223 Wylde chamber 1:6.5" twist, 26" barrel (Kreiger) loading for 800 yards

[Jeff Conti]

I recently placed an order for a new barrel/bolt carrier group for my AR. I plan to shoot Coyotes, gophers and more varmints here near Judith Gap Montana. I don't like toting my RPR in 6.5 CM and it is a bit overkill not to mention expense. I talked to the technician at Kreiger and he recommended the above 223 chamber in a 26" barrel with 1:6.5" twist rate for bullets 80 grains and over to keep my bullet supersonic at 800. He also said to be sure to use slow burning powder.

I'm not new to reloading pistol, shotgun and rifle (.243, 6.5 CM, 257 Roberts AI and 7mm Rem Mag) but this is the first time I have reloaded 223 and certainly the first time I have become concerned about slow burning powder. I didn't ask him what he recommended so I am asking you guys now. Also, if you have any places to start with powder charges that would be appreciated. Lastly bullets. I read the Berger website for this topic e.g. jumping their VLD bullet at different starting points (.010, .050, .090 and .130) to get better performance from this bullet. I currently use the Hornady ELD Match bullets in the aforementioned calibers. I'm fine with which ever combination I wind up with e.g. powder, bullet, COL etc. I saw one thread about using a magnum primer to prevent cratering problems and a better burn.

This is a new leg on my journey in reloading and hunting so I am hoping some of you more experienced shooters/reloaders can help move me down the path a little bit. I'm not afraid of reading so if there are 38 other threads of information, please feel free to post and I'll go search them out and read up.

In advance, thank you for your assistance.

 

[DukeDuke]

are you planning on single feeding or mag length?
I do both and the long seated bullet allows for more powder and higher velocity.
check out Johnny's reloading bench on youtube.

 

[AJC]

are you planning on single feeding or mag length?
I do both and the long seated bullet allows for more powder and higher velocity.
check out Johnny's reloading bench on youtube.

I to recommend jonnys reloading bench as he does a ton of good videos. I think the primer your looking for is the CCI 41 which is the military primer for ar which is magnum and has a hard cup for AR's. I also wonder if your doing a special gun and you already have an AI why not run the 223 AI for additional powder capacity on those larger bullets you plan to run???

 

[Zero333]

Don't give much thought about what the fella on the other side of the phone slid about slower powders.

Use what others are using with said bullets.

H-4895
VARGET
CFE-223
RL-15
Ramshot TAC / WildBoar / BigGame
IMR-4064 / 4895 / 4320 / 4007ssc
Vihtavouri N-140 / N-540

Most commonly used powders with heavy bullets are H-4895, VARGET, RL-15, IMR-4064.

 

[dcali]

A stout load of varget is a good place to start. I’ve used N540 successfully as well.

As for magnum primers, they're not necessary for casual shooting. They’re used in military rounds with ball powders to ensure reliable ignition in extreme temperatures.

That said, I like to use the 41s, which are a magnum primer, simply because they make me feel better about preventing slam fires in ARs. If you drop the bolt on a round and then eject it, you will see a dent in the primer. It’s very rare for one to go off, but lots of dangerous stuff is very rare and it’s easy enough to use the 41.

 

[Jeff Conti]

I recently placed an order for a new barrel/bolt carrier group for my AR. I plan to shoot Coyotes, gophers and more varmints here near Judith Gap Montana. I don't like toting my RPR in 6.5 CM and it is a bit overkill not to mention expense. I talked to the technician at Kreiger and he recommended the above 223 chamber in a 26" barrel with 1:6.5" twist rate for bullets 80 grains and over to keep my bullet supersonic at 800. He also said to be sure to use slow burning powder.

I'm not new to reloading pistol, shotgun and rifle (.243, 6.5 CM, 257 Roberts AI and 7mm Rem Mag) but this is the first time I have reloaded 223 and certainly the first time I have become concerned about slow burning powder. I didn't ask him what he recommended so I am asking you guys now. Also, if you have any places to start with powder charges that would be appreciated. Lastly bullets. I read the Berger website for this topic e.g. jumping their VLD bullet at different starting points (.010, .050, .090 and .130) to get better performance from this bullet. I currently use the Hornady ELD Match bullets in the aforementioned calibers. I'm fine with which ever combination I wind up with e.g. powder, bullet, COL etc. I saw one thread about using a magnum primer to prevent cratering problems and a better burn.

This is a new leg on my journey in reloading and hunting so I am hoping some of you more experienced shooters/reloaders can help move me down the path a little bit. I'm not afraid of reading so if there are 38 other threads of information, please feel free to post and I'll go search them out and read up.

In advance, thank you for your assistance.

 

[Jeff Conti]

Great information. I didn't know about the .223 AI. I did know about Ackley Improved (my 257). As for loading in a mag... I haven't had this problem yet so I'll try both although it's hard to imagine having 30 round magazines and not using them when shooting at a Coyote at 800 yards. I'm not a bench shooter so I'll at least attempt to get good loads and success with a mag. I will defiantly give the powders a try. No sense in not doing it. Powder is cheap in comparison to my intended goal. It sounds like the CCI 41's are a good start and like was said... why not especially if I use a powder that responds well plus, there is a safety factor in an AR. Oh, I did subscribe to Johnnys reloading bench. Thank you all. Any other information would be greatly appreciated as well. here in Central Montana, I guess I'll have to wait another month or two to test my loads. For now, I'll spend my time putting together a shooting spree. lol

 

[miningshawn]

I'm not too far away (Butte) and I am trying the same thing for different reasons.

I wanted to go as far as I could with the 384 bolt face. I ordered a 24" 223AI , 1:8 , SS ,from McGowen Barrels. The turnaround was very quick. I am building around the 77gr projectile because I want to use a magazine.

I did the first workup with Starline brass, Varget, CCI BR-4's, and 77gr Sierra TMK's. I could only get down to 1/2 MOA. The load went subsonic at just under 1100yds when I used 26.6gr Varget.

Next recipe up is CFE-223 and Berger 77gr OTM. I have an OCW test already loaded if it would just stop snowing...

I also have a .223 Wylde with a 20" Satern, 1:8, SS, that settled on 24.2gr Varget, Starline, CCI BR-4's, and Sierra 77gr TMK's at around 1/3 MOA. It tends to go subsonic just at 1000 yds - close enough that temperature makes a difference. When I shoot in the summer it gets there, when I shoot in the winter it tries to get there.