The .223 Wylde chamber vs 223 match

[DennisH]

I am going to rebarrel my Savage 223.

What barrel do you recommend, The .223 Wylde chamber or 223 match.

I might do a little MR shooting.

Just looking for recommendations,

Dennis

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I don't see much appeal for the Wylde in a bolt gun.

 

[Cort]

I think you should choose both your chambering reamer and the twist of your barrel based on the bullet(s) that you plan to use. The Wylde chamber lets you use both 5.56 and .223 ammunition but that versatility will cost you in accuracy. I believe that the narrower you select your components the higher the level of potential performance. As an example, you can select the twist of your barrel such that it stabilizes long, heavy bullets. Consequently, it will shoot long, heavy bullets well and still shoot short and/or light bullets. However, it commonly won't shoot the short, light bullets as well as a barrel with the twist selected to stabilize the short, light bullets.

Cort

 

[spclark]

Other posters have it right: pick a bullet then your twist rate for a new barrel, then the reamer profile to use for chambering.

If you shoot only to 600 yards you likely can do fine with nothing heavier than the 80 - 82 grain range. These need a 1:7.5 twist to stabilize under most any conditions you'll encounter this side of Antarctica.

Then talk to your gunsmith-of-choice about what reamers he has available. Those bullets don't need the long throat used for the 90's.

For a bolt gun a Wylde chamber's not really the best choice....

 

[DennisH]

For a bolt gun a Wylde chamber's not really the best choice....

80 grain VLD's, twist calculator shows 8 twist. This is if I go with the Wylde chamber.

I would use the rifle for PD hunting and some 600 yard practicing.

Go with a throated 223 Match 7 twist???

 

[Cort]

Dennis,

I like a tight chamber throated fairly short for the bullet(s) that I plan to use. That way the barrel will give me the longest life before the throat is too far gone and there is less stretch of my brass on the initial firing with the tight chamber. However, whatever chamber you have will work fine since the cases expand to fit the chamber after the first two or three firings. If you full length re-size, then having your sizing die mated to your chamber tends to give the best results both in overall accuracy and in case life. Again, once the brass is fire-formed, the chamber is no longer an issue. The throat is always the issue.

An 8 twist should be fine for your purpose and I would go with a match chamber if it were my bolt gun.

Cort

 

[RHux]

My 223 Wylde Criterion does 1/4" at 100 with 82 g Bergers.

 

[DennisH]

My 223 Wylde Criterion does 1/4" at 100 with 82 g Bergers.

I have heard this from several people who own Wylde barrels, they swear by them. I didn't want to say this up front.

I have a 26" 8 twist Wylde ready to screw on. Not being experienced with this barrel, I wanted opinions from people. 80 grn pills seem to be the ticket for the 8 twist.

I am curious how it performs out to 300 up to 600 yards.

I guess the best thing to do is screw it on and try it out.

Does the Wylde have dedicated dies? Anything special about reloading? Like everyone else, I have thousands of once fired 223 brass in a bucket.

The only thing holding me back is I also have a 223 Match Grade barrel, 7 twist. Many swear by this barrel!

I have been shooting this 223, factory Savage VLP, 9 twist for years. 52 grain bullets are deadly with this factory Savage barrel. But it's not as accurate as it use to be. I clean the barrel and it takes about 30 shots before it starts shooting again.

I appreciate everyone's help, again, I just use this gun to practice with, PD hunting, and would like to shoot it MR one day. I also let the kids shoot this gun when they want to go shooting. Even though it's probably the gun I have shot the most (I bought ammo by the case), I have the least technical experience with it. I just started reloading 223's in the last year as the cost of ammo has gone up and it's scarce.

I also love shooting my 6br, and not to confuse anyone, but I have seriously thought about changing the bolt head and barrel on this 223 and have another 6br. I would have to sell a lot of surplus 223 supplies to do so.

I have a great friend who is trying to talk me into converting it to a 22PPC! I know how accurate his gun is. But I am going to stick with the 223.

Well, this should be enough to confuse everyone. The most shooting I do is with my 308's, F/TR class. I have shot competitions for several years now. I pretty well know my 308's inside and out.

I can always put the Wylde barrel on, and if I don't like it, I will screw a 223 Match barrel on. I definitely want it to shoot <.250 MOA.

Also I am thinking, what's the best 223 Match setup. Length, twist, throat, bullet . . .

I have read the above post 3 or more times, FYI.

Again, I appreciate everyone's help.

Take Care,
Dennis

 

[spclark]

I would use the rifle for PD hunting and some 600 yard practicing.

Go with a throated 223 Match 7 twist???

1:8's appropriate for the 80's, 1:7.5 gives you a margin of comfort if you shoot when it's cold. 1:7's unnecessary unless you want to get into the 90's & even then that may not be fast enough. 1:6.5 is what most service rifle shooters use who run 90's but those are 20" barrels.

Too fast & you eliminate lighter bullets. Too slow & you cut off the heavies when they won't stabilize.

If your usage is 80% hunting a 1:8 ought to work with anything from 50's to 80's. 600 yards when it's 40 degrees or below with the 80's might be a disappointment.

Factory dies for 223 will work for most any standard 223 chamber, even the Wylde. It's when you make changes & use a custom reamer you might benefit from custom dies made to fit.

 

[butchlambert]

My 223 Wylde Criterion does 1/4" at 100 with 82 g Bergers.

OK, How often does it do it and is that 3 or 5 shot groups? I have a Wylde on my AR, but would use something else on a bolt gun.

 

[Bamban]

To all responders stating the Wylde chamber may not be the right choice for bolt guns. What aspect of the Wylde reamer that makes it so?

TIA

 

[Joe Wade]

Bamban

The wylde chamber has the necessary clearance for Semi-Auto use like AR-15 in Service Rifle
competition. The neck and body has more clearance than with a match reamer. It is throated to shoot 80gr with an OAL of 2.450"-2.500" which is longer than magazine lenght of 2.260" This long bullet may not fit in the magazine box of a bolt gun so it is reserved for single round loading.
Also, if you choose to shoot the bullets with a short ogive (55gr, 69 gr, 77gr)at magazine lenght, your bullet will have to jump .100" or more to get to the rifleing. Not the best for sub minute of angle groups.
Like other posters have said, pick the bullet you wish to shoot, then choose everthing else around that.
It is not that the Wylde won't work in a bolt gun, why limit your self to a chamber ment for Semi-Auto
use when there are better choices for a sub-moa bolt gun.

 

[FroggyOne2]

Been using the Wylde chamber for the last 5 years in bolt guns. Seems to real well for me!

The caveat is that they are all throated out for the 90VLD. Back when I was just shooting the 75 Amax, I was just using the standard Wylde chamber. Reamers used by Randy Gregory.