Winchester model 70 243

[Kbeaton]

I inherited a Winchester model 70 from my grandfather after he passed away. My wife has taken to it and claimed it as her new deer gun. I have chosen the 95 gr nosler ballistic tip as my deer bullet in that caliber. Yesterday I loaded up loads with two different powders H4350 and H4831. None of the groups impressed me. It’s got a 3-9 leupold on it from the 80’s so the glass was against me. Did I miss something on the powder combo or is working on the gun(bedding,new scope) my next option? I’ll also toss out that it was 100° yesterday and the barrel heat and mirage was not in my favor


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[JeffreyDeGraff]

Those two powders are solid choices for 243 with 95gr bullets. If the scope is clear there shouldn’t be an issue with it (unless there is internal damage you can’t see). Shooting groups with a bunch of mirage is tricky to say the least. I would make sure the action screws and scope mounts are tight, and retest those loads in the early morning before temps get bad. On another note, that being an older rifle, the barrel is probably not free floated which could cause you shots to wander as the barrel heats up.


JTD

[SAWMAN]

Do you have any of the lighter bullets in .243" ?? Perhaps a 85gr.
Any NosParts or Barnes solid copper design.
Will she be shooting long range whitetails only ?? Any antelope?? --- SAWMAN

[Kbeaton]

Those two powders are solid choices for 243 with 95gr bullets. If the scope is clear there shouldn’t be an issue with it (unless there is internal damage you can’t see). Shooting groups with a bunch of mirage is tricky to say the least. I would make sure the action screws and scope mounts are tight, and retest those loads in the early morning before temps get bad. On another note, that being an older rifle, the barrel is probably not free floated which could cause you shots to wander as the barrel heats up.


JTD

I did go through the rifle and checked screws and what not, everything looked good. To be honest I bet this rifle hadn’t had a box of shells through it before I got it. He ordered a 223, 243 and a 270 all matching model 70 feather weights. He only hunted with the 270. I will retest though. Thanks for the reply.


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[Kbeaton]

Do you have any of the lighter bullets in .243" ?? Perhaps a 85gr.
Any NosParts or Barnes solid copper design.
Will she be shooting long range whitetails only ?? Any antelope?? --- SAWMAN

Well we live in northern ND and sometimes the shots can get pretty far. She shoots very often and is pretty humble about her capabilities if you know what I mean. We applied for the speed goats so we’ll see if she gets a tag. I’m kinda stuck on this bullet though. I’ll give it another go when it’s not so hot out. I did measure the chamber am realized the bullet was making a huge jump so I can fix that too. All the groups were 1.2-1.9” so I’m not terribly concerned. I aim for under 1” for hunting loads.


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[SAWMAN]

Were those 9 or 10 twist guns ??
Your choice of bullet will be the most accurate. Nothing wrong with the BalTip . . . especially at the longer ng ranges where the bullet has a chance to slow down a bit.
The older Leupolds were the VARI-X ones. I still have several. I was never a fan of the non-click scope adjustments . . HOWEVER . . once you get them set,they stay right there. My wife has been using a VARI-X one,3.5-10X50 on her 30-30 AI now for the last 20 years. Still a great scope.
If you bbl is not floated, if it gets hot it will most likely string 5 shots vertically. These bbls are quite easy to float. If problems persist you might want to give that a try. --- SAWMAN

[Flyeralan]

Many years of hunting with a model 70 in 243. First whitetail and then PA groundhogs. Always had great success with IMR 4350 with everything from 60 to 100 grain projectiles, did bed the action and float the barrel but other than that it was stock. The single thing that made the most advance in accuracy for me was the OAL. That thing shot great with 10-15 thou jump and anything else opened up the groups big time. Sadly, the throat is gone in that model 70 and it sits in my safe and I'm not sure what will happen to it.

[SAWMAN]

Sounds like it is time for a re- barrel. Anything with a 243Win bolt face.
There are quite a few choices. --- SAWMAN

[Flyeralan]

Sounds like it is time for a re- barrel. Anything with a 243Win bolt face.
There are quite a few choices. --- SAWMAN

Yep, already had a discussion with my smith about it, just have too many other projects going on right now.

[PapaJ]

Real nice rifle you have. You may need to check headspace. Those model 70s don't tend to wear out of they are cared for unless you shoot tons of high speed (top + load charges) rounds.

It isn't a simple fix, but as Sawman said, it could be due for a rebarrel. Good thing is, Winchester still makes them.

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