223 load info - 24hourcampfire

I was given a Savage 110 heavy barrel chambered for 223. The only experience I have with 223 is in a mini 14 which is my uprising gun. Was given dies and bullets and stuff. Gun belonged to a friend of mine who died a couple of years ago his widow gave me this rifle. If he ever kept loading records they are long gone now.
I don't expect it to be a world beater but sure would appreciate some loads that have worked well in others rifles. Save me a lot of trouble if I had a starting point or two. Thanks for your help.
BCR

i am still in the development stages w/ my savage model 10 in 223. it is in the single digits now for the highs, so i won't finish for a couple of months.anyway, so far, sierra 52 grain matchkings compressing a load of varget has shown some promise. have also had positive experiences w/ hornady v-max 40 grain bullets.if you find a magical recipe, please post it, so i will have something else to try when south dakota thaws...

BCR,I've had numerous Savage rifles,in heavy barreled configuration. The 223 I had("The Club"),was LEGENDARY amongst my friends. It simply did things,that COULDN'T be done!My favorite 223 recipes,incorporate H-335 and the various V-Max. Given but a sole offering,I'd shoot nothing but the 50gr V-Max. I'd look for slight land engagement,as a seating depth guide and between 26.5 and 27.5 grs of H-335 in a commercial case. I'd relay the accuracy potential of my Savage,in that chambering,but grown men with much more expensive rifles(myself included) would CRY..............

Thanks guys. I surveyed some of the stuff. Got boxes of bullets. Several Sierra 50 gr blitz, some Nosler bal tips in both 55 and 50 gr. and some Hornady 55gr sx.
Don't know how long it had been since the rifle was shot. I cleaned out the barrel of assorted crud including some defunct spiders. All the brass is cruddy as heck.
Any one got any other loads to try?
BCR

aaacck hemmm-BCR-
I have and shoot all of the aformentioned bullets in my 223. Here are my favorite varmint loads:Horn 55 gr SX
IMR 3031 23.0 gr
Primer CCI 400
Case WW-Super
LOA 2.27
3/4 inch group all day long 100 yards50 gr Nosler Bal Tip
IMR 3031 24.5 gr
Primer CCI 400
Case WW Super
LOA 2.337
1/2 inch group all day long at 100 yards55 gr Nolser Bal Tip
IMR 3031 24.5 gr
Primer CCI 400
Case WW super
LOA 2.337
1/2 inch group all day long at 100 yards50 gr Sierra Spitzer
IMR 3031 23.5gr
primer cci 400
case ww super
loa 2.270
1/4 inch group all day long53 gr HP match Hornady
H4895 24. gr
CCI BR-4
case FC Rem
loa 2.250
1/2 inch group50 gr Sierra Blitz
H4895 25.5 gr
cci BR-4 primer
case FC rem
LOA 2.27
1/4 inch group55 gr FMJ
H335 22.5 gr
WW 6 1/2
case ww super
loa 2.230
1/2 inch just plinking loadsMy all time favorite prarie dog load is50 gr Horn SX
Varget 24 grs
WSR primer
Case (old form fired military stuff)
LOA 2.230
1/2 to 1/4 inch even after 200 shots no cleaning!(I measure from outside of hole to outside of hole)Most of these are my prarie dog shooting loads. I can zing them dogs out to about 250 yards on a calm day with boring regularity on all of these loads.I've got some data on the light weights too if you want.I too was equally impressed with H335 as BS is, I'd give that a try after the Varget.

My favorite 223 load is a 55 grain Hornady spsx bullet loaded with 24.0 grains of IMR 3031.I load them in either Federal or Winchester brass and I use WSR primers.This load gets groups between 1/2" and 3/4" all the time.I have also had good results using the 60 grain Hornady sp bullet and 22.5 grains of IMR 3031.

Thanks muchly all. I have some starting points. Looks like I am going to have to get new brass. I cleaned up a sample and it seems to be pitted around the web. Lord only knows what the hand loads are. I guess he shot them in the rifle but don't think I want to. Must be at least fifteen years old. Bullets look like Sierra and weigh 55 gr +/-. Stick powder of some kind.
BCR

Boggy,
The stick powders are OK,but you will get more zip from the ball powders,except the Varget.
Varget is as Varget does,and it's usually outstanding.Keep the bullet weights 50gr and above with it for best effect.
Varget and H4895 have almost identical burn rates.
H-335 is THE powder for match .223 in Highpower,but Ramshot "TAC" is taking over as it's cleaner than believeable,meters consistently,and no surprises from lot to lot.
Military brass can be had CHEAP!The only snag is the primer crimp that must be either swaged out,or cut out.
After that,the stuff shoots almost as well as commercial match brass.
For primers,give either the CCI benchrest,or STD. Win. a run.Sometimes changing just the primer will do wonderfull things with the .223.
The Sierra Blitz you mentioned is a pet of mine in one rifle.I run 23gr H335 under it and the AR shoots in the .4's.
The V-max is a standard in non match bullets.
For giggles,try the 35gr and 25gr H-335.....it sucks for drift past 100m,but whole rabbits dissapear when hit!!!!!!
Crows turn into snot and feathers,and Coyotes turn their nose up at the gelatanous mess left over from an impact on a 'chuck.
Mind the case length on Mil. brass though,the stuff was fired in sloppy M16 chambers,and slam fired in M249 SAW's,so it will be long.
Congrats on the new toy!!!!!!
Them elenfunts are in for it now!!!!!!
Cheers!
E4E

BCR -
 Just nosing around and came across this thread. If you have any Accurate Arms 2015BR lying around, give it a try in your 223. It is the single most accurate powder I've yet tried in the 223 with 50/52/53 grain bullets. It's a little too fast for good velocity with the 55 grainers, although still giving good accuracy.
 
