26 replies to this topic

[PREDATOR]

hello all. I have savage 10 predator hunter 243 win. 9.25 twist rate what lead free bullets and data are working best for you. this is my predator/varmint rifle (not deer rifle)

[Divernhunter]

All rifles are"dear" to me. But some are not DEER rifles. Sorry I could not resist. Cannot help you on the bullets as I have not started using them in my 6mm. Someone should be able to help. I have heard that the nosler non-lead are less fussy than the barnes. Not sure it is true but another option if barnes does not work well.

[Bisley]

The Nosler e-tips worked pretty well in my Stevens (Savage). Loaded em to shoot to darn near same poi as 75 gr V-max. Just loaded some of the new GMX rounds this weekend for both my Howa and Stevens in .243. Won't have a chance to shoot them for another week and a half though. I would encourage you to try Nosler and Hornady first and see what happens, but then again I my love loss for barnes and what they did to sportsmen is no public secret! Remington may have bought them, but I do believe their pres or ceo still has an active hand in the company.

[PREDATOR]

my gun did not like the gmx bullets nor it did barns tsx ,it worked ok 62gr varmint grnade bc is only .188 looking for wind buster nosler 90gr etip looks good has any one used it on 9.25 twist savage. i was hoping to use imr4350 powder i got 5lbs

[dabob]

My Rem 700 shoots the Barnes 80 gr Tipped TSXs pretty good, much better than it shoots the 85 gr TSX bullets. All of the coyotes I shot with the Tipped 80 gr bullet last season were DRT with a very small exit hole. I bought some of the Hornady GMX 80 gr bullets but have not reloaded any of them yet.

[Bisley]

My Stevens which is also the 1 in 9.25 did alright with the e-tips. I used Re-19 with it though. It also liked it best seated 0.100 off the lands. However, as you know, they all differ and yours may do fine with 4350. Good luck. The real fun starts with finding a seating depth that works (boy how it makes a difference). Then, let the powder games begin. Very frustrating. Guess that's why I tend to think of monolithic copper bullets as the bastard child of the shooting world.

[PREDATOR]

Then, let the powder games begin. Very frustrating. Guess that's why I tend to think of monolithic copper bullets as the bastard child of the shooting world.[/quote] you are so right i hate the copper bullets i have spent close to 250.00 on bullets, have not found one yet.

[PREDATOR]

folks i am loosing my mind sunday i was shooting my 243 using getting bad grups 90gr etip nosler imr 4350 diferent siting 0.80 to .010 off the lands what the heck is going on.is the barrel getting hot at the 3 rd shot or what

[D-Man]

Very happy with either H414 or H4831SC in the .243. Using Barnes 85grain TSX or Hornady SST 95 grain bullets.Darren

[Desert Fox]

folks i am loosing my mind sunday i was shooting my 243 using getting bad grups 90gr etip nosler imr 4350 diferent siting 0.80 to .010 off the lands what the heck is going on.is the barrel getting hot at the 3 rd shot or what

Must be your twist. Way too fast for that 90 grain. Find powder that are slower than 4350 and seat bullet farther off the land. Do you have 7828 or Reloader 19?

[dabob]

Lead free bullets need faster twist barrels than lead bullets do. A 90 gr lead free 243 E-tip bullet is probabely longer than a 243 cal 100 gr lead bullet.

[PREDATOR]

my twist rate is 1/9.25

[Shoot-it]

I am going to be reloading for my 243 to . I am using 65 gr vmax and h4895 I have also used Reloader 15, h4350 in the past and it works good to.You just need to work up a load and test them. I got some 90 gr barnes x loaded up but they are light loads 40 grs 4350 I am not sure how fast they are going but they work.

[ShooterJohn]

Have you had good success shooting lead bullets with this gun? If so I suggest you switch back to the lead bullets and see if it still shoots them well. I don't know how many rounds you have shot but your barrel could be fouled with copper. I've seen it happen many times and once thoroughly cleaned the gun starts shooting well again. If this is a NEW gun the rifling will still be sharp and will contribute to the fouling. Or you can chalk it up to Barnes bullets being crappy.

[PREDATOR]

John this rifle has less then 300 rounds fired,never lead bullets as i live in condor zone. I use sweet 7 copper remover and butchs corbon remover.i think it does not like imr4350 powder and havy gr bullets i will try rl19 powder and h414 to see what happens. can it get hot on the 3rd shot what do you think

[ShooterJohn]

As long as the patches are not coming out green it shouldn't be fouled. But has the gun ever shot well? As for it heating up after three shots, no. It wouldn't heat up enough to affect accuracy. I'd try a different scope on the gun too and check to see if the action screws are tight. You have to start from scratch and then worry about the reloads.

[PREDATOR]

it has been checked and rechecked it shoot 1 inch groups factory ammo. it shoots the 62 gr varmint grnade .25 group.its when i go up in bullet waight is when i have problem.

