reducing a 223 load

[craigkim]

So, first post. I ask this question on another forum and the thread broke down into arguments about accuracy and the like, so I will preface this post a little bit more.

I am new to 3 gun and relatively new to reloading. I have loaded 223 rounds with 55 grain HNDY fmjs that will shoot sub moa using once fired lake city brass through my JP built AR. Those chrono at 2800 through my 18" barrel. I did quite a bit of brass prep and selection to achieve that accuracy. That's all fine and good, but in the 2 matches I have shot, most of the rifle shooting is at pistol distances. Our longest shots were just shy of 300 yards and I had no difficulty hitting them with those loads.

Question is: Wouldn't it make more sense to load and zero your rifle to your flattest shooting, most accurate ammo, in order to use that on the longer stages and then develop a softer load for shooting at pistol distances? I could tune my gas at that load. As long as it shoots 3 moa, it would be fine, and my thought would be you would reduce recoil, heat, AND I would only do minimal prep on the cases for that ammo. I'd still trim them after sizing, but i wouldn't weigh them or mess with the primer pocket at all. I also wouldn't worry about the resultant length would be after running them through my giraud trimmer. Just load them. Then I would load a mag or 2 with my "match" ammo and set them aside for the long range stages

So, is there logic to this? I am not asking how to get more accuracy. I am asking, why focus on that for all of your ammo? Why not focus on reliable function, spend less time reloading, get less recoil?

 

[JoeF]

A lot of guys use 55gr ammo for the fast stages and have heavier loads they know the holdover for for longer targets. When shooting as many close range blaster targets as you do in 3 gun, its worth it to have "cheaper" ammo that doesn't have to be as accurate.

 

[mike cyrwus]

you say you could tune your gas at that load, but reality is that 223/5.56 at spec velocities is THE most reliable, consistent ammo for the platform. to do what you say would take fiddlefarting that would eat into your practice or reloading time; gaining nothing

 

[Tech]

Brass prep sucks. I think you're putting WAY too much detail in your preperations for the short stuff like you said.

 

[drmitchgibson]

You should focus on a load that reliably functions, is accurate at all ranges you will engage, and that you can make a whole lot of. Get good at shooting that load.

 

[Matt1911]

Cheap and easy for the close stuff, accurate and expensive for the precision shots.
Or you could do like me and use the cheap stuff for all of it and hope for the best.

 

[craigkim]

I am loading the HNDY 55 FMJ with 24.7 TAC and it's plenty to hit the ranges we shoot around here. I think I am going to start decapping, tumbling, swaging, sizing, trimming then loading at the same powder charge and say screw it. No headstamp sorting, flash hole deburring, primer pocket cleaning, weighing cases, measuring cases, etc. Then I will shoot some at 100 yards and see how it does. I guess the upside to not adjusting the powder charge should be that the reliability will stay acceptable even if the accuracy goes down a fair amount. I will still use 2 different loads, one that has been accuracy prepped for the longer stages and is in sorted cases and another that is loaded with as little effort as possible. That'll cut down my work a TON!

I got this whole idea, because I loaded some 124 MG CMJ for my STI at about 975 FPS and it shoots well, very, very low recoil as you can imagine, but it is pretty anemic on steel. So, for steel stages, I use the same bullet at around 1100 FPS.

I like reloading, but I don't like prepping 223 cases.

 

[Wall]

I got this whole idea, because I loaded some 124 MG CMJ for my STI at about 975 FPS and it shoots well, very, very low recoil as you can imagine, but it is pretty anemic on steel.

Yeah, that's only 120pf I try to keep my minor loads around 128 minimum & that's pushing it

 

[craigkim]

Yeah, that's only 120pf I try to keep my minor loads around 128 minimum & that's pushing it

It's low, but of the 2 matches I have shot so far, one was entirely paper pistol targets. If the ammo reliably cycles your pistol and doesn't bounce off of the cardboard (HA!) why not?

 

[Wall]

It's low, but of the 2 matches I have shot so far, one was entirely paper pistol targets. If the ammo reliably cycles your pistol and doesn't bounce off of the cardboard (HA!) why not?

Because bouncing around with pf's you don't get a feel for how your gun tracks. You'll be used to shooting strong ammo & load weak(or vice versa) & your sights track different/the gun's not ready when you are.

Do you really gain that much loading weak ammo for a stage with no steel? I gain alot more through consistency.

 

[craigkim]

Because bouncing around with pf's you don't get a feel for how your gun tracks. You'll be used to shooting strong ammo & load weak(or vice versa) & your sights track different/the gun's not ready when you are.

Do you really gain that much loading weak ammo for a stage with no steel? I gain alot more through consistency.

Unlike some you may have encountered I read and post here to learn. I think you have convinced me.

 

[Wall]

Unlike some you may have encountered I read and post here to learn. I think you have convinced me.

Lol, wasn't really trying to convince just sharing a little insight.

 

[59nolimit]

Cheap and easy for the close stuff, accurate and expensive for the precision shots.
Or you could do like me and use the cheap stuff for all of it and hope for the best.

That's what I do to

 

[DD78]

I have yet to shoot a match yet but will this Sunday.

With my .223 loads, I have three: 55 grain with a max charge of H322, that's for the close stuff. I basically use the cheapest bullets I can't find. I then load 68 grain Hornady bthp match bullets over a max charge of 8208 XBR. Those fly pretty good and are pretty accurate. I use those both in my 16" Rock River. I'm using a Trijicon MRO so pinpoint precision is not really relevant lol. The 68 grain bullets seem to fly pretty good and are much more accurate between 100-400 yards. The last load is for my DMR. I use 75 grain Hornady bthp match bullets over a max charge of 8208 XBR. That load is scary accurate out of that rifle even out to 600 yards.

Obligatory gun porn pic of my DMR:

 

[JoeF]

I basically use the cheapest bullets I can't find.

Those are normally the most accurate.

 

[DD78]

Those are normally the most accurate.

I've ladder tested the cheap ones out of my DMR and the best groups I got were between 1-2 MOA at 100 yards. In comparison, the 68 grain and 75 grain come in under 1 MOA.

The cheapos are good for 100 and under, especially with just using a red dot. I have shot them out to 600 before and did get more hits than misses, but with a red dot you're just kind of guessing and praying lol. At 100 yards, with the rds, using the mag as a bipod, those cheapos can get me groups about the size of a softball when I'm firing somewhat rapidly. With the 68 grain bullets, that group size goes down to slightly larger than a tennis ball.

Does anyone know of a source for the 55 grain bullets that LC uses in their M193 loads? Those are pretty great and I haven't been able to find them. The Hornady's are good, but still not quite the same as LC's.

 

[JoeF]

I mean the cheapest ones I can't find...

 

[DD78]

I mean the cheapest ones I can't find...

Haha, I didn't catch that at first lol