round ball load for .243 Win

[sniper58]

I'm not much of a poster here. I can usually find the answers to my questions by using the search function, but i give up.

I've about had it with the crows waking me up at 04:00 every morning. Time to declare war!

I have a bunch of #4 buckshot on hand. My plan is to load a single round-ball load in the .243 and thin out the flock. So far my plan is to resize the cases, re-prime, flare the neck just enough to press a single buckshot in so it doesn't fall into the case. I'll probably swipe some Johnson's past wax across the mouth of the loaded round to lube the ball.

Where I'm stuck is what powder to use? I don't want to be sticking a ball in the barrel.

I thought 3 grains or so of Bullseye might do the trick. I'm looking for 900 - 1000 fps.
I have a good selection of powder to try (all the way from Bullseye to H-1000). I want to keep it as quiet as I can. don't want the neighbors mad at me.

Anybody have any suggestions for me?

Thanks in advance,
sniper58

[runfiverun]

I think you are about in the ball park.
fortunately with crows if you shoot one in front of the others they learn to not come back.
if you do shoot one they will have a funeral of sorts, so make the most of your best chance because they will stay away from the area for quite some time.
which is what you want anyway.

[Scharfschuetze]

I've not shot any squib loads in the 243, so I can't comment on the powder charge.

I would recommend:

1. Only neck sizing so that your case walls help seal the chamber. Your pressure level will not obturate the case to any extent.

2. drilling out your flash hole a bit to prevent the primer from forcing the shoulder forward and eventually giving you short cases that don't properly head space. While it sounds a bit odd, the pressure in the primer pocket is greater than the pressure of the squib load and that is what "shrinks" the length of the case. Of course mark these rounds and keep them just for your plinker/crow loads. Rimmed rounds don't need this extra step as their rim is much stouter than the shoulder on a rimless case.

Over the years I've made many of these squib type loads, but always in 30 caliber rifles. They are quite useful and my kids all learned to shoot the larger rifles with these loads before moving on to more powerful loads.

While this may sound vile in this forum, you might just pick up some .22 RF CB loads for your .22 RF rifle (if you have one). They're quiet, low powered and may provide better accuracy than the round ball in a 243.

[randyrat]

I could be washed up on this one ,but I thought #4 buck is .24" is that going to work in the .243?

You crawl out of the hay a 0400 and shoot once at those crows and they will be gone..The next day your body is going to say at 0400 wake up..By the time you are able to sleep in again, the crows will be back, awhhh figure 3-5 days. Sounds like a loosing deal. You have to take em out some how. I recommend auto shot gun with #4 buck.
OR
change the environment so they are no long attracted to your area..

Sometimes it ain't bad to have them around, believe it or not they do go after mice and small rodents. I don't know if they eat them or just torment them.

[sniper58]

I could be washed up on this one ,but I thought #4 buck is .24" is that going to work in the .243?

You crawl out of the hay a 0400 and shoot once at those crows and they will be gone..The next day your body is going to say at 0400 wake up..By the time you are able to sleep in again, the crows will be back, awhhh figure 3-5 days. Sounds like a loosing deal. You have to take em out some how. I recommend auto shot gun with #4 buck.
OR
change the environment so they are no long attracted to your area..

Sometimes it ain't bad to have them around, believe it or not they do go after mice and small rodents. I don't know if they eat them or just torment them.


Yeah, I was up before 04:00 this morning.
I checked the diameter of a few pieces of #4 buckshot. It ran from .240 to .249 diameter. It should work well. each ball only weighs around 20 grains. It will be like using a .22 cal pellet gun.

I dealt with the crows like this before. Shot a couple and didn't have problems for the rest of the year. hopefully it works again.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll let you know how it works.

[Nickle]

If your 243 is a real accurate rifle, and you also use it for target shooting and varmint hunting, you might want to invest in a Wilson hand sizer and bullet seater. You'll need to get a bushing for the neck sizer, and that means measuring your necks. A pain, to be sure, but these are match grade stuff, and they make some very accurate ammo. ases will last near forever using these too, if you get it all figured out right. I've gotten in the vicinity of 100 reloadings plus using these in 219 Donaldson Wasp, in a tight neck chambered gun.

[1Shirt]

Let us know your results. By the way, at what distance are you shooting the crows?
1Shirt!

[Larry Gibson]

TL the #4 in LLA and let dry. Dedicate several well fire formed cases and drill out the flash hole with a #28 or slightly smaller diameter drill. That will avoid shortening the case headspace, will maintain as good a case seal to the chamber as possible and get the primer flash out to the small amount of powder in the large case as quick as possible. Chamfer the inside of the case mouth well and you should be able to thumb seat the buck w/o sizing. Just deprime, reprime, put in powder and thumb seat the buck. Bullseye is about the best powder for such loads. Suggest you start at 2 gr and go +/-.

Larry Gibson

[1500FPS]

I like what Larry Gibson posted. I can only add one thing at this moment and that is you can experiment with both LR primers and LP primers see which work best for the load. Would be interested in if you hit one and the details of how it performed.

[Dusty Bannister]

I use #3 buck in my 6mm TCU Contender. Sized in a .244 die, tumble lubed and thumb seated over a small amount of Bullseye with a soft gas check on the flared unsized case mouth. 1" group at 25 yards and then rapidly disperses beyond that. Maybe for garden pests, but can you get that close to a crow? Dusty

[sniper58]

Let us know your results. By the way, at what distance are you shooting the crows?
1Shirt!

Range will probably be under 25 yds.

Thanks Larry Gibson for the advice! I neck-size for the .243 anyway, so I'll put a few cases aside for RB loads.

got the local rodeo this weekend, so I'll try to get some testing done early in the week.

[sniper58]

I got out and tried 5 rounds this morning. I shot for group at 20 yds.
Average velocity was 1338 fps. Still too quick and a bit loud. I'll back off 1/2 grain and try again.
The nice thing is these things shoot well!
First shot (probably to foul the bore) well below point-of-aim. I put the next 3 shots through the same hole (about 1 1/2" below point-of-aim), last shot was about 1/4" left of the previous 3.
I don't see any evidence of leading in the bore. A bit of unburned powder, though.