Current Varmint Round

JoshuaN

JoshuaN

New member
I'm using load data from Nosler to load up .224 50gr Ballistic Varmint with 25.5gr Winchester 748 powder and CCI small rifle primers. Does anyone else have any other suggestions to try out. I have yet to load to the max simply because I don't feel like blowing up my face. These will be shot from a RRA CHROME LINED 16 Inch CAR Heavy R-4 Barrel Assembly, 1:9 Twist. The OAL is 2.25 which the load data suggested 2.26. They are 2.25 because the trim was 1.75 not the indicated 1.76 from the load data sheet I I thought it would be best to set the OAL to 2.25.

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Originally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeThat .01 diff in brass don't mean nadda for the COAL.

So I should be loading the at 2.26 COAL?
 
2.250 is fine, that is what I happen to load mine at too. Posted COL is a good place to start but is not a set in stone rule. 23.0gr of N133 works great for me. benchmark and varget are good powders to try too, as well as CFE223. You will just have to tinker with it to see what works good for you. I usually load a few beginning at min and go up in .1gr increments till about the halfway point and see what that gets me. Usually I can find an accurate load by then, but occasionally I find that more accurate loads are closer to max. Experiment and have fun.
 
The book oal is nothing definitive, its more or less a guideline. In your ar you will be limitied to mag length so if you have a pmag 2.260 or metal mags like c products you can get to about 2.295. as long as you have enough bullet in the case mouth so that it doesn't fall out and are not jammed into the lands you will be good to go. your oal can be whatever length your rifle shoots the best.


as for the 25.5gr, did you work up to that load or did you merely pick a charge weight and go with it?
 
Originally Posted By: erikc8382.250 is fine, that is what I happen to load mine at too. Posted COL is a good place to start but is not a set in stone rule. 23.0gr of N133 works great for me. benchmark and varget are good powders to try too, as well as CFE223. You will just have to tinker with it to see what works good for you. I usually load a few beginning at min and go up in .1gr increments till about the halfway point and see what that gets me. Usually I can find an accurate load by then, but occasionally I find that more accurate loads are closer to max. