.223 bolt with 70,75,80,90 bullets

[rambo]

What have people done and what velocities are you getting with long barrels. I want to make something to shoot alot at long range. How about some load data also.

Thanks Rambo

 

[oht]

Good Info here.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/223rem/

 

[SpencerC]

Savage m12 26" 1-7" 90grn Berger VLD's 24.5grn of Varget gave me 2810fps
My COAL for the 90's was 2.700" I had the throat lengthened for those and they shot well and wasn't too long to still shoot the 80's.

80grn AMAX's 25grn of Varget gave me 2940, same for 80SMK's

Also tried Re-15 and got the same velocity with worse accuracy. Benchmark worked well with 80SMK's and 80 Berger VLD's but I can't find my load data on it.

I worked all of these loads up and are safe in my rifle, use at your own discretion. All loads were used with Lapua brass and CCI BR4 primers.

 

[rain164845]

I'm shooting Hornady 75gr HPBT with 24 gr Varget and getting great accuracy, but they don't fit in the mag.

Joe

 

[HillbillySniper]

I'm shooting the Hornady 75gr Amax outta a Rem 700 with a 26 inch 1 in 9 twist barrel with 26 grains of varget pushing it almost 3000 fps. Loads been proven out to 880 yards on a 8 inch gong. Good luck

Hillbilly

 

[Laurie]

You can get up to 2,900 fps with the Berger 90gn VLD in a 30-31" barrel from Varget, Re15, Viht N550, and around 2,850 fps from the 90gn BT Long-Range which produces substantially higher pressures than the VLD and requires lower charges.

As SpencerC notes, you MUST have a suitably throated barrel to load the 90s to get these sorts of velocities. I run the VLD at 2.705" COAL in a chamber with nearly a quarter-inch freebore. You can just touch the lands with some 80s with this sort of throating, but it does make the rifle into a specialist long-Range rig.

For 90s use 1-7" twist. The Sierra recommended 1-6.5" twist is not needed and is overly 'fast'. The Sierra 90gn MK has not turned out to perform well at high velocities or long ranges. I haven't used 90 JLK VLDs, but a Florida based correspondent tells me they have a habit of blowing up in flight in his 1-6.5" twist barrel. The Bergers are very well made and perform excellently.

Search the US Rifle Teams Long-Range Shooting forum for information on .223 at long ranges. Jerry Tierney did a lot of work in Sacramento on developing 80 and 90gn loads and it's all written up here over several threads.

http://www.usrifleteams.com/lrforum/

My UK national level .223R F/TR Savage custom build has been written up and I've written about loading .223/90 in recent editions of the free UK based online magazine TargetShooter

http://www.targetshooter.co.uk/

The rifle-build articles started back in August 2010 under the title 'Breaking The Mould' and handloading followed on finishing in the current issue. Back issues can be downloaded from the 'Archive' section as PDF files. (In fact, I'd recommend selecting PDF for the current issue too as an alternative to the video type page-turning format.)

Laurie,
York, England

 

[HPMike800]

Whats long range to you? 223 is OK out to 800yds or so. The reason some folks are pushing 90's so hard is because of competitive rules. If you don't have to live under rules, go to a 6mm - 7mm for regular 800-1,000yd shooting.

IMHO, 2850 or so is about the limit with 80's. People do a lot more but the pressures are up there.

Mike

 

[Laurie]

Whats long range to you?

Mike,

1,000, maybe 1,200 if I can get to the July GB F-Class Association at Bisley that is shot entirely at 1,000, 1,100 and 1,200yd.

Yes, it is rules defined - F/TR division F-Class limited to .223R and .308W. With the right chamber throating, pressures are OK, in fact almost certainly less than many national / international F/TR shooters are running in their 308s, not to mention the UK and British Commonwealth Match Rifle shooters who use .308W beyond 1,000 (up to 1,500yd on at least one Australian range).

Laurie

 

[rambo]

How about in a AR-15 upper? and what bullets can you still shoot thru the clip and make them feed.

 

[bhoeff]

I'm shooting the Hornady 75gr Amax outta a Rem 700 with a 26 inch 1 in 9 twist barrel with 26 grains of varget pushing it almost 3000 fps. Loads been proven out to 880 yards on a 8 inch gong. Good luck

Hillbilly

What coal are you loading? What brass are you using?
I am working with a 700P LTR which is a 20" 1 in 9. Using 75gr AMax H4895 24gr and Lapua brass with coal at 2.425 I get avg 2833fps but SD is 17.5. I am only able to test at 100yds but I am trying to work up the best load for 400-600yds. The standard reaction on most forums is that this bullet is too heavy for 1 in 9. Best group is .713
Suggestions?

 

[FroggyOne2]

I am using a 30 inch Rock Creek bbl, 7.2 twist, Lapua brass, 24grs of H4895 and the Hornady 75Amax. In warm days of summer, I am getting 3100 fps with this load. I have shot this load at 1000 yards twice. Shot a 192-6 and 195-6.. was pretty please with that, but I generally use this rifle at 300 to 600 yards. It is an absolute hammer.

 

[HillbillySniper]

I'm shooting the Hornady 75gr Amax outta a Rem 700 with a 26 inch 1 in 9 twist barrel with 26 grains of varget pushing it almost 3000 fps. Loads been proven out to 880 yards on a 8 inch gong. Good luck

Hillbilly

What coal are you loading? What brass are you using?
I am working with a 700P LTR which is a 20" 1 in 9. Using 75gr AMax H4895 24gr and Lapua brass with coal at 2.425 I get avg 2833fps but SD is 17.5. I am only able to test at 100yds but I am trying to work up the best load for 400-600yds. The standard reaction on most forums is that this bullet is too heavy for 1 in 9. Best group is .713
Suggestions?

I'm using winchester brass a coal of 2.485 with 26.0grains of varget crunched under a 75 grain Amax. My true muzzle velocity for my drop chart is 3046fps.

Hillbilly

 

[rambo]

Thanks for the information.
Tom