H335 & 50g Vmax = poor accuracy?

[CT10ring]

My Bushmaster Varminter flattop .223 1/9 twist is a proven shooter. Hornady factory loads are particularly accurate. BHA works great. Fed Gold Match w 69 SMK shoots into .250'...I shoot PD's with it. I put a Zeiss 6.5-20X on it, Volquartsen rings, tightened beaucoup.

So, I have saved my Hornady cases, cleaned, resized f/l with Redding f/l die, cleaned primer pockets, resized to 1.755', chamfered. Checked sizing with Wilson case gauge. Primed using CCI BR-4's. I don't really know if my sizing / shoulder setback is good/correct- I am just using the Wilson gauge-my resized brass seems to fit in the same manner as my new, unfired Hornady factory loads...it loads w/o any probs. At 2.225' or so, the bullet just touches the rifling, it would appear; further, it will shoot, but a loaded round is very difficult to extract using charging handle..

My groups with H335 & 50g V-maxes are 1.5-2.0' @ 100 yds. Horrible. I have tried varying OAL from 2.110 to 2.440', loads of 24.0 up to 26.5,TOO HOT by far), I have run thru nearly 100 bullets & all groups stink. I have alot of H335 & 50g vmaxes, and assumed the H335, Hornady brass, and 50g vmax would work. I have not tried,nor do I have) any new brass. I hope to get use of the 400 or so pieces of .223 once fired brass I have spent 20+ hours working on!*#!

So, I gave up & tried VVN133- about .010 off lands -- groups of 3/4' - much better. My guess is that I can tweak it into 1/2'..

So, my questions:
1) why does H335 not work in my rifle?
2) what am I doing wrong?
3) I imagine my once fired brass has been fired in one of 4 -.223's, AR & bolt. Not segregated by rifle. is this a source of accuracy problem-brass fired in different chamber? Doesn't re-sizing the brass return it to an acceptable standard for a gas gun?
4) Do some powders just not work in certain guns?
5) How do I know I am correctly sizing my brass?


I have reloaded for 204 Ruger, 220 Swift, .308 Win, 22-250, 6BR, 6AR with nary a hiccup...

Advice appreciated. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing....

I also have Berger 60g Varmint HP bullets, 69 g SMK's & 40g V maxes to use, and VV135, Benchmark, RL-15, H322 on hand...

 

[savet06]

Bill,
For what it's worth, and I know it isn't apples to apples, but I could not get my 1:9 savage to shoot H335 with the lighter bullets. I actually got pressure signs and tons of vertical really quickly, and so I gave up on it and stuck with varget and the 69gr sierras. I was using remington 7.5primers. Don't remember the load, but it was in the published min/max for the hornady manual,your 26gr load rings a bell...straight vertical groups).
I am hoping to get some W748 soon and give it a whirl with the 69gr's. I am also going to try some berger 60's and see how they do. I have also not had ANY luck with any 55gr of any type.
Good luck,
Mike

 

[CT10ring]

Mike, thanks for the reply. I have read that H335 was 'made' for .223 Rem/5.56. I have used it with great success in .308 w/ 110 v-max, and in 6AR w 75g v-max Maybe it is suited for heavier weight bullets.

The tech person @ Hodgdon said 'try another powder in your AR-some just don't like it,H335) & some do.'

Well, mystery solved. I will try & post pix of results.

 

[tpbscha]

Primer choice can make a big difference. It may be worth trying some CCI 450's and work up the load again.

 

[CT10ring]

ah, thanks. I will try to p/u some, any idea how rem 7.5's, BR-4's, 450's differ? Guess I will try for myself, kind of populated where I shoot & I tend to shoot just one load, so as not to 'upset' folks, trundle back home load another, etc., try again & again, etc.

 

[tpbscha]

The 450's I think are hotter than BR-4's. Minor changes can make big differences. I believe H335 is a spherical powder which may work better with a hotter primer.

 

[KevinThomas]

Bill,

Several answers on here relating to various component combinations and things of that nature. All are probably quite valid, but I want to throw something else into the mix here; is this the first time you've loaded for a Service Rifle? There's somethings that are just flat-out different with loading for a gas gun, and they don't necessarily translate from what you're probably already familiar with in a bolt gun. Powders are definately an issue, and you'll need to feed it whatever it shows a preference for, but Varget should be a top choice for the 69 grain weight range,or heavier, which your twist probably won't allow). Another is Reloder 15. If you take a look at all the Service Rifle shooter at Camp Perry, I'll guarantee you that 95% are using one of these two powders, and that's no coincidence. As far as the actual SR reloading, there's a number of good sources for the process, specific to these guns out ther. Glen Zediker's book,'Reloading for Competition' is a terrific resource. Likewise the books by John Feamster,Black Magic) or Derrick Martin. Take a look at these, and you'll come to appreciate some of the differences that I'm speaking of here.

Hope this helps,

Kevin Thomas

 

[Ackman]

There're no guarantees on this stuff. Nothing is a sure thing. Maybe a combination 'should' work but that doesn't mean it will. You found this one doesn't, not a big deal. It happens that a powder can shoot one bullet accurately and a different one will be terrible. So you try different things. Also, nobody can really know what'll be accurate in your gun.

 

[CT10ring]

thanks gents: no I have never loaded for a gas gun & am an 'intermediate' reloader- with knowledge/help gleaned from sites like this one,a fantastic resource!). I have tried my loads of 25.0g Varget w 69g SMK's/ with good results in my AR. I am going to have to do my homework on the 50G v-maxes. I have Zediker's reloading book & the new AR book-both are superb & the more I shoot & load, the more I understand ' so THAT's what he's talking about..' Hate to quit on the H335, but will use it for my 6AR & try more with VVN133. Gotta earn this one...