Awesome . My favorite caliber. Iv used the 243 for 30+ years. I use a 80gr barnes ttsx and Rl 19 powder. It's a hammer on deer, and I live in Saskatchewan , Canada. Even moose have been shot with this load.
I agree. That solid copper round, retaining all of its weight, and moving with a purpose 😉, drops every deer I shoot. Even big bucks. Usually I shoot high shoulder.
Turning 53 in February 2025. Dad gave me my first rifle in 1981 in the form of a Remington 700 Classic in 243, mounting a Redfield 3-9x40. It’s all I ever had till the mid-90s & took loads of deer, turkey, hogs, coyotes, anything you pointed it at. Never had to trail anything far if at all, certainly no worse performance than my later 270, 30-06, or 300WM. I won’t turn loose of that original M700 for countless sentimental reasons, nor have I handled a smoother M700 since. Added a second 243 in 2020 when I got a Henry Long Ranger & have been astounded at its very reliable 1/2” grouping with 90gr Scirocco factory loads. Great video, also subscribed now.
My personal favourite bullet in my handloads is the Speer 85 gr SPBT. I have had great success on large whitetails out to 340 yards. Using IMR 4831 powder. This load works for coyotes as well. This is my “all purpose” field load. Thanks for the video.
my favorite load that suits my very old and well used ruger m77 is 43.5 grains of IMR 4350 105 grain speer spitzer bullet no signs of high pressure and a deer dropping machine also uses a magnum primer with this load
I've just started shooting the 243 in the Tikka t3x lite stainless it likes the Winchester deer season xp 95 grain ammo....I've got some other ammo to try out but I'm waiting on warmer weather
There’s no doubt you have a great shooting rifle that will provide great on game performance. The only big game animal I’ve killed with a 243 was a pronghorn doe and I used 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. I predominantly use my 243 for varmit control on my uncle’s ranch, but use the same load I killed the pronghorn with since it shoots very well. God bless and best of luck in the field.
Great job Dave! This weekend I'm testing some new loads and bullets in my kiddos 243win. And starting brand New load data for my wife's 6.5PRC. I am starting to Run low on primers, so I hope it comes together and I'm able to achieve the velocities I'm aiming for.
I had good results from the 95gr Nosler ballistic tip using AR2208 and AR2209 powders, also the sierra 85gr BTHPs worked well too with the AR2208 powder. I have tried many different types of projectiles and weights but I think the 95gn was the best for me, the largest game taken was a 100KG pig with a shoulder shot using the ballistic tip, it smashed both shoulder joints and minced the heat and lungs.
Dave. Another good and interesting video. Looks like you are about set for hunting with some pretty hot rounds, that should do the job. Thanks for sharing and take care.
Have a pair of them mine a 700 adl my wifes a model 70 classic. Both tac drivers. Taken a ton of game with them . From coyotes to elk and everything in between. Love them
A habit of mine is to clean the barrels of my rifles after every range and or hunting trip. I always want to know where the first cold/clean barrel shot hits, because that maybe the only shot needed.
Great information and I really enjoyed the video. I enjoy seeing how others reload. The only problem I see is you like to keep your booger hook on the bang stick way before you are ready to squeeze. Other than that, great and informative video.
Yes maybe a bad habit, but to be clear, me not having a military background, my trigger finger is inside the trigger guard but not in contact with the actual trigger. All of my rifles have different trigger pull weights, take up, all single or double stage that can only be offset through my controlled feel of the trigger itself. Bolt action trigger pull is a true brake of the trigger, where bye a AR or MSR style trigger engagement requires a heavier, more deliberate pull, with a full follow through and controlled reset to prevent a double fire.
I have a suspicion that Staball HD is reformulated 780. You might try it when you run out of 780. Several of the all copper 243 loadings would have sufficient expansion velocity at 300 yards, although a bit lower in sectional density than the 95 and 100 grain traditional bullets, they have similar length.
I also liked the transition from reloading bench to field. And it is neat to see what different powders and bullet styles can do. The first round of shots? That's a bunch of dead deer, or rock chucks.
WW 780 was a vg powder. I used it in my Stevens 200 .243 with 105 Amax. Just shy of max, Lapua brass, 210m's would get avg.3015 fps. Used a few of these rifles for groundhog matches out to 500m. Love the .243 and 25-06 because most dont. If both would have started life with 8 twist, we might not have a few of these newer bandwagon cartridges.
Agree. But bullet technology at the time 1955/1969 respectively matched well indeed with these two cartridges. Fortunately we still can get the older bullets much cheaper than the newer longer, leaner and higher BC bullets of the last few years.
I have never wanted to put anything on the barrel, due to harmonics. I recently got the Garmin and now I can do groups and MV at the same time. Just my 2 cents.
Case stretch can be minimized by partial or neck sizing. Been using a 100gr bullet with IMR 4350 for close to 40 years. Never saw a reason to change it.
PFL sizing also helps to minimize case stretch. The last time I loaded up some 243, I had to trim .002" after firing and sizing with a FL sizing die, set up to partial FL size. Using cheap ol RCBS dies, with a shoulder bump of .002". Not finicky at all. It's all in how you do things.
For me, 7mm08 is a better choice for any purpose. It shoots fairly flat but hits harder and has a better range of bullet weights. A highly underrated cartridge in the US.
Agree for deer size game. Both share the same .308 parent case, just a different caliber bullet. 7mm-08 with the larger bullet gives 4-5lbs more recoil.
@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 The recoil is overrated. Even the .270 isn't that bad, especially when you're using a suppressor. For a long time calibres like .30-06 and .303 were some of the go-to hunting cartridges. I feel like people have gotten soft over the years.
I'm 6'4" 290lbs. Recoil is nothing to me. But I still like the 243. It's just fun to shoot! That being said, I use the 35 whelen for everything, deer and bigger!
