Loading .223 80-90 grainers

[KevinThomas]

I'm in agreement with Bayou Shooter here. The tighter chamber would have been the route to go with a bolt gun, but there's nothing wrong with the Wylde. Intended for autoloaders with some dimensional elements of the 5.56 chamber, but it's got a very well proven track record as being a real shooter. Precisely why most of us use it in competitive guns for XC use and the like.

You do your part, combined with a little basic load workup, and you'll have a shooter on your hands. Try Varget, RL-15 or N140. All work very well with the 80s, providing good velocities and outstanding accuracy. Check this with an ogive gage before sticking to this, but a Wylde chamber usually works well with an OAL of about 2.440" with the 80s or 82s.

 

[mac86951]

I'm in agreement with Bayou Shooter here. The tighter chamber would have been the route to go with a bolt gun, but there's nothing wrong with the Wylde. Intended for autoloaders with some dimensional elements of the 5.56 chamber, but it's got a very well proven track record as being a real shooter. Precisely why most of us use it in competitive guns for XC use and the like.

You do your part, combined with a little basic load workup, and you'll have a shooter on your hands. Try Varget, RL-15 or N140. All work very well with the 80s, providing good velocities and outstanding accuracy. Check this with an ogive gage before sticking to this, but a Wylde chamber usually works well with an OAL of about 2.440" with the 80s or 82s.

Also in agreement, and Don't forget some of the newer powders if you can find them. AR-Comp and CFE223 perform quite well. H4895 is a good one too. Oh, and my Wylde chamber likes 80s loaded to 2.450" and its an AR which makes me essentially just too lazy to throw a bolt.
-Mac

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

I'm in agreement with Bayou Shooter here. The tighter chamber would have been the route to go with a bolt gun, but there's nothing wrong with the Wylde. Intended for autoloaders with some dimensional elements of the 5.56 chamber, but it's got a very well proven track record as being a real shooter. Precisely why most of us use it in competitive guns for XC use and the like.

You do your part, combined with a little basic load workup, and you'll have a shooter on your hands. Try Varget, RL-15 or N140. All work very well with the 80s, providing good velocities and outstanding accuracy. Check this with an ogive gage before sticking to this, but a Wylde chamber usually works well with an OAL of about 2.440" with the 80s or 82s.

The Wylde chamber is great for XTC and autoloaders and so on. My NM AR-15 has a Wylde chamber and it's great.

But the reason I stress tight chambers for long distances, and the OP did say he wanted to shoot to 1000 yards, is for brass life. Speaking as an F-TR competitor, I want my Lapua brass to last as long as possible and it's been my experience that what kills my brass is the primer pocket loosening up to the point it will not hold a primer. In my bolt .308 with a very tight chamber and using a small base die from the first resizing operation after the first firing, I get in excess of 8 loads at maximum loads from my Lapua brass and the primers are still held in place. I can also take an 8 time fired piece of brass and it fits in my Wilson cartridge gage.

The way I see it, if you keep the case tight the web will not expand as quickly and the primer pocket will stay tighter longer because it has nowhere to expand.

I do the same in my .223 F-TR rifle because that's where I learned this. I just don't shoot that rifle nearly enough now to have a good feel for the primer pocket life. All my brass for it has 5 loadings through it and all pockets are nicely tight. And yes, the loads were almost insane as I was shooting at 1000 yards with this rifle.

 

[Kings X]

Had my 30" Pac-Nor 6.5" twist doing 3050 with 90 Berger VLDs today.
Can't say load as first round blew primer - big time. But the bolt open ok on the rest and only shiny mark on brass.
I said I would never shoot 90s again after three years and 4 barrels. But just like drugs - once in your system - can't stop using them.