Accuracy Issues With 223 Reloads

[Timberland]

Wrong Powder for good accuracy, 223 is not picky about mixed brass.
Varget or H-335 are both Excellent
BLC-2 and Win 748 are also good.
Try 25.5 of Varget under that 55 grainer and seat to spec.
This has given me under MOA out of every rifle I have tried it in, including my Mini-14

25 grains with 55 is a majic combo isnt it! Not shure how else you can get cheap submoa plinking ammo.

[hylander]

25 grains with 55 is a majic combo isnt it! Not shure how else you can get cheap submoa plinking ammo.

I forgot to mention I use V-Max bullets, so not sure how the 55 FMJ will do, but it should be pretty good

[Ugly Dwarf]

I've been finding surprisingly good results with 55 FMJ-BT w/c (cheap / bulk) in my 1x9" AR using H335 (and to a lesser extent with TAC and surplus Data 2200). I prefer boat tail bullets for their ease in seating but some flat base bullets shoot very well for me (60gr V-Max).

While 55 grain bullets should be well inside your rifles performance envelope, you may want to try lighter bullets (45-52 grain) if you're looking for the best accuracy in your 1x12" twist. My brothers 1x12" .223 seems to love 52 grain Sierra HPBT's over any powder he's tried.

Lastly, similar to what xrMike was saying, what is your load workup methodology? I have had relatively good luck with the following in finding something that shoots great (not just "OK"):

Try 2-3 different bullet weights/makes over 2-3 powders (minimum). For each combination, do 10 rounds at the stated Start charge (or 10% below max if no Start charge is listed), 10 rounds 1/2 - 2/3 of the way to maximum and 10 rounds at intervals up to the maximum (For example using Ramshot TAC and a 52 grain Sierra 52 HPBT, I would start with: 10 rounds at 23.6, 10 @ 25, 10 @ 25.4, 10 @25.8 and 10 @26.2 MAX). The first two loadings allow me to check for signs of over pressure at the low / middle end, while the next three allow me to look for best accuracy towards the upper end.

That's how I do it. It's more work than some people might want to take for blasting ammo, but I find it can make the difference between 2-3" groups and < 1" groups. Others might disagree with my methods or have another way that works well for them.

Good luck with the load work up.

[Gunsrruss]

Wideners.....

Go to www.wideners.com and see if they have the Winchester bullets still on sale. Then get some WCC 844 or H335 powder at 25gr for 55gr. OAL 2.255. You didn't say what your using for a powder measure??? I use a Pact Powder dispenser and scale combo. Gets me to within 1/10 gr.

[jmnardo]

Sorry it took me a while to get back to this, I was sort of busy for a while.

Thanks for the great info. I picked up some H335 today.

Here's my technique. I wash the brass, decap with a pin and trim the primer hole to get rid of the mil crimp. I then resize the brass and trim to specified length. I do use Lee dippers for powder, but I check the weight first of a number of represntative samples. While I know my technique isn't perfect, I can match factory ammo accuracy with the other calibers of ammo I reload. I can't even match factory accuracy with 4895 in the 223.

I did vary the powder loads to see if that would help. However, the 4895 pretty much filled the case at the starting load so I could only work down. I worked down to the point the loads would not fully cycle the rifle. The best acccuracy was with the most powder, but again that was the minimum load and it filled the case.

I also had good results with some 223 reloads I picked up at the gun show. These were also mixed brass so I don't really think its the brass. However, I will try and segragate the brass and see if that helps. I'm not trying to achieve match accuracy (yet), I'd just like to match the factory ammo at a reasonable price per round.

I picked up some 335 today which I will give a try. Any other words of wisdom are appreciated.

Thanks, Mike

ps: I use the Lee dippers mostly 'cause its so slow trying to measure out each round with a scale. I've toyed with the idea of a powder dispenser but assumed they would not be considerably more consistant than the dippers. Sounds like I'm wrong on that. Any advise on how to go with a powder dispenser?

[rayra]

I don't reload rifle, but have a question. Wouldn't a boat-tail bullet have a smaller bearing surface than a flat-base bullet?

Oh, and you could always pull a Remington round and see what they use.

Yes. And this is also what confuses me about the advice the OP stated. Very strange.
Faster twist, heavier bullet, slower twist, lighter bullet.
A 1in12-55gr combination ought to work, regardless of bullet type.

But the OP ought to ditch the scoops and at least get a $30 Lee or RCBS balance scale. You can't go chasing accuracy issues without some certainty that you have a consistent powder charge.

[RHT447]

As a rule, FMJ bullets do not provide the best accuracy. In the microsecond that the bullet exits the barrel, the bullet base is critical to accuracy. The design and manufacture of FMJ bullets is not condusive making bullets with bases that are precise and consistant. When the jacket faces the other way (ie; hollow points, soft points, etc.) the precision is very much improved. Here is a link to an excellent bullet by Remington. IMHO, one of the most accurate bullets for the money.

http://http://www.midwayusa.com/epro...eitemid=260082

I wouldn't recommend going any heavier than 55gr with a 1 in 12 twist rate.
Probably a good idea to separate military brass from commercial. The military stuff tends to be a bit heavier (thicker walled) than commerical and so has a bit less internal capacity.

[RHT447]

Arrrg! Screwed up the link. Try this one. Gotta stop doing this at midnight.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=260082

[rksimple]

The military stuff tends to be a bit heavier (thicker walled) than commerical and so has a bit less internal capacity.

This is false with 223 brass.

http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html

[RHT447]

This is false with 223 brass.

http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html

Thanks for the link. Not to pick nits, but here is a quote from that link :

"Military 5.56x45 brass often, but not always, has thicker internal construction, and slightly less capacity than commercial .223 Rem brass."

[rksimple]

Thanks for the link. Not to pick nits, but here is a quote from that link :

"Military 5.56x45 brass often, but not always, has thicker internal construction, and slightly less capacity than commercial .223 Rem brass."

Yeah, they have a few different people writing their articles. Probably just parroting what has been said over the years. All it takes is a look down to the case capacity chart to find LC and WCC at the top. Randall did another case volume comparison and military was up top as well. Surprisingly, Wichester is down toward the lower end.