This will be my first year hunting with a small caliber when I was growing up we used a .300 win mag lol and the dropped almost immediately Everytime lol so a small caliber is new to me
Like always excellent video professional shooting,one question your chronograph isn’t to much in the gun because from your angle video looks like there is a little line you should not cross but looks it works good.Good job God bless
I hand load 95 grain beger classic Hunter for a friend's Mossberg 243 win 10 deer shot in 3 years All recovered Distance after the shot from 0 to 75 yards Hybrid v 100 powder
Unless your competition shooting with a factory rifle every other day the average hunter/handloader/shooter will never burn out a factory barrel beyond acceptable accuracy, poor cleaning and fouling will take over before a burned out barrel
Thanks for your input. But throat erosion and fire cracking happens even with hunting rifles more quickly with certain powders near max loads. (within 500 rounds) So stated by Hornady and Speer. My Browning 25-06 with 100 grain bullets @3,300fps became fire cracked and throat eroded at about 300 rounds shot over a 2 year period. You are right about it not being a major factor for my hunting usage, but did require load tweaking to maintain consistency.
Been currious about barell life of the 243 Having doubts of getting a Bergara B14 in 243 or 270? People keep telling me they are unaccurate short life barrells and here I am asking questions cuz I really like the 243 and 270
Barrel life has more to do with over heated barrels due to firing many rounds at one session or situation. If you are just an occassional hunter or shooter, then barrel life can be extended much past 2,000 rounds.. A .243 takes much less powder than a .270 win. and has less than half the recoil.
@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 Thanks for the answer! I am an ocassional hunter, so maybe 10-50rounds per year depending on game. But the cartridge pressure of the 243 is what im concerned about,same with the 270. 1500-2000 shots seem a little too quick to have it detorate...
@@kamodaljeroace3075 Do not worry. The rifles accuracy around that 2,000 round count will only show very little difference. Especially if only shooting 50 rounds per year. By my math that is 40 years worth of shooting. Just let your rifle cool between magazine re-loading and keep your chamber and barrel clean as normal.
Sort of. Here is a video showing some of my recovered bullets. In summary SST bullets are better at lower velocity, in my experience. ua-cam.com/video/h4432XelrQ4/v-deo.html&ab_channel=DaveStrohmeyer-SaddleUpShootin%27
@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 depending on what 243. 3040 to 3100 My friends Mossberg I haven't speed tested, my guess is 2950 Could be higher but have good results Shot distance from 45/to 100 yards
I have two 243 win Savage 1/9.25 with a 22" barrel it will shoot 105 grain berger with good groups The other is a first generation rpr with a 1/7.7 or 1/7.5 with a 26" barrel, it shoots everything well 115 berger @ 3040 And I still use og brass
I have killed many large white tails with the 95g partition, close to max load of IMR 4831, Rem 9 1/2 primer. In my family, the 100g Hornady BTSP and fast base are just supurb for hogs/deer. I also love the Speer 85g BTSP and 90g Hot core which are deer bullets, not varmint bullets. Two years ago, we found that R#26 with cci 250 primer, 100g Hornady at 3150 fps is very, very accurate.
Two things. 1. The Lee case length gauge has a dead stop and will not allow a too short of a trim. 2. I do not crimp cartridge cases for a bolt action rifle. Thanks for the clarification.
100gr Speer GrandSlam, my 19th elk last year absolutely beauty of a round. Shot a cow elk at 432 yards last year, left a 3 inch exit hole out the far side. Devistating little pill.
@ I have 243, 257, 30:06, 270, 7Mag, 300 Weatherby. I’m kinda a rifle looney. And I’ve shot elk with all except the 243 and 257. Yeah they’d probably work, but again. It wouldn’t be my first choice. Glad it’s working you.
... I quit the 243 win for everything except varmint (fox, coyote, wolf) hunting ... something about wading waist high in freezing cold swamp water chasing a wounded deer that had gone to ground on a rock island in the middle of the swamp that didn't appeal to me ... the old stack of buttons was pretty short when I jumped into the shower at the end of that day
Thanks for watching. Regardless of the cartridge bullet construction and shot placement is key to a DRT animal. I went to high shoulder shots years ago, because I don't like tracking either. No swamps up here.
$.10/ piece for the nosler 95 grain ballistic tip is crazy. Here in stores a box of 50 would run you $53 Canadian. I just bought some for half price and thought I was getting a deal....
That's some good shooting there I think you found what you're looking for. I reload for my 243 and I'm getting high 27 low 28 ft per seconds I forget what powder I'm using though but I'm shooting deer in my backyard a 50-yard so it will work for me.
I see good data here. No idea why you cleaned the barrel, but that 8th group opened up big time versus the first seven. Fouling is key to me. Next, the Superformance events seemed consistently better than the Winchester. You do shoot well, IMO.
The big problem of factory rifles in 5,6 and 6 mm calibers is for my opinion the senseless twist rate for longer (havier) bullets.For taht reason i customized my Remington Police with an 8" twist barrel and system blue print and now i have a real match grade hunting rifle.😜
I use the 90 gr SST using Varget out my M-700 Bull 26" Barrel. And only push them at 2850 fps MAXIMUM. Why?? Because they group just a tad over 0.50" at 100 yards. The grouping is more important to me than the speed. Using those bullets on deer you'll never see a difference in the 2850 fps versus pushing them over 3000 fps. And tearing up your barrel and flattening primers. And I've never lost a deer yet shooting these bullets at that speed. Just my two cents on the matter. Im not a fan of handloading blistering barrel burning loads.
I will never use 780 Supreme again. I was using it for a. 270 win load and it eroded the throat and the beginning of the lands very quickly, around 50 rds the barrels were ruined. It was a very accurate powder and load, but it wasn't worth ruining two rifles. If I were you I wouldn't use it. That's probably why they discontinued it.
Thanks for that information. I'm almost out of it. Strange though that a slow burning magnum powder would erode your rifles throat that fast. Fire cracking can happen though because of high flame temperature more likely with fast burning high brisance flame powders. I could be wrong though because I used it in a small sample size of cartridges. No worries I did find a substitute powder in Rel-23.
