My .223 40 V-Max Load

[hylander]

Pop

[kmca]

What twist barrel do you have?

[hylander]

What twist barrel do you have?

I knew I forgot something
1:9

[rksimple]

Looks good. Varget seems a little slow for those light bullets, but those groups don't lie!

[Kiba]

I'm surprised to see Varget working well for you behind 40gr bullets. My experience has been that Varget in a .223 is most accurate with the 60+ gr bullets and accuracy with the lighter bullets is less than favorable as the burn rate isn't matched. But hey, at the end of the day it's whatever your rifle likes!

Did you chronograph your loads? I'm back to 50gr V-max loads after trying a whole bunch 40gr loads. My most accurate 40gr loads, while a little more explosive on squirrels with the extra 200 fps, exhibit just over twice the standard deviation of my most accurate 50gr load (44fps vs. 18fps) and twice the extreme spread (100 fps spread with the 40gr bullets vs 41fps spread with the 50's.) I chose to have better longer range consistency with the more consistent velocity 50gr loads over the slightly higher speeds of the 40gr loads.

BTW, here's a couple of 10 shot groups at 150yards out of my 24" Bushmaster Varminter upper. Loads were LC brass, GM205M primers. The 40gr load was over 25.0 grains of N133 (3530fps) and the 50gr was over 24.5 gr N133 powder, 3340 fps 10-shot average.

I'm still ticked about pulling 3 of the shots on the 50 grain group. The rifle really likes that load. The fliers were all my fault, I didn't have the stock securely on the rear bag. Was hoping for 1 ragged hole. Next time out I'll try harder.

[hylander]

Didn't get a chance to Chrono the load yet, will on the range run.
I'm guessing it will be around 3300fps
This same load of Varget under a 55 V-Max Chrono's 3000fps and shoot's
half MOA.