How do you pick a proper bullet and powder combination?

[Jal5]

I've read Lee's Modern Reloading and various articles on the internet but with so much load info on both powder and bullet webpages how do you decide what to use in reloads? Say for my 243 Win, I want to use the 100gr Sierra bullet, how do I decide which powder will work best? I don't think I want to buy several different types of powder and test them out...that is too expensive.  Or say I want a certain powder, how do I decide which bullet might work best with it?

 There must be some basic part of the info I am not getting! Thanks.
Joe

[clodbuster]

The bullet used is the key to getting the job done.  For any caliber you want a bullet that will accomplish your goal.  Take your selection-- 243Win  For this cartridge a 100 gr bullet is heavy.  It will penetrate better than a 70 gr.  So I will assume you are hunting bigger game.  Ok, for the heavier bullet in any caliber you want a slower powder especially in bottle neck cartridges.  You want a powder that nearly fills the space available in the case and gives the most velocity while retaining good accuracy.  It aint easy getting it right in one try.  That's why most reloaders have a box full of various powders with a few doing most of the work but this is learned only with experience loading, shooting it in your gun and evaluating what you have done.  Guns can vary a lot from model to model on what bullet they shoot well.  Its all a big guess in most cases but ask here.  There is a ton of experience and most of us will help all we can.

[mjbgalt]

you should start with powders best suited for the cartridge. for instance, varget and h4350 are known to work well in the .243. you could also check to see which powders will give you the most velocity with the least powder. for instance, sometimes a load with 4064 takes an extra 3 grains to get the same speed as varget. obviously the varget will get you more shots per pound of powder, etc.

just an example, but you get the picture.

the other way i get info for loads is just to ask people who have been there.

i can tell you that a 95-grain nosler ballistic tip with varget, and a 60-grain sierra varmint bullet with varget, shoot VERY well in my .243's i have had.

i can also say nothing bad about sierras. i have never had a sierra bullet (so far) shoot poorly for me.

-Matt

[charles p]

Many bullet manufacturers and powder manufacturers have reloading websites.  Sierra offers a CD with all their data and ballistic info.  Most of the data can be found on the Internet.

Search Hodgden, Alliant, Reloader, IMR, etc for powder companies.
Search Nosler, Hornaday, Sierra, etc for bullets.
Remington and Winchester catelogs available at dealers have good tragectory charts with speed and energy.

Nothing beats a good selection of current reloading manuals.  Hours of good reading and valuable info.

[Mule]

You have just discovered part of the fun and adventure of reloading.

Pick one.  You have to start somewhere.  If you have any curiosity at all, you will try others.

For a 243 Win and 100gr bullets, I suggest starting with one of the 4350 powders.  Hodgdon, IMR or Accurate.  This will get you started successfully.

Use only proven-published load data.  Be careful on the net, some loads talked about on line are pushing the envelope.  First and foremost, Be Safe.

Welcome to my addiction!

[Graybeard]

I believe the first thing you need to do is decide what your goal is for the eventual combination you'll work up to. Is the absolute nth degree of accuracy your goal? Do you want the absolute maximum accuracy you can get with reasonable accuracy or are you looking for some magic combination of high velocity and accuracy?

Higher velocity comes with somewhat slower powders than does best accuracy usually but not always. If you have several loading manuals (and if you don't then why the heck don't you) then look thru them and see which powders are listed as most accurate in the ones that list that. If accuracy is the primary goal then select the powder or powders that the manuals say are most accurate.

If velocity is your goal look to see which two or three powders across the board give best or highest velocities and then work with those and see which gives acceptable accuracy while reaching your goal of high velocity.

Of course you could just take the easy way out and buy Hornady Light Mag ammo and get the highest possible velocity and likey also the best possible accuracy in your rifle. That's the way Hornady Light Mag ammo seems to turn out in all my guns. But then you'd not be reloading would you? For my big game hunting guns I seldom do anymore.

[bilmac]

As clodbuster said pick what bullet you want first, then take a poll on Greybeard. Unless your gun is really weird, I'll bet the guys here will make the right pick 99% of the time. In fact you could even build a weird gun into your poll question,like "What is the best powder for 243 100 grain in a handirifle" This place is a tremendous resource that I wish had been available when I was making all my mistakes.

[Jal5]

Thanks for all the input its making more sense to me now.

I think I will start with a Sierra bullet, 100gr btsp, and use h4350. Lee lists the start load at 37.0 running at 2806fps. this is for my handirifle.
How does that sound for starters?

[Mule]

My book shows 37.9 - 43.0

I recommend you load a batch at 37.0, and shoot them to build your confidence.

Then load 5 rounds each at 38.0, 39.0, 40.0, 41.0 and 42.0 grains.
Shoot each group at a separate target, measure and record your results.
You may find one group significantly tighter than the others. 
Repeat the test, working in 0.2 grain increments on either side of the sweet spot.
You may find a combination your gun really likes.

If at any point you see signs of excessive pressure...stop!

Welcome to my addiction.

[bilmac]

With a bolt gun, look at the primer of a fired round. With moderate pressure the primer hardly changes shape at all. As you increase the load and the pressure increases the primer kind of flattens out , it no longer looks like an unfired one . That is probably about where you should stop increasing your load. When the primer surface kind of craters up around the the firing pin dent, you have gone too far and you need to back off . Reading primers like this should only be done with bolt guns, Levers and single shots for the most part aren't strong enough to withstand pressures like those that will flatten a primer.

[wncchester]

"I  think I will start with a Sierra bullet, 100gr btsp, and use h4350. Lee lists the start load at 37.0 running at 2806fps."

It sounds like a very good place to start and that's a good hunting bullet too.  Try loads up to max and see how it works.  If you find a good shooting charge, load a few more and experiment with seating depths in maybe .005" increments.

When loading for any new round look at what your  books say will give the best speed.  That, or one just a bit faster, is likely to give best accuracy.  Meaning, if 4350 doesn't satisfy you, try 4320, 4064 or Varget.

Work for accuracy, without a choronograph you have NO way of knowing much about the velocity.  But, know that book velocities are, to say the least, a bit happy most of the time.  The proliferation of chrorongaphs had taken the wind out of a lot of sails! 

Good luck and enjoy your new hobby!