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March 2, 2015, 12:03 PM | #1 |
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new gun, new powder, need suggestions
Browning X Bolt, .223 Varmit Special, 1:12 twist, 24" barrel.
Can't find any Accurate 2230 so am going to try 2200. Bullet is a Sierra Blitz King, 50 gr. Having a little trouble getting it to sub MOA. How much freebore do you leave in your loads? |
March 2, 2015, 12:28 PM | #2 |
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I don't know of any way to predetermine what will work best in your particular gun. Back the load off 10% and start with the bullet in the lands and tweak the load for best accuracy. Back up in 0.030" steps as Berger recommends.
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March 2, 2015, 06:22 PM | #3 |
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If you like 2230, try 2460, its nearly the same powder except it will take about .4 grains more or so to get the same results as the 2230.
in a 50 grain bullet with 2.260 or longer OAL, variable, I know...I would start at like 25.5 grains and work up to 26.X. The sweet spot will probably be a little over 26, depending on OAL |
March 2, 2015, 06:43 PM | #4 |
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whats wrong with good ol' fashioned 335 or 322 for lightweight .223's? maybe easier to get ahold of and does a pretty fantastic job
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March 2, 2015, 07:08 PM | #5 |
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H335 is great although can be temperature sensitive at times. All 3 of my .223s perform extremely well with 50 & 60 grain bullets and Benchmark.
As for OAL, like as already been said you'll have to tailor that to your particular rifle. |
March 3, 2015, 06:20 PM | #6 | |
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I saw a couple #'s of hodgdon'd "BENCHMARK" today. it was priced 8$ a pound more than the standard .223 powders, so I guess it's more for a reason. does anyone have experience with it? is it really 30% better than the others?
from hodgdon Quote:
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March 3, 2015, 06:27 PM | #7 |
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Are you reading your thread? See post #5..........
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March 3, 2015, 06:58 PM | #8 |
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guess not, I did not see that.
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March 3, 2015, 08:47 PM | #9 |
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Sorry for the blunt post ........................ got some bad medical news from the Doc and it's been a very trying day.
Benchmark is a great powder for the .223 and several other cartridges. It rarely displays temperature reactions and burns cleaner than a lot of others. It meters well through most powder measures and I have also found it to be fairly consistent from lot to lot. It is my go-to powder for our .204 and .223 caliber rifles. |
March 4, 2015, 08:36 AM | #10 |
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Hidalgo,
Don't want to butt into another guys thread... How does Benchmark do with 60 Gr. Varmint loads? I mostly shoot 55 & 60 grain V-max for Coyotes and I was wondering about Benchmark, some other guys talk it up like crazy... |
March 4, 2015, 07:24 PM | #11 |
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It's easy not to get groups under 1" at 100Yds. I suspect you could be shooting in a cross wind, poor rest there could be lots of reasons you are having problems. Give us more info detail.
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March 4, 2015, 07:46 PM | #12 |
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I have about 16lbs of WC-844, military surplus powder, which is about the same H335. I get great results with it, but it is pretty temp sensitive like others stated. I recently bought some Benchmark and have been getting some very impressive results out of my 223's. Probably my new favorite for the 223.
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March 4, 2015, 08:30 PM | #13 |
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@JeepHammer:
The 60 VMax is about all we shoot in our ARs. Does a wonderful job on coyotes and feral hogs. Benchmark with the 60s is well under MOA on all 3 of our rifles. |
March 5, 2015, 10:20 AM | #14 |
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Thank you! I'll but out now.
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March 5, 2015, 12:58 PM | #15 |
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Mebbe I'm jes ignert, but not being familiar with AA powders I checked my Lyman 49th, and in the data section for .223 I saw no loads for 40-60 gr bullets using 2200. I then checked the Powder chapter and saw no reference to 2200 in the Accurate Powders section. Am I missing something? What's 2200?
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March 7, 2015, 02:15 AM | #16 |
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AA 2200 works well in 223. I use 19.5 grains of powder with a 55 grain projectile. For a while, AA2200 was everywhere, and cheap, too, at $140/8lbs jug.
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