.223 LOADS??
Moderators: Bullseye, Moderators
.223 LOADS??
What is your favorite .223 load for either semi-auto or bolt action??
I tried some Varget Bullseye, and although it's a great powder overall for me, I just couldn't get it to shoot in my heavy Encore rifle barrel. Playing around with it though, I got IMR4198 to group 5 shots inside a dime at 100yds.
I was shooting 55gr. VMax's with 21.2 grs. in some LC87 brass. Even after selling off thousands of rounds of that stuff, I've still got a goodly supply left for myself. All once fired picked up from machines guns at our range. Free.......
I like free.....free is good.
Anyway, I'll be trying some loads using the 50grs. shortly and Varget will get another try. I like that stuff......it's like a nicer version of 4064 without the temp. sensitivity issues.
The barrel is a little finicky, but given time and the right components, it'll shoot....sounds kinda like a woman.....?
Take care,
Bob
I was shooting 55gr. VMax's with 21.2 grs. in some LC87 brass. Even after selling off thousands of rounds of that stuff, I've still got a goodly supply left for myself. All once fired picked up from machines guns at our range. Free.......
I like free.....free is good.
Anyway, I'll be trying some loads using the 50grs. shortly and Varget will get another try. I like that stuff......it's like a nicer version of 4064 without the temp. sensitivity issues.
The barrel is a little finicky, but given time and the right components, it'll shoot....sounds kinda like a woman.....?
Take care,
Bob
Do illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup ?
Bullseye,
To be honest, I don't know my rate of twist on the Encore barrel. It's either 1 in 12, or 1 in 14, and I'm pretty sure it's the latter. Your rate of twist, or the standard 1 in 9, will mainly stabilize the heavier stuff, say 60+grs.
I remember when they went to the faster rates to stabilize the 69gr. bullets. The only problem with the faster rates is that it doesn't leave you much room for bullet weights as the heaviest bullets I've seen in the .224 stuff is about 70grs.
I'm using a 1 in 14 rate on my custom .22 Super Jet because I wanted to shoot 40-50gr. bullets in it. I can shoot up to 55grs. if I want and it'll stabilze them fine.
The faster powders work real well for me with what I'm now using. If I had to shoot heavier bullets though, I think I'd opt for a slower powder like W748, BLC2, 2230, or maybe H322.
Either variety of 4198 powder (H or IMR) is probably one of the fastest powders most commonly used in the .223.
I'd think that, with a 55gr bullet, you'd be getting close to the weight bullet that the twist should be able to stabilize fairly well. It should do fine with a 60gr., but admittedly, it's an educated guess.
Take care,
Bob
To be honest, I don't know my rate of twist on the Encore barrel. It's either 1 in 12, or 1 in 14, and I'm pretty sure it's the latter. Your rate of twist, or the standard 1 in 9, will mainly stabilize the heavier stuff, say 60+grs.
I remember when they went to the faster rates to stabilize the 69gr. bullets. The only problem with the faster rates is that it doesn't leave you much room for bullet weights as the heaviest bullets I've seen in the .224 stuff is about 70grs.
I'm using a 1 in 14 rate on my custom .22 Super Jet because I wanted to shoot 40-50gr. bullets in it. I can shoot up to 55grs. if I want and it'll stabilze them fine.
The faster powders work real well for me with what I'm now using. If I had to shoot heavier bullets though, I think I'd opt for a slower powder like W748, BLC2, 2230, or maybe H322.
Either variety of 4198 powder (H or IMR) is probably one of the fastest powders most commonly used in the .223.
I'd think that, with a 55gr bullet, you'd be getting close to the weight bullet that the twist should be able to stabilize fairly well. It should do fine with a 60gr., but admittedly, it's an educated guess.
Take care,
Bob
Do illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup ?
Nope, I've tried the 55's and they don't fly worth a darn at the faster twist rate. I'm not getting minute of angle, I'm lucky if I get minute of backstop. 69's work pretty well in my gun. I like the 80 VLD's at the long line; they buck the wind pretty well. The only problem with shooting the 80's is they're too long for the magazine and have to be single loaded.
R,
Bullseye
R,
Bullseye
Hmmm.....no kidding....
Well, that just stinks.....
I know that when they're setup for match, (1 in 8.75, or 1 in 9) you're kind of limited to the bullet weights up on the higher end of the scale, which are few and far between. 80gr. huh ?.....live & learn...never knew they got that high. Commercially, I've never seen one.
I vaguely remember one of my police cohorts mentioning that he was using 55-60gr's in his with pretty decent results, and he had the H-BAR, which I believed was 1 in 9. Could be wrong on that one, or else he has a different barrel to shoot them in.
Almost sounds like you'll have to treat yourself to a new barrel....
.....say a 1 in 12".....that ought to stabilze 50 gr's on up. Maybe even the 45's.
I do know the 1 in 14 does nicely with the 40-55gr. bullets in my Super Jet. I'd have to check my .223 and .22-250, but I believe they both have the same twist rate, and those weights work well there to.
I've been contemplating an AR for fox & coyotes....nothing fancy. Maybe I'll put a "cheapy" together using an Olympic or Fulton receiver, or just plain buy one of their "varmint setups". I've contemplated doing this in the past, but I just hate chasing brass.......and you know that folks look at you funny when you're more worried about retrieving your brass than you are about the fox or coyote you just shot.
