Thanks for all the details. I tried Winchester super X ammo in my sako .243 a little while ago with pretty crappy results. Talking to my brother it sounds like most peoples experience, so I'm a little sour on winchester. In the older super X ammo I shot I had four brass split completely down the neck which freaked me out. The federal v shok shot MuCH better.
Help with 223 loads for 700 sps varmint
- Thread starter AaronGer
- Start date
Thanks for all the details. I tried Winchester super X ammo in my sako .243 a little while ago with pretty crappy results. Talking to my brother it sounds like most peoples experience, so I'm a little sour on winchester. In the older super X ammo I shot I had four brass split completely down the neck which freaked me out. The federal v shok shot MuCH better.
Ok so just an update. Today I picked up some 52 grain hornady A MAX and I'll be using cci primers. My brother picked up some imr powder that is apparently suitable but not quite as good for the 52s as an H335. A guy at the gun shop also told me that we will probably need a swadging tool because the American eagle and 556 brass have crimped primers? I'll have to research that a little more. Money and spare time are in short supply right now but I'll post back when I get some results.
Thanks again for all the help guys
Thanks again for all the help guys
Thanks for the info. My bro said he has the swaging die. Would new brass be worth the extra money or is it just for convenience of not doing the prep work? I've seen some pretty negative comments on the Winchester bulk brass and I have quite a bit of free once fired available. My bro was considering buying lapua brass because it's supposed to be a lot better. Right now money is still very tight so more expenses mean longer wait time until I can start shooting again. If I can find a reasonably good setup now I'll go with that but hopefully in a month or two I can setup for a longer term, more ideal setup.
Ok so I finally made it to the range today.
Remington 700 sps varmint 1 in 12 twist.
52 grain AMAX
22.7 - 25.5 grains IMR 4064
556 Chinese surplus brass once fired in my gun and then neck sized.
CCI primers
Shooting to 100 m from bipod and bag of kidney beans ( lack of funds so you gotta improvise
)
Best I got was about MOA with 5 shots. A couple groups with three shots touching. Between 23.5 and 24.5 were ok with 24 being the best. 25 and 25.5 things started to get erratic.
I was kinda disappointed because I'm sure I was shooting better than that.
My brother was shooting a T3 tactical with 80 AMAX, IMR 4064, Hornady brass, CCI primers with similar results. He also shot some hornady match with much tighter groups and some Sierra match with ragged one hole.
I bought some prepped once fired Remington brass from budget shooter supply. They look pretty good but I cleaned the primer pockets, checked them with a neck trimmer and deburred inside and outside of the necks for next time.
I'll try them again but I think I'll have to get another bullet. Maybe the 53 vmax or bthp. I'd love to get the Sierras but they cost about double
Remington 700 sps varmint 1 in 12 twist.
52 grain AMAX
22.7 - 25.5 grains IMR 4064
556 Chinese surplus brass once fired in my gun and then neck sized.
CCI primers
Shooting to 100 m from bipod and bag of kidney beans ( lack of funds so you gotta improvise
)Best I got was about MOA with 5 shots. A couple groups with three shots touching. Between 23.5 and 24.5 were ok with 24 being the best. 25 and 25.5 things started to get erratic.
I was kinda disappointed because I'm sure I was shooting better than that.
My brother was shooting a T3 tactical with 80 AMAX, IMR 4064, Hornady brass, CCI primers with similar results. He also shot some hornady match with much tighter groups and some Sierra match with ragged one hole.
I bought some prepped once fired Remington brass from budget shooter supply. They look pretty good but I cleaned the primer pockets, checked them with a neck trimmer and deburred inside and outside of the necks for next time.
I'll try them again but I think I'll have to get another bullet. Maybe the 53 vmax or bthp. I'd love to get the Sierras but they cost about double
I would start over with new 223 rem brass (not 5.56), trim all to exact length, get some good bullets (SMK come to mind), and start at 23gr Varget and work up in 0.3 increments till you find your max. I would almost guarantee you will find what you are after with that combo. Seat to recommended length in the manual. That combo should group very well providing your equip has no flaws.
Start with good stuff and its way cheaper in the long run. Trust those of us that have been there, done that!!!
Start with good stuff and its way cheaper in the long run. Trust those of us that have been there, done that!!!
If you're just getting going, a bunch of free once-fired brass could be useful. It might be worth going through a big batch and sorting out 200 or so of the same brand and weigh...
Once you get picky / OCD, splurge on a batch of new brass if you feel like it; you'll likely have an idea of how much brass consistency affects load consistency for your needs.
Shooting tight groups needs lots of things to come together all at once. Don't ask me for more details, I haven't figured them all out yet.... I suspect the phase of the moon might have something to do with it..... ;-})
You might need a slightly faster powder than IMR4064 for a small case like .223 Rem. Then again, you have to work with what you can get.
Stan
Once you get picky / OCD, splurge on a batch of new brass if you feel like it; you'll likely have an idea of how much brass consistency affects load consistency for your needs.
Shooting tight groups needs lots of things to come together all at once. Don't ask me for more details, I haven't figured them all out yet.... I suspect the phase of the moon might have something to do with it..... ;-})
You might need a slightly faster powder than IMR4064 for a small case like .223 Rem. Then again, you have to work with what you can get.
