.243 Win +87gr Vmax+IMR-4350

Bearcat 74

Bearcat 74

New member
After some fooling around with this combo I finally got it worked out. My rifle liked the Vmax seated pretty deep: 2.650" and 40grs IMR-4350 proved to be the most accurate charge. 41grs shot pretty good @ around .7" but it had more vertical that I liked. 40grs was repeatable .5" or less at 110yds. I changed my battery in my range finder and it switched back to meters, so I was @ 100meters vs 100yds. As long as I didn't yank the groups were consistent:



24387Vmax.jpg
 
Those 87's are good stuff. I spread a chuck out yesterday with one at 502yds. That's a good grouping, what are you shooting them out of
thumbup1.gif
?
 
I have always been a fan of the 87gr V-max.

Try about 37.3 gr. IMR 4064. It is one of those "tried and true classic" 87 gr. V-max loads IMO, and shoots well in most everything.....
 
Wow that is a light load. Shoots great though.

I would try some RL-17 at the same weight and work up, for fun. Don't know your barrel length but your velocity has to be low. To see the benefits of the 87gr v-max, I would play with some other powders too. Get that accuracy with a bit more velocity, and all around you will enjoy.
 
I am shooting a stock Savage 110 .243 22" barrel with an Elite 3200 10x40. I worked my way up to 43.5grs and it shot worse and worse as I went up.


I keep seeing 4064 @ 37ish grains and I am on my way tomorrow to get a pound to try out. I am going to run my 40gr load over the chrono but most things I see show that is around 3000fps. Not a speed burner but it is accurate.
 
I'm running mine over IMR 4064 at 36.5gr. with CCI LRM primers and Lapua brass. I haven't chronographed mine yet, but ran my field data back through JBM and came up with 3282fps out of my 28" barrel. I need to check it again today, it seems to be shooting a little flatter now that temps have come up or maybe my 100yds zero is a tick off. My dope that was on seems to have decreased by .25MOA or so at 500yds.
 
Are you guys running 1-10 twist? I have a 243 on order with a 1-9 twist and I hope to shoot 105 grain bullets. Starting to wonder if I shouldn't have went 1-8. I still have time to change it. You thoughts...
 
A 105 and likely the 107 will stabilize in a 9 twist. An 8 will do it better. If you plan to shoot the light bullets, and have time, I would opt for the 8 twist.
 
IME most 1-9s will stabilize 105 gr A-max. They will NOT, however, stabilize the 107 Sierras or the 105 gr. Bergers.

A good alternative in a 1-9.25" twist is the 95 gr. Berger. It is ballistically about the same as the 105 gr. A-max being that it can be pushed a little faster.

A 1-10 will stabilize your average 100 gr. hunting bullet, like a SGK or Hornady Interlock....
 
Finally got a chance to stretch this combo out this evening. I loaded up 20 rounds and went to my 620yd steel spot.

Once I finally got past my stupid and realized that I had my dope for the wrong zero things got better.

13.5 up got me 12 straight hits @ 620 on a 12x16" piece of 1/2" steel. There was ZERO wind so that made things much easier.
 
Mine is a 10 and it will not shoot a 100gr BTSP, will not. The next barrel this thing gets will be an 8 or 9 twist if it's in .243.


More than likely this dude will become a .260 Remington when the barrel dies.
 
Mines going to be a hunting rifle so I want the 87-100 or 105 s to shoot. Should I go 1-9 or 1-8???? In about and hour I'm calling to change the barrel
 
I'd have to say 1/9 for the common weight hunting bullets.

There is a good chart with info at the Lilja Precision Barrel site.
 
I am in the process of working with the 87 V-Max bullet in a 1-8 twist 26" Douglass barrel (their very best barrel). I tried IMR 4064 first and got fair results but nothing to brag about. Seated .015 off the lands / rifling. Switched to IMR 4831 and got better groups in fact I got a couple 3 shot groups (3 out of 5 shots)that were one ragged hole with one on either side almost touching the 3 shots. But the big problem was there was some swirling wind. I don't know what speed the wind was blowing so can not say whether it was the wind or me or the load. Got to do it over again with those 2 powder charges on a CALM day / no wind.
I will be trying IMR 4350, N140, N160 and Varget plus a couple others.

I weighed 50 of the 87 V-Max bullets, weight was from 86.9 to 87.1 Grains.


Are not most factory rifles 1-9 twist? I know my Remington SPS was 1 in 9-1/8 Twist.

For a good deer bullet I would go with a 95 or 100 Grain Nosler Partition.

DAB
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top