[ShooterJohn]

Okay then it is the load and bullet combo for sure. Sorry I just wanted to make sure it shot well at least sometime in its history. I'm not a fan of the Barnes bullets myself. But if you can shoot the 62 grain bullets that pretty good. I guess it's just more range time and reloading. It's to bad this was all forced upon us without alternatives.

[Caneman]

Worked up some loads for my Winchester M70 .243 using a Barnes TSX 85 gr, the best groups were:2" group 43 gr Ramshot Hunter0.9" group 45 gr Ramshot HunterBarnes load manual says max with this powder is 46.5, so I may give this a try. These were both with bullet seated 0.050 off the lands. I have read some having good results with H414, so I am waiting to give that a try as well.Anyone reloading the Nosler E-tip? I am waiting for the 90 gr to come in with my H414 this week and hope to get to the range and see how they perform.

[ratassassin]

Not to add to the expense, but you might want to try Hornady's lead-free GMX bullets as another alternative as Bisley notes above. I haven't tried any GMX yet but they've gotten good reviews on Midway and I have a lot of faith in Hornady. I've ordered some 150 grainers from Midsouth for my .308.Hornady says its GMX bullets are compatible with conventional reloading data for its other bullets. One reviewer on Midway said the .243 80 grain GMX (flat base) needs a 1:10 twist or faster rate to stabilize, so maybe it will work well in your rifle. Midsouth sells the .243 GMX 80 grain for $26.79/box, while MidwayUSA charges $29.99. BC is .300.http://www.hornady.c...-.243-80-gr-GMXGood luck

[Portagee_Shooter]

Your posts sounds SOOOOO familiar to me! I spent a lot of time and money on working up a lead free for my 270 and tried barnes and e-tips in lots of combos. After TWO YEARS I finally have found a combo that works using e-tips and 4831sc. I just bought a tikka 243 so i'm watching this thread closely....prolly won't do me any good since its a different gun but i hope you work it out soon.I'm planning to start with 90gr Nosler e-tips and 4831sc for my condor friendly loads.GOOD LUCK!

[CA Desert Dog]

Attempting to work up a lead free load is frustrating as well as expensive. So far, I have tried Barnes TSX and the Hornady GMX with my 6.5 Grendel and I have not found an accurate load yet. The Hornady folks suggested I try TAC powder. Swell, now I have to buy ANOTHER powder and add that to the cabinet. If time is money, by the time I add up the component costs and the gas and time back and forth to the range, it will be a hefty sum. I paid $38.00 for a box of the 6.5 120-grain GMX bullets and used an entire box without getting the load I was looking for. This entire copper bullet load process cannot suck enough. DEATH TO THE CONDORS!!

[ratassassin]

I hear ya, Red. I spent a fortune on Barnes TSX for my .223 Remington and at best have a load that shoots 4 out of 5 at .5 MOA but always with one 5th flyer that blows the group out to over an inch. Irritating. If you have to buy TAC, Powder Valley has it the cheapest I've seen at $16.50/lb. http://www.powdervalleyinc.com

[4RHUNTS]

True, it does suck but it's all we have for now.Pretty sure I have posted this before but I was having no luck at all with copper bullets, seating them way off the lands the way Barnes suggested. So, I tried my regular way of finding the ideal seating depth by first seating the bullets just touching the lands, and backing off .005 for each 3 shot group, until I have reached .0035-.0040 off the lands, watching for excessive pressure signs at each step.I have been able to acheive good loads without excessive pressure signs in my '06, two 270's, and my 243. Powders used are for the '06-H4895, 270's-H4831SC, and H414 for the 243. All were worked up with the Barnes TSX bullets. It takes a few bullets, but the results have been good for me.

[goosebrown]

I have been using Hornady GMX 80 gr with 30 grains of H4895. It works fine. I get 1-2" groups, but I am not really trying hard to be more accurate and the gun is just a deer rifle. Rem 700 SPS no work done on it at all. That is a light recoil load too.

[Caneman]

I have been able to acheive good loads without excessive pressure signs in my '06, two 270's, and my 243. Powders used are for the '06-H4895, 270's-H4831SC, and H414 for the 243. All were worked up with the Barnes TSX bullets. It takes a few bullets, but the results have been good for me.

What load data did you use for the H414? I am trying that now with the Barnes and not sure what the recommended load is for that powder.I don't know if this is allowed but it would be cool to work out a "powder exchange" with some of you who are tyring to find the right powder for your rifle... i.e. I could trade some H414 with someone who has H4831, etc., powder costs with the hazmat fee are rediculous!

[4RHUNTS]

I obtained the info from Barnes and started at 41 grains of H414 with a max load of 45 grains. This was with the Barnes 85 grain TSX bullet.