Books say the maximum OAL for .223 is 2.260. I found my OAL to the lands is 2.285. I have a remington 700 .223 and when I put a 69 grain SMK in a empty case with the neck semi tight and loaded it into my rifle and take it out and measure it, its 2.285. I was told to load close to the lands for best accuracy. Can I load it 2.280 or is 2.260 the max?
.223 OAL?
- Thread starter stinnett1981
- Start date
Books say 2.260" because that's the maximum length that can be magazine loaded in the very popular AR-15. For any other type, like a bolt, single shot, etc. load 'em to whatever length you want. I'm using either just touching or a .020" jump, with the 80 gr. SMK's. In my 8 twist Hart barrel, it does not seem to matter.
Factory chamberings are known for havng a lot of freebore length, to keep pressures down & so the longest bullets available can be chambered.
Another advantage of having your own chambering reamer when you replace a barrel. You specify the FB to the reamer maker, along with other important dimensions, like chamber neck diameter.
Factory chamberings are known for havng a lot of freebore length, to keep pressures down & so the longest bullets available can be chambered.
Another advantage of having your own chambering reamer when you replace a barrel. You specify the FB to the reamer maker, along with other important dimensions, like chamber neck diameter.
every rifle is different and depends on if yo want to single load or magazine feed. If you want to single feed start load development close to lands. Then after finding charge weight play with seating depths to fine tune. From there you can only go in one direction, shorter OAL to find best seating depth
Im new to reloading. My barrel is 9 twist. Store bought federal gold medal 69g SMK shot the best so far. They shoot .4 MOA. So im gonna start reloading with same bullets .002 of lands and varget. Hopefully I can get .25 MOA. You guys have and load info for 40 grain V-max?
What is your shooting purpose?
If it's hunting I wouldn't seat any closer than .20" to the lands for functionality reasons. The last thing you need in the field is for a bullet to get stuck in the lands when you extract a cartridge thus spillling powder into the chamber and action.
For accuacy it depends on the rifle. I have one that shoots best at 2.250 but most of mine prefer 2.280. All are bolts actions and all are seated at least .020" off the lands.
If it's hunting I wouldn't seat any closer than .20" to the lands for functionality reasons. The last thing you need in the field is for a bullet to get stuck in the lands when you extract a cartridge thus spillling powder into the chamber and action.
For accuacy it depends on the rifle. I have one that shoots best at 2.250 but most of mine prefer 2.280. All are bolts actions and all are seated at least .020" off the lands.
I would load it to 2.280 mine are loaded to 2.310 for my savage Axis. I know wouldn't fit in an AR but I don't have one yet so I don't worry about that. I have found over several years of reloading my best accuracy is almost always with the bullet closer to the lands. I never start with hot loads though always a grain over minimum and work my way up watching for signs of pressure. Lately all the new sporting rifles are being manufactured with deep throat because of the heavy bullet craze. I'm a 55 grain man. Although I did pick up some 62 grain fmj bullets while they were on clearance.
This, exactly.
If you're hunting, shooting across the course, plinking, etc., there's one set of answers that'll include practical considerations relevant to those pursuits.
If you're single-loading a case (that's named 'Bob', because each of your neck-turned cases have names), that you would never, in your worst nightmare, consider cleaning, into a rifle that weighs 27 pounds, there's another set of answers.
There are some intersections between the two sets of answers, but it sure helps to know what you're fixing to do with the ammo.
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
If you're not restricted to 2.260" as max mag length, then you should be adjusting seating depth of loaded rounds within the range you have to work with solely for the purpose of optimizing precision. Whomever told you "close to the lands for accuracy" neglected to tell you that different rifles, bullets, and loads can have dramatically different seating depth preferences. Any such statement is a gross generalization, at the very best. Only rigorous seating depth testing in small increments (~.003") will reveal where your setup shoots optimally. Find your optimal charge weight first. Then, within whatever restrictions as to mag length you may have, optimize your seating depth for precision, wherever that may turn out to be; .003" off the lands, .010", or even .030" off the lands.
bichettereds
Silver $$ Contributor
Hopefully he got the answers he was looking for 5 years ago when this thread was started. 
Go back and look at the book. There are 2 loads for .223. One is AR and the other is bolt, even though the difference is in the powder charges. As stated, if it won't fit in a magazine it will not work in an AR unless you are hand feeding one at a time. The bolt actions, use an OAL gauge and find the fit for that rifle.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.