Powder choice ... ?

Mossypaw

Well-Known Member
I've decided that (with .243 at nearly £2 a shot) it's time I had a go at reloading !
So I spent time looking at all the bits and pieces and wonderous must have gizmos online, in catalogues and the like, and decided to get a simple kit to learn the basics. Brass seems simple enough, bullet choice I guess I just use similar to what I use just now, but powder, not sure.
I want to load .222 with a 55gr (currently shoot Sako Gameking) and .243 with a 100gr (currently shoot Norma) I'm not expecting to run before I can walk and would be delighted if I could get some where near the factory loads I use just now, so your advice please on a good powder that I should start my reloading with.

Cheers.
 
Thanks Ian, been getting a few bits from Henry Krank but don't fancy the courier charge on powder. Is reloder available locally, Winkies or Graham's ?
 
I've decided that (with .243 at nearly £2 a shot) it's time I had a go at reloading !
So I spent time looking at all the bits and pieces and wonderous must have gizmos online, in catalogues and the like, and decided to get a simple kit to learn the basics. Brass seems simple enough, bullet choice I guess I just use similar to what I use just now, but powder, not sure.
I want to load .222 with a 55gr (currently shoot Sako Gameking) and .243 with a 100gr (currently shoot Norma) I'm not expecting to run before I can walk and would be delighted if I could get some where near the factory loads I use just now, so your advice please on a good powder that I should start my reloading with.

Cheers.
What does your loading manual offer for suggestions?~Muir
 
Thanks Ian, been getting a few bits from Henry Krank but don't fancy the courier charge on powder. Is reloder available locally, Winkies or Graham's ?

I'm not sure what's available locally - I'm still using R22 that I bought down south, got half a tub left & will be loading some 100 grain Winchester Power Points with it. IMR4831 or H4831 look appropriate too for 100 grainers according to the books.

Anther powder to look at would be H4350 - I've got some of that to try. It's a bit faster burning so going to drop down to 85 or 90 grain bullets for the 243 to see how they go - Barnes TSX for deer & same weight target bullets.

My Tikka 243 shoots up to 105 grainers ok but I repeatedly get better groups at 100yds with lighter ones (75 grain Sierra HP varminters bug hole & for foxes are devastating!)

Ian
 
What does your loading manual offer for suggestions?~Muir

Think that's what's confusing me, I've got a copy of the Lee manual, but there looks to be quite a few powders very similar (+ or - 20 fps ) what else should I be looking at to compare to the factory loads ? There's not much on the Sako box, Norma .243 is velocity : 910 ms, energy : 2693 joules.
cheers.
 
Thanks Ian, been getting a few bits from Henry Krank but don't fancy the courier charge on powder. Is reloder available locally, Winkies or Graham's ?

Hi Mossypaw
I was in Grahams today & they had the following rifle powders in stock. I list them in burn rate according to Hodgdon's chart (speed numbers in brackets)- fast powders at the top.

IMR4198 (71)
H4198 (72)
H322 (74)
N130 (77)
N133 (79)
IMR4895 (89)
R15 (97)
BLC-2 (102)
H380 (105)
H414 (110)
R17 (115)
IMR4831 (121)
N560 (130)
R25 (133)

So - no Reloder 22 (my old go to load for heavy 243 bullets). For 243 80 grains & up I think you need to be somewhere lower in the list than R15 which is geat for 75 grain bullets BTW.
Take your pick. - Although I've not used it myself the IMR4831 comes recomended for 90 grain bullets & IMR show it as ok up to 105 grainers. - That's where I'd be starting.

HTH Ian
 
I load for both .222 and .243.

.243 ave only tryed N160 so far. Using 80grn, 95grn and 100grn bullets. Very good results with all weights. So good am looking for another tub as i dont want too change powder.
for .222 try N133. Its okay pretty good results. But i found hogdon benchmark my favourite. Good for 50 and 55grn bullets. 22.5grn for 55grn bullet. and 23grnfor 50grn bullets. Good for fox and knocks roe down aswel. Scary accurate.
 
Thanks guys, all very helpfull. I think I will have to take a trip to Inverness and buy a tub of IMR4831 and N133 and see how I get on.
 
Alliant Reloder 22 drives 100grain 243 bullets very nicely - Good for keeping the pressure down & gives fine accuracy.

Ian
Its interesting how rifles differ. I could not get my (then brand new) Sako 75 to shoot 100 grain bullets fast enough to make 1,750 ft.lbs. muzzle energy, using Reloder 22, without signs of high pressure. It struggled to make 1,700 ft.lbs.
Viht. N160 was fine though.
I have now used 85 grain bullets for several years with N160 or Varget, but that would not be lawful in Scotland other than for Roe.
 
Hi, between me and my foxing buddies we load for 4 222's and all use Viht N130. Supply of Viht powders seems to be more consistent than any that come from over the pond.

we tried N133 but you need a couple of grains more to get the same results/Speeds N130 gives the loads the 4 of use use are

40 vmax/Blitzking 22.1 grains N130
50 vmax/Blitzking 21.3 grains N130
55 Hornady SP/sierra gameking 20.6 grains N130

my 222 has just had a new barrel so I tried working up a new set of loads and ended up back on the ones I've always use as they seem to work in any 222

due to using a couple of grains less for each bullet weight (n130 compared to n133) I get more shot out of a tub of powder
 

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Thanks guys, all very helpfull. I think I will have to take a trip to Inverness and buy a tub of IMR4831 and N133 and see how I get on.

N133 is a bit swift for .243 I would say
n140, varget,,n150, Imr4831, n160 all good choices for bullets between 55-100
 
Vit N160 works perfectly with 95gn Nosler BT in my .243Win. Used it for many years.

As always, there are a number of propellants in a similar 'burn rate' range. From Kranks there are now options with Ramshot and the pricing per lb is less than Vit. IMR/Hodgdon & Alliant, so may be worth a look. ATB
 
im using vit 160 in the 243 and vit 120 in the 222 its far cheaper than powders from the usa and there always seams to be a good supply not like powders from the usa .
 
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