Retired shooter
Gold $$ Contributor
At what distance.?
Thanks
.223 Heavies
- Thread starter Retired shooter
- Start date
Thanks
Great thread, thanks for starting it!
Of all the heavy bullets I've used / tested, the Berger 90 VLD's are by far my favorites. Personally, I believe most competitive 223 shooters think they need to push these way too hard. High pressures cause there own set of issues from reduced brass life, premature barrel wear and fouling limiting useful match accuracy.
I have found the ISSF chamber perfect for seating depth with the 90VLD's (cartridge OAL is about 2.620" FYI, chamber pressures an get weird if the bullet is seated into the powder column IMHO).
My favorite load for fullbore / Palma shooting is 25.0 VV N150 (which requires a drop tube), and 205M's. Exceptional elevation at 1000 yards, and although fairly mild regarding pressure, is still around 1400fps at the target (from a MV of 2780fps). Brass life is exceptional.
VVN140 is also a great choice, but the best ES / SD numbers (for me) were by far using N150.
Barrels are all Benchmark 7 twist, 3 groove, finish lengths between 32 and 34 inches.
PS.......one of my fullbore rifles is suppressed, and this load (and the Berger 90's) is amazing on Ohio woodchucks at very long range!!
All the best to you,
kev
Of all the heavy bullets I've used / tested, the Berger 90 VLD's are by far my favorites. Personally, I believe most competitive 223 shooters think they need to push these way too hard. High pressures cause there own set of issues from reduced brass life, premature barrel wear and fouling limiting useful match accuracy.
I have found the ISSF chamber perfect for seating depth with the 90VLD's (cartridge OAL is about 2.620" FYI, chamber pressures an get weird if the bullet is seated into the powder column IMHO).
My favorite load for fullbore / Palma shooting is 25.0 VV N150 (which requires a drop tube), and 205M's. Exceptional elevation at 1000 yards, and although fairly mild regarding pressure, is still around 1400fps at the target (from a MV of 2780fps). Brass life is exceptional.
VVN140 is also a great choice, but the best ES / SD numbers (for me) were by far using N150.
Barrels are all Benchmark 7 twist, 3 groove, finish lengths between 32 and 34 inches.
PS.......one of my fullbore rifles is suppressed, and this load (and the Berger 90's) is amazing on Ohio woodchucks at very long range!!
All the best to you,
kev
I always enjoyed your posts on Savage Shooters. Happy to see you here!
Sorry, F-T/R @ 600, haven't even shot it at 1K, use a straight 284 for that. Haven't tried the 90s since many have said they are hard to tune (and I am pretty lazy). But I have some, and I have some N-150 so I'll be trying those with the info Kevin shared. I like milder loads that shoot well. Thanks!
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