.243 90 grain sako make up

[Tyla 3,179]

My friend has just started reloading and offered to make me some rounds. My rifle loves 90 grain sako so I would like to recreate that bullet as close as possible.

Any advice?

[dicehorn 38]

What powders does your friend already have?

One of the main criteria in powder and bullet choice is having a ready supply of each. Sometimes you will find that the average gun shop selling  bullets may only stock the more popular makes - ie Sierra, Hornady or Nosler. 

[Tyla 3,179]

I will buy whatever powders and heads I require but I just need to know what I need to replicate the round. Was just hoping someone might have the recipe!

[dicehorn 38]

You wont find the recipe as in all probability the powder used by Sako has been specifically formulated for their rounds.

In any case you will need to buy Sako bullets so that the BC is the same - do a search and see who sells them. 

FYI there are plenty of the more popular bullets around within that weight criteria that will shoot as well as the Sako provided your reloader friend has the necessary experience.

[Tyla 3,179]

 Thank you. As you might have guessed I know very little about reloading so all information is gratefully received

[riohog 5,707]

you wouldnt go far wrong with hornady 87gn hollow  point, with 43gns of h414 behind them .having said that hodgsens 414  is on the eu banned list now so may be difficult to get hold of.

[dicehorn 38]

Tyla - perhaps I should ask what you intend shooting with your 243. If it will be exclusively fox, then I would suggest the 75 gr Hornady V max. If a combination of fox and deer then Riohog's  suggestion may well fit the bill.

Also, as Riohog has stated the majority of American made powders will no longer be able to be imported into the UK (and EU) from this June. Your reloader friend should consider powders that will be compliant - powders like ReloaderSwiss, Vihtavuori and Alliant Reloder - all three brands are excellent and in the main are as good as if not better than US brands. 

[Tyla 3,179]

The round is for fallow mainly with roe in the summer and the very occasional problem fox.

What powder would you recommend as an alternative to hodgsens? Would we use the same 43 grns? 

I understand all rifles are different, what shoots well in one may not in another, but I am a great believer in trying to to find as good a starting point as possible rather than trying to start from scratch. 

All this info is much appreciated 

[dicehorn 38]

In that case I would go along with (as suggested) the Hornady 87gr BTHP #2442 as the bullet is for mainly deer.

Virtually all powders have a different burn rate although some makes are similar to other makes.

If I had your rifle in front of me using these 87gr bullets, I would be looking to do an OCW test using a uniform COL of 2.710" (SAAMI spec). I would chose  Reloader Swiss 60 and make up 6 batches of 3. The first batch of 3 would weigh 42gr, the 2nd batch of 3 would be 42.5gr right up to the 6th batch of 3 weighing 44.5gr.

It is essential when testing ammunition that as you work your way up the charge weights you look out for pressure signs - flattened primers are a hint but perhaps more importantly look out for witness marks on the headstamp (where it says 243 Win).  As you stated,  all rifles are different even the same make have different tolerances.

The max psi for the 243win case is 60191. By moving up from 42 gr (45524 psi)  to the max I am suggesting of 44.5 gr (56531 psi) you should be within the max - however if you play around with seating depths from the SAAMI spec this can affect the psi figures I have quoted. You will also have to bear in mind that Reloader Swiss 60 powder is a high energy propellant and at the max of 44.5 gr your bullet could well be travelling > 3100 fps. At the end of the day it is not speed that kills but accuracy. You may well find that the best group will be in the middle somewhere of the weights I have given you. If you do find a weight that gives good results, try seating the bullet back 20 thou and forward 20 thou with batches of 4 rounds to see if there is any improvement.

Your friend would need to know how the OCW target test works and how to interoperate it and he could look up 'Dan Newbury OCW' who was the originator of this concept. There are also a few offerings on Utube. Attached is an OCW test I did for a chap's 243 plus my final test at 200 yds,

 

 

[Tyla 3,179]

7 hours ago, dicehorn said:

In that case I would go along with (as suggested) the Hornady 87gr BTHP #2442 as the bullet is for mainly deer.

Virtually all powders have a different burn rate although some makes are similar to other makes.

If I had your rifle in front of me using these 87gr bullets, I would be looking to do an OCW test using a uniform COL of 2.710" (SAAMI spec). I would chose  Reloader Swiss 60 and make up 6 batches of 3. The first batch of 3 would weigh 42gr, the 2nd batch of 3 would be 42.5gr right up to the 6th batch of 3 weighing 44.5gr.

It is essential when testing ammunition that as you work your way up the charge weights you look out for pressure signs - flattened primers are a hint but perhaps more importantly look out for witness marks on the headstamp (where it says 243 Win).  As you stated,  all rifles are different even the same make have different tolerances.

The max psi for the 243win case is 60191. By moving up from 42 gr (45524 psi)  to the max I am suggesting of 44.5 gr (56531 psi) you should be within the max - however if you play around with seating depths from the SAAMI spec this can affect the psi figures I have quoted. You will also have to bear in mind that Reloader Swiss 60 powder is a high energy propellant and at the max of 44.5 gr your bullet could well be travelling > 3100 fps. At the end of the day it is not speed that kills but accuracy. You may well find that the best group will be in the middle somewhere of the weights I have given you. If you do find a weight that gives good results, try seating the bullet back 20 thou and forward 20 thou with batches of 4 rounds to see if there is any improvement.

Your friend would need to know how the OCW target test works and how to interoperate it and he could look up 'Dan Newbury OCW' who was the originator of this concept. There are also a few offerings on Utube. Attached is an OCW test I did for a chap's 243 plus my final test at 200 yds,

 

 

Wow. Thank you. Thats a bit over my head but I'm sure my buddy will either know or be able to research it. 

[blackstaff 488]

All I know is I'd like a group like that @200 !!

 

[Meece 1,957]

Basically as far as I'm concerned it doesn't  matter about powder, bullets or whatever. Weight, shape, coefficient and speed are important and thats where a chrongraph is so important. often you make a loading and sort it out and then  you can't  buy these components. When this has hapened I've made rounds that shoot to exactly the same point with competely different components. Think about a lump of lead going down a tube to a target rather than getting stuck in a mindset of what a manufacturer might use. They may get stuff  that isn't available to the general public so that you can't replicate it. It's not in their Interests for you to  make their ammo.