(FN=Flat Nose, SP= Spire Point, HP= Hollow Point, RN= Round Nose) JHP= Jacketed Hollow Point, FMJ=Full Metal Jacket)
Loads for .243 Winchester Rifle:
(Note: These are near maximum loads, you should use 10% less to start.)
(See note on Powders below or read all about various Powders.)
Bullet is .243″ diameter. Due to different barrel lengths, type of bullet, seating depth, primer type and other factors, you may not get near the FPS charted. It is just a guide and the reason you should start under these charges and work up.
60 grain JHP (Sierra Hollow Point)
| Reloader 12 | 38.5 gr. | 3,450 |
| Reloader 7 | 30.2 gr. | 3,320 |
75 grain JHP (Speer Hollow Point)
| H380 | 43.0 gr. | 3,410 |
| H4895 | 39.0 gr. | 3,406 |
| Reloader 12 | 34.0 gr. | 3,125 |
| A2700 | 45.0 gr. | 3,498 |
| A3100 | 48.0 gr. | 3,216 |
| 760 | 43.0 gr. | 3,320 |
80 grain JSP (Speer Spitzer Point)
| IMR 3031 | 39.5 gr. | 3,260 |
| IMR 4895 | 41.0 gr. | 3,305 |
| H380 | 41.0 gr. | 3,188 |
| H4895 | 37.0 gr. | 3,200 |
| Reloader 12 | 34.0 gr. | 34.0 gr. |
| Reloader 15 | 36.5 gr. | 3,145 |
| A2700 | 42.0 gr. | 3,233 |
| A3100 | 47.0 gr. | 3,271 |
| 760 | 43.5 gr. | 3,280 |
| WMR | 47.5 gr. | 3,250 |
100 grain JSP (Speer Spitzer boat-tail)
| IMR 3031 | 35.5 gr. | 2,825 |
| IMR 4895 | 37.0 gr. | 2,910 |
| H380 | 38.0 gr. | 2,940 |
| H4895 | 36.0 gr. | 2,938 |
| Reloader 19 | 41.0 gr. | 2,925 |
| Reloader 22 | 41.7 gr. | 2,950 |
| A2700 | 36.0 gr. | 2,753 |
| A3100 | 43.0 gr. | 2,966 |
| WMR | 44.7 gr. | 3,000 |
Discussion: The .243 is fast and flat. I have listed powders of IMR, Hodgdon, Alliant and Accurate. Use which ever you have handy. Slow burning powders generally work better in longer barrels and heavier bullets. .243 Cases will stretch, especially with hot loads, and you definitely need to check each in a case length guage and trim off excess brass. Of course, discard any cases that show a split anywhere on the case. For hunting at long distances with an unobstructed view, you should choose the spire point with a soft lead tip. The .243 is really better for long-range, open country and not so much for the brush and woods. But any clear shot with it is deadly.
There are a number of other high performance bullets on the market. The “boattail” is a very good long range target match bullet. It has very good wind performance. If you are shooting for precision, you should weight each powder charge and put exactly the same amount in each case. Each case should be exactly on specs.
*
2400, Reloader 7, 11, 12, 15, 19, and 22 are products of Alliant (formerly Hercules) Powders.
H380, H450 and H4895 are products of Hodgdon Powders.
IMR 3031 and IMR 4895 are products of IMR (formerly DuPont) Powder Company.
No. 2, No. 5, #2230, #2700, #3100 and #2460 are products of Accurate Arms Company
WMR, WSF, WSL, 760, 748, 231 and 540 are products of Winchester, Components Div.
References: Accurate Arms Co. 1996 Reloading booklet – – Alliant Powder Co. Reloaders’ Guide (1995) – – Hodgdon’s Basic Reloaders Manual (1996) – – Speer Reloading Manual, #12 – – Winchester Reloading Components Manual, 14th edition – – Lyman Piston & Revolver Reloading Handbook, 2nd edition. – – VihtaVuori Oy Company, reloading booklet (1995) – – Numerous magazine articles on reloading special calibers and personal loads where noted.