Thank you for the reply. I guess what bumfuzzled me was they were not hot loads. I think that powder must burn real hot. I just wanted to warn you. I like your videos by the way, so keep doing what you're doing.
Thanks for your suggestion and for watching. It makes very little difference for hunting loads (within the the min/max length specified in the manuals) but may be very important for precision match target shooting.
G’day, I’m currently tossing up whether to get a .243 as an “all rounder” or a .223 and .308. Im located in Central Queensland Australia hunting pigs, kangaroos and small deer. I was a bit concerned about the barrel life of the .243 and I was just chasing your recommendation. Cheers
The .308 is more versatile 110 gr vmax @ 3,300fps and the 150 gn SST @ 2,900 fps. When in doubt bigger is most always better. The .243 win. will work well for the game you mentioned but loses energy quickly beyond 350 yards. Hope that helps.
The two major factors in case stretching are 1: setting the shoulder back too far during resizing. 2: pulling the expander bar up from inside of the case after the neck has been sized down. Using a neck expander that is pushed from the top down after the neck has been sized will go a very long way to stop case stretching. Most shooters who shoot steep shoulder cases are already doing this so they think that it is the neck angle that is causing the case to not stretch. Saying the angle of the shoulder is what controls case stretching is a religious belief, not a fact, and has never been proven by anyone by actual experiment. Here's one experiment you can do. Measure the case before you resize it. Measure how much the case length grows by resizing it without the expander ball being pulled through from the bottom , and then measure some cases, with the expander ball being pulled through from the bottom. You can take your resizing die and readjust it after the case is sized and use the expander ball just to expand the neck being pushed down from the top if you don't have a dedicated neck expander. Remove the expander ball to resize before pushing it through the sized neck from the top. You will then see one of the major causes of case stretching.
Thanks for your comment here. In my reloading endeavors the case stretches during resizing using 3 different manufactures sets of full length dies with or without the expander ball, especially with one set of small base dies. The .243, 22-250 and 300 win mag. Remington brass, in my experience, is a little more prone to stretching compared to Winchester and Starline brass.. All of my magnum cartridge cases are also prone to stretch. It is a small matter for me anyway, Just another step in case prep, as I discard most all of my cases after the 4th-5th firing anyway because Primer pocket loosening is a go-no- go primary determining factor.
The ONLY Nosler bullet that I could get to shoot well out of any of my rifles with any kind of accuracy was the 39532, 6mm, 70 gr Balistic Tip Varmint bullets. Yes, those were from my Tikka T3X in .243 Win. BTW, I'm having excellent results with the Hammer Bullets 88 gr Shock Hammer #24088SH, CCI 250 LRMP, and IMR4895 for 3243 fps and 1/2" group @ 100 yds. No game taken yet. Good luck and stay safe!!! 😉😉😉
90 grain or lighter with Remington factory twist barrels. The 100 grain loads people shoot in those are normally flat base and the shortest 100 grain bullets made. Even then they are marginally stable and you get random wobblers. I killed a gigantic overly large 8-point whitetail last fall with 85 grain speer loaded at 3500 fps with sta ball in a 1in8 twist 26 in stainless shillen barrel. He took two steps and was down. I have tried 105 grain Berger and lost 2 big ten point whitetail. I will not be using those ever again never. Speer hot core , all copper, bonded are the best. I have actually shot several deer with the 85 grain btsp. With good success.. the one last fall was little over 300 yards across the Bean field.
Yes, several people have suggested the 85 gn Sierra Game King HP. For me the best repeatable terminal performance for the 243 has been the 100 grain Nosler partition with a high shoulder shot. Thanks for your comment and for watching.
@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 partition, bonded, all copper are the best for hunting but are unfortunately the most expensive and costly to practice with. I have shot those Sierra 85 grain bthp but not on deer. If you stay away from the shoulder you probably would do good with those on a double lung shot. Hitting the shoulder and spine is the best way to drop them. That's going to require a bullet that doesn't come apart. If you're hunting where a deer can get off of the property you can hunt on onto a no-trespassing property and want to put them down it's probably best to spend some money on some high-dollar bullets, like the partition. I have actually lost two really nice bucks. they got off my property by traveling over 200 yards after being shot with Berger 105 grain. A fellow I worked with bought 338 Winchester mag just to drop a really giant deer crossing back and forth on his property line. Come deer season he shoots the buck on his property with the 338 it jumps over the fence, then he asked the property owner if he could retrieve the deer and the property owner went out and got the deer for himself. Not even a 338 win mag is a guaranteed stop them in their tracks..
The 243 is not "finicky" IMHO.. Try some 100gr BTSP. Why no mention of that? What is this 95gr of "versatility", you speak of? Maybe that's why it's finicky for you??
I have loaded many combinations in the three .243 Win's. that I own. Yes, in my experience not all combinations provide consistent accuracy and precision as much as the other 15 caliber combinations I own. Yes, I have loaded the 100 grain Sierra Game Kings with success. The "Finicky" I was referring to in this video has more to do with a quick spike in pressure, flattened primers, case stretch and erratic velocities with several of the powder/ bullet combinations listed in the various bullet makers manuals. Thanks for your comment here.
Great video but one misconception that needs to be put to bed. Light fast bullets actually are easier on rifle barrels that heavy slower one. Let me explain: Barrels burn out in the throat. What burns them out is a combination of hot gas - pressure and the time the throat is exposed. When the bullet exits the muzzle -- the pressure and heat drops immediately. The slower the bullet the longer the throat is exposed to the eroding factors. FACT. fast
No disagreement here. No matter what " Excessive barrel heat" in overbore cartridges combined with the type and volume of powder is a contributing factor, as well as number of rounds fired in between barrel cooling periods. I can't prove it, but I also think barrel thickness and metallurgy also plays a factor.
Yes, and has been expensive for 10 years. You may want to consider Reloading. It is expensive at first but pays for itself overtime. Benefits include better and more accurate ammunition.
