Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Long time Lurker with some .243 win ?'s

Been a long time lurker and occasional poster here at the Fire for a while. Most of my posts end up in the elk forum or general big game. Mainly I'm an aspiring rifle loony that is stuck in idle at the moment but hopefully that will change as the kids get older and I've got more discretionary money. Now that the quick background is done I'll get down to the reason for this post. Have a few questions and am looking for advice in a couple of areas.

A couple months ago a dear friend of mine was diagnosed with a terminal condition that he recently passed away from. Not long after he was diagnosed he decided to make a few kind and selfless gestures towards a few he called good friends. I was humbly a recipient of one of these gestures and was bestowed with a new rifle he knew I'd always wanted. It is a Rem. 700 BDL in .243 win and matches one of my favorite elk rifles I've got in .300WM. I've since obtained a scope I think fits this rifle and its intended end use. I've got a VX3 3.5-10 40mm. I had some Leopold STD mounts lying around so I decided to go ahead and mount the scope. This is where my first question comes into play. I've never owned a short action bolt and this is the first scope I've mounted on one. I left the open sights on as I believe they can come in handy in some cases. I'm short of stature so the scope sits further back than many would like but it does give me about 3" of eye relief as it sits. By the time I put on hunting clothes I'll gain some. My question here is the rear ring to close to Windage/elevation (erector assembly)? I thought I read here at the Fire that it could be an issue. At this point it is just barely snug and I haven't tightened things down for good yet. Besides looking a tad off aesthetically is there a functional problem I'm not aware of?



Should I look at different mounts like Talley's?

Did have some help getting the scope mounted too. I'm not sure he's aware that one day this rifle will be his yet.


Onto the second part. Looking at pulling a very good mule deer tag here in CO next year as I've finally got enough preference points for a quality hunt. Can't think of a better way to honor my friend than to take a excellent hunt with this rifle. Now that my season is done for the year I want to start developing some loads for that hunt. At this point I'm looking at 3 bullets I'd like to use.

80 gr. TTSX
85 gr. TSX
95 gr. Nosler Partition

Shots can be anywhere from 20 yards to 400 yards. I know the Barne's have optimum impact velocities so I'm not sure they'd be best for my situation. However I don't have any experience with them so would like to consult with those of you who do. I'd like to hear your thoughts on both questions I've got here and your advice as it will be greatly appreciated. If you've got some recommended loads I'd like to see them so I can add them to my notes thus far. Thank you.

Your rings look fine to me. If I were using a .243 I'd use the Nosler Partitions.

I guess I'd ditch that rear offset base. Go for a straight up base/ring back there.

Not enough tube length to flip it around?

I have an offset base/ring set by loopy on my boy's long action M70 flipped the other way around to close the eye relief into the sweet spot for him.

I do not think he can flip that on a 700 and still open the bolt.

That is correct. Would the Rev. 700 Base be what I need?

It's definitely ugly as sin, but if its functional I could live with it for a little while until I find a better mount.

Kelk....you are fine with those mounts...no problemo...As for the bullets, any one would be good, the Barnes might shoot a skosh better at distance...I have found them to maintain their accuracy ( i.e. .75 moa ) the whole way out, while others may sometimes open up their groups at distance....
Have never seen a deer I wouldn't sic an 80 gr TTSX on....

BTW...you will love that rifle...

Nice rifle - should work well the way it is.

1966 vintage M700
Leupold DD bases - gloss
Burris Signature DD rings - matte
Leupy 2.5-8x36 VX-III

For my scope, this setup works ok.
For a longer scope like the 3.5-10X, Talley LW would be a good option.

The rear ring would sit back a little more than it is now.

Kelk,

Nice rifle.

One last suggestion on a bullet is the soon-to-be Nosler Accubond in a 90 grain configuration. While the 85 grain Sierra Gameking BTHPs shoot crazy good from my .243, I'm thinking the 90 AB might be just the perfect deer bullet.

Having said all that, I watched my dad dump a forked muley on his a$$ with one poke in the boiler room with an 85 TSX out of my .243 at around 200 yards. It was pretty impressive actually.

LOTS of good choices for the .243 these days.