Stan
Thanks for the tips guys. I scored three other bullets today! Sierra 55g spitzer, Sierra 52 g match and hornady 50 grain spire point
If I can get the funds together I might buy some H335 powder, I'll check into the varget too. With that and the Remington brass I should be able to get a good load together. If it's still not working out its either me or another component. (lousy stock no doubt)
I was talking to a customer today and it turns out he was a shooting buddy with my old boss. We were talking about reloading and he headed into his house for a while. When he came back he had a bag full of goodies. Three types of 223 bullets, some old .243 cases and 6 partial boxes of .243 bullets. He also threw in an old hornady reloading manual. Big thanks to Steve! I'm not loading for 243 yet but I'd like to get into it after I get the 223 dialled in.
My bros leaving town for about a month so reloading is on hold for a while. I'll check back again when I get more results.
If I can get the funds together I might buy some H335 powder, I'll check into the varget too. With that and the Remington brass I should be able to get a good load together. If it's still not working out its either me or another component. (lousy stock no doubt)
I was talking to a customer today and it turns out he was a shooting buddy with my old boss. We were talking about reloading and he headed into his house for a while. When he came back he had a bag full of goodies. Three types of 223 bullets, some old .243 cases and 6 partial boxes of .243 bullets. He also threw in an old hornady reloading manual. Big thanks to Steve! I'm not loading for 243 yet but I'd like to get into it after I get the 223 dialled in.
My bros leaving town for about a month so reloading is on hold for a while. I'll check back again when I get more results.
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Here's what my boys .223 SPS varmint did over the weekend.
100 yds, full length sized range pick up brass(R-P), WSR primers, Benchmark powder, 52gr. Speer Varmint HP's, these were the first groups out of a stock rifle, all these 5 shot groups were shot starting from a clean bore, the fouling round is the stand alone bullet from the group.
Next step is stiffen the forend and bedding, and install an after market trigger.
100 yds, full length sized range pick up brass(R-P), WSR primers, Benchmark powder, 52gr. Speer Varmint HP's, these were the first groups out of a stock rifle, all these 5 shot groups were shot starting from a clean bore, the fouling round is the stand alone bullet from the group.
Next step is stiffen the forend and bedding, and install an after market trigger.
Here's what my boys .223 SPS varmint did over the weekend.
100 yds, full length sized range pick up brass(R-P), WSR primers, Benchmark powder, 52gr. Speer Varmint HP's, these were the first groups out of a stock rifle, all these 5 shot groups were shot starting from a clean bore, the fouling round is the stand alone bullet from the group.
Next step is stiffen the forend and bedding, and install an after market trigger.
If you don't mind me asking, how are you planning to stiffen the foreend? Are you planning to bed the sps stock or buy an aftermarket? I was considering a Boyd's stock but several conversations with other shooters have me doubting if I'll get the accuracy I want. Other options are HS Precision, or Bell & Carlson but they cost as much as the gun.
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There are two methods I've heard about.
The first involves line boring the stock below the barrel line and epoxying in two carbon fibre arrow shafts, it takes a long drill bit and a steady hand.
The other which I'm going to try involves gouging and scuffing up the sections of the barrel channel bottom, and laying sufficient amounts of epoxy to fill those hollow compartments below the barrel.
Try reducing the powder charge gap between loads and throw out the Chinese brass (I hate that stuff). When I load .223 I make my powder charge 0.2gr intervals, with such a small case capacity you will see a difference in your results.
Use brass with matching headstamps and trim it all to the same length. I've noticed that Federal (American Eagle) brass has a large number of pieces that are shorter than the specified trim length so I just sort them by length and load in batches (I have thousands of pieces).
Use brass with matching headstamps and trim it all to the same length. I've noticed that Federal (American Eagle) brass has a large number of pieces that are shorter than the specified trim length so I just sort them by length and load in batches (I have thousands of pieces).
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There is no reason to not get good accuracy in a Boyd's stock... the laminate material is easy to work with and relieve stresses if you should need to... mostly I haven't needed to... the Varmint Thumbhole is a very comfortable bench stock and would work well on your gun.
- Location
- West Quebec
tagged.. excellent info
Here is my recent thread about my experience stiffening up the flimsy SPS stock. I've got step-by-step photos with discussion, followed by a target showing the results:
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...-Varmint-Cheap-Tactical-Rifle-Project-Success
My Savage Model 10 .308
$100 delivered. Haven't even bedded it yet but it's nice and comfortable.
That's encouraging to hear. Can you get the same accuracy out of a bedded Boyd's stock as you would get from an aluminum chassis HS Precision? I actually like the look of laminate better. Also does anyone know who makes the 700 VLS stock? It doesn't look like a Boyd's but I like the looks of it. I don't really like thumb holes and apparently the tacticool can't be sent to Canada?
For now I'll keep it as is and test more ammo. If that doesn't work fixing the Tupperware or getting an upgrade will be on the table. It'll probably be a couple months until I can afford to make more expensive changes as work has been lousy and bills have taken a toll.
Thanks for the info. It looks like you got great results. That looks like it might be a little too adventurous for me though! I don't know that I would try it unless I was ready to pull the trigger on a backup stock.
