223 Rem. Bolt load for 55gr. Hornady SP and H335

[Samuel Fowler]

I have a factory Remington 700 chambered in .233. I have been working on a load using Hornady SP 55gr. with H335, been getting decent groups with 24.5gr. Does anyone have a great load with these components?

 

[Mulligan]

@Thumper didn’t you have a good 223 load with H335?
CW

 

[mac86951]

Sounds like you're about there. I haven't had success with groups on the 55sp and max loads. There can be some tailoring if you seat to 2.26 vs. 2.20; otherwise I'd say just do a load work-up and see what your rifle likes.

-Mac

 

[trader steve]

I have a Remington model 78 in 223 get very tight little groups with WC 844 24.5 grains and varmint nightmare 55 sp

 

[JSH]

I use what you list with good results. As mentioned above there is no one perfect load, though I will agree your on the right track.
Got a chrono? Use it if you do. If you don’t have one you should.
Get your numbers down and then tinker with length.
Some guys toot their horn that H335 gets spikey in hot weather. I never had a problem, but I was t leaning hard on the upper end of a load either.

 

[Samuel Fowler]

So I didn't do my normal load work op on this one. I usually do a ladder test and find the sweat spot but with so much data available out there I just went with what other people had found. I have been using some federal brass form federal American eagle, I will never do this again. Even after swaging out the primer pockets and running a uniform tool threw them they were still not allowing for a consistent primer seat. Often I would seat a primer and a small portion of it would get shaved off. Also about 30% of the brass was below book trim length. Looking to eliminate as many variables as possible I switched to Lake City Brass. after re-firing some of my test loads I have landed on my final load.

L.C. brass
CCI - BR4
24.5gr of H335
Hornady 55gr SP
COL 2.20
3150 fps.

 

[SecondsCount]

The Hornday 2265 is a good bullet but you are dealing with a factory barrel. Some can be really good and others leave a lot to be desired. After many years of dealing with factory built guns, anything that will shot 5 shots under 1/2 MOA is considered on the good side.

Both of your groups show promise, with some horizontal spread that indicates you may be dealing with some wind.

FC or LC headstamp brass won't matter that much unless you are really serious about neck tension. I sort by headstamp and load with them on a regular basis. LC brass is a little thicker in my experience so be careful if you are near max, and decide to use your FC brass load in it.

If you are going to get serious about neck tension, there are a couple paths you can take. There is the annealing, neck turning, neck bushing route, but if you are going to use FC or LC brass, I find it to be a waste of time. I have found that using a mandrel die to set neck tension along with a very slight crimp, will get you where you need to be.

 

[darkangel_r2]

Around 25 grains has been a good load for 55 grain pills.

 

[JSH]

The only thing I would get hung up on brass length, make sure they are all the same. I take the shortest and trim to that as long as the mouth gets squared up.