Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Rimfire Alternative: Part Deux

Dont know what you could have missed, sounds like you did your homework.If the Fireball wont shoot 50s you need to get rid of it.Next time you're in the state capital, just drop it off......

Tom,

I usually load 16.0 grains of IMR4895 with 40's. Velocity usually runs around 1500-1600 fps, depending on barrel length, but you can increase velocity to whatever you want, since with single-based powders velocity will increase at the same rate as the charge. So far accuracy has been great in every rifle I've tried it in.

Thanks JB...I gotta try it!

Ingy,
What I mean was, I didn't get a Fireball so I could shoot 50 grainers. I got it because I liked the results of Blue Dotting the other two so much. The bottom line of that was, I had two rifles where I could enjoy the equivalent of a hot/accurate Hornet -- or maybe exactly a Fireball with the Dot loads.

I'd had a Hornet (77) for a while and my Long Rifle was better than it ever was. And when Mic McPherson wrote that story on Lil Gun in a Fireball, with photos of those sexy targets, the die was set. Another "twofer."

So, when I had a barrel up for retirement that still hummed with 40 grainers and Blue Dot, I just HAD to go buy a Stevens 200 (yes, I shot the donor) and have that tube re-cut for Fireball. Good idea. It shoots super with both LG and BD, but since I have more LG left than BD, I'm leaving the Dot loads for the bigger 22s.

I suppose with the price of rimfire being what it is, and the availability, there will be a point where we'll be chasing centerfire equivalents to LR and WMR and pouring our own lead pills from old batteries.

OK, gotcha!


Meanwhile back at the range....


I shot another version of Seafires load...12.5 grains of IMR 4198 and a 55 gr. Hornady

It shot tight little groups in EXACTLY the same spot as my 50 grain load. Life is good!

Just for giggles here's a 10 shot group out of a Tikka I bought from a friend for my 9yo daughter to shoot gophers with this year. Kissing a 50 Zmax with 13 gr of Blue Dot, LC brass and a 400. I was gonna shoot up 1,000 of the 205m's I have laying around, but it didn't like them as much.


I went home, put the pistol powder bar in the Dillon and cranked out 500 for this spring.

Damn that flier!






Super shooting!




New scope got here today, gonna wring it out on the range tomorrow .......

There's a lot of good information in this thread, entertwined among the humor...

Why only 500? That wouldn't quite get through a good day on the killing fields here.



I'm gonna try JBs load with IMR 4895 and substitute a 55 grainer...see what happens today!


Course, Im shooting a Remmy so the load will probably blow up the gun, after the faulty trigger makes the gun go off all by itself and the bolt falls off....

Poobs, I'll load up a bunch more if you share your spots!

But really, I just ran out of prepped LC brass about the time the newer bottle of Blue Dot was getting low.

A good day here is hit and miss. Living three hours (+) from where we shoot, it's hard to catch em on a good weekend. Between volleyball and the busy time of year with my business we always get pushed back into Summer when the shooting is not as good. Best day I've ever had was 950 rounds out of three guns. Wind was just enough to cool barrels when switching them out.

I have noted that the IMR 4198 loads still heat up a barrel faster than Blue Dot when you are volume shooting...

went out once, with just the ADL in 223...

shot the Blue Dot loads for 650 rounds in one afternoon

averaging about 3 shots every 2 minutes ( I single feed my shots when shooting sage rats)... the barrel never heated up enough for me to have to worry about it, and stopping to cool it off...

with the 4198 loads, I suspect that a sporter weight barrel would need a little cooling off time along the way in that type of service...

but right now, Blue Dot availability is spotty... where as 4198 is readily available... at least here locally for the time being...

For us on gophers a normal day is about 400 rounds....a good day is 600 and an exceptional day is over 800 rounds ( per shooter)


Those days don't come along often...but it happens....



John I think you might be right on the 4198 and barrel heating, but it wont be near as bad as my normal full load! Cant wait to find out!


Heading to the range now to wring out the new scope......its a Burris MSR for the .223...has a turret and ballistic plex...not sure what to think of it all right yet.....

It's a Burris, I'm sure you'll love it.....

OK...here we go with todays report..


I AM A TURRET SPINNING MOFO!


Sighted zero at 50 yards with reduced load, took it out to 100 yards and had to spin my turret four whole clicks up!


Call me one of the cool kids now....


Anyway... shot a few loads to see what was more gooder in this gun...50 yards...everything was pretty ,much the same...





Seafires load.....




And JBs. load with 55 grainers instead...







Things opened up correspondingly at 100 yards. Everything shot barely into an inch with the nod for best consistency going to the 50 grain Vmax.


I spun my turret 4 clicks back to zero and went home!


The Burris MSR scope by the way was fine, just like a 3x9 FF with Ballistic plex...and a turret....

Now that you're a turret twister, we're gonna have to talk you into a chronograph...

Sheesh, now you weasels have me thinking about spring and I was just getting my head settled for THE DARK TIME.

Load lots of varmint bullets during the dark time......

Why are you yelling at me?

IM NOT YELLING AT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

You are just hyper-sensitive.

Digging up this thread to say thanks Seafire and ingwe for the info and the enabling.

It motivated me to snag a pound of IMR 4198 yesterday to load up a "bunny load" with the 55g Horn SP W/C. I also have some 53g V-MAX's I could try but since Hornady doesn't bulk package those I'm hoping to get the el cheapo 55g SP's to work (since I have about 330 left).

Thanks!