What's a good load?

You have the great good fortune of being on a very advanced website with people who can deal with all questions.

Your question is easily answered by referring you to the load data on this site - found here:

http://www.accuratereloading.com/reload.html

A good load is one that is economical, effective and satisfactory to the individual shooter.

Please furnish more information about your intended purposes and goals so that we can focus on the desired answer..

A couple that worked for me:

8.5gr Unique
17.5gr IMR 4895

Both with 40gr V-Max.

quote:

Originally posted by wetibbe:
You have the great good fortune <snip>

Please furnish more information about your intended purposes and goals so that we can focus on the desired answer..

Thanks for the tip.. what I'm trying to achieve is to use the one rifle (223) on smaller properties of about 100-200 acres and in/near lambing paddocks to shoot foxes without creating too much noise.

22 mag isn't enough gun, and the 223 is too loud.

If my finances permitted, I'd go out and buy a Hornet, but at this juncture, I can't.

I've had excellent luck using Alliant Bluedot powder for reduced loads in .22 centerfires. 13.5 grains of Bluedot gives a 50 grain Hornady 2850 fps in my .223. It yields amazingly consistent velocity and accuracy for a reduced load.

If that is too much for you simply reduce the powder charge by the percentage you would like to reduce the velocity. My best guess is that using a 45 grain bullet with about 12 grains of Bluedot would give you very close to Hornet performance of 2650 fps.

I have shot quite a few blue dot loads in my 19-223, remember they are reduced velocity, not reduced pressure, I have split a few primer and blew one completely out

Rugeruser:

I'm a little backed up but working on it so give me a few days.

In the interim I'll toss out some aspects:

#1. The speed of sound is 1,100 feet per second. You heard of sonic booms.

#2. Sound is measured/heard in decibel levels.

We can look at reducing your loads to attenuate sound but there will be a sacrifice in accuracy and trajectory.

I looked into muzzle braked, silencers, years ago but I'm currently investigating what is now available and at what cost.

Your problem appears to be in some fairly remote country. Here in the USA, particularly in the densely populated East Coast, many residential communities are experiencing an explosion of white tail deer. Our super abundance of liberal bleeding heart animal lovers are opposed to killing them. Result of which the deer are eating all of the expensive shrubbery and getting hit by cars causing fatalities.

Laws prohibit discharging firearms. However, specialty, licensed exterminators do come onto residential property's, set up at night on back decks and lure the deer in. Shooting is low caliber, .22 at close range - 10-20-50 feet with a suddenly illuminated spot light. The sound is a "pop". *( The meat is processed and fed to the homeless and others by the state,

I'll get back to you.

Rugeruser:

Some pretty bad news. Sorry.

Reducing load are not going to mask your firearm discharge noise level:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppressor

Suppressors are too relatively ineffective.

Looks like you will need to appease complaining neighbors or suffer the consequences of foxes feeding on your lambs.

Looks like a political problem in City Hall.

You may want to consider reimbursement for lost live stock.

52 gr. fb hp Berger
10gr. Blue Dot. 5 shot 3/8" group at 50 yds., 3 shot 1" group at 200 yds. 2200 fps.
45 gr. hp.
8.2 gr.7625, 2150 fps. 4 shot 1/2" group at 50 yds. no recoil.
50 gr. TNT, 9gr. 7625, 2190 fps., 5 shot 3/8" group at 50 yds.
45 gr. hp., 10gr. blue dot 2400 fps.. 3 shot 1/4" grp. at 50 yds.

FYI when using these reduced load powders make sure you are not throwing a double charge. In this case I suggest using a 3/16 dia. graduated dowel rod to measure height of powder in each case.
roger

Rugeruser - since you're in Oz as well - the ADR website gives a reduced load for the .223 using AS30N (aka Hodgdon Clays) of 3.2 gr giving an MV of 1060 with a 55 gr bullet.

Personally, in your circumstances, I'd look at a load using Trail Boss.

I don't have a load here, but the ADR website tells you how to work out a Trail Boss load (somewhere).

BTW if you Google Trail Boss loads for .223 Rem - you'll find pages of info - the firts page I looked at was a bout subsonice loads as shown here

HTH.

Re: Trailboss

Fill case to level of base of bullet--your best approximation is OK.

Pour out Trail Boss and weigh

Take 60% of that number and that is your load.

Simple as that.

Gary

quote:

Originally posted by Gale Johnson:
I have shot quite a few blue dot loads in my 19-223, remember they are reduced velocity, not reduced pressure, I have split a few primer and blew one completely out

I had the same experience with Blue Dot loads in my 20 Tactical (20-223). Never again. It is pretty much my standard powder for a 110 gr bullet in my 30-30 but no cases smaller than that.

I use Blue-dot under 45 gr Barnes TSX in a .22-250 I let my kids shoot feral hogs with.

Very accurate at ~2700 fps and is like shooting a Hornet.

Sound vs speed:


A good suppressor will do @30dB wich is the difference between a 223 and a 22LR. Unfortunatly a muffler will dampen the muzzle blast and somewhere between 75 and 100yds the persieved sound is the same with or without because the report is "purely" from the sonic boom.

Trailboss or Tinstar (Vihtavuori) would be my choise. Meters well and there is next to no possibillity of getting in trouble pressure vise.

If you vant to carry a little more umph go for heavier bullets, it matters at slow speeds!
Given 20" barrel
55gr V-MAX 3½gr Trailboss for 1200fps and 177ftlbs (go lower and be prepared to knock the bullet out yourself!)
75gr A-MAX 3½gr Trailboss for 1075fps and 193ftlbs (with a muffler and you have true mousefart load!)

If you or a mate is a little handy an oilfilter is a damn fine "use and discard" item in the "bush". What goes on in te bush stays in the bush ;-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t_pcWPdSDs