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Question for Reloaders in .223 and .243
I'm at the stage of working up over the recommended range of powder charges in half grain steps. I find that for both of my Tikkas, the best groups and smallest vertical spreads are usually achieved with mild loads. I'm wondering what others have found.
For the .223, I've loaded:
Hornady 35 grain NTX with IMR4198, best vertical spread at 21.5 grains, max recommended charge 22.2
Hornady 50 grain VMAX with W748, best vertical spread with 27 grains, max recommended charge 28.3
Hornady 55 grain VMAX with W748, best vertical spread with 24.5 grains, max recommended charge 26.4 grains
Hornady 55 grain FJM-BT with W748, best vertical spread with 24 grains, max recommended charge 26.4 grains
The best vertical spreads are a half inch or less. Group sizes are between 1 and 1-3/4 inches. Not quite good enough to drive tacks but fine for ground squirrels.
I'm wondering if the relatively short barrel
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7 Replies
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My .223 is on max charge using Viht 133 , Sako brass , burger 52 match bullets , when I was using federal brass the best groups were on lightest load at 22 gr
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The most accurate load I've worked up using Win 748…for 223
This load would shoot 1/4″-1/2″ groups on any given day @ 100yrds.Rifle – T3 223 Lite (8 twist)
Coal – 2.275″
Brass – Hornady
Primer – CCI Br4
Projectile – Hornady 55gr Vmax or Nosler 55gr BT Spitzer
Powder – 25.8 – 26grs
Velocity – 2900/2925 fpsIf you can get your hands on some Varget…try 25.5grs with either the 55gr Vmax or 55gr FMJ-BT…I load so they just fit the factory mag…another sub moa load for my rifles…
Good luck if you try this out…
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I load so they just fit the factory mag…another sub moa load for my rifles…
With 55 grain VMAX and 748, 24.5 grains was actually slightly better than 26 but I loaded them at 2.25. Your results suggest it might be better to load them a little longer. Sounds like the same holds true for the Hornady FMJs.
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You will have to play with setting depth…But this is what I normally do for my 223…
I just basically load a dummy round with the desired projectile to max OAL to fit the mag and then chamber it to see if the bolt will cycle…if it does not cycle I back off in .010 increments till the bolts cycles easily…usually its .030 – .050 off the lands depending on the projectile shape. That gives me trouble free field shooting for predator hunting. I'm never touching or jamming the lands with my reloads to avoid a sticky or heavy bolt in the field.
For longer projectiles in the 75-80gr + range I use a modified factory mag that gives me an additional .25″ on the length to achieve optimal setting depth for load development, mostly these are target rounds.
Same process applies. Dummy round into or touching the lands then back off till bolt cycles easily and then test setting depth…usually i'm .030 off the lands for best accuracy. -
Thanks for that advice. I have a Hornady headspace gauge but I've found it's very difficult to get accurate, consistent measurements.
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I found consistent shoulder / trimming helped my reloading accuracy…I F/L resize all my brass and use trimmers that work off the shoulder like this one… “Little Crow trimmer”
https://littlecrowgunworks.com/product/worlds-finest-trimmer-wft/?v=3e8d115eb4b3 -
You will have to play with setting depth…But this is what I normally do for my 223…
That pretty much did the trick for varmint rounds. With 50 grain VMAX projectiles over 28 grains of Win 748 and an OAL of 2.265, 4 of 5 shots were touching and the fifth shot was displaced vertically by about 3/4 inch. For the group of 4 that were touching, the vertical spread was 3/16 inch. They're going squirrel shooting this weekend.
Changing seating depth didn't help a lot with the FMJs, but by the time I got around to testing those batches, a slight breeze had come up. Still, the groups were just over an inch.
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