Hello All,

Just wondering if any of you have some lighter loads for a 243 Winchester? Anything with powders like IMR 4895, IMR 4320, IMR 4198, RL 7, H 4198, etc. I am not looking for top velocity, but something easy on the shoulder. Thanks in advance for any help.

You might check in the reloading pages further down or go directly to Seafire by PM.

The 1990 IMR powder Paperback manual is full of the data which you seek. Is there a target velocity and bullet weight? I can post some data here but if you will send me a call phone number by PM I can send you pictures of the 243 Winchester sections.
Take care, and good Luck,
Rick

For hunting loads going to the Barnes 85 g TTSX and a mid range powder charges gives a mild recoiling load which is deadly as long as you don’t try to stretch the range too much.

Less recoil than a standard 243? I’d go to a 223.

I have an older IMR Manual which shows IMR 4198 in the 6mm Remington with 80 and 100 grain bullets, but it does not show it in the 243 Winchester. Does your manual show it?

Why even post?

I am going to use the Speer 85 grain BT and the 95 grain Nosler Partition.

After the season I plan to cobble up some H4895 loads for my 6CM to take it easy on the barrel. 85gr NPs, 100gr Sierra PHs, or 95gr BTs. Easy to get 2800 or so at about 10k PSI less than top loads.

Yes,
243 with 80 and 100 grain bullets. Several other powders too, Can't get SR4759 any longer. I use quite a bit of 4227 instead. It works well.
Let me know if I need to send it to you.
Rick

PM sent.

Pappy,

That’s another reason I would like to load down. My 250 Savage is pushing the 100’s at 2750ish. Less wear and tear is good on the 243.

I loaded some for my young cousin a few years ago with the 85gr Sierra HPBT and IMR4198. I'd have to find my notes to give the powder charge. Got the load from Seafire.

I think Hornady makes a low recoil factory load for .243. Give that a look.

Loaded the 80 TTSX for grandkids with starting loads, 8 year old, 70 lb granddaughter liked it, increased as she got older

I loaded the 85gr Partition with the starting load of IMR 4350. Recoil seemed mild and accuracy was fine for short-med range. Daughter likes it fine in an A Bolt Micro.

Yep. Got some load info from Seafire 8-9 years ago, now. Worked from there. IMR 4198 has been in my powder stock ever since. I’ve now loaded the 85 gn Sierra HPBT or Hornady 85 gn Interbond, for four different .243’s; New Haven M70 Classic, TC Venture, Savage 110, and M77; and the sweet spot has been somewhere between 26.5-27.5 gns of IMR 4198 for all four rifles.

Easy on the shoulder for extended range days and youth shooters/hunters, most recently I’ve been loading it for my 78 year old father and his surgery hampered shoulder. None of the deer or hogs shot with the HPBT went more than 10 yds, one buck shot with the Interbond went about 60 yds.

The 6.5 Grendel does a pretty good .250 Savage impression too, with 100s at 2800 and 120s at 2600, with about 30gr of powder or thereabouts.

That Seafire Character gets around quite a bit....

But if he was available, he'd tell you 30 grains of 4198, either one.. but IMR one is more accurate, eg tighter groups...

30 grains of RL 7 is also another alternative, and also gets a little tighter groups than IMR 4198.

MV velocity in right around 2600 fps MV, out of a 22 inch barrel...

As a matter of fact, a couple of seasons ago, he shot a pretty large blacktail with an 85 grainer, and 30 grains of IMR 4198, so he uses those loads himself....

Recoil is similar to a 223, in the same size gun... He's also used the same load and has taken deer with a 90 grain and 95 grain Ballistic Tip or Speer SPs in 85 and 90 grains...

If you are hunting and looking to take down a deer say 150 yds and under, you can drop your charge down to 25 or even 20 grains of IMR 4198, RL 7 or H4198, with an 80 or 85 grain Sierra SP. If needing to drop down that low, a Sierra 85 grain SP would be a better choice than the Sierra HPBT, as the later bullet is harder ( designed to be pushed harder) than their 85 gr SP.. but their 80 gr SP does just as well...

Even a 75 grain HP will work just fine on deer with these 30 grain loads, even down to using 20 and 25 grains of powder...

watched a lot of young kids ( Boy Scouts ) be successful with these kind of loads...

Been toting a 6.5 Grendal in a Ruger Predator this season....with 30 grains of powder ( W 748) 90, 100, 120 and 129 bullets recoil about as much as loads in the 243 or 260 Rem with 30 grains of 4198.

As it should according to my notions about physics. I’m not dodging recoil, but the OP is. My little Howa definitely has some kick at under 6.5 pounds. Totes well though. Its .223 little brother begins the trip home today.

Thank you, Seafire.

