Hello everyone. I am new to this forum but not to reloading. However I am new to reloading for a HEF handi-rifle. I have two of them. A 243win with the youth stock, and a 223rem with the wood youth stock. I have free floated the barrels on both from the screw lug forward and accu-glassed the rest. Both have 2.5 pond triggers. Both are disappointingly inaccurate. The 243 will get 1.5" to 2.5" inch groups regardless of what I feed it. Good enough for my son. The 223 on the other hand needs to be a sub MOA rifle. It too is a 2" to 3" rifle. One thing I have noticed with the 223 has a really deep free bore. So deep that I can't seat the bullet near the lands. Anyone have any reloading experience with NEF 223 standard barrel rifles. By the way, it has the 1:12 twist. Thanks

Ignore the deep throats and load to recommended COL and work with powders and bullets. Are they by chance the Superlight models with 20" barrels? They're very tempermental. but can be made to shoot well if you take your time and don't let the barrel warm up. The 55gr and 95gr Ballistic Silvertips shoot real good in the 243 as well as the 95gr SST. The 223 will do best with 40gr-55gr bullets, even those with the 1:9" twist.

Check out the NEF Forum at GBO, lots of 223/243 load threads there. Here's a couple...

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/topic,117838.msg...5.html#msg1098384845

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/topic,117694.msg...9.html#msg1098383919

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/board,126.0.html

quote:

Originally posted by driead:
Hello everyone. I am new to this forum but not to reloading. However I am new to reloading for a HEF handi-rifle. I have two of them. A 243win with the youth stock, and a 223rem with the wood youth stock. I have free floated the barrels on both from the screw lug forward and accu-glassed the rest. Both have 2.5 pond triggers. Both are disappointingly inaccurate. The 243 will get 1.5" to 2.5" inch groups regardless of what I feed it. Good enough for my son. The 223 on the other hand needs to be a sub MOA rifle. It too is a 2" to 3" rifle. One thing I have noticed with the 223 has a really deep free bore. So deep that I can't seat the bullet near the lands. Anyone have any reloading experience with NEF 223 standard barrel rifles. By the way, it has the 1:12 twist. Thanks

High driead,

I,too, am new to this forum. Signed up last night. Let me see if I can help you. I HAVE THE EXACT SAME RIFLE IN THE SAME CALIBERS. I ran into the same problems with both, especially the .223. Try this: 25.5gr of Benchmark powder with BR4 small rifle primers and 50 to 55gr Nosler ballistic Tips. Seat the bullets .150 into the neck. Also try win748 powder. I can shoot ground squirrels out to 180 to 200 yards.
.150 into the neck really calmed it down. Don't go out much more than that. Maybe .010 farther out. You are not dealing with a magazine so seating depth is not real crucial.

As far as the .243 try 35 gr of IMR4064 with large standard primer and Hornady 100 gr BTSP Interlock bullets PN2453. Seat the bullets .010 off the rifling. Do not necksize more than 2 time as you may run into an ejection and chambering problem. This round shoots a dime sized 3 shot group at 100 yards. 2 shots to foul the barrel first. These 2 loads are great in my rifle. Give them a try and see if they don't do the same for you. Might or might not. At least you have a place to start. They work great for me. Good luck and keep me posted.

Tony

Thanks Tony for the load information and advise. I will get some hornedy bullets for the 243 and some noslers for the 223. Also thanks to everyone for responding.

Don

Hi Driead,
This is Tony again. You said you were going to try those loads I told you about. If you did, how did they turn out for you. They were great in my rifle. How about yours. Just curious. Let me know.

Tony