Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Some help please?

I have a guy on the ranch in MT who was gifted the reloading equipment for .243 caliber, his favored caliber for everything on the place including elk. Very good shot.
I’d like to buy the ammo materials for him as a Christmas gift to get him going reloading.
I know nothing on that subject….
I think loading materials for 70-85 grain boat tails will make him happy so…
( barrel twist and all that is in his court, his guns no concern there )

Best powder?
Best primers? ( is there a size to these)
Actual bullet source?
Am I missing anything?

Please keep it simple, I want to buy, gift, and see a smile.

Thanks in advance all.

Osky

The easiest I know of is the 95 grain Nosler Ballistic tip with just about any powder from 4064 to RL26. Any decent Large rifle primer you can get your hands on will work just fine. You can mess with a lot of stuff but that bullet isn’t fussy and will be over 2900 without breaking a sweat.

It’s a pretty safe bet to grab some Barnes 80gr TTSX, H4350, and CCI 200 or Fed 210 primers (yes, size matters and you’re looking for large rifle primers).

Does he already have brass cases to load?

Osky,
As beretzs post above shows, it is a bit of a challenge for us to keep this as simple as you are asking for. As you indicated in your OP, I expect you don't know what powders are "from 4064 to RL26"

What you need is a detailed shopping list.

Another problem you'll have is there are great shortages of reloading components these days. So, to make a Christmas gift, our responses need to be restricted to things that you can get NOW.

I assume your friend has empty cartridge cases, since he has been shooting the .243 a long time.
It's probably a tie between bullets and powders for "hard to find" these days. Both are getting better.
For Powder, Hodgdon 4831SC and 4350 are both good choices and are both in stock at MIDWAY
The Nosler bullet beretzs suggested is a good one, but all Noslers are out of stock at Midway. Hornady bullets have a fine reputation on game. You might consider their 95 grain SST or 100 grain Interock, which would be good choices for your friend's applications and are IN STOCK
Primers are the hardest part. You need "Large Rifle" sized primers, and it would probably be fine to use "Large Rifle Magnum" primers if you can't find Large Rifle. I see no Large Rifle size in stock at Midway. Also found none in stock at Midsouth, Natchez, or Graf's. You can try the local gun stores. Or see if you have a friend that reloads that would give or sell you a box of 100 to get your buddy started.

Hope this helps.
Rex

If he will continue to have an elk on his menu…. I would strongly suggest one of the Barnes bullets. The 95 grain LRX would be my choice! Here is where I’ve been getting most of my stuff lately…..good people to work with! memtb

https://www.bluecollarreloading.com/collections/barnes-bullets/products/barnes-6mm-95gr-lrx-30862

Those require a lot more twist than is standard in 243.

OK Thanks…..I hadn’t considered that. Wasn’t thinking! 🤬 So……now we’re back to some lighter, shorter Barnes Bullets! memtb

Good advice from everyone above but I think TRex nailed it with his links to available products. Primers will be an issue right now.

First thing I'd do is find out what bullet he likes and uses specifically. Then buy him a few hundred of those. From there you need to find out what powder works well with that bullet. As others have said, the primers are going to be the harder to find item. I've been seeing them, but they are in the $10/100 range. Substantially cheaper than what they were going for, but still no where near "normal" prices. Also, find out if he even has an interest in reloading. Some guys avoid it like the plague and are content with shooting a box of ammo/year..

This.

They don't ship powder or primers as stated on their powder/primer page FAQ.

Except the OP is very unlikely to be able to find any LR primers or Nosler 95 BT online before Christmas.
Sounds like he is just trying to get his buddy started with some decent components. They don't have to be the perfect "be all, end all" but they have to be available in time to be in hand for gifting before Christmas.

If anyone with suggestions could also provide the OP a link to where he can obtain them IN STOCK that would be good for him, I reckon.

Merry Christmas,
Rex

95 BT

https://www.precisionreloading.com/cart.php#!l=NS&i=24095

https://www.lg-outdoors.com/Product/Details/2877560

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting...c-tip-hunting-reloading-bullets/p/p45684

H4350

https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/hodgdon-h4350/

Primers can probably be found locally easier than the online sources. ( at least around here.)

I like the Sierra Spitzer , 100 gr Pro hunter (Flat Base) with a 42.5 gr load of H4350 for deer and pronghorn. I don't shoot elk with them but would go the 100 gr Nosler Partition with the same load. 4831 would work too, but he might have to use drop tube to get enough in the case (different load) with the H4831.

My .243 shoots flat based bullets better than boat tails.

I imagine if you can find a brick (1000) of either CCI or Winchesters Large Rifle primer, he will be happier with those than bullets or primers.

Great job with the links to the 95 BT's SLM.
To Osky, I would suggest you grab those Noslers over the Hornadys I linked in my first post.
SLM's link to H4350 is cheaper than mine too.
Cheers and good luck with your gift to your friend.
Rex

I agree with TRex, about anything from the 80 Barnes up to the 100 grain Hornady is pretty dang good. Not sure what sorta rifle it is, but the 105 HPBT from Hornady or Lapua is a good pair as well.

Again, pull up a burn rate chart. Anything from 4064 and slower will work fine.

You might also consider Ramshot Hunter or Magnum powder. They do well with the 95-ish grain bullets, are fairly well available online, and are a bit cheaper than the H4350 that has been suggested. H4350 is never a bad choice though - a great, classic powder.