First Post: Savage Model 12 .223 F/TR rifle and Factory 77 Grain SMK loads

[Linko]

I have a Savage F/TR Model 12 chambered in .223 I am new to this sport (1 year 1000 rounds) I have not reloaded before so I have been shooting Black Hills and Federal Gold SMK 77 Grain factory ammo. I understand the more experienced members load their own and have graduated to extreme precision with their loads. Someday I will enter the reloading world. I see the 80 grain bullet is almost the universal choice. If the coal is longer than my factory chanber I cannot use this bullet. I also understand once I go this route of reaming the chamber it is only good for the handloads and the factory ammo would have too much headspace. Is this all correct? Last question can I continue with my 77 grain SMK factory ammo until I have honed my skills or is reloading really the only path with this caliber?

Any and all guidance from members is quite welcome.

Bob from Florida

 

[pacificman]

I also understand once I go this route of reaming the chamber it is only good for the handloads and the factory ammo would have too much headspace. Is this all correct?

I personally would not ream your factory chamber as it is designed to accept most all factory ammo. If you were to ream your chamber for longer C.O.L. it would not change the headspace as your only increasing the throat for longer bullet.
Reloading your own is the only way to go as you will be able to customize all your ammo for better accuracy and save some money at the same time.

 

[jim_k]

The Savage F/TR in .223 has 1:7 barrel twist. You can load anything up to and including 90 grain Bergers. Do not change anything about the chamber. All of your reloading will be directed toward the chamber and throat you are working with, and the Savage F/TR chamber is fine like it is. You will want a Hornady tool (used to be a Stoney Point tool) that checks the distance to the lands, so that you can seat your bullets just short of the lands, like 0.010" or so. It is OK to seat the bullets touching or slightly into the lands, but wait on that until you have been reloading awhile, and have gotten more information. As for bullets, the best ones for long range F/TR shooting are the JLK 80 grain and the Berger 90 grain VLD. Any other (cheaper) 80 grain bullet will be good enough out to 600 yards, to get some experience. But to be competitive, you will need one of those two bullets, or a whole lot of skill. Berger bullets around the 80 grain weight are all OK, too, as well as Sierra 80/90 grain bullets, just not quite the advantage of the first two bullets I mentioned. 77 grain bullets are OK to about 300 yards, but have too much wind drift to be competitive at 600 yards, although you can shoot them in competition at that distance. Just expect to have trouble gauging the wind. You have an awesome piece of gear, and a lot of great shooters are changing from .308 Win to .223 Rem because they are almost identical in ballistics at 1,000 yards, with the best bullets available. "See you at the range."

 

[boltman223]

You can certainly shoot FGMM 77s out to 600 yd. I have a .223 F-YTR bolt gun that loves that load. It shoots very well out to 600 yd...until the wind comes up. Then it becomes pretty much a precision shotgun.

I wouldn't call it a precision shotgun myself. It just requires better wind reading skills, not impossible. And a little bit different strategy. In the end I think it will make you a better wind reader and shooter.

 

[js223]

Last question can I continue with my 77 grain SMK factory ammo until I have honed my skills or is reloading really the only path with this caliber?

Are you looking to enter competition? If so, what type and distance?

If you are happy with the accuracy that you're getting from that factory ammo then of course you can use it. However, if you learn to reload, then I think chances are good that you'll be able to develop a load that is even more accurate in your rifle than that ammo, or uses a bullet that's better suited for certain things than the 77 is. Hence the questions about what you wish to do with the rifle.

 

[Linko]

Whow, you guys are something else. Thank you for such great responses. Again, newbee here. My rifle as it came from the factory will accept 80 grain loads (factory or hand loaded) correct?

If thats true I will start the process of getting setup for rolling my own.

I am really enjoying this sport so far. I have a 200 yd range near by that once a month opens for 500. Soon a 300 will open south in WPB florida. There are F class shooters here in south florida so I am looking to meet up with them this year.

I hope to get good at the mid range distances.

I have a lot to learn, and with friends like you, it will be lots of fun.

 

[Fotheringill]

I got delivery on the exact same rifle two weeks ago and am still breaking it in per Savage recommendations. No competition here for me and will be shooting out to 200 yards at my range. I will not be reloading. Are there any recommendations for factory ammo?

 

[Linko]

I am having sucess with Federal Gold Medal 69gr. A little pricey but accurate.

 

[Linko]

I am getting an education on this forum and I am very excited to be part of this sport.

I plan to work myself into reloading this year, but for a start I am thinking I should learn (and buy the tools) to measure my rifles OAL with a tool like the Hornady comparitor and OAL gauge and measure my factory ammo COAL. This way I can start to determine the space from the ogave to the lands. (Do I have that correct).

