This type of performance is typical when the .243 Winchester is stoked with great hunting bullets. 243 Win. It also gives good performance in some of the magnum cases, such as the WSMs, WSSMs and even the 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum, though it’s best used with the lighter bullets for the latter two cartridges. Low pressures, less recoil, and the same ballistics … what’s not to love? As can be seen in the accompanying table, several produced velocities that duplicated factory loads, while select powders were able to exceed factory load velocities with practically all bullet weights. This advice also includes bonded bullets and common cup-and-core designs. 17 Rem. Case capacities have been found to vary by over 4.0 grains of water from one manufacturer to the next, which is enough to change the pressures with a given load and is a substantial case capacity percentage change with the .243’s modest powder charge weights. Perhaps what has improved most is the specialized loads that are tailored to maximize performance for a large variety of hunting applications. Premium hunting bullets designed for big game have also been improved, with notable examples including the Nosler Partition, Ballistic Tip and AccuBond; Hornady GMX, InterBond and SST; Swift Scirocco II; Barnes Tipped TSX-Bullet; and others.

Two good Cape buffalo bulls fell quickly to the Peregrine/Sledgehammer combination, despite the 112-degree Zimbabwean heat. Discussion in 'Gun Project Questions & Gunsmithing' started by wlsnmike, Sep 14, 2011. wlsnmike. The pairs of bullets — one each from each barrel — would tell the tale of what my double preferred, as they would probably start out low and wide at the bottom end of the spectrum, rise and come together as the rifle showed what it prefers, and finally rise higher and separate as velocities continue to increase. In spite of several excellent .243/6mm cartridges being developed to compete with the .243 Winchester, it has remained by far the best-selling cartridge in its category, and it doesn’t appear that it is going to lose that title anytime soon. 220 Swift.

In working with the .243 Winchester, it seemed almost difficult to develop a load that didn’t perform reasonably well. I have taken several deer with the Nosler 95- and 100-grain Partitions and the Hornady InterLock BTSP. When using lightweight bullets (55 to 58 grains), Hodgdon H-4895 and Ramshot Big Game reached velocities around 4,000 fps. Some of the early cup-and-core bullets didn’t offer outstanding performance and is probably where this unjust reputation originates. Get the latest news and reviews from Gundigest.com. Right click on the image of the load data and use save as. Without boring you with all the data, 88.0 grains of RL-15 gave me 1¾-inch pairs, with the velocity matching the Hornady load within 15 fps and a velocity spread of 8 fps. Temperature was recorded at 24 degrees below zero.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. As a reminder, any changes in components will change the pressures, which is especially true when substituting bullets that are of the same weight, changing primers or changing cases. THANKS wlsnmike, Sep 14, 2011 #1. I did my load development in 90-degree heat, leaving the ammunition in the sun in order to best prepare for my safari, so there was no real noticeable difference in point of impact due to the increased temperatures. Pet Loads and Handloader are registered trademarks of Wolfe Publishing Company. Reloader 15 has been criticized for being a bit sensitive to temperature fluctuations, and I can see where a shooter might be concerned in extreme cold or hot situations. 30-30 Win. 280 Rem. 115 SW Columbia St | Bend, Oregon, USA 97702  |  Toll Free: Nosler Showroom / Open to the Public:  Monday - Friday 10:00 am to 5:30 pm PST, Load Data &Technical Information by Cartridge. 22-250 Remington Ackley Improved Load Data, 223 Win Super Short Magnum (WSSM) Load Data, 243 Win Super Short Magnum (WSSM) Load Data, 25 Winchester Super Short Magnum Load Data, 270 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) Load Data, 7mm Rem Short Action Ultra Magnum Load Data, 7mm Shooting Times Westerner (STW) Load Data, 30-06 Springfield Ackley Improved Load Data, 300 Rem Short Action Ultra Magnum Load Data, 300 Holland & Holland (H&H) Magnum Load Data, 300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) Load Data, 325 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) Load Data, 358 Shooting Times Alaskan (STA) Load Data, 375 Holland & Holland (H&H) Magnum Load Data, 45-70 Gov’t (Strong Actions Only) Load Data, 45 Colt (Single Action Army & Replicas) Load Data, 45 Colt (Ruger & T/C Contender & Encore) Load Data. Reloader 15 has been criticized for being a bit sensitive to temperature fluctuations, and I can see where a shooter might be concerned in extreme cold or hot situations. Recipe. Both of us would be hunting Cape buffalo, and the October heat in Zimbabwe is notorious for being brutal, so I was concerned with keeping pressures as low as possible. It also can serve well in the .308’s offspring, from the .243 Winchester up through the 7mm-08 Rem. Having observed the .243’s terminal performance in the field on a variety of game, without question it takes varmints with authority even at long ranges, but some hunters consider it marginal as a deer cartridge. Such is the nature of the beast. I would be hunting with 500-grain Peregrine BushMaster soft-points and 500-grain Trophy Bonded Sledgehammer solids, and instead of the slower burning H4831SC, RL-22 or RL-25, I once again leaned on Reloader 15 for the reduction in recoil. Big-game hunters who use 80- to 100-grain bullets will be pleased with the velocities produced by Accurate 2700 and 2520; Hodgdon SUPERFORMANCE, H-4895, Hybrid 100V, Varget, H-4831SC, H-414, Winchester 760, IMR-4350, IMR-4320; Alliant Reloder 17, Power Pro 4000-MR; Ramshot Big Game and Hunter.