Hornady 68gr HPBT match .224 load data with Varget

jdman

jdman

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Hey guys,

i have a bunch of these bullets to try out, and loaded some up. I used the data for the 69gr SMK, cant recall offhand what the max was exactly, but it was somewhere around 26ish grains of varget. I am shooting it in an AR15, with 14.5inch BBL.

I loaded some up to 25gr or varget, with an OAL of 2.260 as the 69gr data suggests.

I could hear the powder compressing, and looking at the data shows the max load was a compressed load, so i didnt think much of the sound.

However i have done a bit of reading today about these, and i think i may be right at max for the 68's? :rolleyes:

so has anyone any experience with these and can shed some better light? Its hard to trust random stuff on the inet, so i think it is better to ask here where the pros go. :p


do i need to pull all of these loads? :ninja:
 
sierra book shows 19.9gr starting load and 26.4gr as max using varget with 69gr pills, I think you are safe.
a little "crunch" isn't to bad, all my 75gr loads I use in my .223 compress a bit.
 
jdman said:
from what i read today, the 68 is longer than the 69SMK though, and as such you cant use the same data. Anyone use this in an AR?
Click to expand...

from the sources I have on hand, I don't have 68gr load data, I personaly would use the 69gr data and be VERY comfortable doing so (working up as you should be ANYWAY) and proceed with that,
what i'm mostly trying to say is that a little "crunch" is fine with varget, I wouldn't feel the need to pull the loads cause of this.
 
normally i would not worry about the 1gr difference, and would start mid range like i did, and work up. However i have read some other stuff today, and it made me start to think. The varget at max was the potentially most accurate load, so i figured i would start there, and work towards it.
 
jdman said:
...I used the data for the 69gr SMK, cant recall offhand what the max was exactly, but it was somewhere around 26ish grains of varget. I am shooting it in an AR15, with 14.5inch BBL.
Click to expand...
The 69 SMK and 68 Hornady HPBT are very different bullets with the Hornady's being quite a bit longer.
May not matter in a bolt gun, but if you are loading to 2.250" OAL, you should account for it with less powder feeding the 68s.

jdman said:
...II loaded some up to 25gr or varget, with an OAL of 2.260 as the 69gr data suggests.
I could hear the powder compressing, and looking at the data shows the max load was a compressed load, so i didnt think much of the sound.
Click to expand...

Do some crono'ing with your loads. Maxing out with compressed loads in any autos I've fed with Varget is a lost cause.
While it could be true that some of these max loads offer excellent accuracy, the same could be said with loads that are well backed off max. You'll have a bit more elevation to feed on the dials, but that is far better than picking primers out of your trigger group, or worse....

jdman said:
...However i have done a bit of reading today about these, and i think i may be right at max for the 68's? :rolleyes:
so has anyone any experience with these and can shed some better light? Its hard to trust random stuff on the inet, so i think it is better to ask here where the pros go. :p
do i need to pull all of these loads? :ninja:
Click to expand...

My go to load for the 69 SMK is pretty much 24-24.5 grains of any of the powders that do well with this bullet in .223 - there are about a dozen including Varget in that mix. I would back off that charge by .5-1.0 grains for the 68s; so that is anywhere from 23-24 grains.
If I was in your shoes I'd likely shoot a few over the chrono, and compare the velocities to the Hornady load manual for data supplied for the AR-15 (keeping in mind they are running a 20"), and inspect the cases. If you are blowing primers or having the base of the brass flowing into and imprinting the extractor or ejector, I would pull the bullets and re-do them.


Lastly, be wary of guys with bolt guns giving you load data.
 
I've got that bullet in my database.

If it matters, quick load is giving me 66k PSI, with the max for 5.56 being 58k.
Base on my experience loading for the AR, and using this program to load for the AR, I wouldn't do it.
You might get away with it . . . . . . but . . . . . . . . You'll be over gassed, and probably have extraction issues and stuck cases.

23 -24g seems like it would be the sweet spot based on my data with 24g being MY max that I would load.
I'd be looking for a node around 23.5g according to what I'm seeing here as that is the numbers sweet spot.

Man, people really love that Varget stuff, but I've yet to get it to shoot worth a damn out my AR.
 
Just looked it up. My Hornady manual has a service rifle page for AR's. It lists 24.9 as the max for Varget with a Coal of 2.250". Sierra also has a section of loads devoted specifically for AR's. I downloaded mine for the 6mmbr website.
 
Check Hodgdon load data web-site for Varget data. Sierra and Hornady manuals list starting loads as max. Never was impressed with Varget until charges were increased to a reasonable pressure.
 
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