.233 reloading
- Thread starter Dom08
- Start date
Don't bother, you aren't shooting bench rest.
Plus it isn't the overall length that really matters (within reason), it is the base of the bullet to the ogive that matters. Overall length of your case also isn't that important, the only thing it directly impacts is fitting the rounds into a magazine.
Having said that, you are shooting cheap fmj bullets.... just load one so it has maybe 15 or 20 thou shorter than the max your magazine will fit, and leave the seating die alone, then load them all like that. When you get your charge weight right, if you really want to play with overall length, you need to get a comparator (Hornady comparator or rcbs precision Mic) to measure the cartridge base to bullet ogive length, and then load five or ten rounds with it varying from the max mag length you did at first, down maybe to 30 to 50 thou back from that. Go down ten thou at a time, ten rounds each length. Then shoot em and see what one gives you the best accuracy. You can take this further after you find the best one here by varying up and down five or ten thou in smaller increments and find the absolute best length. But the gun you're shooting may not really show huge differences when you get down that fine, and the bullets you're using almost certainly won't.
Plus it isn't the overall length that really matters (within reason), it is the base of the bullet to the ogive that matters. Overall length of your case also isn't that important, the only thing it directly impacts is fitting the rounds into a magazine.
Having said that, you are shooting cheap fmj bullets.... just load one so it has maybe 15 or 20 thou shorter than the max your magazine will fit, and leave the seating die alone, then load them all like that. When you get your charge weight right, if you really want to play with overall length, you need to get a comparator (Hornady comparator or rcbs precision Mic) to measure the cartridge base to bullet ogive length, and then load five or ten rounds with it varying from the max mag length you did at first, down maybe to 30 to 50 thou back from that. Go down ten thou at a time, ten rounds each length. Then shoot em and see what one gives you the best accuracy. You can take this further after you find the best one here by varying up and down five or ten thou in smaller increments and find the absolute best length. But the gun you're shooting may not really show huge differences when you get down that fine, and the bullets you're using almost certainly won't.
I load 27.5gr Varget (drop tube) behind 53gr TSX bullets in my 700 SPS varmint - they fly at 3400 FPS and knock mule-deer and white tails over with no effort at all....
No sticky bolts - bulged cases or primers - works fine for me - Varget does exactly what it says on the can!
No sticky bolts - bulged cases or primers - works fine for me - Varget does exactly what it says on the can!
What case? Maybe I'm using cases which are smaller capacity, but I've tried it with 5 percent compressed loads and the velocity was lower significantly than the max pressure load I can get with 8208XBR.
For powder in .223 I've used:
-Varget
- N135
- N530
- Reloder 12
- Reloader 15
- ww748
- IMR 4895
- H4895
- Benchmark
- TAC
- AA2520
- H322
- H335
- WC735
- BLC-2
- 2230
I've used pretty much every bullet from Sierra, Hornady, Berger and Speer in the range of 50 to 90 grains in combinations with the above powders and available primers. Not just shooting them at 100m, but out to and including 800m - in all types of weather from +30 to -15.
Velocity is a nice to know for come-ups and if one is hunting, but it really is an aside to a good load.
I'll take an accurate load that works from summer through winter, at all distances I'm going to shoot it at before I ever care about gaining 50-100 fps.
Depends on how the powder packs up in the case upon powder drop.
Using a drop tube will help give it a bit of velocity going into the case, whereby the powder will pack in a bit better.
Also depends on the load - a 68gr. hornady and a 77smk will often give a bit of a crunching sound - but this is typically due to the fact the large kernels are just packing up a bit more compact in the case, and not necessarily compressing.
Loads with varget and other extruded powders do better by filling the case.
I don't compress loads - I'll switch to a different load combo before I go there.
I've done extensive testing with crimped and no-crimped loads. Crimping if done right, can offer no degradation to accuracy and a whole lot of benefits to non-crimped loads.
False. Check it out for yourself.
