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What are your favorite accuracy loads with your Remington 700 rifle chambered in .223 Remington? Preferably loads that are using 40 or 50 grain pills. Please state brass manufacturer, C.O.A.L, powder and powder charge, bullet, and primer. I am looking for some input that will influence where I start on some future accuracy loads. Thanks everyone!
Each rifle is an individual, so somebody else's OAL is pretty much worthless. Distance from the lands may be of some benifit. With 1-12" factory bolt guns, I've had pretty solid luck with moly 50gr v-max's just into the lands, CCI BR4's or 400's, and a slightly over book-max charge of RL10x. Good velocity, low ES, great accuracy. Varying brass manufacturers and throat lengths may dictate slight variations in powder charge. I'm getting 3,250fps in a 20" barrel and 3,440 in a 24" barrel, although the 24" gun is running a bit heavier charge with a longer OAL and lighter brass.
Rem brass, CCI 400, max charge of AA 2460 and 40-gr V-max, this load used to shoot in the 2-3 range in a Rem 700. Sold the rifle over a year ago, so dont have the COL on hand anymore. I do remember that the velocity was a little over 3800 out of the 26 inch barrel.
10X or Benchmark are a good place to start regarding powers. I prefer Fed Gold Medal primers but don't believe they are much of a factor in an accurate load. The most critical factor regarding brass is to use all the same manufacturer and the next is sort by weight. If someone wanted to know what brand of new brass to buy, my answer would be Lapua.

Someone giving another a load that shoots lights out in both rifles is about as much luck as just picking one out of a manual and having it shoot right off the bat.
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The most critical factor regarding brass is to use all the same manufacturer and the next is sort by weight.


I'd put culling for neck thickness variation ahead of weight sorting.
Originally Posted by mathman
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The most critical factor regarding brass is to use all the same manufacturer and the next is sort by weight.


I'd put culling for neck thickness variation ahead of weight sorting.


In a non Benchrest gun you guys are wasting your time.
Originally Posted by mathman
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The most critical factor regarding brass is to use all the same manufacturer and the next is sort by weight.


I'd put culling for neck thickness variation ahead of weight sorting.


I agree to a point with both. I get them close on weights, do a full case prep to include turning necks and resort by weights. This is just for my bolt rifles tho. After that I keep them in their own boxes with weights inside lid. I've noticed once I started turning the necks it just about cut out all the wild fliers, but I was already weight sorting. So I know neck variations causes issues as well as extreme cases weight variation, which cut way down of fliers itself just by weight sorting. Couldn't say which helped the most but they both help.
This load was a favorite of Ken Waters and has shot very well for me in a couple of rifles, a CZ 527 and a custom 700 light sporter....50 gr Sierra Blitz bullet (2.250" OAL), 26.0 grs H4895, WSR primer and Rem brass. Velocities were 3250-3,300 fps.

Other good combos included all of the above (but the powder), and 23.8 grs Rel 7 and 27 grs IMR 4320.

50 grain bullet, TAC or Xterminator to 3400fps (26.something), Rem SR BR primer.
Buy some Lapua brass, if you can find it. And don't worry about weight sorting and all that other case prep stuff. Just load it and shoot it.

Well worth the extra cost, IMO.

40 grain BT
27 grains H335
205M primer

Should give you about 3700 fps from a 26 inch barrel. It's a warm load, be cautious working up.
Originally Posted by BasicBeer
Buy some Lapua brass.
Well worth the extra cost, IMO.


Unless you're buying 5000 rds. for prairie dogs.......
Originally Posted by aalf


Unless you're buying 5000 rds. for prairie dogs.......


Yeah...but doing the kind of case prep being talked about here on 5k pieces of brass...I'd rather spend the money. Call me lazy if you want, I don't care, it's true. smile

If you aren't worried about case prep, whatever's cheapest.
Originally Posted by BasicBeer
Originally Posted by aalf


Unless you're buying 5000 rds. for prairie dogs.......


