107 gr Sierra MOLY Matchking for a 28" 1-8 twist .243 competition barrel ???

[IA_shooter]

As a soon to be newbie in reloading (haven't even got set up yet) I'm looking at this bullet due to it's high BC (0.529) and moly coating AND because I can get 500 of these bullets for just $100 from a buddy of mine. 8)

According to a few articles I've seen/read the moly helps improve barrel life as well as the added benefit of going thru the barrel smoother/less friction with less chamber pressures. The improved barrel life should be beneficial for me since the .243 is notorious for eating barrels quicker than most calibers.

A couple questions. Is anyone shooting these bullets out of this caliber specifically and if so what is a good starting point for IMR 4350 in your experience? I know what a couple of the reloading manuals tell me but I thought I'd see if a few of you guys have "real world" experience with this combo.

Secondly, what is the overall opinion of the moly bullets in general from you experienced reloaders/shooters?

Thanks in advance.

Trevor

 

[Chuckhunter]

IA-Shooter, I shoot Molyed 107 SMK's out of my 243 Ackley Improved. I shoot the Moleys because the rifle is for Prairie Dogs and I can shoot a lot more shots without cleaning. I personally have never witnessed an improvement in accuracy from Molyed bullets. With that being said, I have never seen a degradation of accuracy either. Since you really don't have to fire form brass, like I do in the Ackley, I would take CCW's accuracy load for 100yds and try it. I assume you'll have to go up slightly in powder charge because you are shooting Moly. I personally shoot H-4831SC in my ackley but IMR-4350 should work fine to start in the standard .243 Go to the caliber section on this site and check out some of the loads there, It should give you a good idea of what is working well in this caliber. Happy Reloading.

 

[normmatzen]

My first long range BR build was a 243 WIN. It was 28", 1 in 8 and I used MOLY SMK's.
I used MOLY to try to extend both barrel life as well as extend the cleaning cycles a bit. I also used H-1000 powder as it supposedly extends barrel life as well. I ran my loads at right around 2900 FPS as that was a node for my barrel and I could get there with 46 gr of H-1000 which was a slightly compressed load. Of course, you must start with a lighter load and work up!
My barrel was changed at 2500 shots and was still doing well.

 

[bozo699]

As a soon to be newbie in reloading (haven't even got set up yet) I'm looking at this bullet due to it's high BC (0.529) and moly coating AND because I can get 500 of these bullets for just $100 from a buddy of mine. 8)

According to a few articles I've seen/read the moly helps improve barrel life as well as the added benefit of going thru the barrel smoother/less friction with less chamber pressures. The improved barrel life should be beneficial for me since the .243 is notorious for eating barrels quicker than most calibers.

A couple questions. Is anyone shooting these bullets out of this caliber specifically and if so what is a good starting point for IMR 4350 in your experience? I know what a couple of the reloading manuals tell me but I thought I'd see if a few of you guys have "real world" experience with this combo.

Secondly, what is the overall opinion of the moly bullets in general from you experienced reloaders/shooters?

Thanks in advance.

Trevor

Trevor,
I have shot the 107 SMK in 1000 yard competition with fairly good success I also ran moly, I saw no degradation in accuracy and felt I got better barrel life but cleaning was more of a hassel and fouling a clean barrel took longer and I change my barrel after each season anyway so I have moved away from it in my competition rifles, I however still use it in some hunting rifles. With that being said I have used the 107's in that caliber ( .243 ) but not in a .243 Winchester and if that is what your talking about and your new to all this then I will assume it is a factory rifle which more then likely will come with a 1:10 twist barrel and that will not stabelize to 107's there will be somebody that will jump on here and say they have but not at long range you need a 1:8 twist for that bullet, in the .243 win I like 4350 and 4831 and just find a load in a loading book and start low to med and work up from there .5 grain at a time until you find your optimal charge, hope this helps some, welcome to the forum and do a lot of reading and ask questions before you jump in with both feet and spend a lot of money on stuff you don't need.
Wayne.

 

[Raythemanroe]

Most factory rifles have a variation of a 1-9 twist for the 243win now days by the way..I would believe when you say competition barrel you mean custom? You know that it is a 1-8 twist? 1-9 may get you to stabilize the 105 amax but probably not the 107 smk.. I would run H1000 or Retumbo for a consistent burn and maybe RL25 for some speed ..RL25 will help push the 115g pills if you desire to go that route, because you'll need around 3000fps to stabilize if you can at all...

 

[IA_shooter]

Sounds like I'm headed in the right direction.

Wayne, ray, I have a .243 Winchester, but I have a 1-8 twist aftemarket barrel for it, it's a 28" Criterion bull barrel.

I like hearing the 2000 plus round count #'s. I'm sure I'll replace the barrel after this year and not have to worry about going over the 2000 round mark by much if any for this year's shooting. If I do well with it this year I may stay with the .243 just to be different, but I am getting a lot of responses in general about going to the 6 Norma Br instead of the .243. I guess time will tell but this year it's .243 or bust and I'm going to try and make the most of it.

I plan on working up a load that will get me in the 2950-3000 fps range, maybe higher, then get a LOT of practice in, and then show up at a few competitions here in the Midwest and make the 6BR guys take notice. (That ought to get a response or two. ;D )

 

[IA_shooter]

Also, what fun would it be if I DIDN'T jump in with both feet and spend a lot of $$$? ;D

 

[Raythemanroe]

I have a 243 win with 1-8 twist and love it... First time out I worked up to 47g (high node) with H1000 and 107 smk fed match primer...Shot .343 group if I remember right and with some work could have been better..