With all due respect a deer doesn't know the difference between 2800fps and 3000fps if shot in the vitals within the range envelope. I used to be you thinking velocity was the king. Years ago I discovered that accuracy is king. All super velocity does is wear out the barrel faster.
Thanks for your input here. In testing load development, I want my hunting loads to be close to the bullet makers load data, in order to check for rifle /ammo precision first. Accuracy, to me is adjustable, (bullet seating depth and scope adjustment as examples) after acceptable numbers testing is complete. The rifle shown in this video does show very good accuracy potential but slower than expected velocity needs further investigation. Hence the title "Pros and Cons"
Ethical hunting dictates shooting at a range of 300 yds or less. So I download the 87gn SST to 2800fps and all that energy is spent inside the animal and the bullet expands without breaking up. 3800fps is madness. No wonder its stretching the brass. A shoulder shot smashes the bones and the bone fragments do most of the damage. The idea of hydrostatic shock is a myth.
For me, it's 3,100 fps. and I prefer a 95-100 gn. expanding bonded bullet for a complete pass through (2 holes.) This is my experience only on several deer size game. A 55gn bullet at 3,800 fps is for varmints only and I mentioned that I do not shoot those in my rifle. Thanks for your comment here.
Years since I shot one of these. I seem to remember a 105 g factory load that was an excellent penetrator on thin skin game at long range (350 y). No recoil , shot flat . Nice. If you're having to trim every time you ARE overloading
@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 you did mention a flattened primer , not good. I recommend that you back off a little. 100 or 200 fps means very little in the field. Also easier on the barrel throat
![This .243 is a RINGER!!! [.243 AMMO TEST]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/rbflTUjX568/mqdefault.jpg)
Awesome . My favorite caliber. Iv used the 243 for 30+ years. I use a 80gr barnes ttsx and Rl 19 powder. It's a hammer on deer, and I live in Saskatchewan , Canada. Even moose have been shot with this load.
Thanks for sharing your experiences here and for watching.
I agree. That solid copper round, retaining all of its weight, and moving with a purpose 😉, drops every deer I shoot. Even big bucks. Usually I shoot high shoulder.
RL 19 has been my favorite for the .243 as well.
How many grains do you load of RL 19?
But was the moose recovered?
Turning 53 in February 2025. Dad gave me my first rifle in 1981 in the form of a Remington 700 Classic in 243, mounting a Redfield 3-9x40. It’s all I ever had till the mid-90s & took loads of deer, turkey, hogs, coyotes, anything you pointed it at. Never had to trail anything far if at all, certainly no worse performance than my later 270, 30-06, or 300WM. I won’t turn loose of that original M700 for countless sentimental reasons, nor have I handled a smoother M700 since. Added a second 243 in 2020 when I got a Henry Long Ranger & have been astounded at its very reliable 1/2” grouping with 90gr Scirocco factory loads.
Great video, also subscribed now.
Thanks for your experiences here and for watching.
@ Yessir & my compliments on your reloading setup.
My personal favourite bullet in my handloads is the Speer 85 gr SPBT. I have had great success on large whitetails out to 340 yards. Using IMR 4831 powder. This load works for coyotes as well. This is my “all purpose” field load. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for your comment and sharing your experiences. Best of luck during this years hunting.
Same here. Love em
Great job Dave! I enjoy seeing how other people set up their reloading bench & reload!! I pick up on new ideas to better my reloading, Thanks Dave!!!
Glad to help. Thanks for watching.
Great Scott ! David your 243 is becoming your new found Friend. Keep up the Great Shooting.
Thanks for the kind words and for watching.
Thanks for the great work. The 243 is such a great cartridge for whitetails.
Thanks for the kind words and for watching.
My Old Remington model Seven likes the 100gr jacketed soft point bullets.
Glad you found a good combination. Thanks for watching.
My little 243 savage Loves the 100 grainers. Good shooting
This rifle does also, but at a slower speed.
my favorite load that suits my very old and well used ruger m77 is 43.5 grains of IMR 4350 105 grain speer spitzer bullet no signs of high pressure and a deer dropping machine also uses a magnum primer with this load
Thanks for your information confirmation here.
I've just started shooting the 243 in the Tikka t3x lite stainless it likes the Winchester deer season xp 95 grain ammo....I've got some other ammo to try out but I'm waiting on warmer weather
Thanks for your comment here and for watching. I've had favorable success with XP 95 grain as well.
Try hornady 95gr sst in the tikka or sako rounds if you can get them.
There’s no doubt you have a great shooting rifle that will provide great on game performance. The only big game animal I’ve killed with a 243 was a pronghorn doe and I used 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. I predominantly use my 243 for varmit control on my uncle’s ranch, but use the same load I killed the pronghorn with since it shoots very well. God bless and best of luck in the field.
Same to you and Thanks for your comments here.
Enjoyed that. 243 will always be a favorite.
Thanks for watching and for your comment here.
Great video
Subscribed
Thank You for watching.
Great job Dave! This weekend I'm testing some new loads and bullets in my kiddos 243win. And starting brand New load data for my wife's 6.5PRC. I am starting to Run low on primers, so I hope it comes together and I'm able to achieve the velocities I'm aiming for.
Best of luck to you. 243 Win, 25-06 Rem. and 6.5 PRC-Hornady. You've got Varmints to 200lb + Deer covered. Especially for distances to 500+ yards.
There aren’t any cons
I had good results from the 95gr Nosler ballistic tip using AR2208 and AR2209 powders, also the sierra 85gr BTHPs worked well too with the AR2208 powder. I have tried many different types of projectiles and weights but I think the 95gn was the best for me, the largest game taken was a 100KG pig with a shoulder shot using the ballistic tip, it smashed both shoulder joints and minced the heat and lungs.
Thanks for this information and for watching.
I like 2208 with the 87grain Hornady projectile in my Howa 243.
Found the answer down below,I see the the Remington 700 SPS Varmint is a 26 inch heavy barrel in a 8 twist can see alot of potential in that
Really enjoyed the video. Subscribed. Looking forward to seeing more!