 

[fm1947]

That gun should chamber anything

 

[fm1947]

For your info the 77 gr SMK from base to ogive using hornady tool is .614 the 80gr is .568 you wont have a issue

 

[Rustystud]

Getting read to experiment with 6.5 twist and 90 grain bullets in a 223. This what the AMU shooter using an M-16 shot a clean 200 12X at 1000 yds.
Nat Lambeth

 

[A_Gamehog]

Bob when you start it's easier to just focus on your technique, and be consistent in everything. Shooting factory ammo is fine to start but as elections and panic come and go there was a time recently where you could not get factory ammo of any kind. Those of us who shoot every week all year load our own and plan ahead. We were shooting even though shortages existed to the consumers and no ammo was available or in certain areas primers and powders were scarce. In some spots today (2015) they still are.

I have many Savages and a good target setup is simple, and cost is low compared to others. But you can change a barrel out to a New Custom McGowen very simply. A barrel vice, a headspace gauge, a barrel wrench. Less than 500.00$ it's an experience better learned visually from a friend. Do it yourself. Once the tools are yours it's easy to pre-order a new barrel.

http://www.mcgowenoutlet.com/prefits/savage.html


First things first.
The twist of the rifle dictates your Bullets you can use. What is the twist you have? the length of the bullet is as important as the weight.
The Bullets have a favorite powder and OAL dictated by your chamber. Most factory ammo can be shot from any factory chamber if the twist is correct.
For example, a 1-9 twist .223 shoots a 34-75 grain bullet.

Slow down your purchases and ask questions and watch shooters in action. Single stage press over
a multi-station press.

Don't over clean the barrel and wear it out before it's time or incorrectly.. If you remove the barreled action to clean around the

action/stock you can affect the accuracy if you don't torque the action screws in sequence or ft lbs correctly.

It is much easier to learn your new craft first and then throw in the added stress of making accurate ammo latter.

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck!

 

[Linko]

Bob when you start it's easier to just focus on your technique, and be consistent in everything. Shooting factory ammo is fine to start but as elections and panic come and go there was a time recently where you could not get factory ammo of any kind. Those of us who shoot every week all year load our own and plan ahead. We were shooting even though shortages existed to the consumers and no ammo was available or in certain areas primers and powders were scarce. In some spots today (2015) they still are.

I was planning to start looking for VARGET power to start the loading.

I have many Savages and a good target setup is simple, and cost is low compared to others. But you can change a barrel out to a New Custom McGowen very simply. A barrel vice, a headspace gauge, a barrel wrench. Less than 500.00$ it's an experience better learned visually from a friend. Do it yourself. Once the tools are yours it's easy to pre-order a new barrel.

http://www.mcgowenoutlet.com/prefits/savage.html


First things first.
The twist of the rifle dictates your Bullets you can use. What is the twist you have? the length of the bullet is as important as the weight.
The Bullets have a favorite powder and OAL dictated by your chamber. Most factory ammo can be shot from any factory chamber if the twist is correct.
For example, a 1-9 twist .223 shoots a 34-75 grain bullet.

I have 1:7 twist in the savage. I have been using SMK bullets in the factory ammo.

Don't over clean the barrel and wear it out before it's time or incorrectly.. If you remove the barreled action to clean around the action/stock you can affect the accuracy if you don't torque the action screws in sequence or ft lbs correctly.

Every 100 rounds is that OK?

 

[Linko]

I worked on the torque setting on the front two action screws today (set to 30 inch pounds now) and set the rear 3rd on at 5 inch lbs I will tune that 3rd one next trip to the range.

 

[A_Gamehog]

Smart, they have a few youtube videos showing anything you can imagine about your rifle, how to headspace, how to torque the stock to the action, and of course common sense reloading. This is the best time of year to study.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/savage-action-screw-torque-tuning/


For 69-80grain loads Reloader 15 or Varget, or N140 are pretty standard. 100 rds is a good number, I have shot more in practice sessions just keep the bronze brush out of your barrel and use a bore gel with a nylon brush overnight.

I like Lapua brass, CCI 450's, Varget, Nosler 77's or Sierra's

Sounds like you have a good start. How you torque the stock does matter.

 

[Baer45]

I have found the Hornady 75amax to shoot well in my model
12...it is a popular round as well and easy to load for..

 

[Evan]

I have found the Hornady 75amax to shoot well in my model
12...it is a popular round as well and easy to load for..

This thread has been dead awhile, but I've heard great things about Hornady match ammo for off-the-shelf use. Reasonable price and it appears to work well in many rifles.