Hi folks. New to reloading and wanted to know how I can make highly accurate ammo for my ddmv5 . Its 5.56/223 w/16 " barrel and 1 in 7. Ive shot the hornady match 77 grain bthp with .75 inch groups at 100 yrds And 1 "groups with federal fusion 75 grain bthp. Just want to see if I can get tighter groups with reloading and shoot more. Is there a different method to reload for semi auto or a bolt gun. Need some wisdom from some wise men. Thanks
reloading for ar15
- Thread starter hightide
- Start date
The Sierra reloading manual has a separate section for reloading AR-15s. This is worthwhile to look at. It is found as a link in this article.
http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html The actual link is below.
http://accurateshooter.net/Downloads/sierra223ar.pdf
I don't know the specifics of your rifle, but please be sure the trigger and barrel are of high quality. These two things can definitely affect AR-15 to a fair degree. I invested heavily in these two areas and mine will do 1/2" 5 shot groups at 100 yards off a bipod far more often than not, and I am not an accomplished shooter.
Good luck.
Phil
http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html The actual link is below.
http://accurateshooter.net/Downloads/sierra223ar.pdf
I don't know the specifics of your rifle, but please be sure the trigger and barrel are of high quality. These two things can definitely affect AR-15 to a fair degree. I invested heavily in these two areas and mine will do 1/2" 5 shot groups at 100 yards off a bipod far more often than not, and I am not an accomplished shooter.
Good luck.
Phil
On bolt guns I bump my shoulders back .001-.0015, and run .002 neck tension, with my semi autos I bump the shoulders .003, I use plano FL dies so the neck tension is whatever it is, for an added safety step I apply a slight crimp with a Lee Factory Crimp Die, the crimp is an insurance against the bullets moving during recoil inside the mag, and keeping it from moving when the cartridge is slammed into the chamber. My current load is prepped range brass, 24 grains IMR4895, CCi primers, 69grn SMK loaded to mag length, speed average is 2660, with high SD/ES due to range brass, but in a 3 gun match with big targets no further than 200 it hammers, on the bench it's a 5/8moa load, and kills pigs suppressed rather well.
Thanks fellas. All I did to the rifle was change out the trigger for the 2 stage geisselle and it feels real crisp. Havent shot any other 2 stage so I cant really rate it. As far as the barrel goes. Its the heavy 16 in barrel with the 1.7 twist. Pretty satisfied with the rifle just want to see what its capable of or shall I say me. Thanks again for the reply .
I'm looking for some data also. I just need a starting point for an accurate pratice round. I have a 1/7 twist, 16". So much information out there my brain is about to explode.
Mulligan
Silver $$ Contributor
^^^^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^^
Edit
Sierra manual is a little conservative but otherwise spot on.
We have a couple WOA 7 twist uppers, 69, 77, & 80 gr SMK with Varget or RL15 is a winning combination. My son could and his shooting team did very well with this recipe.
CW
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What distance for accuracy?
I'll not repeat the Sierra manual again to help prevent beetlegeuse from arriving. AR loading tips and tricks from my experience.
Sounds like you have a bullet picked, most ARs I know prefer one of the three big brands (Sierra, Hornady, nosler) and just about all do well with Berger or Lapua. There are a ton of powders out there that can do well. If you are thinking of volume reloading, look into ball powders such as cfe223, ramshot TAC, win 748, etc...
If you really want to wring out maximum accuracy and will be measuring powder to the kernals (or near enough) varget, R15, ARcomp, N140; and other stick powders perform well. I used an easy 4000 rounds through my 223 AR just testing powders one year. Just pick one or two and go for it. Most accurate and high velocity doesn't happen with a 16" barrel; go for most accurate and best function.
Next up are primers. I've had best luck with fed 205M or 205AR, others like cci450, cciBR4, tula Magnum if you can find them. Each will need a separate load workup and test. I'd start with one and when you find a load range, do a small workup with the other primers.
Signs to watch for:. Case head swipe and excessive shoulder growth can indicate overgassed and this is hard on brass. It's a whole nother discussion to talk about the gas system. Find an accurate load, be happy, pick one easy on brass. Pierced or cratered primers are a no-no of course, try a different brand and work up again.
Finally, if you are a volume shooter I'd recommend working loads up in summer with a warm barrel.
Best of luck and have fun! Keep data neat and organized,
-Mac
TheOtherZilla
Pull my finger
I have close to the same spec AR bbl as you listed. 1:7 twist/20". I am using 65 Sierra'a CCI BR4 primers LC Brass, and use W748. Resize with a small base die.
Lots of good info here and I'm writing it all down. What's throwing me off is the guys loading 55grain bullets and claiming 3/4 MOA with a 1/7, 16 barrel. I always though a 1/7 preferred heavier bullets. I keep getting off track. I originally wanted a plinking, defensive and target load but realistically I just need one. That way I can setup my Dillon tool head and be done with it. Later on I could experiment a precision load as I have some AR's that look promising with Federal GMM.
Mulligan
Silver $$ Contributor
All of our short range (less than 600 yards) competitive AR rounds were loaded on a Dillon 550B.
95% were 77gr SMK, LC brass, either 71/2 Remington or CCI BR4, Varget.
CW
The twist rate of a barrel will determine the longest bullet it will stabilize. Bullets lighter than that will usually be fine within limits. Over stabilized bullets are a problem if they deform or blow up before they get to the target. If they stay together and uniform they can be extremely accurate.
Fast14riot
Gold $$ Contributor
For my service rifle I shoot either 24.5gr of 2230C under a 55gr soft point for reduced matches or 23.2gr of 8208 under a Hornady 75gr BTHP. I use mixed year LC brass and Rem 7-1/2 primers. I've shot both loads from 20" 1:8 And 1:7 twist barrels, wylde chambers, and have maintained expert scores just fine.
The general plinking load is usually 25gr H335 under a 55gr bullet.
Small base dies are a good idea if loading for more than one gun, bump shoulder back minimum .003", I do not crimp any of the 3 AR cartridges I load for, try to avoid thin cup primers to prevent slamfire. Get yourself some industrial strength adhesive backed Velcro, take the fuzzy side and cut a square to fit on the brass deflector. This will keep your brass from getting really banged up during ejection.
The general plinking load is usually 25gr H335 under a 55gr bullet.
Small base dies are a good idea if loading for more than one gun, bump shoulder back minimum .003", I do not crimp any of the 3 AR cartridges I load for, try to avoid thin cup primers to prevent slamfire. Get yourself some industrial strength adhesive backed Velcro, take the fuzzy side and cut a square to fit on the brass deflector. This will keep your brass from getting really banged up during ejection.
This ^^ always works for me. I like RL15 a little better than Varget but that might just be in my head. Both shoot very well for me in CLE chambers.
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