Black Hills sells a full line of .223 ammunition, including long-range match ammo loaded with 75gr HP, and 77 Sierra MK. Graymist's Accuracy Load in formed brass. That file from Sierra is always on My Computor. Display as a link instead, × So, you cannot assume that a particular "pet load" will work if you change brass brands--you'll have to do new testing. Long-favored by serious varminters, the Savage 12-BVSS is ready-to-run right out of the box. Winchester brass is favored by many Highpower shooters. For the mid-range match shooters there are even more options available in the 68-80gr weight range--many illustrated on this page. Close to a "standard" load for AR15 long range matches. Out of the box, a standard AR15 is far from optimal for varminting. For close-range competition (100-300 yards) one can find a large variety of 50-53gn Match bullets, both custom made and commercial. The average group size was .293". Very Accurate. Finally, for the heaviest bullets, in the 80-90gr range, good choices include Reloader 15, VV N140, N550, and Varget. For Varminters, Black Hills offers the following selection of remanufactured ammo: Lapua also offers excellent new ammo loaded with 55gr FMJ, 55gr SP, or 70gr HPBT match bullets. cases as well. I don't like to use that light of a bullet for coyotes but when the state mandates all non-lead the only alternative for me is to use them, have the rifle rebarreled, buy a new rifle, or quit hunting coyotes. We like to use a 28-degree chamfering tool from Sinclair Int'l or Hollands for the inside chamfering, and a 45-degree Forster tool for the outside chamfering. The rifles are chambered in compact cartridges such as the .17 and .22 Hornets, .204 Ruger, .222 and .223 Remingtons, .300 Blackout and 7.62x39. David Tubb notes: "Even though I normally had my own competitive ammo, on those occasions where I am required to shoot factory ammunition, I always try to pick the best. But this is only a guideline. The new 90-grainers from Sierra and Berger caused a stir when introduced in 2006, but we haven't heard many reports from shooters using them in competition, possibly because one needs a very fast twist barrel (1:6.5" is preferred), and the 80s already shoot so well. How does the Lapua brass hold up over time? [Editor's NOTE: If you use new IMG (Guatemalan) milsurp brass, $89/1000 from Wideners, no crimp removal is required.] Our current favorite set-up would be a Redding Type "S" full-length bushing die combined with a Wilson seater. Graymist's favorite 50gr load. MatchKing: H4895. Reloading 223 Rem / 5.56 NATO. For match purposes, the top three choices are Black Hills, Federal Gold Medal Match, and Lapua. × Vihtavuori MAX load for BOLT GUN, 2.244" COAL. None of the complications I had when forming other Ackley Improved cartridges. I could agg five 5-shot groups in the .285 area in a 9-twist. I have used both reamers and swagers. Since most .223 Rem shooters prefer bullets in the 50-73gr range, a good "do-it-all" solution is a 9-twist, unless you're a Highpower competitor. AR15 and the .223 Remington Shooting the AR on a prarie dog town reminded me of the use of the Sharps rifle on a Buffalo herd...you just kill them all." This is why Sierra issues a completely separate load map for AR15s chambered in .223 Rem and 5.56x45 (see notes above on 5.56x45 throat length concerns). Once the cases are properly fire-formed, the steeper shoulder resists case growth. But that may change as more competitors acquire faster-twist barrels. And many shooters already have an ample supply of .223 Rem commercial brass. (However, a 1:9" twist is needed for the steel-core 62gr bullet used in the M855 military loads, because that bullet is as long as most 70-grainers.) Loads great in a Dillon. Try once-fired military brass from Scharch Manufacturing. For general use, an 8-twist barrel will let you shoot the excellent 77gr and 80gr Sierra MatchKings and nearly all varieties of non-tracer milsurp ammo. Just don't expect it to hold up to a dozen or more reloadings like Lapua.". Any trimmer will do the job. This data is for Bolt Actions NOT for AR-15s. Graymist notes: "Once-fired Lake City is great, and you can have excellent results with most of the commercial brass if you just sort it. The answer really depends on your chamber. I had a heavy Hart 28" barrel installed on a Colt action with a custom set trigger. But until all that info arrives, it's best to start with .223 Rem loads and work up. MSRP for the 10-pound BVSS is $746.00, with street price under $630.00. From a reloading standpoint, the important thing to note is the rather substantial variance in case capacity from one brand of brass to another--as much as 2.6 grains! But Graymist did an interesting comparison test in his .223 AI, comparing Lapua with Winchester: "After fire forming, I recorded four groups with the Lapua brass. Sort by weight if you are loading for competition. Reason Number One is Speed. 223 Remington Bolt Action Data from Sierra! In their .223 cartridge guide, AccurateShooter.com mentions the AR being more sensitive to pressure than a good bolt gun, and I've always assumed that to be the case. The latest generation of Winchester primers, with brass-colored cups, should be avoided for AR15 use. Powders Based off a standard 55gr bullet leaving the barrel at 3,215fps and follows the bullet trajectry all the way to 1000 yards in steps of 50 yard increments. There are no special tricks to reloading the .223 Remington cartridge. General Reloading Advice Originally developed to shoot 55-grain bullets, it can handle bullets ranging in weight from 40 to 90 grains, including the Sierra 65 grain bullet. The .223 Rem AI has a 40° shoulder. I guess I will give it a try after I clean up my reloading room. It's relatively easy to build your own plate from aluminum or delrin. The AR is durable and relatively impervious to wet and cold. Other manufacturers, such as Fulton Armory, offer modified "match chambers" with extended throats that allow safe use of 5.56x45 ammo in .223 Remington rifles. That natural curiousity can be reason enough to try a .223 Rem Ackley Improved. This is a discussion on reloading 223 within the Reloading forums, part of the Gunner Forum category; need a little help, have a savage bolt rifle in 223 will acept factory but not my reloads. This creates a risk of slam fires. You can either use a cantilevered front mount such as the LaRue or an extended scope rail, such as the A.R.M.S. The three W's, whiskey, women, weapons. For the lighter bullets, H335 ball powder is a proven performer, and N133 shows outstanding accuracy. If I were limited to only one gun and one gun forever it would be the AR. offers fully processed military brass (mostly Lake City), for $88.99 per thousand. But there are many other good combinations. This is once-fired brass has been reamed, cleaned, sized and trimmed to 1.75". Custom 52s in .224 caliber are offered by the benchrest bullet-makers, such as Bart Sauter, Lester Bruno, and Don Gentner. Cartridge history plus recommended bullets and powders. When the US military was looking for a new high-speed small-caliber round to replace the .308 Winchester (7.62x51), Remington started with the .222 Remington, and stretched it to increase powder capacity by about 20% in 1958 to make the .222 Remington Magnum. Sierra 90-gr. So you want hard primer cups. For varminting we like a 12-twist. The old silver Winchester primers worked fine, but the current WSRs are soft and can be pierced more easily than CCI or Rem primers. Hodgdon MAX load for BOLT GUN. Reliable, moderate pressure AR15 "short line" load for service rifle comps. Last but not least, you'll want to some kind of brass-catching system to keep your valuable brass out of the weeds. Then the cases filled with distilled water to the top of the case mouth and weighed again. We like this simple mesh bag with a zipper at the bottom. Wilson also makes inline seater dies and neck-sizing dies for use with arbor presses. The Rem 7 1/2s work very well with both stick and ball powders. A good practical BOLT GUN load. Yep, Varget or H4895 is the way to go for a bolt .223.