I have a new 243 AI that I am going to start shooting to form brass/ hunt with as I form. This will be a dedicated coyote gun. I have 87 grain vmax and 70 grain noslers BT and 70 grain sierra BK. I have a 8 lb jug of win 760 do I’d like to use that. Anybody willing to share any load data for the 243 or 243 AI?
243 Winchester 87 gr vmax and W760 loads needed
- Thread starter bobtails
- Start date
I hope that W760 works a lot better in your .243 AI than in my straight .243 with the 85-90 grain bullets I tried. I had high hopes for the W760 but no dice. RL22, Varget, IMR4064 and RL19 were all significantly better.
That said, The W760 is the best powder hands down in my rifle (again, this is a straight .243 Win.) with the Barnes 62 grain Varmint Grenade. Running 45.7 grains, Win. primer, Lapua brass. It doesn't have the reach of the 87 V-Max, but inside 300-400 yards, it is absolutely devastating on coyote and smaller.
That said, The W760 is the best powder hands down in my rifle (again, this is a straight .243 Win.) with the Barnes 62 grain Varmint Grenade. Running 45.7 grains, Win. primer, Lapua brass. It doesn't have the reach of the 87 V-Max, but inside 300-400 yards, it is absolutely devastating on coyote and smaller.
-AlIn my 243 ai Win 760 gave me weird pressure spikes at mid range loads. Never used it again.
Gary in MD
Gold $$ Contributor
I shot those in my 6mm ai years ago.
They beat the 75 Vmax and the 70 ball tip in my rifle for accuracy and explosive performance.
VV 160 is a very clean burning powder and is a near perfect burning speed for what you’re looking to do.
Ackman
Gold $$ Contributor
There's nothing magic about it. Look in the reloading manual and start load development with the max load for a .243. Go up from there .2 or .3gr at a time and stop when you hit the most accurate load. The bullet holes are overlapping. Then go shoot that load. I fireformed about 1000 cases with W760 and 70gr bullets - BT's and TNTs - all on rockchucks and pd's. Velocity with my fireform load was a 70 at about 3700 which was a very hot one, probably a bit too hot. But that was best accuracy and primer pockets stayed tight. PacNor 13 tw barrel, 0 fb chamber. Target was done in '93.
.
.
Last edited:
AckleymanII
Gold $$ Contributor
28-30" Hart barrels, 12 twist, zero freebore.
Fire form with 47-47.5g of Win 760, Rem brass, CCI 250 gave the lowest SD by far, with MV of 3700-3750. Formed load is 48.5g shooting a bug hole at 3850. 50.5 gave 4030 fps in the 30" barrel. 70g Nosler ballistic tips and 70g Speer TNT is what we shot.
Make no mistake about the fact that the 70g Sierra Blitz king is the most explosive. The Speer 70g TNT are so accurate that I sold my bullet making dies.
Fire form with 47-47.5g of Win 760, Rem brass, CCI 250 gave the lowest SD by far, with MV of 3700-3750. Formed load is 48.5g shooting a bug hole at 3850. 50.5 gave 4030 fps in the 30" barrel. 70g Nosler ballistic tips and 70g Speer TNT is what we shot.
Make no mistake about the fact that the 70g Sierra Blitz king is the most explosive. The Speer 70g TNT are so accurate that I sold my bullet making dies.
Ackman
Gold $$ Contributor
Same here. With formed loads, switching from 9-1/2 primers to 250's increased accuracy and velocity, and lowered SD/ES. A nice surprise.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.