Im just getting into reloading. I would like any help on a load for a .223 rem.
I have a remmington 700 BDL, I have tried 26.5 graind of bc-l2 with a 55 grian balistic tip. What case lenght should I trim to? I have read 1.750??? What about the b-tips, ive heard good and bad. maybe a 50 grain ball would fly better. Best I can do with these b-tips is .915 groups. How do v-max ball do? Also should bullet be seated into rifeling or just behind it. Thanks for any help for the beginner :-)

Been here, done that . . .

Remington 700's have long throats. I found in my 700 PSS that the only bullet that would come close to the rifling was the Sierra 69 gr. MatchKing. And then, the OAL was so long that the load wouldn't fit in the magazine. Wouldn't fit in most ammo cases either.

Two hot powders for .223 Rem. are BL-C2 and H-335. Both are very popular.

The "solution" I found for not being able to seat to the lands in my 700 was to have the barrel set-back and rechambered to .223 Ackley Improved. I should be getting this job back from the shop end of this week.

Set-back is standard procedure for boring to Ackley Imp. Still, you need to be clear to the smith that you want to set back sufficient to eliminate "free bore."

Trim length is specified at 1.750 with std. case length being 1.760. I trim to 1.760 because the more neck you have holding the bullet, the better release you get.

Varmint Al talks about trim, case length and setting the bullet against the lands:

http://www.cctrap.com/~varmint/arelo.htm

The Rem. 700 is a very accurate rifle. I don't know why Rem. insists on chambering with a long free-bore (It's a safety/liability thing).

.223 Rem. is very accurate, a favorite caliber in 600 yd. matches. The Rem. 700 is an excellent gun. Rechamber and new Holland barrel/recoil lug ran me $130. I invested in a Sinlcair neck turning tool.

We'll let you know how it all works out. I was shooting 69 gr. "match" loads at 0.3xx MOA before the rechamber. I want to shoot the 40 gr. Nosler BT's -- at eggs from 350 metres.

I've had best "luck" with H-335 and V-Max's,for a combo of speed and accuracy.

I prefer to start load development,with the bullet slightly kissing the lands and work up accordingly. Once a safe max working pressure is established,I may try juggling seating depth in .005" increments.

I trim to 1.750",deburr flasholes and am very careful to be working with the same lot of brass.

Rem700's are easy to lengthen the mag box on(for quick twist barrels,shooting high BC VLD projectiles). Simply remove the spacer at the rear,that will give you all the room you'd ever want(2.815" or so).

On every Rem700 and Model Seven 223 I've had,I could easily reach the rifling,less that modification with a 50gr projectile.

I certainly would not want to start with my cases 1.760" long. Depending upon exact chamber dimensions,pressures could spike suddenly.

Your mileage may vary.................

[This message has been edited by Big Stick (edited 01-31-2002).]

I use copious amounts of H335 in my .223's. I would suggest, however, that if you do not have a current reloading book, you should get one. And use it as a "proof" against which to compare any info that you get in cyberspace.

Big Stick asserts:

"I certainly would not want to start with my cases 1.760" long. Depending upon exact chamber dimensions,pressures could spike suddenly."

Yeah, well . . . SAAMI spec and factory production cases are all 1.760". That's the length specified in the load books. Trim length is typically shorter so that the case can lengthen some more before trimming again.

OR . . . you can get a Sinclair Chamber Length guage and figure out where the lands start. Varmint Al shows how to figure out where the lands start with a case he cuts down himself.

No . . . You don't want the case neck extending into the lands. But with the free bore engineered into most modern rifles these days, you don't have much to worry about.

Throat length is an issue seperate,from the chamber's ability to digest cases of various lengths.

You gotta do it the way you see as best.

I've seen the influences of long cases,in chamber not condusive to that. Pressures spike,shit happens and none of that interests me. If you are an Adventurer and prefer some unnecessary excitement in your life,then that is a step in the right direction.

Most guys forget,that with every yank of the trigger,you are causing an explosion in close proximity to your lips. It is a good/safe rule,to trim to SAAMI specs,unless you Cerrosafe your chamber and know it be constructed differently than SAAMI dimensions. With the myriad of Rifle Manufacturers,barrel construction techniques,reamers,etc,etc,there is a pretty broad spectrum of tolerances. Seems very foolish to me,to assume ANYTHING,especially when reloading.

That .010" of case length,will not rob powder capacity,but will INSURE safety. Guidelines are there for a reason,to keep things safe.

Same reason there are "No Smoking" signs at the Gas Station. Disregard what you want and proceed in any haphazard way you care to. Just don't be pointing fingers,after the fact................

I use the 55gr BT in my VLS and 26.0grs of RL-15.

Mike

I trim to the book trim to length which I don't have in front of me at the moment.

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Victory through superior firepower!

My Smith & Wesson (Howa) .223 always grouped at 1" (or more) regardless of what I fed it.

Recently I tried H-322 for the first time and what a difference. It will shoot well under an inch even with Rem 50 gr. SP bulk pack bullets. These always shot 1+ inches in the past.

I trim the brass to 1.75". I use 24.0 grains of H-322 and CCI 400 primers. The OAL is 2.236" The bullet is not touching the lands.

I was shocked to see such an improvement due to a powder change.

[This message has been edited by Scott H (edited 02-02-2002).]

Scott:

Thanks for the tip. I have a S&W (Howa) 1500 Police in .223 and use 25.5gr H335 with a 52gr HPBT. Accuracy is 3/4 MOA, but I think I will try H322.

KuduKing,
Let me know how it works with your Howa.
Scott

I have used H4895 to load my most accurate .223 loads primed with CCI Benchrest primers. I have used this powder with both 55 gr bullets and 63-65gr bullets.

The next best loads have been with H335 and WW748. The H335 seems slightly better than 748.

The bulk 55 gr WW and the bulk 64gr WW semispitzer are great bullets. With 748,335 or H4895, they'll shoot around an inch in my TC carbine or HBAR.

This is the round that taught me the advantages of match primers. The primer alone can cut you group size in two. Ku-dude

RH,

I have a different load you can try.

I use a CCI primer, 22.0 grn IMR 4198, and a 50 grn. Hornady SX bullet. I set the length at 0.004" off the lands. I have no idea why this bullet flys so well, but it does.

I shoot this in a Sako HB varmint with a McGowen target barrel. When I workied this load up, it didn't shoot very well (1.0 MOA) because I had set the length to the book maximum. Then I worked the length out and put it back on the bench. The first group I shot was a tad bigger than a bullet hole at 100 yds.

I switched from 4198 to Vihtavouri N133 in my .222's and the group size got smaller in three different rifles. I would suggest you try that powder first if you can find it.

Regards...