Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 223 60 grain V Max loads

Have benchmark, varget, and TAC on hand right now. Using Black Hills brass thats marked as "match". Have several different types of primers right now as well. Not sure if this brass is thicker like mil surplus stuff or not. The ones I have shot and reloaded so far up to max with other bullets have showed no signs of high pressure.
These loads will be shot in a 18" bull barrelled AR. Gotta load em to mag length.

Bummer on mag length.
I've tried all three under 60VMs. 26.1 of Varget in LC was the best load I've ever had accuracy-wise in two barrels on the same Savage 10 action. Both of those were loaded to the throat, however, and 18 inches seems kind of short for the full benefit of Varget.

I'm using 21.5 grains of 10X in a Winchester 1-9",Win brass,Rem 7 1/2 primers

25.0 to 25.5 grains TAC for me are a winner is my 18" rig...

I'm getting almost 2950 at 2.25"...

Thanks for the info. 2950 in an 18" tube sounds like a winner, I've got some load data now and will work up to that TAC load. Thanks Greg. Anyone shoot many coyotes with those?
Our yotes aren't that big or tough, but I don't want em splashing on em at 300 yards.

I'm using 23.3 of Benchmark under the 60 grain Ballistic tip with outstanding accuracy.

Please work up. Max per Ramshot is 24.8 but I'm seeing zero pressure signs and brass life is good, even at 25.5. I have no idea if 2950 in an 18" tube is fast? I'm just the messenger from the chrony...grin...

I shoot them out of a 1:7" twisted tube and what their performance on coyotes in pretty unbelievable really. A Vmax at this velocity gives excellent performance. Have not had one splash most likely sue to the moderate velocity.

There is something to this 7" twist with frangible bullets.

Thanks, I have never gone much over max. But I will work up very slow if I don't see any high pressure signs.
I've never had any brass that showed signs of high pressure. Is the primer generally the first place for signs to show up? Seems like the weakest part of the whole equation.

The best load so far in my 1/9 Savage Predator is the 60 gr V-Max with 24.5 gr Varget. Shoots bug holes!

Primer, ejection marks, heavy bolt lift, etc...

I'd do some reading on the topic of overpressure before you start playing with a load on the edge in my opinion just so you know what's going on.

You can mike the case head expansion the old fashioned way too. HM

From what I've been seeing in both of my 223's that I reload for I'm gonna get a load for the vmax's and shoot em till their gone and switch to 63 g sierra smp's and 64 win pp's. They both shoot great and I don't have to switch to deer bullets when the season comes. The 63 smp's are great bullets and shoot great in everything I've tried em in.
They are very simalarly shaped and in length. Should I bother changing my load data between the two. My best load for the smp's is the lightest charge of varget. Was planning on starting there with the 64's. I can't find the data I used before.