Expected accuracy in 223 AR with varmint bullets?

[theotherben]

I have a custom AR with a 1/8 Shaw bull barrel that, often as not, shoots .5 MOA with 55-grain Nosler Ballistic Tips and Benchmark.

The same gun is more like .75 MOA with 40-grain Ballistic Tips and H335.

 

[distinguished]

Try 25 to 25.5gr 4895 with 52 - 55gr bullets.
I use 25.5gr n135 with 55gr bullets in my 1-7.7 Krieger barreled AR. I get consistent .5 min or less groups at 200yds.

 

[Viperdoc]

Thanks for all of the great tips- I just loaded a ladder with the Hornady 55Vmax using H335 as well as H4895, and will do some Bergers later tonight. Also tried to calibrate my Harrels meter- with H335 it would throw ten charges of H335 at the same weight with no variation across the entire range of loads that i anticipate using. Have yet to try any of the VV powders, but they seem to be popular.

On the other hand, H4895 varied between 0.2gr for each throw. This is still less than 2%, but for load development with H4895 it looks like I will need to weigh all of the charges, which is no big deal.

Regardless, it's snowing and cold here in Wisconsin, and the wind chills on Sunday are supposed to be well below zero, so probably no load testing this weekend. I have all of these wonderful loads to try, but no ability to go out and shoot.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Regardless, it's snowing and cold here in Wisconsin, and the wind chills on Sunday are supposed to be well below zero, so probably no load testing this weekend. I have all of these wonderful loads to try, but no ability to go out and shoot.

Welcome to my world.. I have a bunch of loads to tetst and the wind won't stop..

 

[MQ1]

Viperdoc,

I have a 7 twist White oak upper, and after some trial and error found the Sierra Blitz and the 50 TNT to produce half inch groups...I have since found that 50 Noslers work pretty much the same too.

What I realized was that I was over optimistic in my velocity expectations. I don't know if it is the twist, but with the 50gr bullets, I found they shot best when they were not being pushed at the upper end, and when I pushed them hard, I would get hopes of good groups, and then I'd get a case that showed major pressure signs.

I kept up my unrealistic hopes of a good upper node load until a string of case failures brought me back to reality, and then I started my search at the other end of the spectrum.


I've been pretty satisfied since, and my rifle is still in one piece.

I ended up going with H335 for the metering...

One last thought...

The Barnes Varmint Grenade shot exceptionally well...it is a much longer bullet than your basic lead core bullet, and has the bearing surface more along the lines of 80 grain bullets, and should be loaded as such. I found thath AA2520 produced some impressive loads....but I'm a cheap bastard, and I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for those bullets...I just wanted a no-lead load for the no-lead counties in California.

YMMV,

MQ1

 

[soldierofchrist]

Shoot .5" groups with 55 Sierra Blitzkings and 27 grains of varget using federal 205 primers load to a COL of 2.260". I have a RRA 24" EOP Varmint with a 1 in 8". 40 SBK's with H335 works okay it gets about right under an inch, but nothing spectacular. But hey being able to shoot 40 grainers all the way up to 77 grainers under an inch ain't bad and my rifle will zing the 77 grain Noslers into one ragged hole with 24.0 grains of Varget behind them.