reloading the .223 rem

[TheBear]

Hi guys
I ordered an anschuetz1770 bolt action rifle in .223rem today, should get it in 1 or 2 weeks. I never did any reloading for the .223rem cartridge.
The rifle has a 1in9 twist and a 22inch barrel what do you think would be a good bullet weight for this rifle? 1in9 is a pretty fast twist, right? So heavy bullets should be the way to go?
Anyone having good load data, maybe one of you is even loading bullets for the anschuetz 1770 himself?

[overthere]

Not familiar with the anschuetz but I have a Savage .223 bolt action with a 1-9 twist.

I have shot mainly 55gr projectiles, Hornady FMJ, Hornady SP and Midway Dogtown SP. Of these I have had best accuracy at 100 yards with the following loads:

24.0gr Varget
20.5hr H322

The 20.5gr H322 is light but it shoots really good at 100 yards in my rifle, better than any of the other H322 loads I tried in 0.5gr increments up to 23.0 gr.

If I had to pick just one powder I would go with the Varget though. It shoots more consistent, perhaps because the 24.0gr fills more of the case.

[ronz]

Iirc 1 in 9 works better with the lighter bullets im fairly new to reloading for the 223 but think 55g would be a good place to start

[Adamantium]

1:9 typically handles all jacketed 69 grain and under bullets designed for the .223. Some people have gotten good results with heavier bullets but that can be a gun to gun thing. A 1:9 will certainly stabilize any 55gr bullet.

[Kiwi Hunter]

I have always had best results with the 50g Vmax / NBT varmint style pills and 65g Sierra SGK for hunting larger things in my 9 twist (and 7 twist)

If its a true 9 twist it will probably stabilise up to the 75g amax - getting those into the magazine without filling the case with bullet shank is usually the main problem

[stnosc]

You'll be just fine with any bullet up to 69gr. You might have an issue with the bullet stabilizing with anything heavier, IMO.

[45YearsShooting]

I had a Savage heavy barrel varmint rifle in .223 with a 1 to 9 twist and the bullet that shot the best in it was the Speer 52-grain Hollow Point. Shot thousands of those bullets, and you can buy them in 500 packs at a decent price. They gave me 1/3 to 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards consistently, and worked just as well in another gun too. Other bullets (including the 50 grain Speer TNT HP) did not do quite as well.

[TheBear]

thanks
i`m gonna give the 52grain speer hp a try, 1/3 inch at 100 sounds really nice

[223 shooter]

In my 1 in 9" twist 700LTR and Savage 12BVSS , Sierra MatchKings in 52 and 69 grains have been extremely accurate. Also the 55 Berger match or varmint.

[603Country]

My 223 (1 in 9 twist) shot the 65 gr Sierra GK wonderfully, but I just had to try to see what it would do with small bullets. I bought a bunch of Nosler 40 grain Ballistic Tips and gave them a try. After a little fiddling with various powders, they shot great over a near max load of H335.

[45YearsShooting]

My 1 in 9 twist Savage did not like those Nosler 40 grain Ballistic Tips, and they were a lot more expensive than the Speers. Groups were around 1-inch at 100 yards, more than twice the size of the 52-grain Speer Hollow Points.

I really wanted to like those Nosler 40 grain Ballistic Tips, so I experimented a LOT with them as soon as they were introduced in the 1990's, using various charges of H335 and also H322. The best I could do with that bullet were around 1-inch in that gun. I also tried 500 of the Speer 50-grain TNTs. They did better than the 40-grain Noslers but still not as good as the 52-grain Speer Hollow points.

Of course, different guns like different bullets. However, I shot those 52-grain Speers in a custom barreled Contender and I also got 1/3-inch groups in that gun with these bullets.

I spent a lot of time loading and shooting different varmint bullets in this caliber (I had my own rifle range then), and I'm sold on those 52-grain Speer bullets. The funny thing is, when you look at them, they don't look as pretty as some other bullets you compare them to. However, the proof is on the target.

Don't expect 1/3-inch groups unless you are using a scope with at least 20-power. A 9 or 12-power scope will not let you aim precisely enough.

[TheBear]

I bought a box of those 52grain speer bullets yesterday...they wont win any beauty contest, your right about that 45YearsShooting
which powder did you use for your loads?

[brokenanew]

with that length barrel you may be able to get a slightly slower burning powder to do well maybe the reloader 15 under a 69 gr SMK? The 69 grainer is probably about as large a bullet as you'll be able to use. Varget could work well too but burns a little faster.

