# .243 build



## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Well its pretty much done. Eric Gilbert with Big Chief Archery did the machine work and cerakote job. I think it looks great. I still may have him put a larger bolt knob but other than that I think I'm finished for now. I'll up grade the barrel when I shoot this one out.

I also bought a reloading press so will see how it shoots on Monday if it's not blowing 50 mph.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

This is what I want him to do to my bolt


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

1 in 8"?


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

That turned out great! Good luck monday!


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

**** nice!!! If it shoots as good as it looks you have a winner. Nice job.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Booya it's a factory barrel. When I shoot it out I may replace it with custom 1/8 barrel. I'm also going to true the action at that time.

Right now all I've done is timminey trigger set at 2lbs, B&C stock, fluted the bolt, slick coated the bolt, cerakote the gun and bought all the reloading stuff to try 95 grain balistic silvertips. Hope the twist is good enough. Will see tomorrow if it's not windy


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

300 yard group. Thumb for size reference
It kept getting better the hotter the load was. I'm going to increase them a touch more and re test.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

That was also me shooting off a bipod like I would in a hunting situation. It might shoot better off a lead sled


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

I measured 1.12 inch center to center of your outside holes. At 300 yards, I believe you have a winner all ready! Sweet shooting SWB. It'd be interesting to see how much more you can squeeze out of that thing. Good job on a fine rifle.


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## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

I'd be pretty dang pleased with those results at 300! It definitely shoots as good as it looks!


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## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

I really like the look of the rifle - what scope rings and rail did you end up going with?


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

Looks like you've got a fine rifle there SW!


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

The rifle shoots better then I do but I wouldn't say it's an awesome shooter. Best I can do off the bipod is about .95 moa at a hundred yards with five shot groups some are tight but I always sling two group killers. When I went out again yesterday I found the bipod/gun hops different every shot so I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong in my form and I think it might be a half inch moa shooter if conditions are perfect. 

I don't know how guys can lay a rifle over a log or shoot without a rear sandbag and can still hit anything at distance or field shooting conditions.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

The scope rings are vortex precision low rings.

The rail is a 20 moa tps steel rail


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Any help would be apreaciated in my quest for smaller groups. I think the 300 yard groups earlier were flukes.

I've been testing different loads at a hundred yards this is what I get. I can also rule out shooter error because I shot my friends 300 rum shooting 180 grain factory bullets out of a heavy barell remington. I can shoot his 1/2 moa off my tripod and rear sand bag.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

imr 7828 
2.68 coal 95 grain ballistic tip
100 yards


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

barns factory 80 grain stx

It was pretty windy the day I shot it. Not sure if it hurt the group or not


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

39 grains h414
95 grain ballistic tip 2.65 coal


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Skipped ahead to max load 43 grains h414 95 grain 2.65 coal


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

42 grains h414
95 grain ballistic tip
2.65 coal
The group killer was the right bullet. I also shot this group after the max load. Should have waited longer. Running out of daylight


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

I tested out the scope today with a ballistic program on my cell phone. We shot at little white rocks at different distances. To my suprise it was dead on out to 375 yards with a 10 mph wind


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

On the last shot my daughter saw a rabbit through a friends spotting scope. She game me directions and I plugged in the data I posted above and made a perfect 375 yard shot. Love the scope and program. Still working on load.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Looks like it likes factory remington 80 grain remington sp. It also doesn't like heat. I shot both these groups with the 80 grainers and in both cases the flyer was the fourth shot.

The red triangle is different sizes in the photos so it makes the groups appear different. They are about 1/2 moa if you toss the flyers.















I'm going to try 85 grain sierra bthp this week.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Could your flyers be caused by uneven boltlug contact? From the looks of your rifle and knowing that you used a very competent gunplumber, I doubt that's it but it might be worth a look. My last build shot something like that. It would shoot three into a cluster and the rest into a cluster high and to the right. When it cooled down I would shoot another group and it would do the same thing. I lapped the lugs to equal contact and it cleared up. Just something to look at.
Even so, you have a fine shooter.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

The rifle has a stock barell and hasn't been tried up or blue printed. So it is possible however I think it has a fast twist because it shoots the light weight stuff good and the groups open up with heavy bullets.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Im saving the true action and custom barell when I figured out what I wanted to do to it.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Longbow
Can a dirty chamber cause uneven boltlug contact? I can't seem to figure out how to clean that area. I know it's dirty.

