Exploring the viability of casting for 243 Win.

[Alan in Vermont]

There's now a 243 Win. in the family. I'm exploring the options available for casting as a low cost projectile for plinking loads.

I just did a limited search for and it would appear that NOE is just about the only source for molds in that caliber. Does anyone know of other source?

[Maven]

Alan, At one time RCBS offered a 95gr. and 105gr. bore riders as did Lyman. The latter also had 3 Loverin GC designs, #245496, a HP version of -496, and a ~95gr. version, #245497. Lastly, Saeco once had a tapered ~83gr. design as well. However, finding one of those moulds may be difficult, as the .243Win. wasn't the most popular CB caliber. Btw, Ly. #245496 (~87gr.) shoots well out of my Ruger @1 with mid-range loads. Keep your eye on the Swap & Sell sub-forun and eBay, as such moulds do appear on occasion.

Just saw this in the Swap & Sell section: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?390862-WTS-Moulds-from-Buck-Nowell-s-estate-2 Scroll down to the Lyman #245497.

[Misery-Whip]

RCBS 243-095-SP 95 grain mold

SAECO(REDDING) #243 85 grain mold

Both of the above have load data in the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th Edition. This manual has an excellent source of knowlege, problem solving and data for many calibers. They have some data for Lee molds in there too.

I have yet to order from them (I plan to in the future) Arsenal Molds has 2 choices in 2, 3, 4, and 5 cavity:

243-60 grain fn "Bowman"

243-115-RN PC

[Alan in Vermont]

Maven,

Right after I saw your first reply I checked the S & S listings and saw that mold for sale. I'm still in research mode and also in no position to buy anything right now and the seller wants them gone. Thank you for the heads up on that one and the information about other molds for the caliber.

Misery-Whip,

I had forgotten about Arsenal molds, thank you for reminding me. That 60 gr Bowman bullet sure looks interesting. I've got that bookmarked so I can come back to it. Everything I have seen about Arsenal has been positive and their pricing is very competitive.

[Bohica793]

Over on the Cast Bullet Association site, there is a fairly extensive thread detailing members ventures down the .243 cast rabbit hole. There is a lot of valuable information to be found there. I personally am casting the RCBS 243-95 and shooting it on top of 8.0 grains of Red Dot with good results.

https://castbulletassoc.org/forum/thread/243-winchester-from-scratch
https://castbulletassoc.org/forum/thread/243-winchester-continued

[Rich/WIS]

Cast and shoot for my 243. Have uses Lyman and RCBS molds and currently use the NOE 246-105. Cast from COWW and sized .244 with XLOX 2500 and Hornady gas checks they come it at 107 grains. Backed by 12.5 grs of Blue Dot they do @ 1600 fps and are good for 1.5-2 MOA if I do my part. This is in a FN made M70 Win FWT, and since I shoot steel at only 100 yards (max distance at my club range) I have not tried to do any load development to better the accuracy. Suspect the rifle could do better as it is good for MOA with jacketed but I am having too much fun right now to care.

[madsenshooter]

I've been playing with the little 80gr FN Eagan style bullet that NOE makes and getting some good preliminary results. I've not been shooting it from a .243, though I plan too. I've been shooting it out of a 6x45 AR. I do have a .243 Norwegian Krag and made up a dummy round with the bullet seated out to the rifling, after installing the barrel. Fits the throat very good. I have to fit the Krag into an old sporter stock that I have before I'll get around to trying the bullet in the .243. If I remember right, a heavier 84gr Eagan bullet from a mold BaBore once made for me with the cherry fit better than the NOE, check in the neck instead of slightly below and also a longer OAL. Lots of extra room in a rifle designed for 6.5x55. Not many of those molds made, and they'd likely not be good for most American made 6mm rifles. The borerider was only .235. I had to enlarge one cavity until the nose cast .237 before I got really good results with it in a 6x45 other than the one I have now. Haven't shot that bullet in .243 either, just a dummy round made up.

[Bill*B]

Just ran across this thread - I'm late to the party, but just had to say: of all the rifles that I have cast for, the most accurate was a little Sauer .243. The only bullet I ever fed it was the SAECO 243, which cast flawlessly with Linotype. This shot great with 9.5 grains of Alliant Steel or 12.3 grains of #2400. 9.5 grains of SR 4756 also works, if you can find any. Velocity of the #2400 load was 1656 fps. Pooled data (all 3 loads shot the same) from 30 five shot groups gave an average of 1.34" extreme spread at 100 yards (smallest 0.75", largest 2.25", standard deviation 0.38"). Of course they were fired from a sandbagged rest, with a 20X scope - but the answer to your question is YES, the .243 is a very viable cast caliber.

[Rich/WIS]

Shoot cast in a newer controlled feed Win M70 and at one time in a Rem 788. Tried the Lyman 245498, RCBS 243-095, and the NOE 246-105. All shot reasonably well (+/- 2MOA) with minimal load development but kept the NOE mostly because it was a 5 cavity. The M70 would stay under 2 MOA with 18-20 grs IMR 4198, but have so much Blue Dot on hand worked up a load of 12 grs that groups about the same. Alloy was 92-6-2 with Gator checks and sized .244. I wanted to size larger but the .244 die was the biggest available, and has worked fine.

[MT Chambers]

A few years ago a feller used a .243 Ruger to win all the marbles at the CBA nationals, don't know the load but it was written up in their mag.

[1hole]

I once had a friend who owned a two cavity for Lyman's 85/g.c. Loverin. It shot well and I used it to cast for both of us.

I had an original .243 Vanguard I used for both deer and squirrel hunting. Deer got Hornady 100/s.p.. Squirrels got the cast bullets loaded to about 2,000 fps; basically duplicated .22 RFM in accuracy and trajectory but impact was better. Head shots only, I loved it; they didn't.

Then my low down, unreliable, scruffy, horrible, rotten to the core and totally homely friend moved away. And took my only .243 mold with him. (Proving you just can't trust some people!) I really enjoyed that bullet.

By the time my stash got low and I started looking for my own I found that Lyman had quit making .243 molds so I have a large collection of derogatory adjectives for them too. :(