Here are some loads tried in my sporter-weight Winchester 70, which has a Lilja barrel:
.223 WSSM, 22-inch barrel, 1-9 rifling twist:
35 Nosler Lead-Free CFE223 49.0 4463 1.37
41 Cutting Edge Raptor RL-15 45.0 4149 .70
50 Sierra BlitzKing Big Game 46.0 3802 .69
50 Hornady V-Max Varget 42.5 3862 .80
50 Speer TNT Green Varget 42.0 3856 1.03
53 Barnes TSX Big Game 46.5 3927 1.62
55 Sierra HP GameKing Varget 41.0 3753 .51
60 Nosler Partition Big Game 44.5 3658 1.21
70 Berger VLD Acc. 4350 45.0 3470 1.01
75 Hornady A-Max H1000 49.0 3267 .78
The groups are all 5-shot at 100 yards.
The reason .223 WSSM brass tends to crack at the necks sooner than most other rounds is its relatively thick, so needs to be annealed more frequently.
