Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Low recoil 243 loads

One virtue of reduced loads is the softening in quality and reduction in quantity of muzzle blast.

There are beginners who are quite put off by blast, even with low physical recoil and good hearing protection in place. I've witnessed this more than once at my range when the shooting involved a short barreled 243.

Here's a tack I'd take. Looking at the 5th ed. Nosler manual, p.130, I see the listings for IMR 3031, 4895 and 4064 with 85/90 grain bullets. The most accurate charge tested with 3031 is 32 grains, and 33 grains for 4895 and 4064. In each case these charges are four grains and roughly 300 fps below the listed maximums.

For a bullet I'd use the 90 gr. Ballistic Tip, the 85 grain Speer boat tail, or the 85 grain Sierra boat tail hollow point Game King. These should expand fine out to "beginner ranges" when started at the 2800 fps level provided by the above listed charges.