Good factory ammo in .243?

IndianaShooter

IndianaShooter

New member
Hey guys.. What's a good factory varmint round in .243 for longer ranges? I'm meaning from say 300 to 700 yards.. I am a proficient rifle shot and used to hunt varmints a lot, but because of an illness I've not hunted in over 15 years, but going to do it again. Back then I had a Remington model 700 varmint in 6mm Remington that I could shoot WAY out there.. It was so much fun when shooting crows.. I'm wanting a .243 that I can shoot normal loads as usual, but I'd like to have a larger bullet weight factory load for the occasional long range target if it presents itself.. :) What twist would you recommend for a rifle? Will the standard twists I see on most rifles for sale work for the bigger bullets for long ranges or longer than normal ranges of say further than 300 yards. I've killed most coyotes in Indiana within 200 yards.. Only once killed one at over 300 yards, but killed a lot of crows, etc, at much longer ranges for fun..

Thanks
Tim
 
HSM 75 grain vmax, shoots lights out and performs great on target. I shot a big male bob last year at 95 yds, no exit, pin hold goin in.
 
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You shot a bobcat with a 243 and a 75 VMax and there was no damage? WOW! I haven't been as lucky with my pelts and the larger calibers.

Tim,
I would recommend a 1-9 twist for a factory rifle if you can get one. Remington makes a 1-9.5 or such. Many still make a 1-10.

The 75 Vmax is very accurate out of my 6mm's, but factory ammo will limit you. You may find a lighter bullet factory cartridge that actually shoots better in your rifle.

I have been reloading 58 and 65 gr Vmaxes for my 6XC and like it so far. It hasn't torn up the small amount of coyotes I shot with "this rifle".

I've been using a 17 Rem and a 204 mostly for the past 8 or so years. So there is more damage IMO with the larger calibers, takers some getting used too.

With the rumor of cat prices being pretty darn good this year, my 17's will most like get the most use this year too.

Good luck
 
I've had good luck with factory loaded Federal Premium loaded with 85 grain Sierra Game King HPBT's. I shoot it from a Remington 700 BDL with a 20 inch 1-10 twist barrel. I get .75 inch groups at 100 yards with this ammo. It's a bit on the expensive side last I checked on though. I now load the same bullet over IMR 4064 powder. At 3100 FPS I get the same results as with the factory loaded stuff. Farthest shot I've made was 430 yards over an open bean field. Hit the coyote forward of its rear hip. Left a fist size exit on the off side. I was using the factory loaded stuff that morning.
 
Guys.. Thanks so much.. I'm looking hard at a .243.. Savage I think it is.. I'm also looking at the Remington model 7. I've always had great luck with Remington's. Most of them have always had an easy trigger to adjust and I've always free floated them if needed and they just always shot so well. A long time ago, one of my first rifles was a Remington that supposedly had a Sako action or something, but it was a Model 7? and it just had a birch stock. That's back in the late 70's.. I could hit anything with that rifle.. It even had sights on it.. It was really a cheap model rifle from Remington, but shot well. I heard at the gun show it was out shooting their Model 700's so they quit making it, but I don't know if that's true.. Anyway, I always loved the .243.. I had a varmint 700 bdl in 6mm that was extremely accurate, but why not just get a .243.. Easier to find ammo. Since I don't reload yet, I'm going to have to use Factory ammo at first. I don't care about tearing up the fir as I'm going to be ridding mostly farmers that want to get rid of problem coyotes and ground hogs.. so, they don't care how tore up they are, and I don't even know where I'd sell the firs anyway. I used to burn them because they were usually so ate up with mange or and fleas.. Even in the winter.. at least here in Indiana.. Anyone else have this same problem?
Tim
 
Originally Posted By: coyote6974I've had good luck with factory loaded Federal Premium loaded with 85 grain Sierra Game King HPBT's. I shoot it from a Remington 700 BDL with a 20 inch 1-10 twist barrel. I get .75 inch groups at 100 yards with this ammo. It's a bit on the expensive side last I checked on though. I now load the same bullet over IMR 4064 powder. At 3100 FPS I get the same results as with the factory loaded stuff. Farthest shot I've made was 430 yards over an open bean field. Hit the coyote forward of its rear hip. Left a fist size exit on the off side. I was using the factory loaded stuff that morning.

