Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 1-9 .223???

BSA, what powder are you using for the 73? Benchmark perhaps?

From experience with my Rem 700 LTR with 9" twist I can tell you if the rifle you're considering doesn't print small groups it won't be because of the 9" twist.

I'm running AR comp. I use that load in my bolt guns and my AR's. It is consistently accurate. I like using that powder because It drops from the powder measure very well, so I can load quite a few (about 300+ per hour) on a single stage.

Thanks, it is on my list to try.

I started using AR-Comp a while back for this and that. When I saw the powder for the first time, I must have jumped to the conclusion that it wouldn't meter well through my UniFlow, so I began using my Chargemaster by default when I was loading AR-Comp. Just the other day I was loading up some .223 for my pig killer ARs and decided I should see how well it really does meter, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I'll do it the easy way, thank you very much!

Loaded some up tonight using Benchmark...25 grains... over book max, but the rifle nor brass seem to notice and its the more accurate than lower charges...shooting at 300, 500 and 600 meters at our local range..

I'm hung up on Benchmark lately, mainly due to the fact that a pound of it is selling at Bi Mart from for like $22 a pound..
Sportsman's Whorehouse its selling for $32 a pound...

and to my Buddy Andrew.....AR Comp is never a bad choice....

neither is 3031, 4064, or IMR 4895....and RL 15

That's a damn good deal on benchmark. I've tried it a long time ago in my Ruger hawkeye 223, but never got the accuracy from it that I did with H335... That Hawkeye is a 1 in 9 twist and very accurate. My m77 mkII varmint was also a 1 in 9 twist. It shot very well with just about any bullet powder combo I threw at it... I don't see much of a handicap in that twist rate in the good ol .223 rem. Recently I was at the range talking to a new club member, he was shooting a rifle I saw posted on the local gun forums (you probably know which one I'm talking about). Anyway, he was shooting a very nice winchester model 70 varmint pushfeed. This rifle has the blued receiver and fluted stainless heavy barrel. It was a one year rifle, I believe. Anyway, this guy is a new hand loader and was working on a "ladder test". His groups were horrendous for what the rifle should be capable of. He was trying different bullet weights and powder and recording everything the chrono spit out. His buddy, who was also a new hand loader, was giving him advice and telling him not to worry about the 5" groups he was getting. He said, "pay more attention to the extreme spreads and SD's". When we went downrange to change targets, I glanced over at his targets and boy oh boy those guys were not getting it. I was shooting my AR with a brand spanking new barrel with 77gr TMK's and my other rifles 73gr eldm load, and working on loads myself. No chrono, as it was rainy as hell. They had one of those fancy chrono's that attach to the barrel. Anyway, I was talking to the guy about his new rifle and I told him that I damn near bought it, had he not bought it, I would have. I told him that rifle should be shooting one hole groups and he said, "I wish that was the case". He said it is shooting terrible. I told him if he ever wanted to sell it, let me know...

What bullet are you shooting with that Benchmark load, John?

I'd be all over that Benchmark myself, Bubba John, at $22 per pound. I've seen some outstanding results with it pushing 50s in .223 Rem.

Cliff,

needed to check my notes... I'm running 24.5 grains of Benchmark instead of 25 on this load..

S&B primers, PMC brass, 73 grain Hornady ELD/M...

gotta chronograph them for speed, but I suspect in the 2800 to 2950 range..
shooting them out of a 24 inch barrel Weatherby Vanguard
& a Savage 12 BVSS.....

they work real well off the bench, shooting at a Bowling Ball sized steel target at 500 meters..

ran out of ammo before I could try the 600 meter targets, which are a little smaller...

will try those the new time I get to steal away from all the fall house work, for an hour or two...
and when they aren't so crowded....

our town has been having a major influx of California Refugees, and range time is getting to be a PIA...
and a lot of these clowns need to get over that "we're from California" superiority attitude...
and minus the ones that are military vets, the rest of them don't have a clue about safe range practices,
much less courtesy.....

so that makes range time a little more challenging anymore...

So you are saying a 1-9 twist was stripping the jacket off the 75gr hornady's?

79, it wasn't just stripping the jacket it was blowing them up.. It seemed to shoot fine when they all made it to the target.. This has been a while ago, I have NOT looked back at my notes to see what 75 gr. it was.. But a gunsmith said I was pushing them too fast for that bullet.. Don't know for sure all I know is about every third one never made it to the target or backstop... Maybe just a bad batch, but I shot some other wts. and brands that did not give the accuracy I expected from that caliber.. I finally decided if 55's were it I might as well have a slower twist.. I gave the barrel to my gunsmith.. He put it on another fellows action, but his best accuracy came from 64 gr. WW.. I could get fine accuracy with that bullet from a std twist barrel.. Haven't seen him for a while to know what is going on with it now...

Thanks John. I hate it that you're having to face all those challenges at the range.

Man that's any public range...

I find a different gunsmith.. 1-9 is not too fast for a 75gr bullet. I use a 1-7 with 75's and 55's

The fact remains, but bullets did come apart.....

well it is NOW here locally also...

guess I can look at it, as its getting bad..

or we've had it pretty good for all these years...

The best times is when you are lucky enough to be over there when its crowded, but everyone on the range you are on
are military veterans....courteous, naturally well organized, and safe because each man or the occasional women, know what they are doing....and don't have to have anything explained to them...

but hey, we are all big boys here... we have miles and miles of forest service land nearby as an alternative....

its all good anyway...,

Its all good until someone gets hurt. I hear you about idiots on the range. My buddy and I were at our private range and some new members were there shooting their AR's. One guy loads his rifle and then sweeps all of us with the muzzle. My buddy yells out, whoa guy, don't be doing that again, or you are out of here!!!!! We don't put up with that kind of chidt. I don't care if they are a new member or not, everyone needs to be safe. If not, they need to be schooled. If they don't listen, they are gone...

Finally got my photos loaded to imagur. Here is the little CZ.. Haven't shot it a bunch.. One jack and some target.. Shoots fine.. Handy little rifle..

Very nice! What scope is on it?