20 Practical (20-223)

[Jwhip]

Just an informational post about pet loads and my most recent project. About 4 months ago I started my journey into the custom rifle scene. I’ve always been an accuracy freak growing up with my grandfather’s Cooper’s and his love for prairie dog hunting. So together we started in on our 20 Practical. McGowen Precision barrel 1/11” twist, savage target action, on a Richards microfit Claro walnut stock. I had browsed the forums looking for pet loads knowing I would use 35 gr Berger’s. After getting my barrel and installation, glass bedding, free floating was finished I settled in on load progression. Starting with H335 I worked from 24 grains to 25.2 grains at .005” off the lands. After working my way up to 25.2 (1tenth of a grain more than the max charge in the Berger manual) I saw no pressure signs on the CCI-450 primers, but didn’t want to go higher because 3675 FPS is enough for me and the accuracy was unreal. I tried H322 and H4895 which both had good accuracy and standard deviations, but didn’t throw as accurate as H335. Next step is looking for a little better scope for shooting off the bench. Hope you find my project interesting.
Thanks,
-Jake

 

[DogBuster]

been shooting a 20 PT for 12+ years......12 twist

waiting in line at Pac Nor right now for a new barrel

Also a Target action....but 10 twist.....28" full cylinder

I like 'em fat

I run 40 V's....Benchmark...8208......H4895

 

[sundance]

My 20p likes the 32 gr Blitzkings the best. Nice looking rig.

 

[Jwhip]

My 20p likes the 32 gr Blitzkings the best. Nice looking rig.

Thanks! I’ve got some 32gr blitzkings and V-Max’s laying around that I use in the 20Vt I may have to give it a try.

 

[Jwhip]

been shooting a 20 PT for 12+ years......12 twist

waiting in line at Pac Nor right now for a new barrel

Also a Target action....but 10 twist.....28" full cylinder

I like 'em fat

I run 40 V's....Benchmark...8208......H4895

Let me know how the pacnor shoots I was looking at those pretty hard.

 

[DogBuster]

My barrels are all P-N........

they shoot great !

Since the fire they had last October......

They're playing catch up on the orders that were on hand then

My new barrel....prob won't see till mid winter

 

[Jwhip]

Next project I’m thinking 17 Fireball and/ or 6 PPC. May get ahold of them.

 

[nmkid]

My 20P has a Pac Nor barrel. So much fun to shoot.

 

[Jwhip]

My 20P has a Pac Nor barrel. So much fun to shoot.

Wow! It does! What load do you like? Distance from/into lands?

 

[JSH]

I looked at the 20P for a fair amount of time. Then I basically tripped over a 204R. Ran across a fellow that shot nothing but factory ammo and was gifted a pretty fair size pile. Buddy called me and gave me info on a fellow that had been loading ammo to sell, he was quitting and made me a good deal on 204 brass and bullets. Then when I thought I had enough, ran across factory loaded ammo cheaper than I could buy brass.

Absolutely nothing against wildcats, I have several. But factory offerings make it easier some times.
You mention 6PPC, I would look at the 6ARC for colony critter shooting.
I am on a mission of having a 22BR done by next spring. I had read a lot of happy folks comments on the 22BR. I have to say it was one of the easiest and best shooting wildcats I have run across yet. I don’t have pics of groups, mine were as good as most any others of the same cartridge I have seen. Easy sub MOA out to 300, as far as I have shot.

 

[Jwhip]

I looked at the 20P for a fair amount of time. Then I basically tripped over a 204R. Ran across a fellow that shot nothing but factory ammo and was gifted a pretty fair size pile. Buddy called me and gave me info on a fellow that had been loading ammo to sell, he was quitting and made me a good deal on 204 brass and bullets. Then when I thought I had enough, ran across factory loaded ammo cheaper than I could buy brass.

Absolutely nothing against wildcats, I have several. But factory offerings make it easier some times.
You mention 6PPC, I would look at the 6ARC for colony critter shooting.
I am on a mission of having a 22BR done by next spring. I had read a lot of happy folks comments on the 22BR. I have to say it was one of the easiest and best shooting wildcats I have run across yet. I don’t have pics of groups, mine were as good as most any others of the same cartridge I have seen. Easy sub MOA out to 300, as far as I have shot.

