Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 243 - 58 gr. V Max

Seafire has helped me out more than once with his think & knowledge. Many Thanks

Taconic....

I probably look at a lot of things differently than other folks usual do. A lot of experiences learned from my medical experiences in the military ( was a highly trained corpsman ), and also doing a lot of testing of bullets working with Boy Scouts as a shooting instructor, something they could shoot comfortably, after Grandpa or Dad gave them one of their old 30/06s etc.

I test bullets at all sorts of speeds with data from Cast Bullet manuals, to how they will perform at high end speed.
Searching and testing the limits of all sorts of bullets, at both ends of the spectrums. Learned a lot of stuff I never expected to see the results, as I saw them. Spent a lot of time around Special Forces guys in my youth, during the Vietnam War, and then later when I was in the service myself. Saw a lot of things outside what people would consider normal parameters.

Lets one know what a bullet will do, depending on what one's needs are. Learned to stretch resources out also. From Brass life, to barrel life. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush...

One would be surprised what you can do with something like a 58 VMax or a 55 grain Ballistic Tip in 6mm. Tailor ones velocity to where the bullet performs best within the parameters of the job you are asking it to do. I've been working with a 6 x 45 for example.... Its surprising what that cartridge can do with much less powder than a 243.... yet like anything it has parameters... the 243s parameter mays be wider, but still the 6 X 45 can cover a good percentage of it.

You slow a varmint bullet down enough, it will start to perform like a regular game bullet will, albeit at a lower velocity.
We read on the campfire all the time, of what light bullets at lower velocities, that many folks are easily killing hogs with.
Shot placement matters, and its easily to accomplish when a rifle recoils less, particularly with women and younger shooters. But will work the same for we big macho men also. If that will work on hogs, it will certainly work on deer.

A friend's wife inherited dad's 30/06, which beat the crap out of her. Her husband ask me to come up with a load for it, as I had done for one of his nephews in another caliber. He told me that the parameters were shooting a deer within 100 yds.
10 grains of Unique with a 110 gr SP RN, used in the 30 Carbine., has worked just fine for her.... for the last 10 to 12 seasons.

Figure what you want that 58 V Max to do, at how far. You'd be surprised what it will do out of your 243. Another thing I've found out, is when you use cast bullet loads with pistol and shot gun powder, you'd be surprised how less finicky they can be vs traditional rifle powders.

Best of luck my friend...

Supposedly Walt Berger made the comment if a 243 won't shoot with IMR3031 it won't shoot. I had it on hand and the manuals listed loads. I can see why he made that statement if he really did.

IMR 3031 gets my vote! I definitely agree but then again i dont try anything else anymore