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Here is my most favorite load for shooting yotes and fox on calm days.
Winchester brass
Remington Primer
53 grains of H380 powder
55 grain Nosler Spitzer
I have choroned this load and it runs 4050 to 4054 FPS. To me that is screaming and at 100 yards the grouping is within 3/4 of a inch.
Wow! thats scaeming! I'll have to try it!
No wonder it is screaming. That load is 7 full grains over max (46.0) in the Sierra manual and 2 full grains over max in the Lee manual, which lists 51.0 as a compressed load. I would be interested to see the primers in your fired cases. While I will concede it might possibly be a safe load in your particular rifle, it is up almost into the proof range and is way beyond safe in most production .243's. What is your source for the load?
I got the reciepe from this book
The complete reloading manual for the .243 winchester.
the website for the book is www.loadbooks.com
It claims with that receipe it will travel 4069 fps but mine never got that fast.
Are there any pressure signs on your primers or sticky extraction of fired cases?
Not that I can see. I have been shooting them for the past 5 years and the gun barrel is in great shape still as well.
I am shooting them out of my model 788 I don't know how any other brand would handle it.
With a decent bolt action, IME it's not the brand so much as it is the the tightness of the chamber and how cleanly it is cut (the sharpness of the reamer and the speed at which it is run), and how closely its dimensions match those of your sizing die. You obviously have the experience to know what pressure signs look like, but I am just surprised you aren't seeing flattened and/or cratered primers with a load that hot. I am even more surprised that you are seeing that kind of accuracy at those pressure levels, too. But, as I am perhaps overly fond of saying, every rifle is different. While they do have a well deserved reputation for fine accuracy, 788's do not have a reputation for exceptional strength with their rear locking lugs design. A lot of silhouette shooters reportedly got into trouble with that when the action was a popular one for them to wildcat. Just my $.02, your call.
BTW, I saw that Midway is offering 788 mags in their latest flier. You don't see them available very often any more, even at shows.
Really I got that flier but did see that. Might have to check their website. I have two mags but if I can get more I will.