new dies for. 243 win

[BDman]

Forster honed sizing die has outperformed all bushing dies for me at least. Used with a mandrel, runout is non existent. Don't have them hone it too much - important if you'll be using more than one brand of brass.

 

[1lnbrdg]

I've found the Sierra 95gr HPBT MK's to shoot very well in 1/10 twist barrels even though they recommend a 1/9 twist.

YMMV.

 

[K22]

Much appreciated, I don’t hunt anymore so mostly looking for target rds. Had really good success with 75gr HP’s but didn’t keep good notes so I’ve been trying to find my way back.

Now everything is well documented so reloading has taken a big step forward. Thx again

IMR 4064 will work real well with 75 grain bullets in the 243. The 85 grain BTHP is exceptionally accurate in all the 243's I've owned with twist rates from 10 to 9.

 

[Lefin102]

IMR 4064 will work real well with 75 grain bullets in the 243. The 85 grain BTHP is exceptionally accurate in all the 243's I've owned with twist rates from 10 to 9.

K22 I just ordered the 4064 which should be here tomorrow. Any weight you liked best? i HAVE 87GR v MAX

 

[K22]

K22 I just ordered the 4064 which should be here tomorrow. Any weight you liked best? i HAVE 87GR v MAX

Each rifle is different and each bullet brand is different - the best advice I can give you is to start with the "starting book value" and work up slowly but I've never found it necessary to load near maximum with IMR 4064 to achieve excellent accuracy.

In my experience IMR 4064 works best with bullets 80 grain and lighter. Where as IMR 4350 works best with bullets over 80 grains.

However the 85's and 87's are kind of in the middle of this range so IMR 4064 often works well with these bullet weights. In this weight range the Sierra 85 BTHP shot the best for me. The 87 Vmax didn't shoot well out of my 243's but I know some that have had a lot of success with this bullet.

If you want to go light, another bullet that I've had a lot of success with is the Sierra 80 grain Blitz with IMR 4064. Extremely accurate and terminal performance is excellent.

Recently been experimenting with the Nosler 80 and 70 grain BT's. These are also excellent bullets albeit a bit pricey.

 

[Uncle Ed]

Lefin102

The Redding bushing die FAQ also tells you if your neck thickness varies .002 or more to use their expander and push the thickness variations to the outside of the neck.

Bushing dies work best with custom tight neck chambers and neck turned brass. Meaning the more you reduce the neck diameter with a floating bushing it increases the chance of inducing case neck runout when sizing.

Bottom line, if you do not plan on neck turning, the standard non-bushing Forster full length benchrest dies will make the most concentric cases. And if you do neck turn with a standard SAAMI chamber the necks will need to be reduced in diameter more increasing the chances of the bushing die inducing neck runout. You are better off with high quality brass that does not need to be neck turned.

You read about reloaders saying using a expander over works the brass. "BUT" you still need to reduce the fired neck diameter. And neck turning with a factory chamber will increase how much the neck will need to be reduced.

Below is a standard .243 non-bushing Redding full length die that I installed a modified Forster expander and spindle assembly on. This greatly reduced the amount of case neck runout with the high mounted floating Forster expander. The rubber o-ring under the expanders lock ring allows it to float and self center.

One of the main causes of case neck runout is if the expander is locked down off center. And below is a cheap Lee full length die and the expanders locking collet centers the expander when the collet is tightened. So if you do not have gauges to measure neck thickness and runout the average reloader with a factory rifle will do fine with a set of Lee dies.

 

[Lefin102]

Each rifle is different and each bullet brand is different - the best advice I can give you is to start with the "starting book value" and work up slowly but I've never found it necessary to load near maximum with IMR 4064 to achieve excellent accuracy.

In my experience IMR 4064 works best with bullets 80 grain and lighter. Where as IMR 4350 works best with bullets over 80 grains.

However the 85's and 87's are kind of in the middle of this range so IMR 4064 often works well with these bullet weights. In this weight range the Sierra 85 BTHP shot the best for me. The 87 Vmax didn't shoot well out of my 243's but I know some that have had a lot of success with this bullet.

If you want to go light, another bullet that I've had a lot of success with is the Sierra 80 grain Blitz with IMR 4064. Extremely accurate and terminal performance is excellent.

Recently been experimenting with the Nosler 80 and 70 grain BT's. These are also excellent bullets albeit a bit pricey.

K22 thx again for your input I have to get some Sierra’s to try.

 

[Lefin102]

Lefin102

The Redding bushing die FAQ also tells you if your neck thickness varies .002 or more to use their expander and push the thickness variations to the outside of the neck.

Bushing dies work best with custom tight neck chambers and neck turned brass. Meaning the more you reduce the neck diameter with a floating bushing it increases the chance of inducing case neck runout when sizing.

Bottom line, if you do not plan on neck turning, the standard non-bushing Forster full length benchrest dies will make the most concentric cases. And if you do neck turn with a standard SAAMI chamber the necks will need to be reduced in diameter more increasing the chances of the bushing die inducing neck runout. You are better off with high quality brass that does not need to be neck turned.

You read about reloaders saying using a expander over works the brass. "BUT" you still need to reduce the fired neck diameter. And neck turning with a factory chamber will increase how much the neck will need to be reduced.

Below is a standard .243 non-bushing Redding full length die that I installed a modified Forster expander and spindle assembly on. This greatly reduced the amount of case neck runout with the high mounted floating Forster expander. The rubber o-ring under the expanders lock ring allows it to float and self center.

One of the main causes of case neck runout is if the expander is locked down off center. And below is a cheap Lee full length die and the expanders locking collet centers the expander when the collet is tightened. So if you do not have gauges to measure neck thickness and runout the average reloader with a factory rifle will do fine with a set of Lee dies.

Uncle Ed, excellent post . I’ve got lots to try and think about.

 

[K22]

The rubber o-ring under the expanders lock ring allows it to float and self center.

I've been using this method for years and it works.

 

[Juma]

Anneal your brass and lube the inside of the neck when you resize. It means you get 2 bites of the cherry.A light inside chamfer of the neck to aid seating of the projectile and your groups will tighten. We SS clean and both primer pocket uniform and flashhole ream.