Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles All around 243 Load

Just picked up a Tikka in 243. It's going to be used as a all around truck type gun for yotes, pigs and deer down South. Ranges can be from a handshake to as far as you want.

Looking for a good starting point, I have never fooled with the 6mm's before. Thanks

Randy

I settled on an 85 grain HPBT Gameking, and don't regret it a bit.

thanks Dave, powder?

Randy

H4350 is what I'm running, and I'm getting 3150 out of a 20" tube without pushing it too hard.

It's STUPID accurate and has worked equally well on coyotes, rock chucks, and three deer to date.

They are also pretty inexpensive to shoot.

Dave

Bullet - Nosler 95 gr Ballistic Tip
Brass - Winchester
Primer - Federal 210, 210M, CCI 200, or CCI BR-2
Powder - IMR-4350 (39.5 - 41.5 gr Maximum) (H-4350 might be a good substitute, the old man uses this powder for everything it can be used in that he has).

My dad has filled a couple arks full of whitetail with this combo.

In four .243 barrels on one rifle (a used M700 .243, that rifle with a .243 new M700 takeoff, that barrel rechamberd to AI and a new Pac-Nor barrel in .243 AI), all have loved that Sierra 85 HPBT. Some liked other bullets, some liked something else, but they all shot their best with that Sierra.

The 85 Sierra is a beast....my wife is 10 for 10 with them....over 43.5 of IMR4350 thet are bad news.

For never and far, varmints on up, I will run a 95 Ballistic Tip, over 41gr H4350. Win or Fed brass. Lapua or Nosler if you want Premium brass...not needed.

Love the Barnes 80/85s for max penetration, but really long shots, expansion might suffer, something you won't encounter w/an 85 BTHP SGK. The Sierra is deadly, but I'd avoid bad angles on game, and rather something stouter on hogs. Anything 80-87 will get 44-45/4350.

thanks guys. great info!

Randy

if you end up still looking for a load with that bullet, try bumping the lands and 36 to 37 grains of varget

95 NBT here as well. I use Winchester Supreme 780, my Vanguard shoots that bullet lights out. MV around 3050.

In addition to the standard 95gr ballistic tip with 4350 (I use IMR), I've had good results with the 70gr ballistic tips and Benchmark.

That Tikka should stabilize the 105 A-Max if I'm not mistaken. That + H4350 around 40 g is a good way to go. Another good choice is the 95 g ballistic tip with ... H4350.

This is coming from a guy who just ordered 200 A-Maxes and 200 BT's to feed my .243, so I'm biased.

95 NBT or 87 Berger and either H4350, H4831 or R17 would more than likely get the nod from me.

Dober

Rem brass
win primer
42.3g of H4350
100g Hornady btsp
work up to this load, it is not max in any of our rifles.

This load is tried and proven on large kansas white tails, hogs and coyotes

Play with the seating depth with this load and you are going to be SHOCKED at the accuracy.

Last Kansas buck I saw shot with this load was at 320 yards, 240 lbs, quartering frontal shot. Bullet broke the right front shoulder and was lodged under the hide on the off side in the middle of the rib cage. This bullet will break both shoulders on large white tails and causes MASSIVE internal damage.

I dumped the sierra 85g bthp after shooting a few hogs with them, the 100g hornady is head and shoulders a better bullet for hogs.

My second choice would be a 95g partition with 43g of H4350 with a win primer. This bullet/load kills as good as any large caliber load that I have shot. I killed a few cow elk with them, also. It is not unusual for the bottom half and the upper half to seperate and cause two exit wounds with this load after some of the greatest massive internal damage that I have seen in any caliber.

IMR4350 and Sierra 85gr HPBT is my choice also.

95 NBT
41.5 H4350
Win case and primer
Seat to kiss lands
Profit!

80 gn TTSX over varget. I see no performance difference between that and a 30-06 on deer when I hit them with it. Not sure what it is, but it's amazing

I have 2, 243 Remington Model 7 FS's that shoot so well with Sierra 85 HPBT and IMR 4831 that I haven't tried any other loads.

Plenty of good stuff from 75 grain to 95 grain weights...

however contrary to the above posters, I guess I am old school..

I'd reach for 4064 or IMR 4895 as powders for choice...

or RL 15 or Varget if the above two were not on the shelf...

87 grain Hornadys are also never a bad choice...