Here is the groups tonight. It likes 80 grain flat base bullets. These were factory federal 80 grain power shok. I shot one fouling round in the hill side. Then shot another round and it hit right of the groups. The next 4 shots were almost in the same hole just right of the dot. I then tried my reloaded 85 grain sierra game kings in a different target and they shot like crap. So i went back to the federal 80 grainers and looked at my target and adjusted the scope the wrong way on accident and shot a group of four in almost the same hole. Readjusted the scope the correct way and shot one on the left side of the dot. Finished off shooting a round of three or four more in the dot on another target.

The 80 grain remington and federal cheap ammunition both shoot 1/2" moa. Sucks because I want to use my reloads.


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## Fez (Sep 3, 2009)

Have you messed with the COAL at all? From what you posted it seems that they have all been the same. Maybe take the best load you like/group so far and adjust the COAL just a bit, see if that tightens things up. 

Im sure someone with more experience can maybe chime in and let us know if that would work. It seemed to work for me when I was load developing. Either way you have a good looking gun and a good shooter.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

swbuckmaster said:


> Longbow
> Can a dirty chamber cause uneven boltlug contact? I can't seem to figure out how to clean that area. I know it's dirty.
> 
> Here is the groups tonight. It likes 80 grain flat base bullets. These were factory federal 80 grain power shok. I shot one fouling round in the hill side. Then shot another round and it hit right of the groups. The next 4 shots were almost in the same hole just right of the dot. I then tried my reloaded 85 grain sierra game kings in a different target and they shot like crap. So i went back to the federal 80 grainers and looked at my target and adjusted the scope the wrong way on accident and shot a group of four in almost the same hole. Readjusted the scope the correct way and shot one on the left side of the dot. Finished off shooting a round of three or four more in the dot on another target.
> ...


It looks like, if you hadn't adjusted your scope, all your bullets would have been in a nice tight cluster. That's good. At least you know you have a shooter.

A dirty chamber won't usually cause boltlug contact problems. I use a shotgun bore mop to clean my chambers. They work surprisingly well.

I thought Rem700 .243s have a 1 - 9.5 twist barrel but from the sounds of things it looks like you might have a 1 -10 or slower twist. That's about the twist when you start to loose a bit of control with longer 85gr boattail bullets. Boattails are longer than flatbase of the same weight. AND you added 5grs by going to a 85gr bullet. A lot of times a boattail won't "go to sleep" until it's past 100 yards. It's not uncommon for me to shoot a 1" group at 100yds and a 2" group at 300yds. It doesn't make sense but I see it all the time with boattails. You could try increasing your velocity to spin your bullet faster. I've seen that work. Maybe your gun/load just doesn't like Sierra 85 GKs.
I would check your boltlug contact with a Sharpy and a wooden dowel down the barrel. That will at least rule that out. Then maybe lengthening your OAL a bit.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Longbow
The sleeping at longer distances may be why at 300 yards I get 2 inch groups and I can hit rabbits and small white rocks at 375 yards with the 95 grain bt. Like you said it doesn't make sense though.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Fez
I've tried longer coal on the 95 grain bullets and the groups get worse. I think the necktension isn't as good the longer I get and it looses velocity. I could try jamming them in the lands but I want it to be a hunting rifle and I want them to fit in the magazine.

I honestly think it's the twist rate like longbow says. It will group 80 grain flat base bullets into dime size consistant groups with two different brands of bullets. It just won't group my reloads in dime size groups. Best I can get is 1" with ocational fliers.

I think it will group reloaded 70 grain varmit boat tails just haven't tried them. This gun keeps telling me it wants to hunt coyotes. 

My wife should draw an antelope hunt next year. The 80 grain bullets should work for that. I may rebarrel it to a .260 before then though and pick a twist rate for the bullet I want to shoot. 

Rifles are fun and I've had fun going out after work every night shooting for the last two weeks but the shooting needs to end. It's getting expensive.


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