.223 reloading help for newb

Busta Capp

Busta Capp

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Ok, I just got into reloading and produced my first few batches of ammo. My initial tests seem to be mixed results, some good news, some bad news. I was hoping I could run these tests by all of you more experienced reloaders and see if you can suggest some next possible steps.

First off, I am shooting a Savage 110FP, .223 with a 9" twist.

I created several loads using these common components; Winchester brass (all resized and chamfered to 1.753), CCI BR-4 primers, H-4895 powder.

First group - Hornady 68gr. BTHP
Best group was 1MOA

Second group - Hornady 75gr. HPBT
Best group was 1.5 MOA, average around 2 MOA

Factory ammo baseline test
Winchester 55gr. PSP
Best group was 2 MOA

Remington 69gr. Matchking BTHP
Best group was 1MOA

Now, OAL has been somewhat of an issue on the reloaded ammo. I don't have a good measure for OAL yet. I went through the process of progressively seating a round til it chambered without issue, and then set the seating die to .015 off this reading. I have a Stoney Point/Hornady OAL guide on order and hopefully will get better readings and ultimately accuracy with that.

All things considered these are not horrible results, but certainly not sub-MOA. I also am somewhat disappointed that heavier bullet did not perform as well. It seems the sweet spot is the 68/69gr. mark. I will try some 75gr. A-Max's to see if these fair any better.

My main question in all this is, what is my next step in priority to try and bring down my group size? I think all should be done, but curious what you think needs to be done first. Do I;

- Work on the rifle and get tasks done like free float the barrel, and bedding?
- Work on more ammo buildups?
- Get a better shooter than I to try my rifle with these loads to see if it is the shooter and not the ammo?
- Something else I am missing

Any help would be appreciated.
 
I am starting to reload 223.
I have read in several places that this caliber prefers a ball powder such as H335 or similar. That is what I have started with but I am only just getting into it. Another recommended powder is Varget. So far you are only using 4895.

Letting another shooter try your gun is a good idea . It costs nothing & might tell you something.
Also, I assume you are using a scope. What kind ??
 
colinjw said:
Also, I assume you are using a scope. What kind ??
Click to expand...

This is another weak link in the puzzle right now. I bought the gun used with a Tasco World Class 8x-32x 50mm. Certainly not the worst scope, but something to upgrade later as dollars come available.

As to powders, I tried to get some Varget but Higginsons was backordered when I placed the order. I chose H4895 as this is supposed to work well with heavier bullets (as an alternative to Varget). I had heard that H335 worked better with the lighter bullets (55gr range), but could be mistaken.
 
You didn't mention the range of powder loads you tested. Full cases tend to have more consistent ignition, and there may be some "sweet spots" along the way where lower powder charges give better results too.
You might want to consider investing in a chronograph at some point, it allows you to see what the standard deviation is for your loads - smaller is better (more consistent). You can infer a good standard deviation from tight groups, too, but the chrono tells it like it is, and you get the velocity too. Besides, they're ridiculously cheap.

Are you shooting from sandbags, using good breathing technique? Is your trigger set to a reasonably light weight? Lots of possible variables besides the load in the cartridge. You'll figure it out pretty quick, just takes practice & experience.

Eric

p.s. Did you mean 110FP or 10FP? The 110 is the long action version.
 
toomanyhobbies said:
You didn't mention the range of powder loads you tested. Full cases tend to have more consistent ignition, and there may be some "sweet spots" along the way where lower powder charges give better results too.
You might want to consider investing in a chronograph at some point, it allows you to see what the standard deviation is for your loads - smaller is better (more consistent). You can infer a good standard deviation from tight groups, too, but the chrono tells it like it is, and you get the velocity too. Besides, they're ridiculously cheap.

Are you shooting from sandbags, using good breathing technique? Is your trigger set to a reasonably light weight? Lots of possible variables besides the load in the cartridge. You'll figure it out pretty quick, just takes practice & experience.

Eric

p.s. Did you mean 110FP or 10FP? The 110 is the long action version.
Click to expand...

Shooting was with a bi-pod on the front, and bag rest on the rear, firmly against the shoulder. Breathing was 2 slow breaths, with shot taken on the exhale of the second breath when the sight picture lined up without movement. Trigger pull was smooth and continuous not jerked pull. The trigger was worked on by previous owner, but it still is not a light pull but definately smooth.

When I listed the "best group", it was working up loads as per the tables. I.e. for the 75gr. HPBT's I worked up from 22.5 gr. to 24.5 gr. in .5 gr increments, and recorded each result. Best grouping was posted above.

I have a Beta Chrony I used for pistol rounds when I loaded those, and tried to chronograph these tests, but was getting error readings. I think it was just an alignment issue. Will at some point figure out what went wrong and definately include chronographing as part of my tests.

And yes, it is a long action 110FP.

Thanks for the input, keep the idea's coming.
 
I also bought my powder from Higginson. I got a military version of the H335.
They call the batch 735. They recommended it for the lighter bullets that I am using.
Toomanyhobbies has made some very good points. I will try them myself.

I am using a Tasco 10-40 . Not a bad scope but after seeing a friend's scope ( $ 1,200.00 ) I will replace it in the near future.

I will look up the article in the reloading magazine on the 223 & see if I can scan it to where it is legible. If so I will let you know & can send you the article as a pdf file.
 
Try using Varget with those 69grn Sierra's. Hodgdon shows Start load of 24grns and a Max load 26 grns. Start with the lowest amount and work your way up in .5grn increments. Be sure to check for for pressure signs as you test your loads, if you see no signs of high pressure then you can safely shoot the next load.

My Tikka T3 Lite Stainless with 1:8 twist Sporter Barrel will get in the .5's with 26grns of Varget with the 69grn Sierras but YMMV.

Check here too: http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp
 
H4895 works wonders in my Stevens 200 (Savage 1:9) with a 50 grain vmax. Best group under .4" at 3537fps.

H335 also worked great with 55's.

You could start out with the book OAL to remove a variable, and then start tweaking that once you have found a load your rifle likes, and have received the tools to measure it accurately. The load I mention above is still at book OAL. I haven't played with OAL at all and the coyotes haven't complained - or taken another step for that matter. ;)

Another thing I'd do is remove the bipod and use a different rest. I found it was much more difficult to shoot tiny groups with the variables introduced with a bipod.
 
26 gr of Varget behind an 80 gr SMK or Nolser. Your 1:9 may or may not stabilize these bullets. 75 AMax might be better, however I have heard Amax bullets shoot best when touching the lands.
For load developement in such small cases, try going up in .2 gr increments at a time, .5 gr is a lot in that little case.
Weigh and sort your cases into .5 gr batches.
Before you start bedding and free floating make sure there is no oil or mosture between the stock and action. The next step would be to free float the barrel. This only takes a few minutes with some sand paper wrapped around a wooden dowel/broom handle. If there is no improvment, bed it.
 
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