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New .224 Matchking...

gstaylorg, just received the samples and these are considerably longer than what you posted. The average of the five I got is 1.304". They all have uniform tips.

These things must be all over the map on length because I just measured five of them out of my box and they were all nearly exactly the same at 1.293. I'm thinking about putting a 22-284 together to shoot these heavies but I'm a little concerned they'll go puff out of a 1-6.5tw like they suggest so I'm leaning more 7tw instead, not that it'll change the rpm all that much. These things do seem to have a rather long bearing surface, also.
 
These things must be all over the map on length because I just measured five of them out of my box and they were all nearly exactly the same at 1.293. I'm thinking about putting a 22-284 together to shoot these heavies but I'm a little concerned they'll go puff out of a 1-6.5tw like they suggest so I'm leaning more 7tw instead, not that it'll change the rpm all that much. These things do seem to have a rather long bearing surface, also.
Yeah the samples have approx a .505 bearing surface, .625 nose, and .175 BT.
 
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Love to see them tested at 1K

I don't doubt that Greg will answer this someday, but I think that the problem with this or any 223 bullet at 1000 yds in an F class application is the inability to get the ES numbers down to where you can with the 308. The small 223 case just amplifies pressure fluctuation due to slight burn rate or ignition variation. I think for a Palma rifle they may be a really cool alternative. There you can tolerate a 3/4 MOA load, in F-TR a 3/4 MOA load is going to cost you 10 places in a big match, or get you second place in a state championship.

I've seen my targets and others from F-TR competitors who routinely run 80% to 90% of a 20 shot match with at or less than ½ MOA vertical at 1000 yards. To get to that you need to have an ES of 15FPS or less, that's achievable with a 308, 223s tend to run closer to 25FPS on a day in and day out basis.

If you are shooting taller than ½ you will drop points in the corners on an F class target. When you consider mirage, and that not every shot is broken exactly on the water line, and not every match is shot with the group centered exactly up and down shooting tall is going to bleed you over the course of a match. When you add all of it up it's a competitive handicap.

I've got a sample of these that I will try to play with this yr too. I've got three 223 barrels here, one of them has almost enough freebore now. (90 VLDs touch at about 60 longer than the ISSF reamer) One more session with my uni-throater and it will be about just right. If I can get them rocking I may chamber my new 1:6.5 for them.
 
Ideally you need MUCH more than what is used for the Berger 90.

I added .130 to an existing .169ish.
 
I am thinking about running them in a 1-7 22-6mm just as a fun gun for steel. No long strings. I can easily get 3600 out of 80.5 gr Berger with sub .2" groups for 3 shots in a 1-8 30" Krieger. The 90-95 SMKs should.be good for 33-3400.
 
@Road_Clam there are a whole lot of F-TR shooters who shoot the 90VLD in mid range matches who run them at about 2800 with great success and the brass will last half a dozen loads. The load almost everyone runs is right at 24.3 ±.2gr Varget in a 30" barrel. Those running running them a little higher (2850+) with H4895 or Varget are seeing less brass life. The key is a .169 or longer freebore. Gets the bullet out of the case.

There are a lot of mid range F-TR shooters out there that have started running the rat rifles, and they are hard to beat.

What's a rat rifle?
 
First applied by M14/M1A XTC shooters to the AR-15/M16 as a term of mild abuse, I believe. :) ..... They had to eat their words in the end though.

(That reminds me of the late British comedian Bob Monkhouse's famous joke. "When I said I was going to be a professional comedian, they laughed at me. They're not laughing now!")
 

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