New .243 load help

[Blacknsilver]

I should be getting parts needed to start developing a new load for my .243 I have just bought. 

I have a 1-8 twist 20in barrel

Bullet choice is 85gr Sierra Game King

powder I have some of is N140

Lapua Brass  

Redding Die set 

UNSURE WHAT PRIMERS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE SHOP YET SO RECOMMENDATIONS THERE?

I have looked for Load data online and found a few , my book doesn't have my powder in it ..

 

can an any see a problem with this 

start grains 35.8gr going up in .3gr     -       37.3gr max 

 

the plan is to FL size the new brass and cut to shortest in the lot.

 

 

[drum]

Not the same powder i know but i use the 85 grain sierra out of a 20 inch barrel too but i use rl19 .I get 3233 fps out of this combo.Great accuracy too.i struggled to break 3000 fps with n140.

[Blacknsilver]

Interesting. That’s quite impressive stuff with the reloader 19. 

I will give the N140 a quick go with 3 rounds in the loads to see if anything jumps out. 

[Tuck]

I use 80g Speer, running at 3186 with CCI Br2 primers and H414 which is a bummer as you know won’t be getting hold of anymore, I may also give the RL19 a try, I couldn’t Viht N140 up to 3000 FPS either out of a 20” tube

[snakeman]

Same bullet as OP

Replace your powder if you're hunting deer because N140 is unlikely to give you the 1,700 pounds energy as the legal prerequisite out of your 20" barrel.

Ramshot Hunter will, just about, with 43.6g....recoil is a tad spicy though.... by a long way the most suitable powder for my barrel I've used to date.

Your own reloading rules apply

ATB 

 

 

 

[banus02]

has your new to you rifle been rebarrelled? i have not seen a  1 in 8   and what make? as a fast twist why not use 105/107 gr bullets   i have a 1in 10 twist tikka and it loves 70 nosler b/t ,it shoots the sierra 85gr ok but not as good as the lighter bullets.n140 imr 8209 xbr for 85gr and now rs 52  for the 70gr.                                          .

[Blacknsilver]

I bought the rifle off Steve Kirshaw. 

Its a Remington but been modified. Barrel, trigger etc

steve said it would shoot the 85gr well. It is mostly a foxing etc with hopefully a couple of paid stalks for Deer. 

I was concerned about the speed of the N140 but as it was suggest I thought I would give it a try. 

[204]

Hi I have used  n140 with 20 inch barrel 42 grains it was perfect for 80 grain nosler it was 1-10 twist I have now rebarreled to 23 inch 1-8 twist now and started to use 100 grain Sierra soft point for hunting and some 105 vld for target work going well so far 

[Kevgun]

Have you run it through Quickload? If not i will have a look later on, I have just commisioned Neil Mckillop to fit me a 1 in 8 twist barrel so i can run a heavier round.

[Laurie]

1 hour ago, Kevgun said:

Have you run it through Quickload? If not i will have a look later on, I have just commisioned Neil Mckillop to fit me a 1 in 8 twist barrel so i can run a heavier round.

 

I'd be a little wary with QuickLOAD. Having run several combinations and then compared them to published data in reloading manuals, some QL results are close, but in some combinations an apparently suitable QL result producing an estimated 57 or 58,000 psi PMax may be as much as three grains higher than the loading manuals' maximum figure - a lot in this cartridge to put it mildly.

One possible reason for this is that there is apparently a great deal of variance in 243 brass capacity. The Speer manual uses Winchester cases and states in a general warning on the cartridge that its staff found unusually large variances between case makes and stresses that its loads apply to this one make of brass only and should not be transferred to any other.

In the loads that I will work up in due course, I'm using several makes of case, but so far have no fireformed examples so have been using QuickLOAD's default capacity. Where there is a significant discrepancy with loads from manuals, I've used the latter and will see in due course which is closer to reality based on Labradar MV results.

[Kevgun]

Thanks Laurie, i will bear that in mind when i start working some loads up, i'm lucky that i have all the same brass, i have around 600 once fired Norma cases that i was given from one of my Gamekeeper mates? so i will batch them and measure the case H2o volume.  

[Montey]

Re your last post Kevgun

if your using cases fire formed in another rifle be aware they are now formed to that chamber.

just use new Lapue brass and be done with it It never pays to cut corners or cost on brass.

[Blacknsilver]

I was low on N140 powder. So bought N160 powder and CCI BR primers. Hope to start loading next week when the dies arrive. Sticking with the 85gr Game Kings.

[NellyT]

I use n160 with 85 gr Sierra HPBT, 43.8gr gives me 3050 FPS and groups around 1/2" at 100 yards.

[Blacknsilver]

8 hours ago, NellyT said:

I use n160 with 85 gr Sierra HPBT, 43.8gr gives me 3050 FPS and groups around 1/2" at 100 yards.

Thanks Nelly 

my Dies should be here tomorrow. I have done some case prep on the new Nosler brass. Flash hole de burr. Primer pockets uniformed. Ready to FL size them and then load and seat them. 

I have had he rifle nearly two weeks and not shot it yet! Lol can’t wait. 

I have put the Meopta ZD on it. I think that’s going to suit it. 

Watch this space. 

[Blacknsilver]

8 hours ago, NellyT said:

I use n160 with 85 gr Sierra HPBT, 43.8gr gives me 3050 FPS and groups around 1/2" at 100 yards.

What inch barrel have you got?

cheers 

[NellyT]

22" I think...