Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Shaen .223AI numero tres

Third .223AI from Shaen.

Mullerworks 1-8" M24 contour @ 21" from Bugholes
Zermatt Origin
Trigger Tech Diamond
KRG Bravo
LRHS2
Burris Sig rings
TBAC bipod

That should do fine! How does it feed? Have thought many times about getting a .223 bolt head, mags and barrel for my Origin.

John

Nice setup Hig.

Should make the ground squirrels quake in their boots!

Well, I don't know yet quite honestly Hondo, as I have a PF bolt face on the way from Zermatt.

The PF M70 feeds great and the McWalnut Origin feeds great from AICS mags with a PF bolt face. The CRF bolt face works fine if you run it fast, but the PF is a bit smoother feeding for whatever that's worth.

I like it - and if Shaen built it you already know it will be a shooter

OM,

Aint that the truth?

The guy does killer work.

We are rather lucky to have a guy among us that understands rifle loonies and their crazy nuances!

Yeah man!

Hondo,

I guess I should mention I have the CRF bolt face on the TL3 with the 20 practical bbl at the moment and it feeds great fwiw from AICS mags

Very nice.

Very nice. I'd like to have Shaen do a rifle for me.

I like it!! Shaen redid a rifle that Ryan Kelsey "built" for me. Excellent communication and workmanship, but I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet.

Thanks. I didn’t even realize Zermatt was providing push feed bolt heads. I’ll have to look into them.

John

👍

I think they ran into some feeding issues with .223AI specifically and the PF bolt face is the fix.

I like the looks of that chassis. I have an XLR and not real happy with it.

Nice rifle Hig…

Very nice! Shaen does some great work… I have a few too many of his builds, if that’s even possible. And I’ve been pondering a 223 flavor

Here's shots #6-16 through this one.

40 gr Vmax
29 gr H335
CCI 400
Forming Rem brass
2.25" COAL
Small base die and false shoulders



Same load in the Coyote.

Nice!

No jackets were harmed in the shooting of these groups.

You’ve just pissed in someone’s cereal…


Very cool stuff Hig. Dig that rig.

Yup, Shaen knows how to assemble a rifle for sure... I have been very happy with the 26 Nosler he put together for me....

You should have fluted the tube, brother.....😬🤦‍♀️

Nice set up, Hig!....You get a speed on those 40’s with 29gr of H335?


🦫

Flutes are for [bleep] Beave.

Flave will confirm.

Speed with 29 gr H335 and 40's is classified.

Formed loads with 31 gr are TOP SECRET!

Buy you a taco, only if you spill your guts.

🦫

I like mine crowding 4000fps too. Hint.(grin)

Quit fhuqking around and see how it do with 75 ELD's. Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING....................

I've got plans to whack Prairie Dogs in a few weeks with the light explosive stuff. When and if the wind picks up, I'll switch to the Shaen McWalnut/Bart 1-7" with 75's

Hey, everybody has a plan til they get punched in the face right?

Might even have a few 88's along for the trip.

Should be screaming. My 223AI smithed by IT&D is pushing the 40's at around 3950 IIRC.... they explode like little bombs when they hit critters....

IT&D was rather good at cutting a chamber!

Kinda miss Dave.

Glad Shaen is around these days!

Is there enough velocity improvement with only a 21" tube to make it worth it? been thinking of opening up a 20.5" tube to .223AI, just not sure if I'll get much velocity improvement with such a short tube. Thought anyone?

There is.

How much, in such a short barrel? Are you blowing much powder out the muzzle or getting a pretty complete burn? Toying with the idea of a rechamber on my 20.5" Sako barrel.

What bullet and how fast are you pushing things?

I want to shoot 69 grain Sierra's and Lapua Scenars as fast as reasonably possible and maybe some 77 grainers too. The rifle is new and has never been fired. The barrel is 8 twist.

