I read a lot of years ago that fast twist doesn't effect light bullets anywhere near as much as sloe effects heavy bullet's. I was told by a bullet manufacturer that my 1-9 twist would not stabilize their 140 gr bullet in my 6.5x06. Another company told me it would? So I got the first company bullets and they shot great. Then got match bullets from the second and saying they shoot great would be an understatement. Best way to fid out would be to try what you want! They will shoot or they won't. Problem solved!
Best 243 strictly for coyote hunting
- Thread starter Murdock97
- Start date
You know I've had very good luck with my Patriot. But there are a couple thing about it that bug me. First is the trigger guard. I destroyed the first one. Didn't know the torque on the action bolt was that low and I like pretty good torque. Wasted that plastic trigger guard but Mossberg did send me a new one for free. Noe it's set at 24 in lbs and seems to be doing fine. The other thing that bothers me is that bedding in the action, it's a plastic deal that also holds the magazine. Want to re-bed the action but afraid to fool with that thing! Thought about simply taking it out, easy, but then the magazine won't work. Most every rifle I've ever had I've re-bedded with epoxy. No way do I think anything will set an action in better than something like epoxy. But then this Mossberg shoot awfully darn good so probably should leave it alone but that trigger guard is going if can find a steel one!
I think the worst thing since I started reloading, about 1966, is the Chronograph. Now we shoot and see lot's of miss information with factory rounds. Or maybe just difference's rather than being closer. In those days we simply figured the factory listed round worked pretty close and lived with it. I'm getting there again other than I like to chronograph my finished load and use the coronograph to determine MPBR, max point blank range for that load. Things have really changed from the 1960's!
I kept getting email ads from Midway offering Winchester Thumbhole XPR rifles on sale. The .243s have threaded 24” medium-weight barrels, drop mags, and at the time were like $650; today they are about 100 bucks more, but still quite reasonable. (They may be offered in a standard style stock also.) I handled one in .223 recently and it seemed put together well and wasn’t too heavy for this geezer to carry around on a hunt, but with enough to heft to be stable on shooting sticks. Not sure where manufactured.
crowslayer17
Member
I have an older T3 Hunter 10:1 that likes the 58gr Superformance. I don't get to use it much, but the ones I've shot with it didn't have a mark on them. I'm very happy with this combo.
Ya know, I'm a Rem 700 fan. Or Sako but can't afford another Sako. Like my Patriot very well with couple things that bug me. I'd still suggest trying a Patriot but end of the day I am a 700 fan. In truth I don't know that any one brand is all that much better than another besides the things we somehow always like to pick on. What you should do is find something you like and give it a go. Whatever it, is your the one that will have to live with it!
I'd read somewhere years ago that the 243 with a factory twist actually shot better with the 90gr bullet. Can't remember where I read that. Seems from that article the 100gr bullet was mostly an after thought that just seemed to work alright. When the 244 rem came out it's twist was to slow for the 100gr bullet and Remington lost that race. Seems Rem saw the 6mm as a varmint cartridge and Winchester saw it as a deer cartridge. Wish I could remember where I read that. Also claimed the slower twist wouldn't handle heavier bullet's to well but the faster twist would handle lighter bullet's alright!
Just had another though hit me. Seems the trend today is to use heavier bullet's requiring faster twist barrels. Doesn't make sense to me. Rather than go with a 24cal cartridge in a custom barrel why not go with a 25cal cartridge in a standard. A 243 with a 134gr bullet is probably not gonna run off and leave a 25-06 with a 120gr bullet! bullet. Better BC in the 24cal probably but how many of those really long-range shot's you gonna get anyway?
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price
Member
Damage report??
derbyacresbob
Well-known member
The 75 gr V-Max bullets gave big exit holes 50% of the time. I got more exit holes with the Barnes 62 gr Varmint Grenades than I did with the 75 gr V-Max bullets out of my 243 Win.
Spurchaser
Well-known member
While I haven’t shot a coyote with the Go Wild yet, it has put quite a few hogs down shooting 87gr VMax. Even hogs I’ve shot back a little because I wanted them to run off have fallen in their tracks. I would imagine it will definitely put a serious entry hole in a coyote. I haven’t had an exit on a decent sized pig yet.
Bowhntr6pt
Well-known member
I hope to try this AR10 in .243 out this Fall... I put it together using Aero M5 parts and Rock River's 20" fluted barrel.
It likes the Nosler 95gr BT's and shoots the 65gr V-Max slightly better (no pic).
