# .243 win 55 grain



## Dmcgee (Feb 4, 2005)

I have been thinking of sighting in my M77 ruger 243 with winchester supreme 55 graing balistic tips. I have been using 95 grain balistic tips. I was wandering if anyone has tried 55 grain in a .243. Also will it make a difference good or bad?


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## .17remman (Dec 7, 2004)

I use 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips in my M77 .243 and they have worked very impressively. It all depends on what you want to use them for. They work well on coyote and fox, but if you hit the near shoulder, they will sometimes damage the pelt.
My M77 has a short 22" barrel, but with 45.3 grains of Varget shoots 4030 fps. It frequently turns up .45 to .65 inch groups at 100 yards with this load, and in my gun there are no signs of excess pressure. I would recommend starting at 43.3 grains of Varget and work up from there, because not all guns are the same. 
The only thing that the 55 grain .243 bullet lacks is ballistic coefficient. If sighted in 1" high at 100 yards, it is 6.5" low at 300 and 20.5" low at 400 yards.
The best combination that I have found in the .243 is a 75 grain Hornady V-Max propelled with 45.5 grains of H-414. The velocity through the chronograph registers 3575 fps on average and the trajectory and downrange energy are far better than the 55. At 500 yards, the bullet only drops 34", compared to about 40" for the 55 grainer.
If your shots are kept within 300 yards, I would say go for the 55 grain bullet. But, as variety is the spice of life, I would highly recommend trying some 75 grain bullets.
Happy Hunting.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

I recently started using the 55 Silvertips in my .243. I like how they shoot on paper, very accurate in my Ruger .243. I have not yet killed a coyote with them though, so I am not sure what they will do to the pelt. I guess I will just have to wait and see, and then decide if I want to continue using them. Let me know what you find out with them.

What kind of game have you taken with the 95 Silvertips? How did you like their performance? I have not tried them before, but maybe I will if I hear good things.


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## mallardwacker (Dec 6, 2004)

I shot 70 grain handloads out my .243... I havent checked the speed but the chart says they should go 3500 fps. I really like them, I'm getting sub half inch at 100 yards. They raise hell when you hit a bone in a 'yote but otherwise they arnt to bad. They also do a very nice job on antelope.

just my 2 cents


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## Jonnyjoe (Jan 16, 2006)

I have probably shot 200 rounds in the 55 grain in HORNADY they shot very well, good 1/2" groups from a H&R single shot varmit rifle at 100 yards. No yotes yet. But plenty of p/dogs 300 & 400 yds. out. I love the caliber. Over the years I have shot 4 deer with the 243 plenty of strength in that little caliber....


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