Is a 9 1/4 Twist 243 Any Good For Long Range?

[russ69]

Thinking about a heavy barrel 243. Maybe a stock Remington Varmint SPS. Better than my 6mmBR using 105 grain match bullets or do I need a faster twist to shoot the real heavies and gain a better advantage?

[foxtrotuniformlima]

My factory barrel likes the 95gr stuff just fine. I've not tried any 105s though it but as well as it shoots the 95SMKs, I'm not going to rebarrel just yet.

But I have not really stretched them out nor shot them in much wind at all so take that FWIW.

[brando]

What do you consider "long range"? The .243 is a laser at short to medium ranges because of the velocity, but over distance it doesn't have the mass to compete against heavier bullets. As good as high velocity is, remember that basic physics tells us that high velocity equals high drag too and if a bullet doesn't have very much mass then at high velocity it doesn't have a whole lot of inertia to fight drag. Shoot fast, slow down fast.

[Iloveguns]

243 is a great cartridge out to 1000+. 105 Berger Hybrids are the ****!

[BigBamBoo]

You might get away with shooting the Hornady 105 Amax's with a 1:9 1/4 twist .243. I know my friends 1:9 1/4 Remmy would shoot the Amax's.
I doubt you will get the SMK's, VLD's, or DTAC's to run with it.

My last fast twist .243 was a 1:8 twist and I could shoot the 105-115's no problem. Settled on the 107 SMK's just because I had 2000+ of them.

My two 6XC's were 1:7.5 and 1:8 and I could shoot any of the heavies just fine.

Take care, Stan

PS...my last fast twist 6mm's at 1000 yards. Top video is a .243 and bottom is a 6XC. Both using 1:8 twist barrels and 107 SMK's.

[russ69]

What do you consider "long range"? ...

800, 900 and 1000 yards.

[Spyder]

I'd listen to BigBamBoo. One of the top knowledge guys around.

[highpower790]

Ask LynnJr...hahaha

[mattt]

Big fish little ponds

[Switchbarrel]

Keeping in mind I have no idea what your current platform is or what you're using it for, some immediate thoughts that come to mind...

If you're not completely satisfied with the current 6BR: if the round count isn't ridiculously high, just have it rechambered to .243 if you already have the brass & dies.

More economical yet, have it rechambered to 6mm Dasher. You already have the 6BR brass, fire it one more time as a BR while simultaneously reforming it to Dasher. Easy and economical. I've had two 6BR's rechambered to 6 Dasher and love them. It gives 3030-3050 fps with a 105-108 grain bullet.

If you're happy with the current stock/action/trigger, rebarrel the current setup to .243 (using an 8" twist for a margin of safety), make it a switchbarrel. Changing barrels is easy. Have your recoil lug pinned at the same time if you're using a Remington action.

I don't have a .243 so I can't comment on barrel life personally. But I'm sure you're well aware of the "barrel burner" stories. I presume it must be true to some degree otherwise the stigma wouldn't be there. (I'm not here to discuss it, I don't care either way).

Your BR is typically good for 3000 plus competitive rounds. Dasher usually expected to last over 2000 rounds (seen 2200-2500 reported commonly).

There's literally hundreds of threads out there, this one is interesting, short & sweet-

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=218424.msg2383988#msg2383988

Just food for more thought.

-Rick

[ar15barrels]

Thinking about a heavy barrel 243. Maybe a stock Remington Varmint SPS. Better than my 6mmBR using 105 grain match bullets or do I need a faster twist to shoot the real heavies and gain a better advantage?

I have seen the 105 Amax work in most 243 SPS varmint stock barrels.
I don't know about any of the other 105's though as some of them are even longer than the Amax...
It's probably a gun-by-gun basis as to whether it will shoot other 105's or 107's.

[6mmintl]

You will need a 1x8" twist for the .243 to shoot 105/107 VLD bullets and a spare barrel in about 1800-2000 rounds if you don't want to set it back.

[russ69]

...It's probably a gun-by-gun basis as to whether it will shoot other 105's or 107's.

If that doesn't work what do you use the 90-95 grain bullets? Will that get the job done (good for 1000 yards)?

[ar15barrels]

If that doesn't work what do you use the 90-95 grain bullets? Will that get the job done (good for 1000 yards)?

I would not shoot 95SMK's much past 600yds.

[LynnJr]

Ask LynnJr...hahaha