.243 twist rate and barrel length

sprocker spaniel

Looking for advice on barrel length and twist rate choice . . .
I'm putting together a bit of an allrounder rifle. . .
It's going to be a .243 that I will use for foxes with 55/60 grain for foxes and 95/105 for the odd deer . . .
I'll prob use it for pissing about at the range out to 300 meters possibly a little further . . .
I'm looking for optimum twist rate to handle the widest range of bullets. . .
Also I want it as short as possible for getting in and out of the van. . . .
I have to surrender my 223 for the custom build so I want to build some thing that will do more than just shoot foxes so an all rounder makes more sense . .
I have a 6.5x55 for my main deer stalking but the rifle and scope isn't ideal for long range..
Also I'm looking for the most effective/lightest over barrel moderator for this calibre , I currently have a atec maxim on the 6.5 and a reflex t4 on the 223 and I'm happy with both for those specific calibres but I'm open to suggestion for the .243 . .

Any advise or help would be appreciated ..

Cass

sprocker spaniel wrote: »

It's going to be a .243 that I will use for foxes with 55/60 grain for foxes and 95/105 for the odd deer . . .

For the lighter/faster bullets you will want to look at a slow twist rate along the lines of 1:12. For the heavier/slower bullets you are looking at 1:10 (possibly 1:9). You might think 1:11 is a happy medium, but it doesn't work that way. You may find a 1:11 will not work on either or only on one end of the spectrum (heavies or lights).

Ideally when going custom you should pick the bullet and build from there. If other bullets work in it after grand, but you should be looking at a specific round/bullet.

Also I want it as short as possible for getting in and out of the van. . . .

22" to 24" is perfect. no need for shorter or longer imo. I'd go for 24" myself, and if not entirely happy cut back to 22". Start shorter and you cannot "add on" later.

I have a 6.5x55 for my main deer stalking but the rifle and scope isn't ideal for long range..

Th 6.5x55 should be perfect for out to 600. What is the setup?

Also I'm looking for the most effective/lightest over barrel moderator for this calibre

Lightest would probably be the Roedale, but not sure if they are over the barrel. there is a guy in the UK that makes mods to order so it might be worth a check see. Other than that you are looking at the usual suspects two of which you have already mentioned with the third being Wildcat.

One shot on kill

I have a 1:10 twist in my 243 and from what I can tell so far it likes 100gr and 55gr. I still have to do more shots and at longer distances.

tomcat220t

Hi SS,for all your factory ammo 1/10 twist will work fine from 55-100 gr .
I dont know of any match ammo for the .243 .(could be wrong )
For 105/107 gr match ammo 1/8 twist .
The .243 win is still shot at some of the highest levels of competitions around the world with great results .
Look up (John Whidden )and his results @1000 yards national long range championship with a little .243 win .
The .243win build to shoot 105/115 would make a good F-open rifle with light recoil .
Regards,Tomcat.

zeissman

My mate got a custom 243 rifle built with a good gunsmith in the UK a few years ago. He also wanted to shoot light and heavy bullets and the smith advised him to go with a 24in barrel in 1/9 twist. The rifle turned out great and shoots all bullets accurately.

tomcat220t

zeissman wrote: »

My mate got a custom 243 rifle built with a good gunsmith in the UK a few years ago. He also wanted to shoot light and heavy bullets and the smith advised him to go with a 24in barrel in 1/9 twist. The rifle turned out great and shoots all bullets accurately.

Hi zeissman,for nearly all the factory ammo that i know of 1/10 will stabilize them fine .1/9 twist wont stabilize the heavy 105gr match ammo .
Im sure it shoots very good with a 1/9 twist but i would not think it the optimum twist for factory ammo .
Regards ,Tomcat.

sprocker spaniel

Thanks for the input lads . . . .
Ill do plenty of more research so before I decide on twist and length . . .

zeissman

tomcat220t wrote: »

Hi zeissman,for nearly all the factory ammo that i know of 1/10 will stabilize them fine .1/9 twist wont stabilize the heavy 105gr match ammo .
Im sure it shoots very good with a 1/9 twist but i would not think it the optimum twist for factory ammo .
Regards ,Tomcat.

Your probably right, my mate lives in the north and reloads so he wanted to shoot the hornady 105 amax and 58 grain vmax which it does very well.

Cass

Here is a thread i done on ammo for a .243 to suit my 1:10 twist. It lists the different ammo i've used so far and it's results.

A quick summary would be:

• 58gr (V-Max) - Excellent
• 75 (H/P) - Average to good
• 80gr - Good to fairly good
• 95gr (Superformance) - Good
• 95gr (Federal) - excellent
• 100gr (S/P) - Good

This is based on grouping, performance, repeatability, and hot/cold barrel tests at 100 and 200 yards.

ejg

I used to own this rifle, although maybe the wrong twist rate for very long ranges it was perfect for fox and deer with 75 -87 gr. I only put around 50 shot through it and found it very accurate out to 600m. I also shot a few deer off hand with that rifle. She was a good compromise between weight and long range accuracy. 10 twist, Border cut barrel.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056809759

edi

sprocker spaniel

Thanks edi , the pretty standard 1in10 twist seems to be the way to go . . .
I'll end up using the lightest bullets possible for foxes and heaviest it'll stabilise for deer . . .
Nice rifle by the way . . .

ranger4

My 1 in 10 twist blaser match barrel for target shooting would group v well using the berger 95g VLds and would also shoot 100g soft points for hunting however would not stabilise the 105+ grain match bullets, my 1 in 8 twist match barrel shoots the 105 grainers v well.

tomcat220t

Thats why a 1/9 twist falls between all the factory ammo (1/10 twist) and the 105gr /107 gr (1/8 twist) and the B/C jump between the two are like night and day .
Regards,Tomcat.

Bylar Bear

I would go 1:10 m8, that will give you excellent results for a wide range of bullet choices. As for the barrel I would always go longer rather than short as you get more velocity out of your ammunition but 20-22 inches should do just fine.