I’ve got a 22 ppc, very similar to the BR. Shoots great. Hard to find a load it doesn’t shoot well

 

[Evan]

That's a lovely figuring in the stock. What grade did Richards give that one, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Jwhip]

Of course! I believe they call that the select grade. Very cost effective. But it takes a lot of work. I probably spent 4 hours on sanding before applying several coats of tru-oil and walnut restore before completely finishing it. There are several grades higher than the one I got, but I simply got that because I knew I would be glass bedding, and since it was the first time I’d ever done it, I thought I should go a little cheaper on the wood in case I screwed something up. But everything went as planned.

 

[Evan]

Of course! I believe they call that the select grade. Very cost effective. But it takes a lot of work. I probably spent 4 hours on sanding before applying several coats of tru-oil and walnut restore before completely finishing it. There are several grades higher than the one I got, but I simply got that because I knew I would be glass bedding, and since it was the first time I’d ever done it, I thought I should go a little cheaper on the wood in case I screwed something up. But everything went as planned.

I've made 5 stocks from Richards now. A couple closeout specials, and then a handful of laminate blanks that I shaped for BR. That's a nice piece of wood for select. I had a AA closeout 2nd that didn't look much better than that through most of the stock, which was why I was curious what grade it was.

 

[Tommie]

I have the same stock in what they call “exhibition grade”. I’d rate the wood as kinda fancy but certainly not mind-blowing. Definitely not worth the price premium. It took some magic by Bc’z to bring out some figure.

 

[Jwhip]

I have the same stock in what they call “exhibition grade”. I’d rate the wood as kinda fancy but certainly not mind-blowing. Certainly not worth the price premium. It took some magic by Bc’z to bring out some figure.

That’s good to know. I’ll remember that when I’m buying my next one. Thanks!

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I have a 20p upper I assembled, I had purchased 300 lc formed brass a couple years earlier. I have tried to form brass with the dies I have(can size and seat the fired brass), but range 556 brass doesn't form correctly. Should I use the new LC brass I have on hand or purchase new 223 brass and do I need Redding die 77111?

 

[Jwhip]

I have a 20p upper I assembled, I had purchased 300 lc formed brass a couple years earlier. I have tried to form brass with the dies I have(can size and seat the fired brass), but range 556 brass doesn't form correctly. Should I use the new LC brass I have on hand or purchase new 223 brass and do I need Redding die 77111?

Everything I’ve heard says you should be able to use any 223 brass. However, you will need that Redding full length size die and the bushings/204 decapping rod. If I remember correctly I used .233 bushing and .225 bushing. I think.226 works also but I already had a .225 for my 20VT so I used it.

 

[JSH]

I have a 20p upper I assembled, I had purchased 300 lc formed brass a couple years earlier. I have tried to form brass with the dies I have(can size and seat the fired brass), but range 556 brass doesn't form correctly. Should I use the new LC brass I have on hand or purchase new 223 brass and do I need Redding die 77111?

Range brass for forming always seems to have issues here or there.
If it were me using known once fired brass, all of the same make, I would run it through a 223SB die, anneal and then neck down.
Necking down, some times it will work better necking before annealing other times not.

No more than is out there for factory 20 caliber, I still figured some one would have come up with another one by now. The 20P or even 20-222 or 20-221, I wouldn’t even care if ya put the 5mm label on them.

Maybe get Speer involved with bullets?
I live between Hornady and Sierra and use a fair number of each. Yet I have had really good luck with Speer bullets, yet very very few locals stock them.

 

[Jwhip]

Range brass for forming always seems to have issues here or there.
If it were me using known once fired brass, all of the same make, I would run it through a 223SB die, anneal and then neck down.
Necking down, some times it will work better necking before annealing other times not.

No more than is out there for factory 20 caliber, I still figured some one would have come up with another one by now. The 20P or even 20-222 or 20-221, I wouldn’t even care if ya put the 5mm label on them.

Maybe get Speer involved with bullets?
I live between Hornady and Sierra and use a fair number of each. Yet I have had really good luck with Speer bullets, yet very very few locals stock them.

I think the 20-221 (VT) would be a great factory round. There’s a reason why hand loafers love it! Remington has started producing the 17 Fireball so that’s one step in the right direction in my opinion.