Anyone every reloaded any 62 grain TSX bullets for .223. Best group I could get was 3inches. Used bl-c2 powder. what kind of accuracy can you expect with these bullets. Any powder suggestions?

Ryan, I have not used those bullets in a .223. But let me just ask you: what twist rate does your barrel have?? 1:12 like a typical Remington, perhaps??

I ask because mono-metal bullets like the TSX are pretty long for weight - giving the lack of a lead core. Conventional wisdom will let you stabilize, say, 60-63 grs of bullet in a 1:12 twist. But that rule of thumb was probably established with lead core bullets. One may just be pushing it with a long TSX...

People get very different results with respect to what will stabilize in what barrels. In the end it is your barrel and results that matter.

Anyway, just a possibility.

- mike

What Mike said. Barnes recommends a 1:9" twist as a minimum for this bullet. Did you see any evidence of keyholing?

Also, TSXs don't mind going fast. You may have much better luck with the 53 or 45 grain versions.

LWD

Im loading for a Bushmaster Stainless Varminter with a 1in9 twist.

I have tried the 53s and 62s in my 1x9 Remington PSS with absolutely no luck. With 65gr Sierra the rifle easily shoots 3/8". I have given up on the 22 caliber TSX bullets. I have a 25/06 that shoots the 100gr TSX like a laser.

quote:

Originally posted by ryan85:
Anyone every reloaded any 62 grain TSX bullets for .223. Best group I could get was 3inches. Used bl-c2 powder. what kind of accuracy can you expect with these bullets. Any powder suggestions?

I had trouble getting some .223 50 grain XLC bullets to shoot so emailed Barnes. They told me to use Benchmark as that was the powder they test with. I ended up shooting bug holes with the 50 XLC and Benchmark.

Try a couple of different powders. TSX bullets are very velocity sensitive. If they aren't going at the speed they like in that gun, forget it. For example, I'm loading for a buddy's .300 Wby. It does great with 180 TSXs at a minimum charge of RL22. But since he doesn't really want to turn his .300 Wby into a hotloaded .30-06, I'm going to try a different powder. I expect I can find one that does well close to max powder and velocity.

LWD

I tried Barnes .224 caliber bullets and never got satisfactory accuracy with them. If I had fiddled more, I probably could have done better but I got other bullets that were much cheaper to easily shoot much better so why bother.

That said, I use Barnes .308 and .284 caliber bullets in a 30/06 and 7mm Rem. Mag. respectively with excellent results. There are several things to remember about Barnes bullets:

1. Don't try to load them so they're just off the lands; they shoot better if you keep them back a ways.

2. Barnes bullets tend to shoot better at a higher velocity than other bullets. If you have't increased your load sufficently to get adequate velocity, they're probably not going to shoot well. There are some cartridges that you can't load hot enough to get them to shoot well.

3. Being made of copper and lighter than lead, weights being equal, a Barnes bullet will be longer than a lead bullet and harder to stabilize. The solution to this can be as simple as going to a lighter bullet.