I'M tuning my father laws 243 its a cheap savage 110 probably 20 yrs old..It was one.of those cheap combo.packages. I think its a 1/10 OR 1/9 TWIST. ? I wondered if this rifle was set up to handle 100 grain bullets? Or 105. I was told the firling is to slow and 85 gn might shoot better? I plan to use lupua brass, and I want to use a bthp ..like a smk ..serria. or a berger ..but its needs to be an ok deer load..what load would u recommend?
-
Having trouble using the site?
Contact support
243 Best load for cheap savage 110 deer rifle? bullet wt?
- Thread starter Rusty Bluck
- Start date
I have killed a fair amount of game with the Sierra 100 gr. Spitzer and the Speer 105. Don't worry, these bullets in that gun will kill deer plenty dead. I have used the 87gr. Hornady spire pt. on deer size game, very effective, also a good choice. BB
Is the twist fast enough 100 grain bullets? I agree I have.killed deer with amax s and smk s out of my 308.. but i was thinking 100 grain game kings bthp ? or a berger hybrid?
I liked 40grns +/- varget and 87grn vmax. Wouldn't hesitate to shoot a deer out to 300yds +/-, after that I would go heavier
My friends in Alabama have used the .243 and the 50-60 grain hollow point to kill several thousand deer over the past 40 years. They claim no losses. (They have a couple thousand acres of Alabama River bottom land that they grew beans on...the deer claimed their share first!) They have complained that the hollow points were getting hard to find in the past few years. Their maximum range was 250-300 yards. Usually 150 or so.
Last edited:
Its all about shot placement! .. A long time 243 guys gave me this load "My favorite load for groundhogs in the .243 is and 85 gr. Sierra BTHP, with 41.0 gr. of 4985. 41.0 gr. is on the hot side. Work up slow. I have a friend who used that bullet on mule deer and had good luck. It really takes care of the groundhogs, I know that much."
If it matters, I killed a Kudu with the 100 grain Sierra, lung shot, ran 300 yards, but ALL African game runs when hit, which is unnerving to say the least. I like Bang/Flop, but sometimes, a heavier bullet makes the difference.
To answer the question: "Is the twist fast enough 100 grain bullets?"
When the rivalry between Winchester and Remington over the new twenty-four caliber chamberings, (it's been repeated many times, but) Winchester saw the 243W as an all round rifle and Remington decided it was a varmint round and the 244Remington came out with a slow twist for light bullets on small game. So, the 243 had a 1 in 10" twist and outsold the 244. Remington changed the name to 6MMRemington and went with a faster twist. Don't quote me but I think it went from a 12 twist to a 9 1/2" twist? The problem being, the only 100 grain deer bullet that would stabilize in the 244 was a round nose with a long bearing surface.
Well, ever since then, (and this was in the 50's) the 243W has been factory chambered with a ten twist and the Remington 6MM has a 9 1/2 twist and they both handle 100/105 grain bullets. It doesn't matter if Savage or Sako chambers a 243, they usually go with the standard twist of the original Winchester.
Having said that, I am going entirely by memory and it's possible that somewhere, sometime, Savage used a different twist, but if you were wagering, I'd bet on a 10 twist and it would handle most 100 grain deer bullets. What scares me, a little is you mentioning a Berger hibred and that's not a fair question because these bullets have a different form, short bearing surface and THEY MAY NOT STABILIZE in a plain vanilla Savage 243. But, that bullet does not fit my concept of an ordinary deer bullet anyway, it's mostly for the long range target crowd.
I own a 243 and a 6MM and a 243Ackley/with a 8.5" twist, which is the only one that I use the 105Berger hibred, so I have no idea how it might perform on game. BUT, I think you are barking up the wrong tree, on that one. Good luck, whatever. BB
To answer the question: "Is the twist fast enough 100 grain bullets?"
When the rivalry between Winchester and Remington over the new twenty-four caliber chamberings, (it's been repeated many times, but) Winchester saw the 243W as an all round rifle and Remington decided it was a varmint round and the 244Remington came out with a slow twist for light bullets on small game. So, the 243 had a 1 in 10" twist and outsold the 244. Remington changed the name to 6MMRemington and went with a faster twist. Don't quote me but I think it went from a 12 twist to a 9 1/2" twist? The problem being, the only 100 grain deer bullet that would stabilize in the 244 was a round nose with a long bearing surface.
Well, ever since then, (and this was in the 50's) the 243W has been factory chambered with a ten twist and the Remington 6MM has a 9 1/2 twist and they both handle 100/105 grain bullets. It doesn't matter if Savage or Sako chambers a 243, they usually go with the standard twist of the original Winchester.
Having said that, I am going entirely by memory and it's possible that somewhere, sometime, Savage used a different twist, but if you were wagering, I'd bet on a 10 twist and it would handle most 100 grain deer bullets. What scares me, a little is you mentioning a Berger hibred and that's not a fair question because these bullets have a different form, short bearing surface and THEY MAY NOT STABILIZE in a plain vanilla Savage 243. But, that bullet does not fit my concept of an ordinary deer bullet anyway, it's mostly for the long range target crowd.
I own a 243 and a 6MM and a 243Ackley/with a 8.5" twist, which is the only one that I use the 105Berger hibred, so I have no idea how it might perform on game. BUT, I think you are barking up the wrong tree, on that one. Good luck, whatever. BB
THANKS!that was a lot of info. I love bergers and smk. s..In my 308 extreme long range rifle...I was thinking a serria game.king 100gn ...but your right about just buying basic federal hunting bullets.. its just for a hunting rifle. its just that I'm used to waiting match grade amunition for competitions.... I have killed several deer with SMK's..and max..with a 308 and 175gn the bullets do fragment but it blew the whole back side of the rib cage out...giant hole..but with the 243 I think it would be a smart decision to stay with the hunting bullet.... but one have a good.coefficient nd flies like a target bullet
In my 243 I run a 95 Hornady SST at about 2900. I use Win 760 at about 40 gns. It's a little hot but does the trick. I went to SD last month and shot prairie dogs with this load. Overkill I know, but I didn't have time to work up a load with lighter bullets. Good luck with your rifle.
