- Thread starter Mr. F
- Start date
Start reloading, he will eventually if he does this long enough.
AI can be really fun, but there are definitely diminishing returns to that effort. It does look sexy as hell, though.
243cutright ftw, lol. Has more work to it, but it's a nicely balanced case. Left to right: 243win, 243win ran into cutright sizer, fireformed cutright, and a 243ai.
He will in June from his original post.
Anything that needs to be fireformed is a no go right out of the gate for me. Too much trouble and not going to worry that much about finding brass at matches.
Someone here in the NE opened an ammunition boutique. Search recent threads.
8tw at 26” that will accommodate the 105 should find that nice spot just up from 3000. These folks sound like they want to load em for guys like you the OP.
8tw at 26” that will accommodate the 105 should find that nice spot just up from 3000. These folks sound like they want to load em for guys like you the OP.
ILl look for it.
If you happen to run into it copy and paste the link here if you can.
Thanks for the heads up.
I went the same direction. My go-to guns are a .308 and a 7mm-08. They're easy.
Since I'm in a 7mm craze right now, 7mm-08 has been really fun, consistent, and above all, easy.
One pass sizing of Lapua SRP brass, and I'm getting lots of loads and excellent velocities. I can buy .308 brass and use it for both. Same powders, rebarrel the same rifles, etc.
The good news: a 243win barrel won’t last long in PRS matches, you’ll be rebarreling after about 1,000. So you can switch to a 6 Creed when that day comes, which won’t be long, even just shooting a light regional/club series schedule.
Agreed. It burns barrels, but people are WAY too worried about barrel life.
That said, rebarreling was easy money when I was built rifles.
I’ve certainly never gotten a 243win or AI to 2000 rounds without losing velocity. I used to rebarrel my 243win/AI bench rifle at 750-1000. Even running less powder than 243win, I don’t get over 1200 with 6 creeds before velocity starts falling off.
Sure, they still shoot small groups. But losing 15-35fps per hundred rounds isn’t handy in a 200-250 round weekend.
Never lost that velocity either. You must be running them fast. Run them around 3000fps and the .243 will last you much longer with less headaches.
H1000 with a long barrel works excellent and is easy on steel.
Fng....
I tried H1000 on promises it would double barrel life over H4350. I lost speed at higher pressures. I could run 2 grn under max with H4350 and run faster, so I gave up on that particular legend (24” barrel 6CM). Two years ago I shot 40.5grn H4350 only running about 2900 trying to stretch barrel life - still dumped at 1200. I burned a dozen 243win and AI barrels over a bench, none got anywhere close to 2,000 (more manageable with sighters and less volume). I was out of them by 1,000-1100 (not counting setting back). I’m not trusting a 6 creed barrel for PRS past 1400. I hear guys talk about going 2000-3000 with a 6 creed, a guy at the PRS Midwest Regional even told me he was 1900 running H4350. No idea what curse I have, but I’m not getting past 1400 before the wheels are coming off.
Either way, even if a guy could get to 2,000, it’s still not long to get out of a barrel if a guy is actually shooting matches. Half dozen or so regional/clubs and a few 2 days with even minimal practice, and you’re out of a barrel in a season.
Either way, even if a guy could get to 2,000, it’s still not long to get out of a barrel if a guy is actually shooting matches. Half dozen or so regional/clubs and a few 2 days with even minimal practice, and you’re out of a barrel in a season.
Fast shot strings/heat normally found in PRS will do that.
Barrel a season is part of the game if you run 6mms or even some others. 2000 rounds is a respectable amount for a 6mm barrel. This is also the reason people who compete have multiple rifles and/or have 2 or 3 barrels spun onto an action at a time so if one goes you can swap over. This is nothing new. Neither is lots of fire in matches. It's actually come down as most times now it's only 10 shots per stage.
My 6mm are straight match rifles. I practice with my .308, .223 or .22lr. That also helps save barrel life for only matches.
My 6mm are straight match rifles. I practice with my .308, .223 or .22lr. That also helps save barrel life for only matches.
I used to shoot 95gr Sierra TMK in my 6 Creedmoor. They aren’t too expensive. I was cruising them at 3150 and had about 6.8-7.4 mil of drop to 1080 yards. This was out of a 24” factory barrel on an RPR. Sub MOA. Hornandy brass, CCI Magnum LRP and either H4350 or at the end 6.5 Staball powder. No recoil. I never ran any kind of muzzle device on that barrel. Could definitely spot my own hits.
... which was the point I made at the beginning of this divergence....
If the dude has a 243win today, he gets to pick a different cartridge if he so chooses within a year, just like the rest of us.
Man, I love the 243 and 243AI as well.... But there is no way around the fact that you are going to end up reloading for it. If I was going for 243AI I would spin up 2-3 barrels at the same time. Brass should last thru multiple barrels with a couple of side benefits (less case stretch, more velocity) as well. Probably not my first choice for PRS though. Coyote rifle for sure.
If I was burning barrels out in less than 1000 rounds, I wouldn't even bother. You would have to shoot that thing to red hot and then turn around and scrape the chamber out to destroy a barrel so fast. Even the big magnums can get to 1000 rounds.
If I was burning barrels out in less than 1000 rounds, I wouldn't even bother. You would have to shoot that thing to red hot and then turn around and scrape the chamber out to destroy a barrel so fast. Even the big magnums can get to 1000 rounds.
