# Best low recoil load for 243 for my son?



## Huge29

I have a Rem 700 in 243 Win that I purchased specifically for my son to use. He still has two years to go, but shot the rifle for the first time with some factory loads this summer for a few rounds. I got the limbsaver and had him use ear plugs under the ear muffs and it all went well. However, in watching the video of him shooting he was really pushed way back to the point where I only had him take three shots. I would like to work up some lighter loads just to ensure that he does not develop a flinch. 
From what I understand, using the minimum charge on a lighter load bullet will reduce recoil significantly similar to Remington's reduced recoil rounds. So, I was thinking about the Hornady SST in the 80 grain range and I also see that Barnes has a TTSX in 80 grains. Does that sound like a reasonable approach or what would you recommend?
I tried to back up what the Cabela's guy told me about the formula for the reduced recoil rounds and Chuck Hawk's chart seems to confirm the weight of the bullet contributing to the recoil effect with about a 35% decrease in recoil energy when dropping from a 95 grain to a 75 grain in the 243 http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm


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## mikevanwilder

Are you just wanting loads to target shoot with? Or something to take big game? I would suggest the 55 Nosler BT or something similar. With reduced charges it shouldn't have much recoil.


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## Huge29

I left out that big detail, this would be for deer hunting.


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## Loke

This is the first time that I have heard of a 243 recoiling too much. Get the kid out shooting clays with a 20 gauge, and he'll never notice the recoil of the 243. If you don't mention the recoil, chances are that he won't notice either. If the stock fits well, the felt recoil will diminish as well.


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## GaryFish

My other thought Huge, is if the 243 has too much re-coil, then it wouldn't be bad to wait another year to have him shooting it. Shoot a 22 as much as you can, so he gets the feel for shooting a gun, aiming, form, trigger pull, etc.... But I'd personally hold off on having him shoot the 243 until he gets a little bigger.


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## wyogoob

Loke said:


> This is the first time that I have heard of a 243 recoiling too much. Get the kid out shooting clays with a 20 gauge, and he'll never notice the recoil of the 243. If you don't mention the recoil, chances are that he won't notice either. If the stock fits well, the felt recoil will diminish as well.


Yes, well said.


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## wyogoob

GaryFish said:


> My other thought Huge, is if the 243 has too much re-coil, then it wouldn't be bad to wait another year to have him shooting it. Shoot a 22 as much as you can, so he gets the feel for shooting a gun, aiming, form, trigger pull, etc.... But I'd personally hold off on having him shoot the 243 until he gets a little bigger.


Yes, I agree. Have the young one shoot a couple of 500-round boxes of .22s. Then the .243. If the .243 has a scope try to use a .22 with a scope.

Before each hunting season I use to make my kids, and wife I guess, shoulder an unloaded rifle and run a bolt over and over. It worked pretty good with the exception of the daughter who somehow developed a twich. Odd, she shoots a pop-gun .270.


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## wyogoob

It goes without saying that newbie shooters should wear ear plugs to help feel more comfortable shooting big game rifles.


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## Critter

Huge, now you can see the advantages of reloading. Go to a manual and pick the slowest speed with the lightest bullet and you will have a very reduced load for a small soon to be hunter to use. Then when he does start hunting he can use a more powerful round for the hunt.

For even more fun you could always let him help you reload "his" round for the rifle.


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## 10yearquest

Hodgdon has some good info on their website on reduced loads. According to them you can use H4895 to make really good reduced loads. For example they have some data up on the .243 that uses 28.5 grains of H4895 behind a 80 grain hornady bullet. Sends the bullet at 2700 Ft/s. They claim this to be a 200 yard hunting round. you can also use any load data for h4895 and reduce the max load to 60%: so you could load up a 60 grain sierra (cheap)HP with 25.2 grains of H4895 acoording to the data on their site. That would make for a pretty tame little plinking/target load. Then take his mind off of it by providing a reactive target like a milk jug full of water. Works really good for the kids.


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## Cooky

My older Lyman reloading manual has the formula for calculating recoil. You could run the numbers and see what your effort would gain. If the new one doesn’t have it holler and I’ll post it.


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## Cooky

I don't know if you can see this well enough to do any good. This is a photocopy from the Lyman 47th Reloading Hanbook. Hopefully by saying that it's okay to post it.

[attachment=0:3eobpxud]Recoil.jpg[/attachment:3eobpxud]


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## 90redryder

Loke said:


> This is the first time that I have heard of a 243 recoiling too much. Get the kid out shooting clays with a 20 gauge, and he'll never notice the recoil of the 243. If you don't mention the recoil, chances are that he won't notice either. If the stock fits well, the felt recoil will diminish as well.


+1


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## Bo0YaA

http://www.handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp


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## Huge29

Thanks for all of the input guys! The recoil is not really bad, but being that he is only 10 and 85 pounds I just want to be careful to not scare him. We did the double ear plugs (plugs inside teh ear muffs) and he said he liked it but a few shots was enough. I picked up some 80 grain Barnes TTSX, which shoot like a 90 grain, so Barnes may be a good solution as most other manufacturers only offer varmint loads in that weight range. The trouble with Barnes is that they have only made the TTSX for the last two years or so and their most recent manual is two years old, so there is not specific data on TTSX sizes, but the TSX is kind of close and they recommend using that data. 
Twice tonight in loading a couple 223 loads the Lyman manual came in handy in that the Hornady manual did not list as many powder options as the Lyman manual does including Varget, one of the three powders I already bought.


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## Springville Shooter

Huge, 
If he is 10 years old, don't worry about shooting a deer bullet right now. I would shoot a ton of 22 with a scope, then let him shoot very light loads with 55 grain bullets out of the 243. Have him shoot jugs of water starting at about 50 yards, then work your way out to about 200 as he gets more comfortable. Also, try letting him shoot from all different postitions to see which works best for him. In a couple years, it will be an easy transition back up to the 80-100 grain bullets for deer and the trajectory will be similar to what he has been practicing with out to 200 yards. I feel that water jugs are the only answer for young shooters. Please don't subject him to paper target torture.......heck, I still don't like shooting paper. Things that blow up are much more fun and more realistic to hunting situations. -----------SS


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## Al Hansen

wyogoob said:


> It goes without saying that newbie shooters should wear ear plugs to help feel more comfortable shooting big game rifles.


  And us old farts too !!! I've been doing it for the last 10+ years on the range. :shock: Huhhhh, what did you say ?


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger

http://www.cabelas.com/rifle-ammunition-hornady-custom-lite-rifle-ammunition-1.shtml

These are like shooting a .22.


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## Huge29

Birddogger-those are the kind of thing I plan to load custom, thanks for that I had not seen the Hornady version previously, only heard of the Remington.
Thanks for the additional input guys! I do prefer to learn from other's mistakes/successes than make my own original goofs.


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