It’s been a while and I’ve forgot the exact load but I used H4895 for downloaded .243 Win for my son when he was just starting out.

I haven't posted for a while, but wanted to add something here. Long story short:

My 12-year-old son is hunting elk for the first time this year, and though he has shot his 243 with cast bullets quite a bit, I swapped triggers a while back, and he has been using his 223 for hunting deer. To get him used to the lighter trigger, and have him use his 243 for both deer and elk, I worked up a load using IMR's old data easily found online using IMR 4227, since it mimicked the recoil of his 223 deer loads. IMR recommended 25 grains of 4227 to get to 2700 fps with 80 grain bullets. I found that 25.5 got me exactly 2700 with 80 gr Ballistic Tips. These shoot great in his gun (less than MOA) and it was a perfect performer on a broadside buck at just under 100 yds.


It also turned out that sighting in these loads at 150 yards put his elk load (100 grain Partition using 38.3 IMR 4166 to get 2950 fps) dead on at 225 yards. THIS is why I handload. Took some experimentation to get there, but the results are exactly what I wanted.

As an aside, I know the 80 grain BTs are the "Varmint" version, but they performed perfectly at their modest velocity, with an exit on a slight quartering shot centering ribs on entrance and exit that blew lung blood in a 2-foot line out the back. Deer did a 30-foot loop and collapsed almost exactly where he was shot.

Both my boys started shooting my 700 in 223 pretty early. They practiced with their 243s starting at age 9. One was a Rem 600 Mohawk and the other a Rem760. With the 243 I loaded the cheapest 75gr bullet I could find. You could go lighter if needed. I used 35gr of IMR4895 but worked the load backwards from 37.5 (IMR's starting load). I had never light loaded before and heard you can get pressure problems with too light of loads. They both enjoyed shooting a "big gun" and never developed a fear of recoil. When I took them hunting, I handed them full strength 100gr ammo without telling them. They never knew.

Light loads for practice to avoid making him recoil shy and regular loads for hunting and when the adrenaline is going works well too. My son shot his first turkey at 8 yrs old, we did a lot of shooting with Walmart dove loads. He never noticed the difference when he fired a full house TSS shell at his bird.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Your observations with varmint bullets mirror what Paul Box from Sierra Bullets would say if you keep the velocities down they start to act like a game bullet.

I knew a guy who used an 18½" barreled Model 7 in 243 Win. His load was the Sierra 85 gr. HPBT over IMR 4320. He used it for years on whitetail with good success. He eventually chronographs the load and was surprised to find that it only clocked around 2,700 FPS.

But it worked.

I'm loading Federal brass 175gr, CCI 200, 95gr NPT, 33gr H-4895, 2.650" COAL @ about 2700ish, my WAG... Nice accurate easy shooting load. 20" .243 Ruger M77 MK II UL.

> Speer 13 lists multiple IMR4198 reduced loads.
> Hodgdon Website has multiple H4895 loads that can be reduced up to 40%. ... Hodgdon Load Data
> Sierra iPhone app shows multiple loads/powders under 2600 fps with a 100 gr bullet.

60% of a max load using H4895 or IMR4895 and a Sierra 85gr Gamekings should work.

Did this same thing with my nephews. It worked great. None of them seemed to notice the increase in recoil with full-power ammo. I took a different approach with my son, though, because I am also trying to teach him the philosophy of handloading.

Used to shoot the 75 grain Hornady HP or the 70 grain Ballistic tip with a medium range load of Varget. Both were accurate in my heavy varmit M-70, & it was a nice easy recoiling load.

41

Speer number ten:
80 gr Speer- 16 gr IMR 4198....1789 fps; 17 gr IMR 4198....1891 fps; 18 gr IMR 4198....2009 fps

90 gr Speer- 17 gr IMR 4198....1766 fps; 18 gr IMR 4198....1873 fps, 19 gr IMR 4198....1990 fps

105 gr Speer- 18 gr IMR 4198....1852 fps; 19 gr IMR4198....1870 fps; 20 gr IMR 4198....1965 fps

Thank you to all for the information and experiences provided. It has been very helpful.

I have been shooting 34 gr of 748 with an 85 gr sierra, hpbt or sp.

I loaded some 8tg partitions for the wr3 700 uputh I had fora back up on my boys hunt. I tried my old h4895 reduced load but it didn't group that well. I tried a lighter load of 8208xbr because I've been using it a lot in other things and it shot great. IIRC I was at 35g and getting 2900 with the 85g npt from a 20" barrel.

Bb

I am not sure what you mean by light. I like a 60 gr Sierra over 34 gr IMR 3031 for longish range sage rats. It gets around 3200 out of a 22" barrel.

My pleasure sir... happy to help a campfire brother out.