Questions For .223 Shooters, Not 5.56 NATO

[JohnnyFlake]

For those of you who shoot the .223 round, not the 5.56 NATO round. I am making the assumption (that can be foolish) that the serious shooters on this board understand that there is a significant different between .223 ammo and the 5.56 NATO round and the barrels they should be used in. Yes, on the outside (Externally) they look and their specs are exactly the same but that's where it ends.

My questions for .223 users are which is your favorite ammo, Brand, Bullet Weight, etc. and what is the rate of twist on the rifle you use.

[BlackEagle]

My older 1:9 twist Styer Elite likes 69 gr. SMK with 24.6 gr. N140 in an FNM or PPU case.

10 rounds, 100 yards:

[rcairflr]

I think what you will find, is that most people on this forum reload their own ammo. I am one of the reloaders,

My favorite load for 100 yards is 52 grain SMK with H335 powder and for longrange, my favorite bullet is 50 grain Hornady Vmax, also with H335 powder.

[JohnnyFlake]

Your probably right about most .223 shooters reloading their own. I also reload, but only for handgun ammo. I have been reloading for many, many years but never found the need to reload rifle ammo, as I used very small amounts during my hunting experiences.

Now, I plan to shoot a fair amount of .223 ammo, but as of yet, I am not sure if I want to start reloading it as well.

I am trying to find out which commercial ammo is preferred, by those that use it, to at least get me off to a good start.

[lonewolf204]

I'm having good luck with hornady ammo. I shoot the 55 grain and the 52 grain bullets. I have tried a lot of different brands and bullet weights. My gun likes the hornady the best.

[gdmoody]

I also reload mine. I load a 40 grain Hornady Z-max bullet using 27.7 grains of CFE-223 powder. I am shooting it through a Weatherby Vanguard rifle with a 24 inch 1:14 twist barrel.

I also load for my AR's in 5.56 , both have a 1:9 twist and I load both a 55 grain bullet and a 69 grain bullet for them.

[Zane71464]

I've got the Savage 12 with a 26" barrel with a 1-9" twist rate and I shoot Hornady 55gr. Soft Points throught it most of the time and it is spot on.
I also shoot the Hornady HP's and in 55gr., just not as accurate as the SP's at further distances.

[cpttango30]

I reload all mine as well.

For my REm 700 VLS I load 50gr Hornady V-Max over VV N133 for 3650+ fps.

For my AR (Wyld chamber) I load 60gr Hornady V-Max over H4895 for just over 3000 fps.

I have some 80gr Bergers for the AR so I need to clean out the shed/reloading room and see how they do.

[polishshooter]

The best factory ammo and deal I found before I went to shoot Pdogs this year was 50 rounds of Hornady .223 52gr BTHPs for $29.95.

After I told my buddies who both own custom bolt varmint .223s they made me detour back and get them each a box.

It shot as well through my Rock River AR as the Black Hills 50 gr Vmax reloads which usually is $10+ more than that for 50, I was using in the past, just a hair over 1" at 100 from my 16" HB 1-9".

Yeah I reload as well, but only get about 1 1/2" from my handloads so far, and with other "cheaper" factory 55gr fmjs I am lucky to get 2", usually about 3" from a bench at 100...

[JLA]

I too load my own. My .223 preference is 9 twist at least, prefer 8 twist.. 69 gr sierra matchkings, and 23.7 gr W748.

I am currently developing a load with the new CFE223.

[time2shoot]

I just started reloading .223 rounds and i have found from my exp. that the twist rate plays a big part in the bullet weight. mine has a 1in 9 twist. which gives me better accuracy with a heavyer bullet. up to the 60 weight. for longer shots. The best recipe for around 200yds.
That I have came up with is as follows.
Powder- IMR 498-20.3g
bullet- is a Nosler BT 40g.
Case- win.
Primer WSR
seated length is- 2.245 OACL.
I used the black marker tecnic to get my sesated leangth.

[time2shoot]

Jla's will work great and have better acuracy farther out than mine.
Two good loads one light one heavy. go from there. Just remember to double check burn speeds of powder.

For instance i learned the hard way that my 300 winmag. has a tendancy to over presher.
on any thing under 85% of case volume. IE loads that fill the casing almost up. dos'nt split bulge or blow out my brass. weard hugh.

[JLA]

not wierd. Thats the way smokeless powder works.. Too little powder is sometimes worse than too much