Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles New .243 shooter

Hey guys, Im new to the site and pretty new to shooting. I have a few questions and was hoping I could get some input.

'Im trying to get my dad into shooting with me and was able to get him to buy a Remington 700 ADL .243 1:9 (because of a gun store mix up he ended up with this and not the .223 we wanted to get). Im getting my feet wet reloading... can you guys recommend a few bullets and weights to start with? The gun will be used strictly for target shooting at this point, up to a maximum of 300yds.

He's got one of the Weaver 4x16 scopes that Natchez has on sale on the way, so I think we've got a pretty solid setup.

My local gun shop has a small selection of powder, but is there a powder you guys have found to be more flexible with the .243?

Thanks for any input
-Luke

Trying H4350 or IMR4350 should easily bring positive results.

With the 55gr Bt I use RL15 with the heavier bullets H4350 is a great choice !

If he has never shot before I would start him off with a 22 rifle as he would probably have more fun with that at first.

If he is already a shooter, get him some of the super fast 75 grain hollow points from Hornady. He should have a good time with those.

Is there a specific brand of bullet i should use in 55gr?

He has done a little bit of shooting, with mostly my 22's. I appreciate the info on he 75gr Hornady's. Il try to pick some up in the next week or so.

I've seen 4000fps across a chrono with the Nosler 55gr ballistic tip and RL15.

I use sierra 80gr SBT (1515) and Varget in my 243. For target and small varmints only.

70gr Blitzking - H4895
87 Vmax - imr4350
95gr Ballistic Tip - imr4350
105 Hornady HPBT - H1000, I'm sure 4350 and 4831 would work too


My overall favorite is the 105 Hornady, it's like a little laser.


The 87 and the 105 have been shot to 800 with good accuracy on steel targets and the 87 is great on coyotes/groundhogs/etc

RL15 to RL22 will be good my favorites are RL15 & 17.

Purely for .243 target shooting, I've always had good accuracy with Varget for powder, and either a 55gr Nosler ballistic Tip, or a 58gr Hornady V-Max. Low recoil, inexpensive, accurate.

Good luck !

55's of whatever flavor are going to be a great idea in this rifle. Zero recoil, banjo string flat shooting out to ( and a bit past) 300 yards, and if you happen to put one onto a Coyote or Rockchuck or similar sized varmint, the death will be instantaneous and spectacular. Hard to go wrong with a Hornaday V-max or a Nosler Ballistic tip in that size and weight. RL-15, any decent large rifle primer, and you will, indeed have a great and really fun set up!

WELCOME to 24hrcf, and I hope that you and your dad have loads of fun with this new rifle. I think you very much will.

PS sight the rifle in 1.5 inches high at 100 yards and you will be within a 2 inch hit zone clear out to 300 yards or a bit beyond. This means that clay pigeons, apples, oranges, soda cans, most medium sized rocks and about any varmint is a dead on hold out to 300 yards and KA POW, a hit or kill. LOTS of fun to be had with that load and sight in.

For 55/58 grain, I'd start with H4895. Varget will probably result in equivalent accuracy, but a little less velocity. H4350 and 95 grain ballistic tips will make beginners look smart.

The .243 Winchester is a pretty good portal in to center-fire rifle shooting.



I'd use the Sierra 95 grain HPBT MatchKing, part number 1530, and call it done. It'll poke holes in target paper at 300 yards that are nice and close together and is going to be less affected by wind than lighter choices with lower ballistic coefficients would be.



I concur... I think he's got a "pretty solid setup" with that combination, one with appeal beyond "entry level" that he'll likely find satisfactory for years to come.



My advice in picking powders to try would be to start with a determination on what bullet weight you're going to shoot, because that will impact the powder choice.

What I've historically done to narrow my powder choices down is pick the bullet weight first, then consult my reloading manual (usually Sierra, since their bullets are what I use most for punching paper) and look at the powders that have the highest loading density for the bullet weight selected. In other words, I want the powder that is going to come closest to filling the case to full once the bullet is seated over it. I believe, rightly or wrongly, that high loading density equals more consistent ignition from shot to shot. Consistency is a key to accurate shooting. The powders that offer the highest loading density will trend toward also offering the highest velocity.

TC

The powder companies have data online. You can see what you can buy locally and then look at the data online and see what they recommend.

Thanks for all the info guys. Keep any ideas or suggestions coming. My local shop has H4350 in stock. Seems the general consensus is that's better for the heavier bullets, so maybe Ill give the 95gr matchkings or the 95gr ballistic tips a shot first?

Not opposed to trying different powders and bullet weights but I don't want to load up on too many variables at once.

I plan to buy a reloading manual or two, but hopefully this combo will give me a solid starting point.

It will give you a great starting point, but the 55's will have less recoil and a flatter trajectory out to the 300 yard line you mentioned. Past that, the higher ballistic co-efficient of a good 95 gr bullet will leave the 55's in the dust pretty fast.

Especially for your dad, who it sounds like has not shot much, I would keep trying to find some 4895, RL-15, H-380 or simillar (As suggesed look up powders listed on line for the various 55gr bullets) and load the 55's for now. Zero recoil makes shooting loads of fun, especially for starting out. And not having to worry about holding under or over out to 300 yards (By sighting in 1.5 inches high at 100 yards) makes that load fun as well.

Either way, you are on the right track and I genuinely hope that you and your dad have a terrific time together.

h-4350 with the 95; I-4064 and varget for the 55,70,85. adjust the trigger; mount the scope and have fun