Any tips for new 243 caster ?

[Sensai]

I've just gotten a new NOE 245 80 FN GC mold, and I'm looking forward to doing some casting with it this coming weekend. I cast for my 22 Hornet, 45 Colt, 45/70 and several 30 calibers along with a slew of pistol rounds; but I've never cast the 243/6mm. I plan to keep the velocity down below 2000, at least for a while. I'm sizing and lubing with a LAMII. My barrel slugs out to an even 243 groove diameter, so I'm sizing to 244. I'll be putting the slugs through a Begara 1:10 24 inch barrel towards paper with no intent for now of live targets.

Do any of you more experienced 6mm casters have any advice? I'd appreciate anything from alloys to lubes, from temps to powder. Thanks in advance.

BTW, NOE sure does make some pretty molds, and my 311-165 works like a charm! :-?

[.22-10-45]

Hello, Sensai. I am shooting the Ideal 245498 100gr. G.C. in an 1895 Winchester-Lee straight-pull sporting rifle. I worried about the fast 7 1/2" twist..so cast up some hard alloy..but also loaded some with fairly soft range-lead + 50-50 solder. I used both H4227 & IMR TrailBoss powders. Lube is Lyman Super Moly. Rifle has long tight throat-smallest dia. is .0005" UNDER groove dia. I had to size forward band .001" under groove dia. & rest of body right at groove dia. to prevent bullet from being pushed back in case when chambered. Annealed G.C. spring-back brought it's dia. to .001" over groove..so I was hoping it would seal bore ok.
I never did get around to trying hard alloy..not a particle of leading. Groups 3/4" at 50yds. with open buckhorn rear & German silver blade front.

[GabbyM]

11.0 gains of Unique should work about every time right out of the gate. Works under my 84 grain Loverin in 243 Ackley Imp. Not clocked them but should be running around 1,900 fps. under the 84 grain it’s enough pressure to burn very clean and seal the case neck for clean cases on the outside.

I’ve never been able to get my 243 or 270 win running fast. One load here is 18.0 grains of Rx7 under the Saeco 87 grain for 2040 fps. Half grain more powder and accuracy goes away and half grain less and E.S. goes up. Pretty tricky load work up. Not enough pressure to seal case necks so you get dirty brass and barrel. I like the Unique. 2400 would probably work well also. or most powder in between. My notes here show people running 13.0 to 14.0 grains of 2400 under the RCBS 95 grain boolit.

[exdxgxe4life]

I recommend trail boss as well, and have had great success with it. and love Lyman orange lube. YMMV

[Newtire]

Boy, this new way of posting sure is different. Just posted a reply but it cancelled it. Anyway! Formerly known as Deputy Al posted a 12.5 grain 2400 load with an RCBS 95 grain bullet. I have tried the Saeco 85 grain and a couple of Loverin style Lymans but nothing comes close to that Deputy Al load!

[Sensai]

Thanks guys. I'm still a little leary about the alloy. I use mostly oven heat treated wheel weight with a little linotype for my faster 22 caliber loads, so I guess I'll try the same thing with the 243. I don't have a lot of linotype, thus the oven heat treating. I'm close to 28 BHN after heat treating, but I'm using a Lee hardness tester and the measurement is a little too subjective to suit me. I do know that they ring/ping when dropped on concrete, though.

[Newtire]

Was just using water-dropped wheelweights. Drop em into a bucket of water right out of the mould. Some use Perrier at 10° C but I've always just used it straight out of the tap.

[Sensai]

I'll try again, Newtire, but the last time I tried to water drop boolits I made a mess. I wound up with minor burns and severe frustration, but then again it was the first try. Maybe, with the nicer weather, I'll try it outside from the dutch oven. The last time I was inside with the electric bottom pour and straddling the water bucket, not again! A recording of that would probably have gone wild on one of the social networks. :shock:

[BPT]

I haven't done very much with the 243 yet, but I have casted a batch of water cooled rcbs 95 grainers with 4 parts picked up lead form the range and 1 part wheel weights. It is pretty soft (at least compared to the straight wheel weights that my friends and I normally use for our casting), but I don't have a tester for it. I shoot it through my Weatherby Vanguard with a 1-10 twist. I have been using 18 grains of 4198. I have been sizing to 244. Been having a few issues with the bullets deforming a bit when I size them. The powder I am using had a little rust in it for the first run, but I got most of it out and it is shooting much more consistently. I have been shooting them to a little over an inch group. It holds a much tighter group when the bullet doesn't get deformed as much. I am still early in my playing with it, but I'm confident that Felix and I can make it better. My fixes are going to be moving to a harder alloy, modifing my sizer punch to use more contact so i deform the lead less, and do a much closer inspection of all the bullets including measuring them in several placed. We had tried a few different things with some copper jacketed 105 grain bullets, but they were key holing. And I don't care if I can make them shoot as I purchased the gun to shoot cast. I just got a box of the copper to help break in the rifle and so I could get it out shooting while I waited for my cast boolits to cure. BPT

[Newtire]

If you are having trouble with the bullets smearing the lands when you size them, ty filling the grooves on the boolit with lube first. This usually does it. Just stand them up in a little sardine can with lube enough to cover the boolit grooves and cut them out with a .25 or .264 caliber case.

[reloader28]

I have the RCBS 95gr SP and a Lyman Loverin RN at 84gr, but I really aint tried the Lyman.

I like 15.5gr IMR 4198 plus .3gr polyfil shoots 3/4" at 100yds in my gun.
We tried 2400 with I think 15gr and it shot good.