Thanks for watching. Check out my .243 playlist for more. Thanks again.
Looking good. Thanks for sharing!
Finally getting there, now start over with other bullets including mono metal's
Dave. Another good and interesting video. Looks like you are about set for hunting with some pretty hot rounds, that should do the job. Thanks for sharing and take care.
Thanks Bobcat. I do like speed especially for smaller than 30 cal. cartridges.
@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 Dave, thanks. I'm a bit of a novice in regard to a lot of info on various ammos.
Have a pair of them mine a 700 adl my wifes a model 70 classic. Both tac drivers. Taken a ton of game with them . From coyotes to elk and everything in between. Love them
Glad for your success. Thanks for watching.
Very interesting video. Thank you for the lesson
Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching.
Great video Dave one thing I've always noticed when you clean that barrel the first shot will be wild.
A habit of mine is to clean the barrels of my rifles after every range and or hunting trip. I always want to know where the first cold/clean barrel shot hits, because that maybe the only shot needed.
Love my 243. The best powder I've used is hodgdon H 4895 got 3075fps. With 90gr eldx. Shot a 0.18 group. Under a .25 constant. Might give it a try.
Thanks for your data here and for watching.
Great information and I really enjoyed the video. I enjoy seeing how others reload. The only problem I see is you like to keep your booger hook on the bang stick way before you are ready to squeeze. Other than that, great and informative video.
Yes maybe a bad habit, but to be clear, me not having a military background, my trigger finger is inside the trigger guard but not in contact with the actual trigger. All of my rifles have different trigger pull weights, take up, all single or double stage that can only be offset through my controlled feel of the trigger itself. Bolt action trigger pull is a true brake of the trigger, where bye a AR or MSR style trigger engagement requires a heavier, more deliberate pull, with a full follow through and controlled reset to prevent a double fire.
Great video very impressed with the last loads
Thanks for watching and for your kind words.
I have a suspicion that Staball HD is reformulated 780. You might try it when you run out of 780. Several of the all copper 243 loadings would have sufficient expansion velocity at 300 yards, although a bit lower in sectional density than the 95 and 100 grain traditional bullets, they have similar length.
Interesting about StaBall HD...I will have to look into that.
I just made some loads with 95 gr. SST with RL-19 and H-4350.The 4350 loads where the best .Never had any luck with the Superformance Powder.
Thanks for watching and commenting here
I also liked the transition from reloading bench to field. And it is neat to see what different powders and bullet styles can do. The first round of shots? That's a bunch of dead deer, or rock chucks.
Thanks for your comment and for watching.
Not sure if you said or not,but what is the twist of that barrel?
Nice details, thanks.
Thanks for watching
The magneto-speed on the end of your barrel will change point of impact as it changes the harmonics.
Yes it does change the point of inpact, as shone in one of my previous videos. Thanks for watching.
Great work up.
Thanks for watching.
WW 780 was a vg powder. I used it in my Stevens 200 .243 with 105 Amax. Just shy of max, Lapua brass, 210m's would get avg.3015 fps. Used a few of these rifles for groundhog matches out to 500m.
Love the .243 and 25-06 because most dont. If both would have started life with 8 twist, we might not have a few of these newer bandwagon cartridges.
Agree. But bullet technology at the time 1955/1969 respectively matched well indeed with these two cartridges. Fortunately we still can get the older bullets much cheaper than the newer longer, leaner and higher BC bullets of the last few years.
Not into those heavier Bullets and short Barrels like 7 prc etc,I like 280,s 7mmWsm 300wam 270 and25-06 308 7stw and the like
Fantastic information Thank you, T
Thanks for watching.
The best one with SST group what load of powder 😮
This powder was Winchester 780 that has been discontinued unfortunately. Thanks for watching.
I have never wanted to put anything on the barrel, due to harmonics.
I recently got the Garmin and now I can do groups and MV at the same time. Just my 2 cents.
My experience with the Magnetospeed is group size does not vary, But point of impact may be slightly lower on the target.
Absolutely great information!!
Thanks for your comment here and for watching.
Case stretch can be minimized by partial or neck sizing. Been using a 100gr bullet with IMR 4350 for close to 40 years. Never saw a reason to change it.
Thanks for your comment here and for watching.
PFL sizing also helps to minimize case stretch. The last time I loaded up some 243, I had to trim .002" after firing and sizing with a FL sizing die, set up to partial FL size. Using cheap ol RCBS dies, with a shoulder bump of .002". Not finicky at all. It's all in how you do things.
@@lmbear Glad your system works well for you.
Thanks for the great information!
Thanks for watching.
For me, 7mm08 is a better choice for any purpose. It shoots fairly flat but hits harder and has a better range of bullet weights. A highly underrated cartridge in the US.
Agree for deer size game. Both share the same .308 parent case, just a different caliber bullet. 7mm-08 with the larger bullet gives 4-5lbs more recoil.
@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 The recoil is overrated. Even the .270 isn't that bad, especially when you're using a suppressor. For a long time calibres like .30-06 and .303 were some of the go-to hunting cartridges. I feel like people have gotten soft over the years.
I'm 6'4" 290lbs. Recoil is nothing to me. But I still like the 243. It's just fun to shoot! That being said, I use the 35 whelen for everything, deer and bigger!
This will be my first year hunting with a small caliber when I was growing up we used a .300 win mag lol and the dropped almost immediately Everytime lol so a small caliber is new to me
Like always excellent video professional shooting,one question your chronograph isn’t to much in the gun because from your angle video looks like there is a little line you should not cross but looks it works good.Good job God bless
Yes the bullet path is best if kept 1/4" from the top of the device. The most consistent numbers is with the bayonet 1 inch from the muzzle.
Love 243
Thank you 😊
Thanks for watching.
I hand load 95 grain beger classic Hunter for a friend's Mossberg 243 win
10 deer shot in 3 years
All recovered
Distance after the shot from 0 to 75 yards
Hybrid v 100 powder
Glad that you have found your combination that works well for you.
