Since I have to report tonight, I decided to hit the range one more time. I have been fighting the urge to test the Federal Fusion 95 grain coated soft points, but I finally gave in. I also tried the low-priced Perfecta 100 grain soft points. I used the Winchester Super X 80 grain soft points for my control because they have proven to shoot well in my rifle.
I started off with the 95 grain Federal Fusion. I thoroughly cleaned bore because this ammo is coated, and I worried that copper fouling in the bore would make it shoot poorly. The first four shots were about a inch and a half across. The outlier on the bottom is actually the left side of the target. It was the first shot through a clean, cold bore:
I felt like it showed promise, so I let the barrel cool and fired 4 more at the same target. This also auto-rotated when I uploaded it. The tip of the cartridge points up:
Needless to say, I was pretty let down. With the two widest fliers, it looked like about a 4" group. I stopped the test with Fusion right there.
After the barrel cooled completely, I scrubbed the bore and tested the PerFecta 100 grain soft point. I cleaned the bore thoroughly to remove all the moly, or whatever kind of coating the fusion had, from the bore. It was dirtier than I expected. I thought the coating was supposed to reduce fouling, but I guess not! The Perfecta cartridge actually shot well. The first four shots formed a group about 1" ctc. Again, the tip of the cartridge points to the top:
I let the barrel cool off awhile, but it was still a little warm when I fired the next four. The group opened up to about 1 3/4", not too bad but not super impressive either. Cartridge points to top:
I fired two more to make it ten, and they didn't open it up any more. I held a card of Birchwood Casey 1" dots on the left of the target for size reference:
I didn't clean the barrel before firing my control group with the 80 grain Winchester Super X soft points. I figured the copper or gilding metal jacket was similar enough between the two soft points, that they would probably shoot better if I left the fouling in the bore. I allowed the barrel to cool, then I fired 10 of the 80 grain Winchester Super X soft points. It was about 1 1/4" ctc. The poi is actually above the target, the image again auto-rotated on me:
With the card of 1" target spots for reference:
This is a proven performer in my rifle, and they did even better than I expected. I think it would have been even better with a more solid rest and better optics.
After shooting this group, I decided to give the Perfecta 100 grain soft points one more chance. I thought they might shoot a little bit better with a properly fouled-in bore. I allowed the barrel to cool, but I did not clean it at all. The next ten Perfecta soft points landed in a group about 1 1/2 inches ctc, with no cooling period between shots. Of course it auto-rotated to the left. The two shots on the far right are actually the bottom of the target:
With the 1" target spots for reference:
While the 80 grain load did perform marginally better, it is worth noting that I could not tell the difference in size without measuring. Also, to me at least, the 100 grain load appears to be a little more tight overall- with a couple of outliers. Given the restaints of the rest, the optics, and my own abilities, I feel that they performed on par with the 80 grain load. I'd been at the range for a few hours and to be honest I was tired and sweaty, and ready to shoot at some reactive targets for a change. I may shoot them better on another day.
The rest:
The rifle has impressed me so far, and the low priced (I stopped calling them cheap) PerFecta loads proved to me that the gun can shoot a heavier load. What really surprised me however, is the $40 Tasco 3-9x40 I picked up with the rifle. The first day at the range, I dialed it in with 80 grain Winchester soft points, about 1 1/3" high at 100 yards. I've ran almost 100 rounds through it since then- 128 rounds in total- and the scope has held true. I figured it would have shifted some, or slipped in the rings, but the mild recoil of the .243 Winchester doesn't seem to affect it.
I really like the .243 Winchester cartridge. It's a pleasure to shoot, and I really wish I'd have cut my teeth on it. My first centerfire- a .308 I picked up when I was 19 years old, blacked my eye. It was bundled with a cheap scope that had poor eye relief, and I'd shot only .22lr and pellet guns up to that point, but I digress.
I hope some of you find this useful. I had a lot of fun shooting and typing this up. I also hope you guys don't go out and buy up all the PerFecta .243 ammo to try, because I need to stock up. All I have left is the coated Fusion, and it's free to anyone that wants it. I will continue trying different loads, and I will post results with pictures as I go.