocity for varmits (how much faster than 3300 does it take to kill a rabbit !!), and I'll do some thinking on that.

I use Viht N133 which is quite similar to IMR 3031 for 55gr BTs. 38gr gives 3,400fps from a 19" barrel (my short 243 with moderator). Soot along cases which often occurs with such loads (somehow faster powders seem to do this with lighter bullets) is cured by neck sizing. It is not wise to treat this soot as low pressure sign

I have a custom mauser with a douglas premiun barrel of 26 ,one hole group at 100mts with most commercial bullets.Juan

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
I'm fond of mid range powders over the usually pushed slower powders so trendy today....

Butn people in OZ and NZ tend to be more practical also...the way I look at it, less powder equates to ..... less recoil

cheers
seafire

Why? The laws of physics say that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. That is presumably a large part of recoil. If I push out a bullet at 3000 fps, what do the laws of phsics care whther the propellant was fast or slow?

The weight of the powder is also ejected out of the barrel as a high velocity gas. If you have less powder the recoil would be lower. You have to add the weight of the powder times its velocity on exiting the barrel and the weight of the bullet times its velocity to figure the momentum imparted to the rifle (aka recoil).

Almost forgot. Faster powders usually have lower charge weights in the same cartridge.

quote:

Why? The laws of physics say that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. That is presumably a large part of recoil. If I push out a bullet at 3000 fps, what do the laws of phsics care whther the propellant was fast or slow?

Well Brucie...

I'd have to say that your question is either hypothetical, or you are just trying to show you know more than you really do, by asking a question based on reading something...

Ths is called experience....making the above statement....

Depending on what is the make up of the powder, two different powders with the same charge weight can have two different levels of explosion which will make a marked difference in felt recoil...even when the bullet is exiting at the same velocity... maybe not any more recoil on the recoil pad, but a big increase in the perceived recoil...

Also, the more powder you use, the larger that equal reaction you are eluding too...

I can take 14.5 grains of Blue Dot and a 40 grain HP bullet, and then take 30 grains of H 335 with a 40 grain bullet... but while give me an MV of about 3250 in one of my Rugers I tried this with.... you will definitely notice a major decrease in recoil with the Blue Dot and 14.5 grains over the other H 335 load, yet the MV is the same....

NOt being a physicist, I do it the old fashion way... load them up and go out and experience the results...

Then we can go back to the LAB and figure out the logical reasons that we got those different results...

Don't be an armchair theorist.... get out to the range and the field.. and maybe you won't look so intellectual stupidity to those that know a little of what they are doing or talking about....

A guy with experience behind the wheel is a better driver than some guy who writes a book about it, but has never driven before....theory or no theory...