Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 243 loads

If a 95gr. bullet is what you are looking at then RL26 is the powder I would use. I load a 95gr. Partition and out of my 22" barrel I'm right at 3200fps with zero pressure signs. I've shot the same RL26 load in both of my 243's, a grandson's, and a brother in laws.
I was a 4350 user for a bunch of years with some 414 thrown in, but I've changed to RL26 and I doubt if I ever look back.

The only two loads I've shot through my .243 Win use the 95g Hornady SST and 90g Nosler AB. Both over 44.8g H4831SC using Winchester brass and CCI 200 primers.

Velocities are 2991fps for the SST and 2979fps for the AB. Both have been very accurate loads. Don’t have 100-yard group sizes for the AB as I was just using it long range (600 yard steel), but the SST 100-yard groups went into one ragged 0.4 hole with 4 shots, another 4-shots at .470” on a different day and the scope check in September sending two into 0.600”.

While I’ve taken antelope with the SST, this rifle is mostly a cheap (Savage 11FXP3 for $295 used) plinker at the range, where I shoot it out to 600 while my other rifles are cooling. You can see why I have not bothered to develop other loads. On the 5" 600 yard steel it’s like cheating.

My vote is 95 or 100gr Partition, going as fast as you can get it with decent accuracy. I shot IMR4350 here as a kid. My current 243 is a truck gun and practice rifle, so it shoots the 105gr Hornady HPBT at 3,000fps with RL26. It works fine on lungs.

^^^^ This ^^^^^

IMR 4350 with the 85 grain Partition . Shooting through both shoulders , I have never recovered a mushroom with dozens of whitetail harvested at close Northeast hunting ranges ( the furthest shot being 55 yards . ) Velocities still very high at 55 yards from the muzzle .

Partitions in either 85 grain , 95 grain or the 100 grainer is perfect .

I want to try some RL 26 but have had zero luck.
If anybody has extra I’d be tickled to try it

Today I tried different loads for Weatherby Vanguard. I found a more accurate load for my rifle. 100 grain sp ProHunter from Sierra with 38 gr H380 powder and low velocity of 2697. CAUTION- THIS IS OVER MAX IN SOME DATA MANUALS. This is 300 fps slower than IMR 4831sc. The groups today were .3 inches to .6 inches better at 100 Yards. I will use this combination when accuracy is primary concern, but back to IMR for deer hunting situations. I prefer the added velocity even if losing 1/2 inch in accuracy. Grouping with the 100 ProHunter and IMR 4831sc has produced .9 to 1.5 groups at100 yards on many tests on different days at the range. The Sierra ProHunter has been slightly better than Hornady 95 SST at putting deer down quickly. I find both bullets dependable from velocity of 2600 to 3000 fps. Shooting distance varies from 15 yds to 280 yds.

Just for fun I tried H4831SC with 100gr NPTs and was pleasantly surprised. 44gr FGM210M Hornady brass. Shoots to the same POI as the 95gr NBT over 41gr of H4350 in my Alpine, but a bit tighter.

Guy I work with is gonna give me .5lb of rl26 for load development and if I find a load some more.
What’s the load information on rl26 and 90accubomb and and 95gr nbt.
Thabks

My load is with a 95gr. Partition and 100gr. Hornady Interlock fbsp. With the 95partition I use 48.0 gr of RL26 and with the 100gr. the load is 47.3 gr. of RL26. Both loads are with a Rem. 9 1/2 primer and Nosler brass. I feel the Rem. 9 1/2 makes a difference in ignition along with the surface hardness of the primer.
Starting around 46.5 of RL26 is where I would start and work up.

Here is the Alliant load data for RL26 in .243 with 100gr bullets as a potential starting point.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reload...;type=1&powderid=40&cartridge=51

Thanks I’ll see what we can do

And to give you a bit more information. I load for 4 243's, only 2 are mine, 3 of them are very happy with 47.0 gr. of RL26 behind a 100gr. Hornady Interlock fbsp, the other one prefers 47.3 gr. of RL26 using the same bullet.

i have loaded .243 since 1970., loaded for many sako and rem rifles. just shot 3/4" 5 shots at 200 yards. 95 partition and re-26.
lapua brass and 210m ... .030 off

95 gr. Ballistic tips and R-17 loaded to ~3000 FPS is my favorite load.

44gn IMR4350 and 80gn TTSX running about 3250.

I have used the 4350s, H4831 and R22 for years. Now I am using R26 with good results in typical weather conditions. I stocked up on 95 gr. BT and see no reason to change. I used Speers maximum load for the 100 gr. bullet and get 3,175 fps in a 24" barrel. https://www.speer.com/reloading/rifle-data.html

I am also going to give 4491, and R16 a try after the hunting seasons are over. R23 would be another one to try.

I'm shooting a .243 this yr, and RL26 is what I'm using. Originally I'd planned on using a Sierra 100gr offering, but fell into a great deal on some 100gr speer btsp's . The load I chose is 47.9 grs, CCI 250, blue bag Win brass. It shoots 3 into a 1/2" or a fuzz less @ 100 after playing with seating depth backing up the load. I did see accuracy around 47.2 as well, but I wanted to wring it out, and the higher charge shot almost as good. It was pretty much right before the load blew up, so I chose it.

Sighted in a new-to-me .243 last night with my standard Varget/95gr NPT load mentioned above. Leupold 1.5x5 scope with #4 reticle. This is the fifth or sixth rifle that the standard load has been MOA or better for accuracy. I hear folks saying that Partitions are not as accurate as other bullets. However, for me, they have been fine at my normal hunting ranges. Oh ... and they kill...

Finally got my hands on the rl-26.
Got a couple test rounds loaded with 90gr accubombs and rl 26, started at 46.7.

Found some Berger classic hunter 95gr. Anybody ever use them? How’s the performance on deer?

If I was going to develop a new hunting load for my .243 Win I would look at the 95g Barnes LRX with StaBALL, H100V or IMR 4451. All are fast enough to burn well in a 22" barrel.