Unless your competition shooting with a factory rifle every other day the average hunter/handloader/shooter will never burn out a factory barrel beyond acceptable accuracy, poor cleaning and fouling will take over before a burned out barrel
Thanks for your input. But throat erosion and fire cracking happens even with hunting rifles more quickly with certain powders near max loads. (within 500 rounds) So stated by Hornady and Speer. My Browning 25-06 with 100 grain bullets @3,300fps became fire cracked and throat eroded at about 300 rounds shot over a 2 year period. You are right about it not being a major factor for my hunting usage, but did require load tweaking to maintain consistency.
Been currious about barell life of the 243
Having doubts of getting a Bergara B14 in 243 or 270? People keep telling me they are unaccurate short life barrells and here I am asking questions cuz I really like the 243 and 270
Barrel life has more to do with over heated barrels due to firing many rounds at one session or situation. If you are just an occassional hunter or shooter, then barrel life can be extended much past 2,000 rounds.. A .243 takes much less powder than a .270 win. and has less than half the recoil.
@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 Thanks for the answer!
I am an ocassional hunter, so maybe 10-50rounds per year depending on game. But the cartridge pressure of the 243 is what im concerned about,same with the 270.
1500-2000 shots seem a little too quick to have it detorate...
@@kamodaljeroace3075 Do not worry. The rifles accuracy around that 2,000 round count will only show very little difference. Especially if only shooting 50 rounds per year. By my math that is 40 years worth of shooting. Just let your rifle cool between magazine re-loading and keep your chamber and barrel clean as normal.
.243 rocks! Good Stuff, Strohmeyer! Send your BIL a nice card! That’s one heck of a Cloverleaf producing rifle! What’ll you take for it!😊
Thanks for watching. Yes my Brother in law did a fine job with this rifle.
I use 87gr partition or 85 Sierra i like imr 4895 37gr and 95 and 100 gr just don't group well
Glad you found your loads for your rifles. Thanks for watching.
In the beginning of the video you mention the cons of hunting with the SST bullet. Do you have a video explaining this?
Sort of. Here is a video showing some of my recovered bullets. In summary SST bullets are better at lower velocity, in my experience. ua-cam.com/video/h4432XelrQ4/v-deo.html&ab_channel=DaveStrohmeyer-SaddleUpShootin%27
@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 thank you sir!
I use 85g bullets in my 244 remington . To me a deer bullet in a 243 is a 100g hornady interlock at good velocity
Sounds good to me also.
I like slower powder in the 243.
From hybrid v 100 to h1000
Depending on 95 to 115 grain bullets
Agree. What is you muzzle velocity with the 95-100gns.?
@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 depending on what 243. 3040 to 3100
My friends Mossberg I haven't speed tested, my guess is 2950
Could be higher but have good results
Shot distance from 45/to 100 yards
I have two 243 win
Savage 1/9.25 with a 22" barrel it will shoot 105 grain berger with good groups
The other is a first generation rpr with a 1/7.7 or 1/7.5 with a 26" barrel, it shoots everything well
115 berger @ 3040
And I still use og brass
I have killed many large white tails with the 95g partition, close to max load of IMR 4831, Rem 9 1/2 primer. In my family, the 100g Hornady BTSP and fast base are just supurb for hogs/deer. I also love the Speer 85g BTSP and 90g Hot core which are deer bullets, not varmint bullets.
Two years ago, we found that R#26 with cci 250 primer, 100g Hornady at 3150 fps is very, very accurate.
I need to find and try Reloder 26. I've heard it works well for allot of calibers. Thanks for your comment here.
Dave, use a cci 250 with the 26 in the 243, helps small groups!@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009
Good work
Thanks for your comment here and for watching.
... you don't care about case trim length? ... how does that work with crimping?
Two things. 1. The Lee case length gauge has a dead stop and will not allow a too short of a trim. 2. I do not crimp cartridge cases for a bolt action rifle. Thanks for the clarification.
Love this vid .. thank you
Thanks for the kind words and for watching.
Thanks
100gr Speer GrandSlam, my 19th elk last year absolutely beauty of a round. Shot a cow elk at 432 yards last year, left a 3 inch exit hole out the far side. Devistating little pill.
Glad for your success.
243 wouldn’t be my first choice for elk.
@@swede5209 Just an update, dropped 2 cow elk couple days ago, furthest one was 473 yards, dropped like a stone. Thats 21 now , zero losses.
@ I have 243, 257, 30:06, 270, 7Mag, 300 Weatherby. I’m kinda a rifle looney. And I’ve shot elk with all except the 243 and 257. Yeah they’d probably work, but again. It wouldn’t be my first choice. Glad it’s working you.
... I quit the 243 win for everything except varmint (fox, coyote, wolf) hunting ... something about wading waist high in freezing cold swamp water chasing a wounded deer that had gone to ground on a rock island in the middle of the swamp that didn't appeal to me ... the old stack of buttons was pretty short when I jumped into the shower at the end of that day
Thanks for watching. Regardless of the cartridge bullet construction and shot placement is key to a DRT animal. I went to high shoulder shots years ago, because I don't like tracking either. No swamps up here.
Afternoon Dave!
Good ta see ya last nite!
Afternoon Brian. Yeah last week your live picture wasn't visible. LOL
Good shooting! What is the rate of twist on your rifle barrel?
1 in 9.25. Standard remington 700 post 2000
$.10/ piece for the nosler 95 grain ballistic tip is crazy. Here in stores a box of 50 would run you $53 Canadian. I just bought some for half price and thought I was getting a deal....
These are seconds and bougt in bulk as a one time deal.
That's some good shooting there I think you found what you're looking for. I reload for my 243 and I'm getting high 27 low 28 ft per seconds I forget what powder I'm using though but I'm shooting deer in my backyard a 50-yard so it will work for me.
It's getting there. Speed is necessary for the distances that I am most likely to take game.
