115 gr 243 7 twist

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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by No1Mk3 » 20 Jan 2020, 10:53 am

My own experience, yours may differ,
25-06 117g SP, lethal on pigs, roos, fallow etc,
243 90g SP, read above,
22-250 60g, SP, see above,
225 Win, 60g SP see above. No pig too big, shot placement is King. All of the above small centrefires I own have performed very well on all medium game I have hunted here and overseas, so don't discount your 243 with 90g well constructed hunting projies, shoot a few and see then if you really want to re-barrel and can afford to do so for fun and excitement, jump in! But I would try a few heavy pills in your current rifle to see how they shoot before ringing a gunsmith, Cheers and good luck
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by bladeracer » 20 Jan 2020, 11:12 am

I had the same with 52gn bullets swaged ftom .22LR brass, over 3000fps in my 8"-twist barrel they start coming apart, by 3300fps none of them reach the target at all. Keep them under about 300,000RPM. But that is an RPM issue, nothing to do with stability.

The 35gn NTX I've pushed almost to 4000fps with good accuracy, I haven't pushed the 35gn VMax as hard yet. I also have some 33gn, and I think some 30gn bullets I could try. 4000fps is well over 350,000RPM in my 8"-twist Ruger.


SCJ429 wrote:You can over stabilise a bullet, that is to say you can increase the rpm to exceed the design limits of the bullet and the jacket comes apart. I was using 62 grain bullets and at speeds over 4000 fps the bullets did not hit the target. I am not sure of the exact speed because the chronograph could not see them. I assume they came apart as soon as they left the barrel.

A 1:8 twist barrel will shoot most bullets if you keep the speed at a reasonable level for lighter bullets.

As said earlier, it is easier to rebarrel in 6.5 Lapua, Winchester, Swede or Creedmoor and shoot 140 grains.

I second your idea of a 6mmBR there MM. I have a straight BR as a hunting rifle and have taken goats and pigs with it.
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by Tilb004 » 20 Jan 2020, 5:17 pm

:) Thanks guys for all your replies ,has given me a lot to think about .

Bladeracer , i dont believe the barrel is shot out , but bought the gun with not much history behind it.
Part of me just wants the chance to rebarrel for the experience of a custom barrel.haha.
I should really see what heavy pill it likes first , that would be the sensible thing to do.

SCJ429,Just want it for hunting reason mate , seen a few vid's on the 115 and looked impressive .
No real justifiable reason for it .
Sounds like your maddco 8 twist handles the heavy bullets well, might have to look a an 8 twist krieger .
How do you find the 28 " barrel for hunting , i was thinking around the 24 to 26".

Gqshayne , Thanks for reply ,will take you advice on board.

BLR243 , Thanks for advice i heard those barnes do a fair bit of damage , some thing else for me to think about .

Gojirasteve Think you could be right , might be asking a bit to much of the 243.

Marksman , I have read some articles on the 6 mm dasher and they do seem impressive .
Do you have to order a 6mm dasher barrel or do they machine the throat of an existing barrel .
What about the brass ? is it easy to get your hands on .
You"ve got the juices flowing at the prospect of one .
What twist is your dasher .

Thanks once again for all the replies , it's forums like this that give so much knowledge to newbies like me . :D :)
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by marksman » 20 Jan 2020, 6:40 pm

my 6mm dasher barrel is a shilen match grade 8" twist in #6 contour, you just order a barrel and the smith will chamber and fit it, you can get your existing barrel rechambered if its not to far gone. norma are making the dasher cases now so for those who dont want to form cases that is the go, they do have a longer neck
l form my own cases from lapua 6mm BR cases its easy to do l just put a lighter load with my bullet into the land and go bunny shooting at longer distances
the dasher is still the most popular light gun cartridge and still holds a world 10-shot heavy gun record
they are very addictive, dies are available
the left is a 6mm BR case then the formed lapua 6mm dasher and the right is the 6mm dasher norma case

Image

it would be easier to have a Br done with no forming :drinks:

my 6mm dasher :thumbsup:

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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by SCJ429 » 20 Jan 2020, 6:45 pm

If you want to rebarrel your rifle you will need to find yourself a smith, he can order your barrel blank in the profile and twist rate you want. He will chamber the rifle using a reamer and thread it to suit your action. This is going to cost you $1,000.

I don't use my 28 inch barrel for hunting. I think 24 or 26 would be plenty for a hunting rifle. You can chamber your current rifle in any case that uses a 308 headstamp. Something easier than a 6mmBR or Dasher would be a 6mm Creedmoor, 6XC or a 6x47 Lapua. They won't shoot much better than the 243 but may appeal to you more.
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by SCJ429 » 20 Jan 2020, 6:49 pm

Sorry Marksman has said most of this stuff as I was typing.
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by SCJ429 » 20 Jan 2020, 8:23 pm

Here is a Sako with a Hardy barrel, all the hard work is done for you by an awesome gunsmith.

