Wthby Vangard .243 load

[whopperstopper]

Friend of mine inherited a Wthby Vangard .243(brand new 2009) and needs a load for Antelope, any recommendations?

[deadeye]

www.bergerbullets.com/Products/Hunting%20Bullets.html
www.barnesbullets.com/products/rifle/tipped-tsx-bullet/
www.nosler.com/etipshowroom.htm
3 good choice bullets 6mm for deer antelope,dont have a load but imr4064 usually works very well in .243 should not be very hard to find a load quickly!

[whopperstopper]

Thanks deadeye!!

[deadon]

My load is the nosler 95 gr Bal. tip over 40.5 grs 4350 and cci br primers. Sub moa out of mod 70 win.

[whopperstopper]

Thanks deadon!!

[mountainam]

The new powder from Hodgdon, Hybrid 100V works phenomenal! It will give you an additional 100fps as advertised. I'm using it in my 6mm Rem and 6mmRem AI with Winchester/Nosler Combined Technology 95 gr BT bullets, CCI250's and it yields 1/2 groups at 100 yds. Check it out on www.hodgdon.com . You'll see that it outperforms every other powder available for the .243 Win.

[herman]

I picked up a can of the 100V but haven't gotten around to trying it.
My favorite load for the 243 is H414@45 grs and sierra 85 gr BTHP with fed 210 primers.It averages 3180 fps.This is one heck of a deer bullet.So should work good for antelope too.Have taken a few past 300 yds with this load.
Has anyone tried the 55 gr sierras in their 243?
In my rem with 22in barrel I get 3700 to 3800fps and they are very accurate.My buddy has a longer barrel and has gotten 4000fps with them.

[wilmsmeyer]

Haven't tried the sierra's but have used the 55 NBT's for almost 10 years and have 2 loads that go over 4000 out of my Rem 700 with 26 inch bull barrel. 1st load is 52.5 gr of H414 and the second load is 44.5 gr of H4895.

Both are very accurate. With the 1st load, I am MOA out to 500 yds with my best group being 3 1/2 inches. The second load has not been paper tested past 300 yds but it has been field tested past that on woodchucks. Great loads.

Few calibers offer great bullets that on the heavy end, double the lighter weights. The 243 is one of them when you consider the excellent 55 gr'ers out there.


As for deer and antelope, our county may go to rifles this season. I am torn between many excellent bullets and combo's. In the running are 85 and 100 gr Nosler partions, 85 gr Barnes triple shock and maybe the 95gr NBT.

I ask those who have "been there and done that"....How does the 95Gr NBT hold up on a quartering on shoulder shot? I consider that angle the most challenging for a bullet going fast that expands and sheds weight. Having used partitions and coppers in a ML on many of those angles before, I am fairly sure what they will do...even though the caliber is smaller and the weight is less.

Also, what other of the heavier softpoints are up to this type of shot?

[tcmech]

I have a Savage 110 in 243 that shoots moa out to 200 yards with a sierra 100gr pro hunter (#1540) bullet and 36.5 grains of IMR 4064 that I have killed some nice deer with. I believe that it would hold together well on a quartering shoulder shot but I have not tried it.

For some reason my gun does not shoot boat tail bullets with the same accuracy that it does the flat based pro hunter bullets. I have tried various boat tails ranging in weight from 60 to 100 grains and never gotten the accuracy that I get with the load listed above.

If you do use it, work up to it because it is right at the max load. It comes across the chrono at 2920 on average out of my gun. It would probably be close to 3000 fps out of a 26" barreled gun.

[1shot1kill]

Norma brass, Sierra 85gr HPBT, 44.5gr IMR 4350, CCI #200 primers, in my old pre-64 model 70, rebarreled with a 26" heavy Shilen, with a 15x Unertl 2" Ultra varminter, is sub-.5 MOA @ 100yds and sub-MOA out to 600yds. Many, many a groundhog in the mountains of NC and VA have met a grizzley end from this rifle and load combo.

[Tarheel]

Depending on the shooters skill, I'd stay with 90gr. or heavier bullets for deer unless they were control expansion bullets.

[cfvickers]

Bergers hunting bullets are MEAN!!!

[mountainam]

CF is correct! The only problem is that the last I checked, they're still not shipping to distributors. If you know otherwise please let us know when and who.

[cfvickers]

I will check this weekend but the place I have been getting mine usually has them in stock in 6.5 and .308 and last time I looked they had 7mm. 140 hunting and 130 match in 6.5 and seems like .308 190s didn't look at the 7mms.

[ourway77]

First of all work up to this load, reduce it by 10%. Never take for granted that this will be a safe load in your rifle. Always check any load in your reloading manuals. I shoot this load in my 243. IMR-4831 (44.3 grains) with 100 grain Sierra either BT or Flat Base bullets, and cci primers. Not much difference in Flat Base, or BT Bullets. I have taken Deer at some impressive ranges. This load I got from a very old Lyman reloading manual, I would say atleast 25 years I have used this load in my Remington 700 BDL 22" barrel, No sign of pressure. Very accurate 1/2" at 200 yards. I have VG results with Remington rifles right out of the box. Lou