fire814
Well-Known Member
Very nice write up on your whitetail season and really nice bucks. What is your .243 recipe?
Our 2023 whitetail season
- Thread starter Fiftydriver
- Start date
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Seabeeken
Well-Known Member
I hunted with a 243 savage for many years. Took truck loads of whitetail and it never missed one. Best ever shot was 400 yd neck shot in WV. Won quite a few club matches with it also. My load was 35.5 gr IMR-3031 and a Hornady 100 gr Interlock. That rifle could do no wrong. Eventually shot out the barrel. It is now a 22XC groundhog rifle. My 250AI and 257AI are the top dogs for deeer hunting now
Nothing sweeter to me than having the kids out! All very nice Deer! Congrats on a fine family of hunters!
Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
We have used the 90 gr Accubond for many years. It was a great load at around 3200 fps. Definitely a top load but perfectly safe. This year however, i wanted to develop a load with the hornady 103 gr eldx just to see how it performed. This bullet has a dramatically better advertised BC then the AB and would retain significantly more energy at extended ranges. Loaded it to just shy of 3100. Shoots very well and does hit noticeably harder at all ranges. The two whitetails taken with it were both complete pass throughs, showed very good controlled expansion and quick kills with lung shots. Very happy.
Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
All great rounds. Hear all the chiming about the 6mm creedmore and while i feel its the best of the creedmore line up so far, the 243 will outperform it easily, as does the 260 rem compared to the 6.5 creed. Hornady has a magical marketing team though!!
. There is a reason i have 243s and 260s in the safe over the creedmores though…..
Bret GRAVELINE Graveline
Well-Known Member
Good job, im curious what kind of velocity are getting with the 175 gr hammer, I've been toying with the idea I need a short 338
Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
I get far more excited with the kids or my wife then if i am pulling the trigger. I still love it but have taken a load of good deer in my life, being with them brings back the increased heart rate and adrenaline bursts again. Very fun.
X2...!!!!!!
Seabeeken
Well-Known Member
@Bret GRAVELINE Graveline I'm running it at 2832 fps in a 20" ruger barrel. I have pushed them to 3000 fps with a couple powders but I was maxed out on pressure. I very much like the rifle and round. Accuracy is .299" and ES 3 with N-140. IMR-3031 shot amazing but I left Hodgdon.
Blueridgeguy
Well-Known Member
Congrats to all! Very nice bucks
HRM Johnny
Well-Known Member
@Fiftydriver Congratulations to all three of you. Thanks for a great story. Thanks for the pictures.
HRM Johnny
Well-Known Member
@Seabeeken congratulations on both of those nice bucks. Thanks for the pictures.
Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
Curious what you mean "accuracy is .299" and es 3"? Just wondering what those figured are defining? Not trying to pick a fight at all, just curious what data made these numbers?
Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
I know its not SEXY these days but i have built a load of short action, light weight rifles in 338 WSM and always amazed at how they perform. Even built quite a few 15" XP-100 handguns in this chambering with great results. If your looking for a compact 338, the WSM wildcat is a great option.
