243 100grn

ruger77

Well-Known Member
Any one using 100grn bullets in a 243 Blaser R8 barrel 1 in 10 twist mainly interested in accuracy thanks
 
I also reload the 100 grain Prohunter with Vihtavuori n160 and they perform excellent. Shot hinds 0ut to 250 and kills very well
 
100g Norma soft point worked well for me in a Sako 75, but my friends sauer 404 also with 1:10 won’t shoot sub 6” group with ANY 100g soft points in .243 - figure that?
 
I use Federal power-shok 100gr and Norma 100gr soft point in the same barrel as yours, both are consistently accurate. I tried a few brands when I got the rifle, these were the best at the time.
As Andyquadra has suggested, it didn't like 100gr boat tail bullets, 4-5 inch groups!
 
100 grain copper might be a bridge to far and VLD type bullets . Of course the law is in change and its no promises about things till its passed and ratified but the weight of the 243 has been dropped to a lower weight in order to cope with longer copper bullets . I shot 243 for many years in lead it was " use a flat base bullet ( because length and form matters most ) I would be very happy to shoot Stags with a copper bullet below 100 grains , perhaps 70 grain might be best with a bullet like Barnes tTSX ? I have done The biggest red Stags down to tiny muntjac with barnes 100 and 50 grain where it was legal ie Munties, CWD and Scottish Roe
Very little point messing with lead in the 243 at this late stage
 
I’ve always used 80gr on my .243 but have had hassle finding it in some places recently.
A guy I know had a load of old Norma 100gr so I took a box and tried them, bloody hell it was pinpoint ! Stuff was about 40 yrs old.

I’ve told him to amass all he has and I’ll buy the lot .
 
I’ve always used 80gr on my .243 but have had hassle finding it in some places recently.
A guy I know had a load of old Norma 100gr so I took a box and tried them, bloody hell it was pinpoint ! Stuff was about 40 yrs old.

I’ve told him to amass all he has and I’ll buy the lot .
A long while back I had a Steyr Mannlicher in .243 RWS 100grn were quite impressive groups, Fed 100grn were ok but Norma wouldn't group on a dinner plate, so what 1 rifle does doesn't always follow with another even with what would appear identical from the same maker.
 
100gn bullets have always been on the edge for the 243 with standard 1 in 10” twist. Many European rifles have a metric equivalent twist which is slightly slower. This is why most 243 100gn bullets are flat base with a stubby point and in some cases won’t stabilise.

In Scotland the Deer Act gives Scottish Ministers the ability to dictate what equipment/ ammunition etc has to be used. For a long while they dictated a minimum of 100gn bullets.

In late 2023 the Deer Firearms Amendment Order 2023 reduced this minimum to 80gn and this was signed into force by Scottish Ministers.

I used to find the 100gn RWS very accurate, but the bullet is very soft. It makes a big mess, but I also found that it did not penetrate the shoulders of red hinds.

The Norma 100gn is much better, but won’t group in my Heym SR20.

(I once had a side by side comparison of the Norma and RWS 100gn bullets. Was with a friend shooting hinds. We two out at I suppose 170 odd yards. Both broadside. We shot at the same time. I was using RWS 100gn, he using Norma 100gn out of a Sako 75. His hind dropped on the spot. Mine dropped but then staggered up and ran off. When I caught up with it later and shot it in the head we found that both had been hit just on the shoulder in the same place. The one with Norma, the bullet had penetrated right through both shoulders and the vitals. Mine with RWS the bullet had exploded on the shoulder - the shoulder was mush but only a few fragments had gone through the rib cage and into the vitals. Amazing difference between two bullets that look very similar and of the same basic construction. I gave up using my 243 for a while on bigger deer because of this).

You are much better off choosing a ballistically streamlined 80, 85 or 90gn bullet in the 243. There are plenty of good monolithics and partition / bonded type bullets that will work well on all deer without causing a huge mess. These will be launched at a higher velocity and retain their velocity better than the 100gn bullets which are less aerodynamic. The additional velocity results in higher muzzle energy compared to typical 100gn bullets.

I am using my 243 with Fox 80gn bullets and results are very good.
 
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Why so much talk about lead bullets , in choosing bullets for 243 win ? Its all pretty much gone copper where we can use a lighter ( shorter bullet ) similar to the Barnes tTSX all should be good . However in buying a brand new or re-barrelling 243 win i i would 100% recommend getting a faster twist rate .
Personally speaking my 243 win ( a Sako 75 i shot from the models launched ) , I got re-barrelled during the first Covid Lockdown . After looking at the Creedmoor I decided to instead go 260 rem and a faster twist of 6 1/2 ( its hard to over spin copper ) The result of a too fast a twist is blowing up bullets ( with cup and core lead ) copper bullets though don't do this though . Its worked out good for me - Though it forces me to hand-load . Its also run lead from 100 - 140 grain - No problems !
 
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