Yeah...but doing the kind of case prep being talked about here on 5k pieces of brass...I'd rather spend the money. Call me lazy if you want, I don't care, it's true. smile

If you aren't worried about case prep, whatever's cheapest.


Ah, but I do, do all the case prep. Flash holes, primer pockets, and turn the necks. All my 223's are Rock tubes chambered with a tight necked and zero freebored PT&G reamer. Each one has it's own dedicated 1000 rds. I buy Lapua for all the other guns I have that they make brass for, but not for the high volume PD guns.

An interesting little experiment. We were going to have a cash match with factory guns so I bought 100 pieces of Lapua, detailed them and worked up a load with 52 grain Bergers. Try as I might, I could't get the match loads to equal my varmint loads with Win. brass and Ballistic Tips.

Back to the original question.

My accuracy load consists of Win brass, yes detailed, Rem 7 1/2's, a max load of Accurate 2230, and moly plated Ballistic Tips seated into the lands. It'll give you 3750-3850 depending on the length and speed of the barrel.

A 223 is a round that's not hard to find a good load for.

With componants being a little tough to find, your accuracy loads might be made with whatever you can get your hands on.
I use the basicbeer load only with Winchester primers.
Light recoil, flat trajectory and good gore factor, it doesn't get any better!
whelennut
My favorite and most accurate load in the 223 is Win Brass, Hod Benchmark and the 50 gr Nosler BT and CCI BR-4 primers. The exact powder charge i will have to look up in my load data.
SniperAce016: JPro is exactly right in his assessment of individuality among Rifles.
But I am going to give you some particulars on an extremely accurate loading I used a short time ago in my Remington XR-100.
With this loading I used produced/shot the smallest group (5 shots at 100 yards) I have ever shot with an factory stock Rifle (non-40X type Rifles anyway).
The group (5 shots at 100 yards) measured .121"!
I have been shooting groups for going on 50 years now and this loading IS accurate - as I have used it now in several other 223's!
223 Remington accurate loading components: LaPua 223 Remington brass, Federal 205 M (match) primers, Berger 52 MEF grain bullets and H 335 powder!
Best of luck in your "future" load testing.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
I haven't read all the post but my best .223 loading is almost exactly like VG's except I use Sierra MKs. (and I also have a stash of Remington bench rest 52gr .224 bullets, how many of you have heard of those?) I will say however that the .223 is so inherently accurate, assuming you're shooting a decent rifle like the XR-100 or a VS, that if you're shooting Pdogs rather than targets, you can get by with domestic brass and bulk bullets. The Pdogs will never notice that 1/4-3/8s inch that you'll be giving away.
Stillbeeman: I used to run those bullets through an early and very accurate Remington 40X Rangemaster single shot I owned in caliber 22-250 Remington!
They were great bullets - and I did not fully comprehend HOW good they were til it was to late!
They dried up and I was caught flat footed and with no back ups.
Do you know the story on the Remington 52's - did Remington make them on custom dies or did they have someone make them, for them (Remington) to sell?
A couple months ago I was perusing a dank ol pawnshop and saw the telltale tiny square box and the telltale red and white color combo hidden in a back corner.
With my heart racing I inquired of the proprietor if those bullets were for sale - he said no "you can have'em"!
Alas it was a Remington box all right, and from the correct era, but they were 50 grain PSP's (IIRC) and there were only 11 bullets in the previously opened box.
Close but no cigar.
What caliber do you run your Remington 52's in these days?
Enjoy them!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
I shoot them in factory matches in the XR-100 in .223. One year I won St Champ at 100 & 200 yards and the next year I finished 2nd at 100 but won at 200 yards with that rifle and those bullets. I kinda believe the stool shooters shot themselves in the foot when they started bad mouthing all the rifle factories infavor of the boutique shops. If they had of at least given lip service (like NASCAR) to Remington, Winchester, Savage, etc, think of all the monetary support they'd have. That they don't have.
It'd be kinda interesting to see the factory and modified rifle disclipines divorced completely from the Bench Rest people.
I just moved to middle TN and haven't found a match site yet. In fact, I don't have my bench fully operational yet.
53g SMK, 25.1g N133, RP brass, OAL at lands.
53g SMK, 25.7g Benchmark, RP brass, OAL at lands.
52g Amax, 25.2g N530, RP brass, OAL 0.020 off lands.
55g Berger, 25.5g H335, RP brass, OAL 0.020 of lands.

