New Option for your Vanilla .243 Win

[JaoeyP]

Messing around this morning I came across the thread on the home page about Sierra's new "Game Changer" bullets. Having been tinkering with a 10" twist .243 Win for the last year, I was excited to see the new 90gr bullet under this offering, part #4100. I called Sierra to get more info. According to the tech I spoke with the bullet is 1.161" long. I also asked if they had a twist recommendation. His words were "we do know it will stabilize in a 10 inch twist 243." Plugging numbers into JBM's stability calculator, without tip length (tech did not have this info), the bullet looks to be marginally stable in a 10" twist. Guess I'll have to try this the old fashioned way and buy some to find out!!

 

[expiper]

I have found that ~ 1.080" (BC ~.430) is max length for 10 twist (and marginal with 9-1/4) ,,,,Roger
PS,,,I realize that you can shoot longer (higher BC) than stated ,,,BUT if you want to shoot the best groups your rifle is capable of it wont happen,,,if you can live with 1 MOA groups then you will be happy,,,there are many good hunting bullets that do great with factory twist bbl. ,,,,the Sierra 100 SBT and 85 HPBT are two of the best,and still give bragging size accuracy,,,,

 

[JaoeyP]

I agree, the 10" twist rate is optimal for bullets in the .400-.430 BC range. As far as group size with longer, higher BC bullets, a 10" twist can produce very good groups with them. My pet load for my 10" twist 243 is the 95gr VLD with H4350. Shoots just under 1/2 MOA pretty consistently. But if you plug the numbers into Berger's calculator, it says the bullet is marginally stable, and it's BC is downgraded by 11% because of the slower twist rate. I have found that I have to adjust the BC by about 13% to consistently impact steel at 600 yards with it. So, I'm shooting a bullet with a printed BC of .467, and it's performing like it is .406. To your point, I may as well shoot something else!

 

[K22]

I'll let you in on a secret, Sierra has had a 'game changer' bullet for the 10" twist 243 Win twist for many years - it's the 85 grain BTHP. This bullet shoots like a match bullet and you can hunt deer, varmints, and predators with this bullet. I've taken all three with this bullet. With deer stay away from shoulder shots, go for lungs. They'll drop like a ton of bricks. This is a do all bullet for the 243.

Powders: IMR 4350, 4064, Varget in that order. Even IMR 4895 will work well but the other are better.

 

[ranger3]

What is the b.c. on the 85 gr.bthp

 

[Mikemci]

What is the b.c. on the 85 gr.bthp

.311

 

[KentuckyFisherman]

I'll let you in on a secret, Sierra has had a 'game changer' bullet for the 10" twist 243 Win twist for many years - it's the 85 grain BTHP. This bullet shoots like a match bullet and you can hunt deer, varmints, and predators with this bullet. I've taken all three with this bullet. With deer stay away from shoulder shots, go for lungs. They'll drop like a ton of bricks. This is a do all bullet for the 243.

Powders: IMR 4350, 4064, Varget in that order. Even IMR 4895 will work well but the other are better.

I switched from .30-06 to .243 for Kentucky whitetails about 20 years ago and was lucky enough that several shooting friends pointed me to this exact bullet. I have no idea what twist my old Rem788 is, but it sure does love this bullet.

 

[K22]

I switched from .30-06 to .243 for Kentucky whitetails about 20 years ago and was lucky enough that several shooting friends pointed me to this exact bullet. I have no idea what twist my old Rem788 is, but it sure does love this bullet.

Mine was a reverse (foolish) experience. I started with the 243 in the late 60's, a Win Model 70. It was my first center fire rifle. While the 243 never failed me I switched to the 30-06 after reading numerous gun articles about the inadequacy of the 243 on white tail. Foolishly I traded my 243 for a 30-06. Don't get me wrong, the 30-06 is a great cartridge and more versatile but the point is for my hunting situation the 243 was perfectly adequate. I was able to shoot it much better than the 06 because of the light recoil.

Fast forward a few years, I'm back to the 243. Although I also started using the 308 several years ago because I hunt black bear, the 243 is a great cartridge especially for the hunter who hunts varmints, predators and deer. In my 40+ years of shooting and hunting I've learned that within reason, it's less about the cartridge than the marksmanship of the hunter.

The efficient aspect about the 85 grain Sierra BTHP in the 243 is that you are set for hunting varmints, predators and deer.

 

[Frankr]

Sierra said it will work in a 1-10 twist. 243 good...Swift also told me they been shooting that 90gr scirocco in the 243 for years and when I ran its spec's through the twist calc it said marginally stable. I say shoot them and see.

 

[HillBilly98]

Im not trying to argue or get off topic. I just have observed a few things over the years with the 243 and 30-06. My conclusions my not be relevant to my observation so someone enlighten me if you can. I am too lazy to look up the muzzle energy of a 150-165 grn projectiles from the 30-06 but I’m thinking it is around 2800 LBFT. The 70-100 in 243 is a little less. You would think that the 30-06 would freight train a white tail. I have shot well over a dozen with that same pill. All things equal in shot placement the smaller bodied deer have all ran about 100 yards or so before giving up the ghost. The larger bodied deer have all dropped in there tracks.

Switch to the 243. Most of my first hand accounts of deer taking with it have been with other shooters like my son and other folks. Probably 3 out of 4 (I’m guessing) have all dropped in there tracks. Some of the time with shots close up the round never exits.

My observation is that if the round blows right through them they have only absorbed some of that energy. While wounds kill (like with arrows) energy kills right now.

The flip side is when they are leaking from both sides from big holes they tend to be easy to track. Likewise no exit wound makes them a little more difficult to track.

I’m rambling here. I think both are fine white tail rounds but with the advancement in projectiles the 243 may be one of the best white tail round out there.