Take care,
Bob
Well, that just stinks.....
I know that when they're setup for match, (1 in 8.75, or 1 in 9) you're kind of limited to the bullet weights up on the higher end of the scale, which are few and far between. 80gr. huh ?.....live & learn...never knew they got that high. Commercially, I've never seen one.
I vaguely remember one of my police cohorts mentioning that he was using 55-60gr's in his with pretty decent results, and he had the H-BAR, which I believed was 1 in 9. Could be wrong on that one, or else he has a different barrel to shoot them in.
Almost sounds like you'll have to treat yourself to a new barrel....
.....say a 1 in 12".....that ought to stabilze 50 gr's on up. Maybe even the 45's.
I do know the 1 in 14 does nicely with the 40-55gr. bullets in my Super Jet. I'd have to check my .223 and .22-250, but I believe they both have the same twist rate, and those weights work well there to.
I've been contemplating an AR for fox & coyotes....nothing fancy. Maybe I'll put a "cheapy" together using an Olympic or Fulton receiver, or just plain buy one of their "varmint setups". I've contemplated doing this in the past, but I just hate chasing brass.......and you know that folks look at you funny when you're more worried about retrieving your brass than you are about the fox or coyote you just shot.
Take care,
Bob
Do illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup ?
Handgunr wrote:Hmmm.....no kidding....
Well, that just stinks.....
I know that when they're setup for match, (1 in 8.75, or 1 in 9) you're kind of limited to the bullet weights up on the higher end of the scale, which are few and far between. 80gr. huh ?.....live & learn...never knew they got that high. Commercially, I've never seen one.
Have you given Sierra bullets a look? Sierra Bullets 80 gr HPBT This size/length bullet is actually pretty standard on the highpower match circuit for the 600 yard prone slow fire stage. I usually order them but once I ran short and my local gun store had them on the display shelf. At the shorter lines, 200 and 300, I like the 77gr HPBT bullet.
I'm not looking to shoot the 55's. I could work up a load that might get some better performance out of that weight bullet but it doesn't do well in the wind. I do a different kind of shooting with the AR's, I'm a competitor not a varminter. At 100-200 yards the 55's will stay within a 3 inch group but that's not good enough performance for competition. I've refined and tuned my loads for consistent performance a known distances and I'm really not interested in switching to the smaller bullets when the heavier ones that perform well for me are plentiful. Maybe someday I look into varminting but for now, while I still can perform, competition is where its at for me.
R,
Bullseye
Color me "learned".....
Now you've got me wondering if those 80grs. are listed in my older Sierra Manuals. I think the newest "hard cover" Sierra manuals I've got are the 4th Edition. Anything newer is on software.
Until I can get a decent computer in my loading shop to transfer the software to, I still find myself using the regular manuals.
Just checked the software, (while I'm here), and yep, #9390-80gr. Match. Never paid much attention.......should've left the old Sierra bullet poster up in the shop a little longer I guess....lol. On their website they also list #9290 which is a "90 grain Match" !!!.....damn, for a .22, that's heavy.
As far as twist rate, I think that the tightest twist rate a 55gr. bullet could operate in is maybe a 1 in 12".
You might get OK stabilization from a 1 in 10", but I think you'd be on the edge there, and accuracy wouldn't be anywhere near optimum.
Education is a beautiful thing.......lol
Take care,
Bob
Now you've got me wondering if those 80grs. are listed in my older Sierra Manuals. I think the newest "hard cover" Sierra manuals I've got are the 4th Edition. Anything newer is on software.
Until I can get a decent computer in my loading shop to transfer the software to, I still find myself using the regular manuals.
Just checked the software, (while I'm here), and yep, #9390-80gr. Match. Never paid much attention.......should've left the old Sierra bullet poster up in the shop a little longer I guess....lol. On their website they also list #9290 which is a "90 grain Match" !!!.....damn, for a .22, that's heavy.
Well, I "ASSumed" on this one......I realize that bullets of 69-80grs. (now), are used for matches in the AR, so when you mentioned the 55grs., I guess I automatically thought "varmint".I can't get a good group out of 55's with a 1:8.5 twist rate. I have to use the heavier bullets to get good stabilization.
As far as twist rate, I think that the tightest twist rate a 55gr. bullet could operate in is maybe a 1 in 12".
You might get OK stabilization from a 1 in 10", but I think you'd be on the edge there, and accuracy wouldn't be anywhere near optimum.
Education is a beautiful thing.......lol
Take care,
Bob
Do illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup ?
I mostly shoot varmint loads in 223s. My favorite load in 223 is 50 grain Nosler B/T with 25.5- 25.7 of Benchmark powder depending on temperature and lot number. With a WSR primer. With Winchester and sometimes Remington cases. It generally shoots .4 -.6, 5 shot groups at 100 yards sometimes in the 3s. In several Remington 700 HB and one Savage and one Ruger bolt guns. Clocks around 3317- 3380 FPS depending on the rifle and temperature ect. I don't know if I would recommend this load in a semi auto as its about a max load in my bolt guns. Benchmark powder only seems to work well for me with 50 grain or lighter bullets in the 223.