It likes the Nosler 95gr BT's and shoots the 65gr V-Max slightly better (no pic).
limbhanger10
Well-known member
My RRA Pred HP loves these(w/Varget) and CEB 77gr MTH(H4350)...well it shoots everything(factory) pretty well.
I'd have to look for exact recipes..
I'd have to look for exact recipes..
CalCoyote
Member
I am a little bit late to this party but here are a couple of thoughts:
I own two 243s:
I have a Savage that started out life as a 223 but I rebarreled it into a 243 and put a different bolt face on the bolt and in about 25 minutes I had a 243. It has a 22" sporter weight bbl and will shoot approx .8 MOA as long as I do my part. It loves the 70g Nosler BT with I4350. This round is devasting on coyotes. It also shoots the 90g Nosler BT really good which is more of a deer/antelope projectile but will open up really good on coyote sized game. I run it with Ramshot Hunter or I4831 at around 3120 fps. If I load it hotter the group size starts to open up. For deer hunting it also shoots the 90g Nosler Accubond with the same powders that I use in the 90g NBT at about the same velocity but hits in a slightly different place on the paper for some unknown reason. I have never shot a coyote with the 90g AB. I am going to try that this fall and see what happens.
I also have a Tikka T3. This is primarily set up as a deer/antelope rig and I run Barnes almost exclusively in it. It shoots the 85g TSX at 3220 fps with a fairly stout dose of Ramshot Hunter and gives better than MOA as long as I am not being sloppy on the shooting bench. I recently started experimenting with the 80g TTSX with the same powder and as I recall I am getting around 3300 +/-. I have never killed a coyote with this gun but would like to see if the 80 TTSX would open up on coyote sized game. I will try that this fall as well.
As you can see by the above projectile weights I shy away from the 55-58g super light stuff. That is strictly a preference. There are a LOT of hunters that do better than me that use them with great success.
I own two 243s:
I have a Savage that started out life as a 223 but I rebarreled it into a 243 and put a different bolt face on the bolt and in about 25 minutes I had a 243. It has a 22" sporter weight bbl and will shoot approx .8 MOA as long as I do my part. It loves the 70g Nosler BT with I4350. This round is devasting on coyotes. It also shoots the 90g Nosler BT really good which is more of a deer/antelope projectile but will open up really good on coyote sized game. I run it with Ramshot Hunter or I4831 at around 3120 fps. If I load it hotter the group size starts to open up. For deer hunting it also shoots the 90g Nosler Accubond with the same powders that I use in the 90g NBT at about the same velocity but hits in a slightly different place on the paper for some unknown reason. I have never shot a coyote with the 90g AB. I am going to try that this fall and see what happens.
I also have a Tikka T3. This is primarily set up as a deer/antelope rig and I run Barnes almost exclusively in it. It shoots the 85g TSX at 3220 fps with a fairly stout dose of Ramshot Hunter and gives better than MOA as long as I am not being sloppy on the shooting bench. I recently started experimenting with the 80g TTSX with the same powder and as I recall I am getting around 3300 +/-. I have never killed a coyote with this gun but would like to see if the 80 TTSX would open up on coyote sized game. I will try that this fall as well.
As you can see by the above projectile weights I shy away from the 55-58g super light stuff. That is strictly a preference. There are a LOT of hunters that do better than me that use them with great success.
WyoBull
Active member
I bought a Tikka T3X Super Lite in 243 Win about 3 years ago. I had never owned one before having been a 220 Swift fan for 45 years. That being said, I wanted a rifle that was between my Swift and my 7mm RUM. I am not into all the new cartridges being built so I went with the 243. I worked up a load using the Barnes 80 gr TTSX that is about 50 fps faster than the Barnes Vor-Tex factory ammo in the same bullet.
When I got the load where I wanted it to shoot, it was less than 1/2 inch MOA. I put a CDS dial on it and it quickly became my top 1 or 2 rifles in my safe that I would grab when heading to the country. The bullet and caliber is easy on coyotes but puts down the medium size game (deer and antelope) with authority.
I have no plans of loading lighter bullets in it as I have my 220 Swift and several other varmint calibers to fill that bill. I can highly recommend that 243 Win based off my experience and I wish I would have picked one up years ago.
When I got the load where I wanted it to shoot, it was less than 1/2 inch MOA. I put a CDS dial on it and it quickly became my top 1 or 2 rifles in my safe that I would grab when heading to the country. The bullet and caliber is easy on coyotes but puts down the medium size game (deer and antelope) with authority.
I have no plans of loading lighter bullets in it as I have my 220 Swift and several other varmint calibers to fill that bill. I can highly recommend that 243 Win based off my experience and I wish I would have picked one up years ago.