I would have thought the Superformance powder would have been faster
Thanks for your comment. Superformance is a specialty powder that give great velocity in "Only certain calibers/cartridges.
I see good data here. No idea why you cleaned the barrel, but that 8th group opened up big time versus the first seven. Fouling is key to me. Next, the Superformance events seemed consistently better than the Winchester. You do shoot well, IMO.
Thanks for watching. Cleaning the barrel is a habit when changing powder type or bullet type. Also a very thin hot barrel will throw the shots.
Will a 243 kill a cow elk?
Many folks have said Yes. But I feel that the 243 is undersized for game as big as Elk.
Yes been there done that.
The big problem of factory rifles in 5,6 and 6 mm calibers is for my opinion the senseless twist rate for longer (havier) bullets.For
taht reason i customized my Remington Police with an 8" twist barrel and system blue print and now i have a real match grade hunting rifle.😜
Longer, higher BC bullets for competition seem to be driving the current demand from bullet makers, therefore fast twist barrels are the norm.
I use the 90 gr SST using Varget out my M-700 Bull 26" Barrel. And only push them at 2850 fps MAXIMUM. Why?? Because they group just a tad over 0.50" at 100 yards. The grouping is more important to me than the speed. Using those bullets on deer you'll never see a difference in the 2850 fps versus pushing them over 3000 fps. And tearing up your barrel and flattening primers. And I've never lost a deer yet shooting these bullets at that speed. Just my two cents on the matter. Im not a fan of handloading blistering barrel burning loads.
I am glad you settled of a good load for your needs. Thanks for watching.
I ended up with a 30-30 way back when because nobody had a .243 in stock, lol
I will never use 780 Supreme again. I was using it for a. 270 win load and it eroded the throat and the beginning of the lands very quickly, around 50 rds the barrels were ruined. It was a very accurate powder and load, but it wasn't worth ruining two rifles. If I were you I wouldn't use it. That's probably why they discontinued it.
Thanks for that information. I'm almost out of it. Strange though that a slow burning magnum powder would erode your rifles throat that fast. Fire cracking can happen though because of high flame temperature more likely with fast burning high brisance flame powders. I could be wrong though because I used it in a small sample size of cartridges. No worries I did find a substitute powder in Rel-23.
Thank you for the reply. I guess what bumfuzzled me was they were not hot loads. I think that powder must burn real hot. I just wanted to warn you. I like your videos by the way, so keep doing what you're doing.
What twist are you shooting and barrel length
Rem. 700 BDL, 22" Barrel 1-9.25 twist.
Try trimming all the brass to exactly the same length and see if it makes a difference on target
Thanks for your suggestion and for watching. It makes very little difference for hunting loads (within the the min/max length specified in the manuals) but may be very important for precision match target shooting.
Ps the zero will be different between with and without the magnetoSpeed attached
@@charlesjurin7779That is true.
85 gr. Sierra hp gameking makes a good all-around bullet.
Thanks for watching and for your comment here.
Good shooting.
Thanks for watching.
G’day, I’m currently tossing up whether to get a .243 as an “all rounder” or a .223 and .308. Im located in Central Queensland Australia hunting pigs, kangaroos and small deer. I was a bit concerned about the barrel life of the .243 and I was just chasing your recommendation. Cheers
The .308 is more versatile 110 gr vmax @ 3,300fps and the 150 gn SST @ 2,900 fps. When in doubt bigger is most always better. The .243 win. will work well for the game you mentioned but loses energy quickly beyond 350 yards. Hope that helps.
I like the hat. Looks like a Stetson Skyline.
What Rifle are you using?
ua-cam.com/video/SrzysacVMkQ/v-deo.html&ab_channel=DaveStrohmeyer-SaddleUpShootin%27
The two major factors in case stretching are 1: setting the shoulder back too far during resizing. 2: pulling the expander bar up from inside of the case after the neck has been sized down.
Using a neck expander that is pushed from the top down after the neck has been sized will go a very long way to stop case stretching. Most shooters who shoot steep shoulder cases are already doing this so they think that it is the neck angle that is causing the case to not stretch. Saying the angle of the shoulder is what controls case stretching is a religious belief, not a fact, and has never been proven by anyone by actual experiment. Here's one experiment you can do. Measure the case before you resize it. Measure how much the case length grows by resizing it without the expander ball being pulled through from the bottom , and then measure some cases, with the expander ball being pulled through from the bottom. You can take your resizing die and readjust it after the case is sized and use the expander ball just to expand the neck being pushed down from the top if you don't have a dedicated neck expander. Remove the expander ball to resize before pushing it through the sized neck from the top. You will then see one of the major causes of case stretching.
Thanks for your comment here. In my reloading endeavors the case stretches during resizing using 3 different manufactures sets of full length dies with or without the expander ball, especially with one set of small base dies. The .243, 22-250 and 300 win mag. Remington brass, in my experience, is a little more prone to stretching compared to Winchester and Starline brass.. All of my magnum cartridge cases are also prone to stretch. It is a small matter for me anyway, Just another step in case prep, as I discard most all of my cases after the 4th-5th firing anyway because Primer pocket loosening is a go-no- go primary determining factor.
I shoot SST's in my .308 because they blow up quick in my slow .308. I wouldn't try them in 243. An 80-90 bonded should do it.
Thanks for your comment here and for watching.
I prefer 100 grn soft point with worked up loads
Barnes 80gr TTSX at 3400fps 👍😊
The ONLY Nosler bullet that I could get to shoot well out of any of my rifles with any kind of accuracy was the 39532, 6mm, 70 gr Balistic Tip Varmint bullets. Yes, those were from my Tikka T3X in .243 Win. BTW, I'm having excellent results with the Hammer Bullets
88 gr Shock Hammer #24088SH, CCI 250 LRMP, and IMR4895 for 3243 fps and 1/2" group @ 100 yds. No game taken yet. Good luck and stay safe!!! 😉😉😉
Glad you were able to find the good combination for you and your rifle. Thanks for watching.