75 ELD's are running 3,090 in my 21" 1-7" Bartlein with 27.6 gr of Leverevolution in formed Rem cases.

Fire forming loads are running 2,960 which I'd consider a very warm load for a saami .223.

Pharmseller has 75's scooting 3,100 with TAC in a 23" .223 Tikka. Might ask him as I've never messed with TAC but it's been available more than Lever so might have to check it out if worse comes to worse and Pharmseller still has a face.

Lots and lots of threads of all the usual suspects arguing about .223AI though. Might do a search.

Thank you.

Anyone try Leverevolution with 88 gr ELD’s in their 223 AI?

I know Stick has and I sent him a PM but he’s been away from the fire a few days.

88 eld
Formed Rem case
CCI 400
25.3 gr Leverevolution
2,740 fps

Fire form load
88 eld
Rem case
CCI 400
24 gr Leverevolution
2,680 fps

Thank You I’ll give it a try.

According to my notes I ran things up to 2,800 fps and shut things down due sticky bolt lift.

21" bbl though and I'm sure you'd get more joy from a longer one.

Those are still great numbers either way.

In a Tikka Varm .223AI, I get 2940 fps with FF loads using 25.7 gr LVR and 2910 fps with 25.5 gr TAC.

In formed WW cases, I ran about a thousand rounds through the rifle using 27 gr TAC at over 3100 fps, but intermittent primer blanking issues caused me to back down to 26 gr for 3015 fps.

75 ELD's?

Bbl length?

That's with my stash of 75 AM. Barrel length is 23.75".

Yessir, those 75's will get it done.

I was going to have Shaen build me a rifle a few years back. Seeing how I don't live that far from him. I talked to him on the phone, I thought everything was good; my wife and I were going to do a road trip and get out of town for a few days. All I needed from him was his address so I could drop off the rifle to be fixed.
Then he just stopped responding to my request. So, my rifle went to Woodland, CA to another gunsmith who I greatly like his work.
I was just sharing some work for the gunsmith.

No harm no foul.

I might try again on my next build.

Take care.

He probably didn't want anybody to see his messy reloading bench!

I'm always paranoid about meeting up with other Californians too.

That's who did my faux Ti 223 ai with an 8 twist pac nor 3 groove maybe 15 years ago. It's got a 21" barrel and still shoots well. I'm still burning up a large stash of 75g amaxes but I have 75, 80, and 88 eldms waiting. I don't think it'll stabilize the 88s but I'll probably give them a try. I used to run 75s at 3100 but it was a hot load and when I switched lots of lapua brass it was too hot. I've found a good load with 8208xbr that runs 3000 and always shoots well. Sometimes I'll run 53g vmaxes at 3400 plus but 90% of the time it's been 75 amaxes.

My remage criterion 22 Creedmoor been getting all the field time lately.

Bb

I got a great deal on a VSSF barrel about the time my 17 Remington burned out the barrel so I sent it off to Dave to work his magic. It shoots great with the light bullets, but the VSSF barrel is a 12 twist so it does best with the light bullets. Tried some 55's in it and it shot okay, but the 40's shoot very, very well in it and the few coyotes and chucks I've shot with it were a sight to behold... works great for target work also...

One of these days I'm going to build a fast twist 223 just to see what the fuss is all about. My AR is a fast twist and it shoots pretty well with the 40 grain BT's I have loaded for it, but the next loads are going to be 53s and 55s just to see what it will do. I think I have a pretty good stash of them to use up now...

Bob

I don’t remember that but sounds like I dropped the communication ball somewhere.

After Dredging Chrome in the AM,I'll gut a S/S Seven and head it your way,for the recently landed 7" RPM spout you received. 223 SALAMI and an 88 impetus,start to finish. Hint.

It's currently FL bedded and you'll even get to chase contour! Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!................

Damn Californians anyway.... SHEESH!

Hammerdown, was the guy in Woodland Craig Maroviov? If so he’s built a couple for me. Great builder. And if you like big blacktail stop by his shop, he’s got some toads hanging in there.