Those loads have been best for my rifle. Like usual, work up to those loads safely.
I found a phenomenal load that shoots 1/4MOA at 100 yards in my Remington 700 VLS, the picture is a three shot group measuring .251" C-T-C. Although other shots on different bowls put them in the same exact spot as this group, so the accuracy consistency is there, it wasn't just a lucky group. The green circle in the picture has a radius of .5".

[Linked Image]

Winchester brass (1.750" trim length)
Hornady 50 grain V-max
26.4 grains of Benchmark
CCI #400 small rifle Primers
C.O.A.L- 2.275"
shocked
Looks like you are getting there! Do you have a chrony? I think if you notice on the ones I had speed down on about all my most accurate loads were within just a few feet of the same speed with like bullets. That's where the harmonics of the barrel comes in. If you can match that speed with other powders you will have your sweat spot if I'm not badly mistaken. crazy
weighing brass is in the catagory of sitting on the front porch killing ants with a claw hammer. It's fun and fills your time, but not much of anything of quality is accomplished.

In my 23" hart barrel 223 AI with a 14 twist, I am shooting the 50's at 3750-3800 with N-133, 7 1/2 primers.

Same barrel shoots the 55g Sierra blitz at 3600-3650 fps.

Benchmark is slower by 100-150 fps...can't recall exactly.

H335 shoots very tiny groups, but have not checked the speed.

My 27" barrel is 100 fps faster than the 23" barrel, almost exactly with the same powder charges.

My chamber is cut with a minimum spec match reamer with a .2245 throat and zero freebore.

I have a load with N133 shooting the 40's at 4200 fps.

I use IMI brass that is tough as an anvil.
Three shots are NOT a group. Five shots are a group. The average of five, five shot groups is an agg.
I'm enjoying 10X and 60gr V-Max out of a Winchester Coyote, 1-9",appears to be a good punching load,wither paper or groundhog!
I normally am not satisfied with a three shot group, but on this particular day I removed my old scope and put on a Bushnell Elite 6500 4.5-30x50 with a Mil-dot reticule, so I sighted it in. Took me two shots by the way (:, and my last sighter shot on the top left bowl to confirm zero would have been directly in the center of the three shot group on the right bowl if I had shot it there, four shots is a pretty good compromise between 3 and 5 shots.

Braxton
WW brass, CCI 400, 26.0 gr H-335, 50-gr V-max.
Stillbeeman: Three shot groups are INDEED groups!
Having said that I only use 5 shot groups for my load development and sight-in verifications on my numerous Varmint Rifles.
Having said that - my father would dig his way out of his grave at Tahoma National Cemetary in Washington state and walk to Montana and kick my ass if he were to find out I was shooting five - five shot groups for each load I tested!
I have got along just wonderfully for the last 45 years shooting two five shot groups for load/accuracy tests.
If you are implying that a fella needs to shoot "an agg" (five - five shot groups) for each load tested then I can't agree with that. I think that is a little to much duplication of effort.
AND I know several very accomplished Varmint Hunters that DO use the 3 shot group method for load testing and sight-in.
I think this would be a good topic to kick around - amongst Varminting handloaders.
I choose you to start the new topic off with your experiences/opinions.
"I" do use "3 shot groups" for sight-in verification on my Magnum Big Game Rifles - again I have gotten along really well for decades with this policy.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
AALF, let me see if I understand this. You do a full (and foolish) work up of primer pockets, flash holes, neck turning, etc, etc, etc on the brass you are taking Pdog shooting????

WOW! You have a lot more free time than I do.
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