@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 Yes sir, funny thing is, the same load works in my daughter's Howa 1500 Heavy Varmint too. 😉😉😉
Are you looking for varmint loads or big game loads? I had excellent accuracy in my tikka with the 70g varmegeddon.
@@brockwagner939, thanks for the offer, but I got the loads I need for that caliber.
2A💪
9:35 Sweet is right 👍
It will be sweeter if it is repeatable, consistent and confidence building.
Personality and Individuality?? ,🇨🇦👍
You can shoot. 👌👌
90 grain or lighter with Remington factory twist barrels. The 100 grain loads people shoot in those are normally flat base and the shortest 100 grain bullets made. Even then they are marginally stable and you get random wobblers. I killed a gigantic overly large 8-point whitetail last fall with 85 grain speer loaded at 3500 fps with sta ball in a 1in8 twist 26 in stainless shillen barrel. He took two steps and was down. I have tried 105 grain Berger and lost 2 big ten point whitetail. I will not be using those ever again never. Speer hot core , all copper, bonded are the best. I have actually shot several deer with the 85 grain btsp. With good success.. the one last fall was little over 300 yards across the Bean field.
Yes, several people have suggested the 85 gn Sierra Game King HP. For me the best repeatable terminal performance for the 243 has been the 100 grain Nosler partition with a high shoulder shot. Thanks for your comment and for watching.
@@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 partition, bonded, all copper are the best for hunting but are unfortunately the most expensive and costly to practice with. I have shot those Sierra 85 grain bthp but not on deer. If you stay away from the shoulder you probably would do good with those on a double lung shot. Hitting the shoulder and spine is the best way to drop them. That's going to require a bullet that doesn't come apart. If you're hunting where a deer can get off of the property you can hunt on onto a no-trespassing property and want to put them down it's probably best to spend some money on some high-dollar bullets, like the partition. I have actually lost two really nice bucks. they got off my property by traveling over 200 yards after being shot with Berger 105 grain. A fellow I worked with bought 338 Winchester mag just to drop a really giant deer crossing back and forth on his property line. Come deer season he shoots the buck on his property with the 338 it jumps over the fence, then he asked the property owner if he could retrieve the deer and the property owner went out and got the deer for himself. Not even a 338 win mag is a guaranteed stop them in their tracks..
243 58gr. 380 powder 3950 fps. Hit deer in head 200yrds. Tko.
Thanks for your comment here.
The 243 is not "finicky" IMHO.. Try some 100gr BTSP. Why no mention of that? What is this 95gr of "versatility", you speak of? Maybe that's why it's finicky for you??
I have loaded many combinations in the three .243 Win's. that I own. Yes, in my experience not all combinations provide consistent accuracy and precision as much as the other 15 caliber combinations I own. Yes, I have loaded the 100 grain Sierra Game Kings with success. The "Finicky" I was referring to in this video has more to do with a quick spike in pressure, flattened primers, case stretch and erratic velocities with several of the powder/ bullet combinations listed in the various bullet makers manuals. Thanks for your comment here.
Great video but one misconception that needs to be put to bed. Light fast bullets actually are easier on rifle barrels that heavy slower one. Let me explain:
Barrels burn out in the throat. What burns them out is a combination of hot gas - pressure and the time the throat is exposed. When the bullet exits the muzzle -- the pressure and heat drops immediately. The slower the bullet the longer the throat is exposed to the eroding factors. FACT.
fast
No disagreement here. No matter what " Excessive barrel heat" in overbore cartridges combined with the type and volume of powder is a contributing factor, as well as number of rounds fired in between barrel cooling periods. I can't prove it, but I also think barrel thickness and metallurgy also plays a factor.
Pros with my 243 is giving them deer a facial, cons.... not everyone appreciates the pictures
Went to buy some ammo for my 243 and nearly messed my pants. Holy cow that ammo is expensive.
Yes, and has been expensive for 10 years. You may want to consider Reloading. It is expensive at first but pays for itself overtime. Benefits include better and more accurate ammunition.
With all due respect a deer doesn't know the difference between 2800fps and 3000fps if shot in the vitals within the range envelope. I used to be you thinking velocity was the king. Years ago I discovered that accuracy is king. All super velocity does is wear out the barrel faster.
Thanks for your input here. In testing load development, I want my hunting loads to be close to the bullet makers load data, in order to check for rifle /ammo precision first. Accuracy, to me is adjustable, (bullet seating depth and scope adjustment as examples) after acceptable numbers testing is complete. The rifle shown in this video does show very good accuracy potential but slower than expected velocity needs further investigation. Hence the title "Pros and Cons"
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Ethical hunting dictates shooting at a range of 300 yds or less. So I download the 87gn SST to 2800fps and all that energy is spent inside the animal and the bullet expands without breaking up. 3800fps is madness. No wonder its stretching the brass. A shoulder shot smashes the bones and the bone fragments do most of the damage. The idea of hydrostatic shock is a myth.
For me, it's 3,100 fps. and I prefer a 95-100 gn. expanding bonded bullet for a complete pass through (2 holes.) This is my experience only on several deer size game. A 55gn bullet at 3,800 fps is for varmints only and I mentioned that I do not shoot those in my rifle. Thanks for your comment here.
Buy you a rubber resonator for your rifle and you can shoot the same hole.
Thanks for the advice here and thanks for watching.
The grip makes it impossible for a left handed person to shoot the gun. I hate guns designed like that.
I can see that happening for a lefty. Thanks for watching.
Years since I shot one of these. I seem to remember a 105 g factory load that was an excellent penetrator on thin skin game at long range (350 y). No recoil , shot flat . Nice. If you're having to trim every time you ARE overloading
Probably so, but some brass such as Remington seem to stretch more than Winchester.
@davestrohmeyer-saddleupsho8009 you did mention a flattened primer , not good. I recommend that you back off a little. 100 or 200 fps means very little in the field. Also easier on the barrel throat
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