 TAC is looking pretty good, too, although I haven't really had a chance to wring it out yet like I have 2015.
 
 I've seen numerous posts extolling the virtues of H335, but, in my rifles, not just the 223, it just doesn't seem to perform as well as others. Probably just the lot.
 
 How does one impress others enough to have a rifle 'given' to them? I keep looking at other guys' guns and drooling on the floor, but, that doesn't work. What's the secret?
 
 R-WEST

Thanks RWEST I'll add 2015 to the list. In my Savage the H335 looks good.
 To answer your question. Tom and I had been friends since high school. He and his wife had one son and Fran wanted him to have Tom's guns. He didn't want them. He is into photography. I helped her sell what he had and made sure she didn't get taken. In appreciation Fran gave me one rifle.
 BCR

BCR. You might look into the primer situation a bit. That long case often require a small magnum rifle primer, rather than a small rifle primer for best ignition.
 For cheap brass, consider Midway's stuff. Their Grade 1 brass is cleaned and has had the primer crimp removed. I've used a lot of it in my .308's.
 I'm sure you know all about bedding, triggers, clean bores, and experimenting until you find what they like.
 I've owned 3 .223's. Lots of fun. I still lust for one once in a while. I'll probably have to try another before long. I've got room in my safe for just ONE more. E

I like 26.0 grs of RL-15 under a 55gr Ballistic tip, standard primer, I've used both military and WW cases for this load.

Varget, Varget, Varget. Did I mention Varget?
 Win Brass (match prepped)
 50 gr. Sierra BlitzKing
 Fed. 205M primer
 27.5 gr. of Varget(compressed load)
 Gives 3350 fps in my 26" tube and shoots in the .25 MOA range. This IS the load for my gun......... CJ

I must be the only 223 shooter that uses WW748.I have used up to 27.5 grs under a 52gr Hornady Match HP.Shoots well in every 223 I've owned. Used a lot of BLC-2 also.I recently acquired a Ruger MKII in 223 with a sporter barrel shortened to 18" and I'm thinking it would make a good rifle for reduced loads. Something in between the 22Mag rimfire and a Hornet? Suggestions?

I had a savage 112fv that absolutely loved the Nosler 50gr ballistic tip, Sierra 50gr blitz(not blitzking), or Speer 50gr TNT bullet over a near max load of accurate 2015. It would shoot 3/8" groups all day and thats not bad considering it was a fastory stock rifle!!!

My Savage 110 "4x4" with 20-inch heavy barrel loves 27 gr of H-335 with 40 gr Ballistic Tips or V-Maxs and 26 gr of H-335 with 50 Speer TNTs. W-748 also works just about as well. These loads group under a half-inch consistently, when I am up to it. It also likes the 40-round white boxes of 45 gr Winchester HPs you can get at Walmart and other places for about $12.

Try Varget with 55 and 60 grain projectiles. I use Benchmark for anything lighter.

BCR,
 Let us know how it works out.
 
 I have used 748 and h335 and didn't note enough difference in accuracy between them but I'm still looking for the magic combination for my 110.
 
 I've been told that many of the savages are long throated. I know I can take a 55gr bullet of any style or manufacturer and barely insert it into a resized case(no powder) and chamber it in the rifle and none of them ever contact the lands. It is not my intention to load them to the maximum length jammed to the lands. I will use the infomation to back off from there.
 
 I've thought about going as heavy as 75gr bullets.
 
 Anyone ever use anything this heavy?
 
 red

I have used my Stoney Point guage on my Savage 110, and the throat is so long that a Speer 50 gr TNT has less than 1/16" in the neck ino rder to contact the lands, and that is way too long to fit in the magazine. So I make the rounds as long as will fit in the magazine and still give me a decent amount of bullet seated in the neck. THe rifle shoots better thanbI can, despite this so I don't worry about the bullet not being "just off" the lands.

C H, I think mine has even more than that. I seat mine about one caliber into the neck and I haven't had any feeding problems yet nor have I come close to touching the lands either. Oh well, getiing the right load worked up is really the fun part anyway. I still may experiment with the heavier bullet.
 
 
 red

My best results over the years with reduced loads in the .222/.223 family is SR4759, an excellent bulk powder that should give some velocities in the 1800-2000 fps range.

JB, Do you download any other calibers?
 
 Red

red,
 
 I've loaded the .223, .270, .30-30, .30-06, and .300 Win Mag in years past. Probably some others my feeble mind can no longer recall. I see very little info these days for the powder. The older Lyman and Speer manuals always had a few reduced loads using SR 4759.
 
 I guess my interest subsided over the years. I consider myself to be more of a varmint and small game hunter these days. But it was always fun to shoot (usually cast) light loads with my big game rifles. Back in the days when we could hunt turkeys with a rifle, reduced loads using SR 4759 put them down with little meat damage. I do like the versatility it adds to a centerfire rifle cartridge.
 
 Unique and some other pistol powders will work, but the experts say they build pressure fast (and don't fill the case as well).
 
 Regards,
 JB

BCR,
 
 Hadn't seen any updates on your load development for the Savage 223. I recently got a Savage 10FP Tactical in 223 and have come up with some good ones. 26.6 W748 over 55 gr Vmax, 27.3 Varget over 40 gr Nosler BTs. I'd like to know how you've done with yours.
 
 Dave
 
 I got the idea for both loads from wizard

My favorite 223 load is:
Bullet: Nosler 50 gr BT or CT 50 gr Bal. silver tip
Powder: WW748
Load: 27.7
Brass: Winchester
Primer: Federal 205 match

I get great accuracy with this load and consistantly get under 1/2" groups @ 100 yards with it out of my Ruger MKII Varmiter.

Hope that this load helps you out, I have not found a 223 as of this writing that it does not shoot good from.