Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Rimfire Alternative: Part Deux

That windage stuff is such a PITA....

Yeah, my fave .223AI is a rifle I only shoot two loads through...one thats 'fur friendly' and my hunting load with a TTSX. Only an inch difference between the two....but the inch includes elevation AND windage.



And my .22-250 only gets two loads, one practice and one TTSX load for hunting. There is a full 18 inches difference in POI and it is both windage and elevation!

Wow!

I have a .358 Winchester like that. My usual load uses the 225 Nosler Partition, but in my big game rifles I like to have a similar load with a cheaper bullet for practice, sight-in, and shooting dinks as participation trophies. Tried the 220 Speer flat-nose with the same powder charge and the difference in POI at 100 was also just about 18". Since then bought some 225 Sierras but haven't tried them yet.

Most of my varmint rifles shoot difference bullets with full-powder loads so close to the same place the scope setting doesn't have to be tweaked. But there are exceptions....

Ive only got three like that, a .222, a .223 with a Hart barrel, and my .204....none seem to much care what you stick in them, they all shoot M.O.G.



( Minute of Goph...)

Kinda curious, have you figured out your cost per round?

Yeah....depends on the bullet I use, but the best shooting so far is with the V-max 50 grainer. 21 cents per round.

My 17 HMR ammo is on sale at $11 per box of 50....22 cents per round.




Think how much money I save if I shoot a million rounds!!!


With Hornady 55 grainers its 16 cents per round...

Well with 560 rounds per pound of powder with the 12.5 grain Load...

say primers at 3.5 cents apiece....you have more in primer than you do the powder....

and then factor in your cost of the bullet you choose...

Hornady Bulk bullets ( from various sources) and Nosler's Shooters Pro Shop are you friends....

definitely rivals the rimfire magnum costs, with better performance....

and you factor in seeing things like a box of 50 CCI 22 LRs were on the shelf and selling at Fred Meyer last night for $8 something a box....

just bought a ton of bullets from Nosler's Shooters Pro Shop... for under 10 cents a bullet.. and that was delivered to the door step...

in Klamath County Oregon, there a ton of little gophers hibernating and new ones that are in gestation right now, that they unknowingly have their name on one of the zillion bullets I have loaded and to loaded for this coming spring...that will start in February or so...

That's what I thought that it could be cheaper than the 17 HMR. Good thing I love reloading as well Got to get a 222 or 223 this year finally and do a bunch of different experimenting. Looks like you guys are having a blast with these reduced loads........

ingwe, I have a .222 I bought as a turkey rifle.. But my turkey hunting has slowed down.. Thought I might try the reduced load system in this rifle.. I bought a pound of Trail Boss 'cuz you seemed to like it so well.. Also have lots of H4198.. You spoke of a .222 using reduced loads.. Do you use either of these two powders in the triple two??

We don't have the same access to cheap bullets as you do but it looks like bulk Hornady 55 gr can be had for around $15 per 100. 17 HMR ammo starts at about $18 per 50 and those prices are much more expensive where I live.

Well hell boys! Yesterday I wuz a lustin' after a new Cz 527, in the deuce. I found a bunch of ammo in the cabinet. What better reason fer a new shooter, right?

Then I see this thread and remember my Blue Dot .223 loads. Sierra 45gr. Hornet soft point on top of 8grain of Blue. Around 1/2" at 50 yds.

8 grains is what got me to a 50 yard zero on the top of the bottom post.

The Hornet bullet cause it worked and opens up well at this velocity.

When I was working up the load several people, at the range were worried that I had some bad loads.

Oh, the rifle for this load is my Rem 799 in a B&C medalist.

You could use either one, but I'd start with the TB to see what you think....then if you try the H4198...I'd think about that 12.5 grain load.....it might be a little zippy in the deuce. The TB should give you that 1800 fps....

I am enjoying the crap out of this stuff. It is more accurate than my rim fires, more consistent ( Ive found inconsistencies with all but the best rimfire ammo like Eley) and it lets me shoot the rifles I like more. Pretty simple. The big plus is the lack of meat damage to edible targets like bunnies....unless of course you really screw up the shot....

Also, unless you are really shooting high volume, you can go without hearing protection, if you chose. 20-25 shots at bunnies in an evening are easy on the ears......or could it be cause I'm pretty near deaf already?

ingwe, how much Trail Boss would you think in a .222 with 50 gr. bullets??

I might try 11 gr. of H 4198 and the 50 g. bullet..

I dunno on the TB....what they recommend is filling a case up to the bottom of the neck and weighing that load. That will be your max load. 70% of that is where they say to start and FWIW my guns like it at about .4 gr ( 4/10ths of a grain) under max.

Thanks!!

Actually it's bottom of the bullet and they don't want compressed loads.

Read up on it here.
http://www.imrpowder.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-data.pdf

Yeah, loading Trail Boss is pretty easy. Finding some is another question, which is why I burn a lot more IMR4895 and Accurate 5744 in reduced .223 loads.

In fact A5744 is also a pretty good full-power .223 powder with lighter bullets.

Pardon me if I'm not quite with the program here on reduced loads in the 223.
The Blue Dot loads I have for 22BR, Fireball and .223 Rem are pretty sporty. 35 and 40 grainers tooting right along.
Much quieter and cooler, but still disgustingly capable of that afternoon Mobius Mist effect.
And I didn't get my Fireball to shoot 50s. Am I missing something here?

JB whats your reduced load with IMR4895? Ive got a ton of it on hand....?