Frenchieboy Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 Ok guys, with me being so new to reloading I am after a bit more advice. I have been doing well with the .222 rounds I have got sorted so now I am ready to start with reloading for my .243! The big question is which powder to buy for the .243? I had planned on using Varget but with it being in such short supply around here I am going to have to look for an alternative. As yet I am undecided on which weight head I will "standardise" on but it is likely to be around 60 - 70g (Whichever my barrel is happier with) which will be used mainly for foxing but I will want to try some 100g heads in the latter part of the year for deer without having to buy a different powder for them. With this in mind I have looked through my data manuals and thought that either H414 or H380 should do the job. Do any of you have experience with either of these powders or would you like to suggest an alternative. Maybe I ought to add that I will not be wanting a load that is so "hot" it is travelling faster than the Star Ship Enterprise - Something around 3200 - 3500 (Or thereabouts with 60g or 70g heads) will be more than sufficient for my needs. Which powder would be your choice and why please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_R Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 I started with H380 under a 87g soft point and although it was pretty good I found N140 better. I cannot comment directly on bullets you refer to but perhaps you should think of Vhit powders especially with the trouble the stores are having getting stuff from America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted July 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 I started with H380 under a 87g soft point and although it was pretty good I found N140 better. I cannot comment directly on bullets you refer to but perhaps you should think of Vhit powders especially with the trouble the stores are having getting stuff from America. Thank you for that John. The shortage of some of the different types of powders is exactly the reason why I asked for and suggestions for alternatives, so your suggestion is grately appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wickedwickedmotox Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 Frenchie, I use h380. I use nosler 95g bt in my rifle and covers everything really well i have shot magpies foxes red and roe deer and have had excellent results! I use 39g of h380 sat 15 thou off the lands,my gun shoots very accuratly with these and around a 3" drop at 200 yards and about a foot at 300 yards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted July 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 Frenchie, I use h380. I use nosler 95g bt in my rifle and covers everything really well i have shot magpies foxes red and roe deer and have had excellent results! I use 39g of h380 sat 15 thou off the lands,my gun shoots very accuratly with these and around a 3" drop at 200 yards and about a foot at 300 yards. That sounds inteesting! Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 Frenchie 85-95 grain bullets will be ideal on everything, I do have two weights that I can use without affecting zero which are 58 vmax for foxes etc and 85 soft points on deer, these also work well on foxes but some of ours are a way out hence using the 58 vmax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 If your wanting a very nice round for fox Id go Nosler 70gr BT with Viht N140 but as a one bullet for everything then 87-100gr and Viht N160 would be my first area to look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B B Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 H380 would be a good choice i found it better with the sub 70grains myself, and once you got up to the 80s and above it started to be a compromise and you lost speed or else accuracy. I think your choice of H414 is about as close as you are going to get with just one powder. My advice personaly would be H380 for the sub 70s and H 4350 for the 80s and up. Now powder availability is another thing alltogether and thats a choice you must work out for yourselves, but i cant imagine this silly usa shelf emptying going on much longer, but thats something for you to decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_R Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 (edited) Frenchie 85-95 grain bullets will be ideal on everything, I do have two weights that I can use without affecting zero which are 58 vmax for foxes etc and 85 soft points on deer, these also work well on foxes but some of ours are a way out hence using the 58 vmax The desire to have one bullet for everything that led to my choice of 87grn. The N140 was suggested by a friend so we tried it and got great results and I stuck with it. The same powder appears to be working in my 7mm-08 but I am woefully behind on dealing with that. Edited July 7, 2013 by john_r Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markws80 Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 any one use varget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 The desire to have one bullet for everything that led to my choice of 87grn. The N140 was suggested by a friend so we tried it and got great results and I stuck with it. The same powder appears to be working in my 7mm-08 but I am woefully behind on dealing with that. I have to say I want to try some 87's but am interested in the vmax offering being a construction that seems to work very well on deer and foxes. The thing with the light bullets is it means you can run your .243 just like a 22-250 trajectory wise which is awesome on foxes. And to the varget query yes I do and it's ideal as I can load for .223 and .243 luckily I have a fair stock but its pointless recommending it at the moment as very few places have any stock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted July 11, 2013 Report Share Posted July 11, 2013 I use H380 on my 22-250 (50 -55grn heads)and also for my .243 (75 -100grn heads) I have used this powder for many years, and it works for me. There's a new powder on the market called Ramshot, available from Henry Krank. Not used it myself, but temped to get a tub and try it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholiath Posted July 11, 2013 Report Share Posted July 11, 2013 Been using h4895 for .243 & 30.06 but due to shortages i am going to try ramshot big game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted July 11, 2013 Report Share Posted July 11, 2013 75gn Vmax over Viht 140 is well fit for purpose. I load up with 41.2gn of the 140 but you could try working up to it. That load has worked in Parker Hale, Tikka T3 and Remy 700 equally as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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