Don't count out the V-max. SO far the 60 gr V-max will shoot better that the 69gr SMK and 75 Gr A-max in my .223. I used Varget. But my weapon is a different beast altogether. AR15 w/ 16" barrel. But if u want an accurate round that you can hunt with I would look hard at the V-max. Anything within 200 it will be pretty accurate only b/c its not a boat tail. Past that It may wobble.

[4runnerman]

Savage huh?.

60 gn V-Max
CCI BR-4 primers
25.5 gns Varget
2.29 COL
Cases trimmed to 1.745

Shoot Fly's at 100 yards

You can Thank Me Later

[wingman]

After owning 6 223's I found the 52gr Sierra Match to be the most consistent in all @100 yards,that includes the AR. Powder,335.4895,CFE223,Benchmark,H322 all good with the 52gr sierra.

[FM12]

For bullets up to 60 grains, Hodgons H335 is my powder of choice.

Can be temperamental with temperature changes tho.

[oldpapps]

Just copy this and paste it into a spread sheet (block C1 is a good option).

Sg=(30*C5)/((C7/C4)^2*C4^3*C6/C4*(1+(C6/C4)^2))*(C8/2800)^(1/3)*((C9+460)/(59+460)*29.92/C10)

Then copy and paste this (to make it simple, put the 'Where' in block E2).

Where:
Sg - is the stability coefficient and should not be less than 1.4, but more is ok
C4 - Caliber in inches (.223 for both .222 and .223)
C5 - Bullet Weight in grains
C6 - Bullet Length in inches
C7 - Barrel Twist in inches per turn
C8 - Muzzle Velocity in fps
C9 - Temperature in degrees F (59F normally used)
C10 - Pressure in inches of mercury (29.92 normally used)

Go into the formula and put a '+' in front of each 'C'. This will put the variables in the 'C' column from row 4 to 10. The numbers will have to be typed in to the 'C' column. The location that you put the formula will display the final calculation value.

It is not that hard.

Try it, you might like it.

Enjoy,

OSOK

[Clark]

If I use a 22LR barrel and build a 223 with 1 in 16" twist, it will stabilize the 52 gr but not the 55 gr bullets.

223 is amazing.
Just slap some junk together and get tiny groups.
I have done that twice.

[45YearsShooting]

I bought a box of those 52grain speer bullets yesterday...they wont win any beauty contest, your right about that 45YearsShooting
which powder did you use for your loads?

I used 26.5 gr. of H335 in my Savage .223, and loaded them to the longest length possible in that rifle, touching the lands.

[Nathan]

How did the 52 gr speers work out. IMO, they are likely a bit light. If pure accuracy is your goal, I would try a heavier flat base bullet like:

Hornady 55 gr or 60gr VMAX
Sierra 53gr Match King
Sierra 60 gr HP Varmint


Flat base bullets are usually the most accurate. Also, a 1:9 will usually shoot best with 55 gr + bullets. None of this means you shouldn't experiment and let the rifle say what it likes.

[Jimro]

Clark, did you reline a 223 barrel with a 22lr insert? I seem to remember someone doing that for a 22-250, trying to launch 40 gr bullets at some insane speed.

Jimro

[John1 S]

Well if you would like to hunt squirrels with the 223 you can go with a reduced load. 4.0 grs of unque with a 40 gr. HP and it will go about 1300 FPS. Will get a squirrel . Have done this a lot. Don't go below 3.0 gr. and not over 5.0 gr of unque. All so works good in a 221 fireball.

[mohr308]

Im with 603Country, I load the 65 grain SGK and I use 24.5gr of H335 in my 1:9 twist AR, sub moa groups @ 100 yds. CCI 41 primers.

[Beans]

I have been shooting 77 gr SMK bullets out of my Remington 700 tactical- 1/9 twist with very good results. Not only using my handloads but also the Double tap .223 match ammo with the 77 gr Nosler bullet.

[Marco Califo]

Oldpaps,
I got that to work in Excel, by deleting Sg in the formula so that it starts with "=" and calculates a value based on my input variables in the C column.

Thus, my 75 gr HPBT at 3000 fps yielded 1.46, and that is, in fact, a very accurate load in my gun. And even better at 85 degrees F. Thanks!

Just copy this and paste it into a spread sheet (block C1 is a good option).

Sg=(30*C5)/((C7/C4)^2*C4^3*C6/C4*(1+(C6/C4)^2))*(C8/2800)^(1/3)*((C9+460)/(59+460)*29.92/C10)