I have the Sierra book and was loading some 52 grain Match Kings. Tried the manual's "accuracy load" of 26.9 H335. Loaded them out a bit to 2.260. First five rounds out of the cold barrel went into one hole, so I quit right there.
Working up .223 Load - Experienced Help Welcome!
- Thread starter iduncant
- Start date
A few years back I went thru the same thing, Stevens 200 gun, same twist, same bullets, same powders as you. Then I tried Varget and heavier bullets (as suggested here) and viola! done. 2.28, 60gr nosler, and worked up from 24.5gr. Found the sweet spot first trip to the range!
Advice given here is good! Practise lots, have a comfortable shooting rest/bags, and then practise more! Also, the more consistent you are prepping and loading, the more repeatable your groups will be.
Advice given here is good! Practise lots, have a comfortable shooting rest/bags, and then practise more! Also, the more consistent you are prepping and loading, the more repeatable your groups will be.
A load I use in my Savage Axis is 21.5 grains IMR 4198 pushing 53 grain Sierra Match bullets in Winchester brass with Federal primers. Playing with shooting position and holding the rifle, I shot three in one hole (100 yards). The sad part on that target was, I didn't know they went in the same hole so I purposely pulled the last two to make sure I was still on paper. Other than that, on average It shoots quarter sized five hole groups
I know all rifles are different, this is my pet load for this particular rifle.
I know all rifles are different, this is my pet load for this particular rifle.
I dont know much about the CFE 223s temp sencitivity, but varget seems to be pretty stable. Not a marketing ploy by any stretch IMHO.
It was something I picked up Al Flaherty's in Toronto.
Hotwheels81
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69gr SMK over H4895 seated to around 2.250 and a CCI BR-4 should make you smile...
No sense messing about with handloading until you have established the ability to shoot from a bench. Get some coaching from someone you see at the range, shooting wee, tiny little groups! Internet commandos all shoot wee groups, but not so much at the range. A guy on the range, actually shooting tiny groups has mastered consistency, which then allows you to determine how accurate your rifle/ammunition combination is.
Buy some match ammo, of Blackhills Gold, and come back to them every few trips to the range, to establish what you, rifle and ammo can do. Then, and only then, can you mess about spending the rest of your life trying to fine tune a load to optimize bench rest accuracy.
Be methodical. Your first post suggested you tried three different bullets, three different loads, and so you have nothing to compare anything with. One bullet, one powder, start 10% off max, go up in increments, call each shot, and if you see a sweet spot, do multiple increments with ten rounds each, plus or minus.
Different powder, same drill. If you are seeking maximum accuracy, use only premium match bullets, of appropriate weight for your barrel twist. Not to say a light, or heavy bullet may not pleasaantly surprise you, but play the odds. Greener's formula has stood the test for over a hundred years. Once you have a great load, you can mess about with other bullet styles, and see if they enjoy the same happy harmonics, but to start, give yourself a chance, and use match bullets.
And, if you are truly seeking max accuracy, fastidiously follow die set up procedures, use a volumetric scale - not an electronic mass scale - set cartridge length to a consistent base to ogive length - even match bullets differ one to the other in overall length - clean primer pockets, don't crimp, and go find a book by a Bench Rest Master which details loading for success. Or else, just stuff bullets in cases and go shoot. Most folks find that more rewarding!
Buy some match ammo, of Blackhills Gold, and come back to them every few trips to the range, to establish what you, rifle and ammo can do. Then, and only then, can you mess about spending the rest of your life trying to fine tune a load to optimize bench rest accuracy.
Be methodical. Your first post suggested you tried three different bullets, three different loads, and so you have nothing to compare anything with. One bullet, one powder, start 10% off max, go up in increments, call each shot, and if you see a sweet spot, do multiple increments with ten rounds each, plus or minus.
Different powder, same drill. If you are seeking maximum accuracy, use only premium match bullets, of appropriate weight for your barrel twist. Not to say a light, or heavy bullet may not pleasaantly surprise you, but play the odds. Greener's formula has stood the test for over a hundred years. Once you have a great load, you can mess about with other bullet styles, and see if they enjoy the same happy harmonics, but to start, give yourself a chance, and use match bullets.
And, if you are truly seeking max accuracy, fastidiously follow die set up procedures, use a volumetric scale - not an electronic mass scale - set cartridge length to a consistent base to ogive length - even match bullets differ one to the other in overall length - clean primer pockets, don't crimp, and go find a book by a Bench Rest Master which details loading for success. Or else, just stuff bullets in cases and go shoot. Most folks find that more rewarding!
Actually, .223 is exceptionally easy to load for and get excellent results. From the shear amount of variation in bullets and powder choices, not to mention brass and primers, there is an overwhelming array of variation a loader can choose from.
Looks like your groups are there. Not sure if this has been discussed but the only thing different I would have done from the begining is put on a solid set of rings and bases. From my experiences the rings and bases included in the Savage packages are the weakest link!
You're absolutely right, the rings suck. short of loc-tite, they will always come loose after a few shots.
Better rings are a must.
