I picked up some 70gr gmx so I can make up some loads for my 223(tikka with 8 twist)...but I'm having a hard time finding load data for these. Currently on my shelf I have varget, h4350, h335, R15, H322 imr4064 and imr3031. Any guidance is welcomed.
70gr gmx loads
- Thread starter Huntersuave
- Start date
Going through the Hornady Reloading manual latest addition, there is no data for that bullet under 223 Remington cartridge. They do list it however for the 223 service rifle with a 20 inch barrel. The bad news is that in the footnotes the state that that bullet will not stabilize with a 1:8 or slower twist.
Hmmm....crappy. I figured 8 twist should easily stabilize 70s. Thanks for the reply.
NZ_Fclass
Silver $$ Contributor
Hornady's website: " Best terminal performance achieved in SBR’s carbines & rifles 1:7" twist, or carbines & rifles 1:8 ” twist"
While they also state - "Not for 223 REM" . The bullet is obviously long for weight, being copper. However - I would give it a go in my Tikka. Load low - given that the powder capacity will be limited by the amount of projectile in the case. Varget should be OK - use the "book" starting load - 23.5g or even lower. You do not want to compress the powder too much - if it gets "crunchy" or you cannot easily seat the bullet to length - back off the powder. I expect the best performance will be on the quicker side - but you will need to find that load carefully. I would not try the faster powders first off.
I suspect that Hornady's "warning" refers to" normal load data" for a 70g 223 in the AR platform guns.
While they also state - "Not for 223 REM" . The bullet is obviously long for weight, being copper. However - I would give it a go in my Tikka. Load low - given that the powder capacity will be limited by the amount of projectile in the case. Varget should be OK - use the "book" starting load - 23.5g or even lower. You do not want to compress the powder too much - if it gets "crunchy" or you cannot easily seat the bullet to length - back off the powder. I expect the best performance will be on the quicker side - but you will need to find that load carefully. I would not try the faster powders first off.
I suspect that Hornady's "warning" refers to" normal load data" for a 70g 223 in the AR platform guns.
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Thanks for your replies, doing a little research I'm finding CFE223 is a good powder for this weight class bullets. At least showing considerable velocity gains vs varget. Any input on that? I can get CFE223 powder locally so I'm wondering if that would be a decent choice. Reason I ask is components are hard to come by...don't want to waste much...but I guess that's part of the process.
NZ_Fclass
Silver $$ Contributor
You have to consider the length rather than the weight. Monolithic projectiles, in my experience behave somewhat differently. It's like going with moly or hbo for the first loads - you know how they are supposed to perform, but you don't want to blow your face off! CFE should work, but I don't like ball powders that much. I would expect IMR 8208 ( poss even H322) to end up as the right powder, but I still suggest a low load of Varget for starters.
stacy
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