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reloading 223

wvsturgeon

Fellow reloaders,

I have purchased Hornady bullets, 22 caliber, 224 diameter, 55 grain full metal jacket boat tail however the reloading Hodgdon uses 55 gr SPR SP bullets which I do not have. Will use H322 powder. Any issue using the bullet that I have with the powder as listed for the SPR SP bullet? Also checked Lyman's and Nosler and similar issue.

Thanks for your help!
 
You will probably find the COAL different as well. Just trim your cases, seat to the cannelure if it has one and work your way up. You will find a lot of times you have to just use a similar bullet profile and weight when reloading.
 
wvsturgeon said:
Fellow reloaders,

I have purchased Hornady bullets, 22 caliber, 224 diameter, 55 grain full metal jacket boat tail however the reloading Hodgdon uses 55 gr SPR SP bullets which I do not have. Will use H322 powder. Any issue using the bullet that I have with the powder as listed for the SPR SP bullet? Also checked Lyman's and Nosler and similar issue.

Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
define your goal ??
55 fmj os the cheapest least accurate 22 bullet made
blasting only
 
wvsturgeon said:
Any issue using the bullet that I have with the powder as listed for the SPR SP bullet? Also checked Lyman's and Nosler and similar issue.
Click to expand...
I'll back up just a bit. What twist is your barrel?

You talk about not competing but target shooting at 100 yards. As @6bra1k mentions, this is a blaster bullet. Popcan size targets. With primers costing what they do these days, and powder also up nearly 2X, if you don't want disappointing groups, you might want another bullet. Some bullets aren't available, but for the 0.224" diameter bullets, good quantities are generally available. If your barrel is 7T to 9T, if you pick a heavier bullet, it will better match your barrel and should result in better accuracy for a less experienced reloader.
 
Heres some info for your bullet from a hornady manual.

XUa6hCJ.png
 
jepp2 said:
I'll back up just a bit. What twist is your barrel?

You talk about not competing but target shooting at 100 yards. As @6bra1k mentions, this is a blaster bullet. Popcan size targets. With primers costing what they do these days, and powder also up nearly 2X, if you don't want disappointing groups, you might want another bullet. Some bullets aren't available, but for the 0.224" diameter bullets, good quantities are generally available. If your barrel is 7T to 9T, if you pick a heavier bullet, it will better match your barrel and should result in better accuracy for a less experienced reloader.
Click to expand...
jepp2,
I have a 223 Tikka bolt action rifle; 1:7 barrel twist so it looks like my bullet is light. Unfortunately, I had purchased 1000 bullets, being a novice I now see that a heavier bullet, as you had suggested would be better. Thank you for your advice.
 
wvsturgeon said:
I had purchased 1000 bullets,
Click to expand...
Might be cheaper to sell them and buy what would work best for you. I'm not saying you can't get 55 gr bullets to shoot in your rifle, just a different better bullet. This forum is a GREAT place to sell things. Reloading can be a very rewarding hobby that can offer a significant accuracy advantage as well as considerable cost savings.
 
wvsturgeon said:
jepp2,
I have a 223 Tikka bolt action rifle; 1:7 barrel twist so it looks like my bullet is light. Unfortunately, I had purchased 1000 bullets, being a novice I now see that a heavier bullet, as you had suggested would be better. Thank you for your advice.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily too light for your twist, just not a bullet likely to give you acceptable accuracy if you are shooting targets. My 1-8" twist shoots 50 to 68-grain bullets very well. Probably would shoot heavier bullets well too but the magazine length limits most heavier bullets due to seating depth which could cause pressure issues.
 
Lots of good advice here. Just one more comment. Since you are new to reloading it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and practice with what you have. Experiment with seating depth and various powder charges. Keep detailed records so you can track your results. Once you are comfortable get some better bullets and see what happens.
 
Pick up the manuals for the bullets you are going to use... Hornady bullets , Hornady manual etc etc... The Hornady and sierra manuals are two I seem to be digging around in most... Don't be surprised if you have 3-4 different manuals that they all list different data... Having a lot of manuals means you will have data one doesn't list for a particular powder etc.... If your shooting out of an AR then your limited by mag length... Double check everything twice.... Reloading is a safe thing but you're the safety officer....
 
wvsturgeon said:
jepp2,
I have a 223 Tikka bolt action rifle; 1:7 barrel twist so it looks like my bullet is light. Unfortunately, I had purchased 1000 bullets, being a novice I now see that a heavier bullet, as you had suggested would be better. Thank you for your advice.
Click to expand...
The 55s will likely shoot fine in your rifle even though it is a 7 twist, especially at 100 yards. They have meaty jackets.

Looking at my records my very first 223 handloads back in 2012 were 55gr Hornady FMJs and H322. The loads I used were 20.5gr to 22.0gr of H322. For plinking at 100 yards a mild load will likely work just fine.

The 55gr FMJs were not particularly accurate, I was getting 1 - 1.5 MOA out of a savage bolt gun, but for plinking I found that acceptable.
 
Seat them to magazine length 2.250. Do not crimp them, it is not needed. Have fun shooting them up. It is a good bullet to practice standing, not sit at a bench.
 
Plinking is one thing, but if you start shooting groups at 100 yds, my hunch is you'll soon "outgrow" those FMJs. That's the addiction of precision shooting. It may not bite you, but I hope it does!
-
 
DSCN0348 (1).JPG
This is a group I shot last year with a Savage FV12 223, all factory, even the tupperware stock. Load is Hornady 55g SP w/c, LC1x, WSRP, 2.200" aol, with 8208xbr powder charge in the middle of the 23 gr charge range. Been a consistent load so far. Bought these bullets from a GS I frequent when visiting family, packaged in a clear bag of 100 for $15/bag. I was just doing a ladder test at 100yds to see if this barrel would shoot any good as I bought the rifle with the intention of putting a aftermarket barrel on it if it didn't. .

Looking thru the targets, this rifle also likes the Speer 55g sp #1047 just as well with a powder charge in the low-mid 24 gr charge of 8208xbr, 205's, LC2x, shot a 3 shot group of .35" but don't have a picture loaded on the laptop to post. Again, doing a ladder test at 100 yds.

I may have to find another donor action if this kind of crap continues. ;)
 
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