Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Reduced Load Bullet Choice:

I'm working on a reduced load in a .243 and I'm wondering if there's a 55 or 60 grain bullet that will expand properly at lower than normal velocity. MV will be 3000 fps or less. I*'m shooting coyotes and varmints @ up to 150 yards, and pelts matter in season. Any thoughts would be well recieved, thanks.

you can test them like I have...I run a lot of reduced load/reduced velocity a lot, in a variety of chamberings..

at lower velocity they will not expand as much, and will penetrate much deeper..

I noticed this particularly when they were throttled down below 2800 fps..

I shot quite a bit of the 55 grain Ballistic Tips, 60 grain Sierra HPs and the 65 gr V Max in 243s with the MVs in the 2400 to 2600 fps range... and at times even in the 2250 fps range..

makes them enjoyable to shoot... less recoil than even a 223 it seems...( but that is probably more perception than fact)...

but they will certainly provide enough for terminal performance in the distances you are talking about..

Thanks for the feedback, I'll give it a try. Thinking also of Barnes VG's, but will a larger bullet w/greater bearing surface create higher pressure? I'm using Blue Dot, seeing pressure signs @ 19 grains/ 55gr. NBT's? Also, does a lighter charge of Blue Dot mean lower pressure? I would think so, but this seems to be wierd stuff...

Running Blue Dot in a 243 to 22 grains should give you pressure in the 45K psi range...

you shouldn't have pressure issues at 19 unless maybe the 62 Grain VG has a long bearing surface and you are seating them deep...

Blue Dot is pretty predictable actually.. more so than a lot of slower powders...

Like in a 243, you can run the max charge with a 60 grain bullet and a 100 grain bullet...they are both the same... 22 grains..

not so with other powders...

in fact when I am load developing with a new powder in a caliber, and I am using a bullet weight lighter than the heaviest available... I always use the charge for the heaviest bullet as a starting point and work up from there...

you can't do that with Blue Dot..

but once you develop a max load with Blue Dot.. it pretty much holds true as the max load for about any other bullet weight..

there are exceptions.. such as in a 223... but not that severe of a variation...

Blue Dot is for experienced reloaders, definitely not for Rookies..

My old Dupont data lists SR 4759 at 25.5 grs., IMR 4227 at 25 grs. and IMR 4198 at 32 grs. The velocities with 80 gr. bullets are 2710 for the 4759, 2695 for 4227 and 3025 for 4198. These are all maximum loads. With lighter bullets, they should be fine. E

Thanx you guys, I guess I'll keep on trying. Veryt interesting about the Blue Dot. I'm not exactly an experienced reloader, but a very careful one. So when the "dent" from the firing pin started to look funny, I backed off. Anyway, the fedback is most helpful, thank you again. Now back to the bench!

This is the bullet I'd try

Hornady

Around 34.0 Gr. of IMR 4895 should get you close.

Cool, thanx I will!