Long range with the 243

johnnyjr

johnnyjr

Well-Known Member
Anyone tried cast bullets at 200 or 300 yards?.with the 243. And the 87 gr Lyman Lovering bullets. I suppose a Lyman no 2 alloy or linotype would be needed. I'm interested in trying it just to see the outcome. With coated bullets and gas checks of course. What mv would you have to shoot for. Thanks..
 
RBHarter

RBHarter

West Central AR
Shot.some 100 gr VLDs at 750 yd once with Lovelife .

NRA tests shot various bullets at 1000 yd in 06' and 300 WM most were 190-212 gr bullets 172&212 gr paper patch .

I'm inclined to think that 95-105 will be better .
 
JWFilips

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
I do not shoot cast bullets far! But I have shot one inch groups with Serria 60 Grain jacketed! It was very close to the magic 4000Fps mark And that is what burned out my throat in the Ruger 77V!
 
B

BudHyett

Active Member
johnnyjr said:
Anyone tried cast bullets at 200 or 300 yards?.with the 243. And the 87 gr Lyman Lovering bullets. I suppose a Lyman no 2 alloy or linotype would be needed. I'm interested in trying it just to see the outcome. With coated bullets and gas checks of course. What mv would you have to shoot for. Thanks..
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Not the .243 but the 6mm BR, this is a shortened .243. I shot in CBA Long Range Handgun competition. Shot the SAECO #243 and the RCBS 243-095-SP mold at 100 and 200 yards. The SAECO mold dropped at 93 grains, the RCBS dropped at 94 grains. The biggest challenge was wind correction.

Loading:
  • Alloy was initially monotype, then water-dropped (used) Linotype to get hardness.
  • Velocity was from 2000 to 2300 feet-per-second to gain accuracy and wind-resistance.
  • Brass was Lapua.
  • Powder was Reloder #7.
  • Primers were Remington 7 1/2.
  • Cases were neck-turned and primer pockets reamed.
  • Scope was initially Burris 10X, then Leupold 24X.
  • Savage Striker rebarreled with Douglas barrel, 1 in 10" twist.
I'd like to shoot these cast bullets in my Savage 99 .243 and Ruger #1 6mm Remington once Large Rifle primers are back in supply. I have an Eagan 88 grain mold I'd also like to try. They should be deadly on prairie dogs if I can get the accuraccy.
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Not with cast. Shot 300 yards with 55 grain Nosler BT's. Had my own 300 yard range, back on property, leased in Michigan. Had a black plastic 55 gallon (chemical) barrel that literally fell off the back of a truck. Laid it on it's side, in a homemade cradle. Cut a door in the top, with hinges. Partially, filled it with sand, then newsprint. Poprivited small binder clips to the lid to hold 8x10 paper targets. Used it for years, with rifle calibers up to 338WM. That plastic was almost self sealing.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
If you use an alloy that the gun likes with your particular load (eg- It FITS!) then that alloy is the one to use. It might be Linotype or it might be a 12-13 Bhn amalgamation of WW and who knows what else. My point is, I think it's a waste of time to ASSUME you will need a hard alloy for long range shooting. It's not the range that the issue, it's the pressure of the load you use and what the gun wants.
 
johnnyjr

johnnyjr

Well-Known Member
Playing with different seating depts now.i have a few 1/2 inch group at 50 yards. Still have not chronograph any. In time I will.
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
I don't chronograph loads till after I get the ones I like............if then. Have Lab Radar, too. Just too lazy to bring it out. That, and I rarely shoot from the bench.
 
johnnyjr

johnnyjr

Well-Known Member
I am anxious to try the 87 gr Loverin at 200 yards. WITHOUT a gas check. Powder coating does not help with accuracy, even at 50 yards,so I'm using lube only. Looking for suggestions on what alloy I should use to insure the bullet will bump up. I have no wheel weights. Do bullets bump up with linotype or a 50/50 mix,which is about a bhn of 14? Maybe a soft alloy will work. So I'd like to hear what you guys think. Thanks.
 
CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
I have shot hundreds of jackrabbits and ground squirrels at 150-225 yards with the RCBS 6mm-95-SPat 1800-1900 FPS--16.0-17.0 x Alliant 2400, using both Alox 50/50 lube and LSS Carnauba Red lube. I don't recall shooting as many varmints with Lyman #245496 at similar speeds/same powders & lubes. None were past 150 yards, probably 3 dozen all told.

I don't recall shooting the Lyman bullet on paper past 100 yards. I have shot quite a few of the RCBS bullet at 200 yards, and the groups ran from 2.25" to 3". These were wind-effected, always wider than taller. The RCBS bullet has always shot 10%-15% smaller groups than the Lyman Loverin--conditions notwithstanding.

And now for the heresy portion of our post........the 243 Winchester is one fine varmint caliber with redcoats as well. It is superbly accurate, just like every other caliber derived from the 308 Winchester casing. The 22-250 is pre-eminent in the varmint fields, but the 243 ranges better and hits harder.
 
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Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
CZ93X62 said:
I have shot hundreds of jackrabbits and ground squirrels at 150-225 yards with the RCBS 6mm-95-SPat 1800-1900 FPS--16.0-17.0 x Alliant 2400, using both Alox 50/50 lube and LSS Carnauba Red lube. I don't recall shooting as many varmints with Lyman #245496 at similar speeds/same powders & lubes. None were past 150 yards, probably 3 dozen all told.

I don't recall shooting the Lyman bullet on paper past 100 yards. I have shot quite a few of the RCBS bullet at 200 yards, and the groups ran from 2.25" to 3". These were wind-effected. always wider than taller. The RCBS bullet has always shot 10%-15% smaller groups than the Lyman Loverin--conditions notwithstanding.

And now for the heresy portion of our post........the 243 Winchester is one fine varmint caliber with redcoats as well. It is superbly accurate, just like ever other caliber derived from the 308 Winchester casing. The 22-250 is pre-eminent in the varmint fields, but the 243 ranges better and hits harder.
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johnnyjr

johnnyjr

Well-Known Member
Well, today was a waste of bullets. Nothing worth a darn,lol. But I got some shooting in. Powder is getting tough to find so I use what I have on hand..
 
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