# What barrel twist in a .243 stabilizes 100gr bullets best?



## Robert28

I see most 243’s come with 1/10 twist but I’m hearing conflicting reports about it being the ideal twist to stabilize 100gr rounds. Reason I’m asking is I want to pick up a new .243 that’ll be used only for deer, so I’ll shoot 100gr out of it probably 95% of the time. Maybe 95 grain the other 5% of the time.


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## GT-40 GUY

I have killed at least 50 deer shooting 80 grain bullets with 1 in 10" twist. They are devastating. Every one were dead before their knees buckled. They all dropped straight down without any trailing.

gt40

PS: I always reloaded Sierra 85 GRAIN HPBT Game Kings.


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## Robert28

What brand of ammo was it? I’ll have to look next time I go to Academy and see if they have any 80 grain, I usually notice plenty of 100 and 95 though.


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## baddave

Robert , good question .. tell ya my  experiences .. i have 2 - 243's.. a ruger m77 ftw w/ 20" barrel  1 in 10 twist - this won't shoot nothing over 87gr,but shoots those very well .. i have a rem 788 w/1/9.25 twist will shoot anything and i'm gonna use 100 gr hornady interlock for deer this year,., but that's a 788 . i really think you're spot on wondering about the 1/10


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## jmoser

My Savage is a 9.25 twist; it shoots great with 100 gr Sierra Game King boattails.  I can also shoot good groups at 200M with 105 Amax but velocity needs to be maxed out to stabilize.

My 6mm BR is a 1:8; that would be a much better twist for .243 IMHO.  Like the .223 with 1:12 twist you can still shoot the very light bullets in faster twist bbls; its a myth that a 50 gr .223 will come apart in a 1:9 or 1:8 twist.    The .243 factory rifles should go the way of .223s and migrate to faster twist rifling.


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## wareagle700

I wish my Tikka was a 8 twist. I can shoot 95gr NBT's but anything longer opens up groups pretty bad.


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## spurrs and racks

*1"/9.00*

or 1"/9.25


s&r


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## Philbow

A 1 in 10 twist should stabilize all the "normal hunting bullets". It's only when you use the heavier/longer monometal or extremely high ballistic coefficient bullets will the 1 in 10 run into trouble. It's not the weight of the bullets it's the length. My 243 1in 10 has no problem with any of the 90 to 100 grain bullets, but other rifles may not.


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## GSUQUAD

A 1:10 will optimally stabilize short 100 grain bullets like Speer, Sierra gameking and traditional flat base offerings.  Once you get into longer boat tails like nosler, and even the 80 grain Barnes you run into nominal stability issues which may pose a problem past 100 yards.  1:9 is your best bet to shoot anything "fancy" I.e. decent ballistic coefficient .

My 1:10 243 has been fed every bullet and only the ones stabilized in the green by JBM stability calculator have repeated accuracy at 200.  The long ones will shoot fine at 100 but open up to 3-4 inches at 200 because they aren't stabilizing.


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## jglenn

pick one

http://www.shilen.com/calibersAndTwists.html


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## james243

I have an interarms mark x in 243 that best I can tell has a 1 in 13.25" twist. With 100 grain flat base bullets I get pretty much 1 inch groups at 100 yards and 3" at 200.  Nothing to brag about, but works fine on deer especially since I haven't shot at one over 100 yards in a very long time.  Supposedly it shot 85 grain sierras very well but I have never tried them.


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## pdsniper

I have 1 in 8 in both my 6mm Norma Br rifles and the same in my 243 and they all shoot fantastic


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## Headshot

1 : 9.25 twist Savage with 100 grain Sierra Game Kings does very well on whitetail deer.


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## madie

I like the Barnes 80 grain out of my Savage Predator 1/9.25 twist..Hornady 100 grain shoots good out of it also..


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## jmoser

BTW the 87 gr Vmax shoots outstanding 200M groups in my Savage Predator 9.25 twist and will work just fine on deer and antelope despite being a 'varmint' bullet.

Don't overlook this fine bullet; also excellent at 200M in my 6BR.


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## Buckhead

I have two .243s, a Rem model 7 and a Tikka T3.  Not a fan of 100 grain loads.  In my experience, 80 - 90 grain are generally more accurate and effective on deer.  Last 3 deer seasons I have been hunting with the Fed Trophy Copper 85 grain.  Full pass thrus, good anchoring power, sub MOA.  

Not sure what is gained with a 100 gr bullet.  Whether you are going with 100 gr or an 80 gr bullet, not much energy at extended ranges with either.  I feel like the .243 is a 250-300 yd caliber on deer.


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## jmoser

Buckhead said:


> I have two .243s, a Rem model 7 and a Tikka T3.  Not a fan of 100 grain loads.  In my experience, 80 - 90 grain are generally more accurate and effective on deer.
> 
> Not sure what is gained with a 100 gr bullet.  Whether you are going with 100 gr or an 80 gr bullet, not much energy at extended ranges with either.  I feel like the .243 is a 250-300 yd caliber on deer.




I almost always hunt with the heavier bullets per caliber [165 .308, 160 7 mag, 100 6mm, 180 .300 mag etc.]  Never had any regrets with terminal performance; I don't like to blow up meat with excess velocity bullets.

I have a 220 gr load for my .308 pump rifle; knocks em right down at 2100 fps.

.243 is easily a 300-400 yard deer/antelope rifle with the right bullets.


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## Jester896

jmoser said:


> .243 is easily a 300-400 yard deer/antelope rifle with the right bullets.



hard to argue with that

or this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY0w1c-gf18


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## GT-40 GUY

Here it is embedded. One shot one kill using a custom turret. Laze distance then turn elevation turret to yardage then hold for wind and shoot. Bingo give that gal a ceeegar.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="



" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

gt40


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## GunnSmokeer

I have a 15 year old Savage 10 in .243.
I read online that it has 1:10 twist.
I have not measured it myself.

It shoots 100 gr. soft point flat base bullets fine out to 200 yards. That's the longest distance I can normally shoot. 

But tomorrow I will take this rifle and 60 rounds of Monarch brand 100 gr. SP ammo to a 600 yard range, and shoot 20 round "groups" three times, from a bipod-supported prone position, with my Weaver (China) hunting scope set to 9X.

We'll see how it does.

However, I agree that most shooters today who use the 243 caliber rifle will be using at least 65 grain bullets if not 90 or 100 grain. Therefore manufacturers should give them a faster rifling twist rate. I don't think anybody is using the 243 as varmint round anymore, with 55 grain bullets meant for turning woodchucks  into pink mist.


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## GunnSmokeer

John Whittington a world class thousand yard rifle shooter, has long used a custom barreled 243. I think he shoots 105 or 108 grain bullets, VLD design, and I think his barrel is one -in-eight or maybe 1:8.5

I'd prefer to have a 1:8 twist, even if it meant never shooting 50-65 grain varmint rounds.


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## GunnSmokeer

At 600 yards my rifle did fine with 100 gr. flat base lead-tipped hunting bullets.

From an improvised rest using my gear bag and laying prone, I was keeping a 12" group at 600 yards, excluding called flyers.


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