Same here - I could have typed that post. Carefully look over the ballistics charts - this round has the best retained velocity and energy over several hundred yards of anything you can buy. The only reason to avoid it is if you're concerned about saving pelts. On a smaller animal (fox, cat, coyote, etc.) it will blow a grapefruit sized hole out the other side. But it retains good weight, and won't splatter. At closer ranges, it basically liquifies the internal organs. Large whitetails are bangflops. The factory ammo is accurate enough (5/8" @ 100 yds.) that I don't have to bother with reloading it. I love this cartridge, and would take just about anything on 4 feet with it.
 
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IndianaShooter, I've been hunting coyotes here in Indiana for the past 12 years. I'm averaging about 15 kills per season, and so far have not killed, or even seen a mangy coyote around here. I've not seen any mangy fox around here since I started calling either.
I also remember the mid to late 60's when every fox around our farm had the mange. Seems they've all got over it for now.

ETA; Also, if you're going to use that new rifle for coyotes, you may want to drop to a sporter weight barrel. Those Varmint Specials get mighty heavy on a days coyote calling if you do a lot of walking. When we still had groundhogs around here in the 70's I bought a 700 Varmint Special in .22-250. since I still had it, I used it the first year I started calling coyotes and quickly learned a lighter rifle is a good idea. I traded for my 700 BDL in .243 and haven't looked back. In fact, in a search for lighter calling rifles, I've also tried Winchester 70 Featherweights, and recently found myself a Remington 700 Mountain Guide rifle in .243 that's nice and light. Those pencil barrels just don't seem to have the accuracy of the sporters though.
 
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I'm with TJ on the HSM 75g V-max, at least on the accuracy part. Very accurate, but way too splashy for me on the coyotes.

I shoot a Tikka T3 Lite with a 1:9.5 twist and it always seemed to favor the lighter bullets. The 58g V-max also did very well. My favorite of the factories though was the Remington Power-lokt with the 80g HP. Not quite as accurate as the V-max's, but close, and terminal performance was much better IMO.
 
fedral 80gr out of my rem700 with a pac nor 1 in 8 twist groups less than 1/2 inch.home loads speer 85 grain sp accurate 4350 from same rifle less than 1/4 inch you dont get runners with the 85 grain speer but this is my own preferance. you will have to just try differant ammo makers and make your own mind up on what works best in your own rifle. one bit of advice the most expensive ammo may not be the best.
 
Originally Posted By: coyote6974 Those pencil barrels just don't seem to have the accuracy of the sporters though.

I just bought a Savage Lightweight .243 and this is exactly what I'm worried about.
 
Sorry about that. I was reading after doing a search and didn't think
before I posted. I guess it's better than asking a question and having someone say "Do a search". LOL.
 
Don't kid yourself about the distances you ACTUALLY shoot and selecting a special bullet with a high BC etc... Unless you're actually serious about shooting long range regularly and you have the equipment to do it (accurate rifle, accurate ammo, laser rangefinder, ballistic charts, and tactical type scope for adjusting holdover/drop).

For casual short and mid range shooting, pretty much any bullet will do. I have a lot of fun shooting the 243 55gr Nosler Ballistic Tip and it does the job just fine.

http://www.predatormastersforums.com/for...872#Post2811872

Knowing how to use your equipment is more important than selecting one bullet over another at close/med range.

 
For strictly hunting coyotes, the 243 is hard to beat. I shoot both the Remington 700 and Model 7, and both are accurate rifles. The Model 7 is lighter, has a shorter barrel, and is much easier to pack. But, I don't consider it a long range rifle, and I don't think it would be a good choice for those 700 yard shots you're talking about. My 2 Model 700's have 22 and 24 inch barrel's respectively, and have heavier barrels, which give me a little more accuracy and little more velocity. Though I would feel a lot better about taking longer shots with them, the fact is that it is very rare to get a shot at a coyote over 300 yards in most of the places I hunt. The only shot over that I've ever made was a 450 yard shot, and that was with a 223. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if I wanted a rifle with the intention of shooting 300 to 700 yards on a consistent basis, I would get a rifle with a heavy barrel. You won't find that in a Model 7, only in the 700's.
 
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