Dave

p.s. I'd give H4350 a long hard look for reloading purposes. I've tried R15, R19 and IMR 4350 and the H4350 came out on top all things considered.

Ingwe,

Thanks. Part of my draw to the Barne's is the posts I've read here at the Fire which include many of yours. I do like the Partitions as I've used them extensively on elk out of my .270 and have yet to recover one. If this rifle shoots half as good as my wife's Howa .243 I'll be a happy man. On any given day we can get groups with hers in the .38's at 100 yards.

Comrade,

Very nice set up you have there. I really like those vintage 700's but in my neighborhood they are scarce and highly sought after. I've got a 700 BDL in .300WM that I dropped a VXII 3x9-40mm with the LR reticle in a set of Leupold QR's. Really like the set up a ton. Being able to peel the scope off and use open sights in the really thick timber is a plus for me.


Dave,

Thanks for the heads up on both the Accubond and the TSX's. I'll stop on the way home and see about some of the H4350. Right now I've been loading up the Pro Hunter's for my wife's .243 and the H4831 and RL 22. Hoping to get out soon and start testing both hers and mine.

Using 44gr of IMR4831 in a bud's .243 to get 3300fps out of the 85gr TSX. That bullet is like a magic wand on deer out to 400 yards. I know because the rifle used to be mine

I've also seen him shoot several deer with that load, and deer just plain go down.

I love those old BDLs.

All three bullets will make a Mule Deer very dead.

Scope looks just fine to me.

As to the bullets I'm not sure how it would perform on elk, but the 95 grain Partition has always worked very well on deer sized game for me.

There's not an elk on the planet that would withstand a 95 or 100 gr. Partition if it is placed in the boiler room. The Barnes bullets would be fine too.

I really like the looks of those BDL's, and all of them that I have been around were good shooters too.

I still like the Speer 105 Gr.BT . Flies like a champ and kills like lightning ! It's a great wind bucker ~

Nice rifle, Kelk.

I know it's special to you, and hope you can make some great memories with it.

I'd lean 85 TSX or 80 TTSX with it and just opt for the one that shoots best. While I haven't compared partitions and TSX/TTSX in 243, I've run both in 223 a good bit (well, my kids have), and the TSX/TTSX's seem to out-penetrate the Partitions.

I've run both 80 TTSX and 85 TSX in 243's and haven't stopped one yet, although I've given the 85 TSX a better test.

This axis took an 85 TSX through both shoulders from around 80 yards. Bullet exited off shoulder, shattered near one, and he only managed 50-60 yards with a good blood trail. He was 275+ I'm pretty sure, so he might be a good comparison for a good mule deer buck.



If you decide to swap mounts, you can reverse Talley LW's for a little more flexibility in mounting, and they are light and strong.

Enjoy your new rifle!

DJ

44.5gr IMR4831 amd a 85gr TSX have produced excellent results out of our 243. Never a fan til I put a similar .243 together for my daughter and started shooting the Barnes in it. Anchored my biggest buck with the rifle through the shoulders at 200 yards.

Daughter's first deer with "Olive Oyl" as she has named her rifle.

I have a hard time putting it down. Is a very nice combo. Has proven to be a real deer slayer with the Barnes TSX. You will have fun with it. Pick up a set of used Talleys on the classifieds if you want to upgrade the mounts.

Thanks for the advice guys.

DJTex,

That is one nice Axis!! Sounding like this .243 and some TSX or TTSX's are a perfect combo.

Jdunham,

Excellent buck and congrats to your daughter also!! Can't wait until I get my kids out for their first hunt.

Stopped at the local shop yesterday and picked up some H4350 and IMR4831 along with a box each of the 85 gr. TSX and 80 br. TTSX. We'll play with both and see if I can get them to shoot.

As to picking up some used Talley's in the classifieds I'll have to take look as I am thinking of off loading a couple rifles and an extra stock. Thanks for the help.

You had a very kind friend and good luck on your hunts. I have a very good friend, still kicking in southern Colorado, who gifted me a 458 Win in a Ruger 77. Thinking your friend was nicer....

Actually I need to get that rig out to kill something with it. Lot of good advice here on the 243 and you'll do great with it as will your son.