Mannlicher Classic .243 ammunition

Irish Bob

Well-Known Member
Just wondering what ammunition other people have found this rifle likes? I use Lapua and they work fine but it would be interesting to know what other ammunition Mannlichers like.

TIA
 
There you go just to show how different rifles can be a friend and my .243's could just group on a diner plate with Norma, but better with Rem, Fed and best with RWS so that was where we stuck. So get a couple of boxes of different makes and find out what is best in yours. Cheers
 
RWS 100 Grn T mantel soft point and the 'totally and completely different' Geco 105 grn - both perform brilliantly in several Mannlichers we've had/ seen.
 
I truly wonder if the fact that each and every barrel can be different will ever sink in :banghead: by the looks of it there is no fear of it happening any time soon :rolleyes: .
 
I truly wonder if the fact that each and every barrel can be different will ever sink in :banghead: by the looks of it there is no fear of it happening any time soon :rolleyes: .

Whilst different I would hope rifles of the same model are similar.

I am not interested in bench rest shooting, I am merely asking what other people find works in the same rifle.

I now have some options if I ever decide to change from Lapua, which work fine.
 
Winchester 100gr are very poor grouping.
Geco105gr acceptable as long as your chest shooting from a solid rest.
Fed 100gr reasonable grouping and give me CONFIDENCE.
Fed 80gr accurate.

So I tend to use Fed 100gr mostly in my Styer Pro Hunter but thats just my rifle.
 
I used several different 100 grain rounds before I settled on RWS. After a long time trying different manufacturers' ammo I tried RWS and the light went on!!! I was beginning to think my Steyr Mannlicher Classic was a Friday afternoon rifle that wouldn't shoot whatever I did.
 
Whilst different I would hope rifles of the same model are similar.

I am not interested in bench rest shooting, I am merely asking what other people find works in the same rifle.

I now have some options if I ever decide to change from Lapua, which work fine.

Oh dear ............................ Oh dear. Somehow you amongst others are just not getting it are you?

Barrels even off the same line are all different. I would expect those that are hammer forged using the same mandrel to be the closest to being the same but Button Rifles and cut rifled are unless you very ........................ very lucky never to come out identical.

Too many variables. Then of course there is the threading and cutting of the chamber which once again adds variables, bedding and stocking also add variables, that can and often do effect a rifles preference in bullet let alone ammunition..

May I also point out that "Similar" is not "the same as" ;) . It's more accurately " a bit like" .

If you like it's like comparing cars, despite having the same model one often finds that one out performs the other yet if we use your reasoning they should perform identically ................................................. but they don't.

I am merely asking what other people find works in the same rifle.

One last thing .......................................... unless they have actually shot "YOUR" rifle how can they tell? Yours might have a slightly smoother or rougher bore, The bore might be tighter or looser, if it's button rifles the "Button" might have slipped and your actual rifling twist may be slightly different, your chamber might be tighter or looser all these are variable which can and often do effect what a rifle likes and dislikes.

It's just the same as buying factory ammunition. One should always chack the batch/lot number and if different check zero ............................................ but how many UK stalkers do?

Sadly many are ignorant of even this basic need and check.
 
Thanks everyone. I will give RWS and Norma a go and see how they perform. Lapua are fine but it would be nice to compare.

Brithunter, thanks for the advice. I am using a factory rifle and just narrowing down what loads may work well in it. I shoot off sticks, no bipod, in all weathers and am just looking for acceptable and consistent groups.
 
Thanks everyone. I will give RWS and Norma a go and see how they perform. Lapua are fine but it would be nice to compare.

Brithunter, thanks for the advice. I am using a factory rifle and just narrowing down what loads may work well in it. I shoot off sticks, no bipod, in all weathers and am just looking for acceptable and consistent groups.

I understand what your trying to do and achieve and respect your choice. I was just trying, maybe poorly :oops: , to help you understand that although while we would like them all to be perfectly the same it just does not happen unless by pure chance.

Of course the ammunition can also suffer from variables. So once you find a good batch/lot acquire as much of it as you can ;) .

Oh yes if you local suppliers carry Federal Fusion you might consider trying that through your rifle. It seems to shoot well in a lot of different rifles and performs well in my limited experience with it in the field. I have heard others say it performs well on game too.
 
I used several different 100 grain rounds before I settled on RWS. After a long time trying different manufacturers' ammo I tried RWS and the light went on!!! I was beginning to think my Steyr Mannlicher Classic was a Friday afternoon rifle that wouldn't shoot whatever I did.

Are these the ones?


RWS - .243 - .243 Win SP WT100

If so they are about £27 a box. I think I will get some to try.
 
RWS 100 Grn T mantel soft point and the 'totally and completely different' Geco 105 grn - both perform brilliantly in several Mannlichers we've had/ seen.
what rate of twist is your mannichler? I have pro hunter .243, but rate of twist is one in Ten, I always thought that anything over 100g bullet required a faster rate of twist, something like a one in eight????, please enlighten me
 
Ahhh pardon me but the length of the bullet is the problem and not really the weight. So as the Geco 105 Grn is a blunter design it's possibly even shorter than some lighter sharply pointed and Boat tailed designs.

People seem to get hung up on the weight yet it's the length that really needs consideration in regard to barrel twist rate.
 
Oh hooray, another area to worry about! So I have a Mannlicher classic on order in 7mm-08, and that has a twist rate of 1 in 8.6, according to the above table. What bullet weights/lengths should I be looking for? Of course in the end, I'll buy whatever the hell I can find in the shops anyway...
 
Oh hooray, another area to worry about! So I have a Mannlicher classic on order in 7mm-08, and that has a twist rate of 1 in 8.6, according to the above table. What bullet weights/lengths should I be looking for? Of course in the end, I'll buy whatever the hell I can find in the shops anyway...

That is the original Mauser derived twist rate and of course the original bullet was a round nosed one of 173 grain weight ;). I would offer to send on of the original Cupro Nickel jacketed bullets but alas they were also taken into custody even though they are not expanding, are actually antique ( they were pulled from original ammunition dated 1894) and require no licence to own, hold or even buy :banghead: so as I cannot get them or even one of them sadly I cannot send you one to compare with modern bullets.

In my own 7x57 rifle which it seems has a twist rate of 1 in 10" I found that some RWS H-Mantles of 173 grain weight shot well and performed excellently on Roe.

Of course with the 7-08 although it operates at higher pressure than the old 7mm Mauser with the longer heavier bullets you might find that you limited on case capacity due tot he base of the bullet taking up space meant for powder.
 
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