CZ527 Range Report

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stubblejumper

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It's been a week since my cataract surgery on my right eye,so I thought that I was ready to start shooting again.I didn't want to expose the eye to recoil,so I decided to continue load development on my CZ 527 in .223.My Lapua brass had arrived,so I loaded up some ammunition and headed to the range.I tested three different loads,all using 55gr Ballistic tips,Lapua brass,and Benchmark.The first two loads were in the 5/8" to 3/4",but the last load did slightly better.Using 25gr of Benchmark,and the bullets seated .010" off the lands the first group measured .650" for five shots.I sat in the truck,warmed up my hands since it was -8 degrees,and then I shot the last group measuring .500".If you lay one target over the other and transfer all ten shots onto one target,all ten shots measure .750",with nine of the ten shots going into .500".I realize that I might have to back off the loads slightly in warmer weather,but both the gun and load show great promise.In the meantime.I will load up some more of this combination for coyote hunting this winter.

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Stubblejumper have you tried heavier bullets than 55 gr ?
Reason I ask is because when I hunted coyotes on the Prairies one of my favorite bullet weights in the 223 was 60 gr. as they seemed to buck the wind a wee bit better than 55gr.
This was back in the late 60s and 70s and powders and bullets have improved a lot since then.
In those days my 223s had 14" twists and shot very well with 55 gr. bullets and 748 powder and 60 gr with a case full of H380.
Now the only 223 I have with a 9" twist prefers 69 gr. loads over any other bullet weight.

Sorry for rambling on, didn't mean to sidetrack your fine thread... :redface:
 
my 9 twist 700 loves the 60gr Nosler BT & Benchmark, 23.5 grs for 3050 fps. 300 meter group was 6 shots in 1.9"

25.6grs Benchmark w/ 55gr NBT was my favorite load in my first 223 (1:12 twist) 3250 f/s and 3/4" 5 shots @ 100
 
I tested the 50gr v-max,the 55gr ballistic tip,the 60gr v-max,and the 69gr matchking using N-133,Benchmark,and R-15.All bullets would group five shots inside of 1" at 100 yards,,but the 55gr ballistic tip consistently shot the smallest groups,followed by the 50gr v-max.The nice part about this gun,is that every bullet would fit the magazine if seated out to the lands.I sold a Sako Varmint Laminate Stainless,because none of the most accurate loads would fit the magazine.Why have a magazine if you aren't going to use it?This gun works better for me than the Sako,and it cost me about half as much.

One thing that I found odd,was that the 55gr BT ,has a BC of .267, and the 60gr BT has a BC of .270.With virtually the same BC,the 55gr can be driven over 100fps faster,so it will drop less,and do better in the wind,at any distance that I intend to shoot the gun.
 
Man the CZ 527 are pretty sweet! My CZ American shoots 40 grain VMAX into under .5" at 100m A fair number of coyotes have gone to sleep with my 527 .223... SJ: I tried the 45 grain TSX and the bullet performance is pretty impressive on coyotes. It does exit though so I am trying the 40gr VMAX next. I was using 60gr VMAX but like every other gunnut wanted to try something new.
 
The 50gr v-max groups started to open up as I increased the powder charge,while the 55gr BT groups became slightly smaller as the velocity increased.That is why I gave up on the 50gr bullets,and didn't bother with the 40gr BT.If I can drive the 55gr BT at 3200 to 3300fps,,they should do a great job on coyotes.
 
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