https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=166523
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by Tilb004 » 20 Jan 2020, 8:25 pm

duncan61 wrote:I completely understand where you are going with this line of thinking Tilb004.I have done it myself and over the years watched many others.When I loaded shotgun I was obsessed with getting all this performance and you end up back to standard after learning that it does not help.Its a lot of fun at the time but you have asked for advice.I maintain if you feel you need a heavier bullet get a bigger chambering.The .243 will kill any pig in Australia with 80-90gn pills designed for hunting.The biggest pig I have ever seen on a ute was a big Ginger boar a pro shooter took with a .223 and a head shot in the Kimberlys It was hanging on the rack and its snout was nearly on the ground and was around 400 lb.We all underestimate the power of centrefire rifles I have worked with a property owners son who used a 22/250 and it can do a lot at a long way.I am not sure how big the pigs are where you are but I have dropped heaps at night with a neck shot from my .222 50gn doing about 2700fps.I have nearly 300 reloaded .243 and they are all 80gn projectile one of my team went the heavy bullet pathway and all he did was make a lot of noise and missed a lot.when we set up a target his bullets were spraying all over the place.All this rebarreling nonsense is for target shooters trying to clover leaf at long range The accuracy test for pro culling roos is 5 shots into an 80 mm circle at 100 metres and a standard .243 will do that out the box.Good luck with it its all good fun and I look forward to seeing which way you go



dunca61Thanks for response and i understand where your coming from. Will probable end up exactly where you say , back at the start .
I am new to the shooting world and there is so much info out there and can be confusing .
I think i will end up keeping the original barrel to see what it ends up like , rebarreling is always an option .
There has been some great info on different bullets being used and realistically up to 100 gr projectile will do me .
Any way i will let you guys know .
Cheer mate
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by GQshayne » 22 Jan 2020, 7:40 pm

I will re-iterate one of my points and expand on it a bit, and that is the .243 works well with 80-90 projectiles, not only for expansion etc on game, but also with trajectory. With projectiles in that class, you can run above 3000fps at the muzzle. I like to keep my velocity at a reasonable level without being near maximum, as this helps with max point blank range, and lead required on running targets. So with 90 grain projectiles, and a moderate load of AR2209, muzzle velocity is about 300fps, which is good for trajectory, and you are not burning out barrels trying to get the same velocity out of bigger projectiles.

Perhaps, as others have suggested, if you want to run larger weights, you could increase the size, to perhaps 7mm/08 as an example. But that would be another discussion.
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by SCJ429 » 22 Jan 2020, 9:38 pm

You are running your 243 very mild there, my little 6mm BR can shoot a 90 grain projectile at 3000 fps. I shoot a 105 projectile out of my 243 at more than 3,300 fps and get good barrel and brass life.
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by duncan61 » 23 Jan 2020, 6:42 am

I am using 35gn of ADI 2208 as I have a few kilos of it left and am getting 3000fps plus with 80 gn PSP and am very happy with the recoil and muzzle flash and terminal effect.I am going south Monday to do grouping and a bit of hunting with a fellow enough gun shooter and will post some pictures.I am interested in the load that gives 3300 with 105 pills thats the same as my 7mm Rem Mag ballistics
.22 winchester .22hornet .222 .243 7mm rem mag cbc 12g
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by SCJ429 » 23 Jan 2020, 9:19 am

I used 2217 and the speed was 3,255 fps. I also tried 2213 but only pushed it to 3132 fps. It had more in it but I never went back to see how far.
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by bladeracer » 23 Jan 2020, 1:52 pm

SCJ429 wrote:I used 2217 and the speed was 3,255 fps. I also tried 2213 but only pushed it to 3132 fps. It had more in it but I never went back to see how far.


How long is your barrel?
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by SCJ429 » 23 Jan 2020, 2:24 pm

It is 28 inches. It could be up to 30 fps faster than a 26 inch barrel.
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by GQshayne » 23 Jan 2020, 7:38 pm

SCJ429 wrote:You are running your 243 very mild there, my little 6mm BR can shoot a 90 grain projectile at 3000 fps. I shoot a 105 projectile out of my 243 at more than 3,300 fps and get good barrel and brass life.


Yes. But as mentioned I have a point where I have all the aspects I need, being accuracy, case life, good trajectory etc, without going any higher. When I was younger I ran closer to max loads, and to no advantage that I could ever see in the field.
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by SCJ429 » 23 Jan 2020, 8:43 pm

It isn't a criticism, just pointing out the potential of this case. I am glad you enjoy hunting with your 243.
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by GQshayne » 24 Jan 2020, 7:46 pm

SCJ429 wrote:It isn't a criticism, just pointing out the potential of this case. I am glad you enjoy hunting with your 243.


Agreed, more potential than I am using in my bolt gun, however I neglected to mention that one of my .243's is a lever action. Even though it is a FN made BLR, I think being on the mild side is good. When I bought it, I simply tested my existing mild load from my LSA Tikka, and it works well in the BLR. No need to tinker with it much. Half a grain either way did not show any difference in action feel, or any difference on the target, so I left it as is. But these 90 grain loads are only used on pigs, so ranges are usually under 200m.
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Re: 115 gr 243 7 twist

Post by duncan61 » 24 Jan 2020, 8:51 pm

.243 is a brilliant chambering and I am looking forward to using mine on Monday
.22 winchester .22hornet .222 .243 7mm rem mag cbc 12g
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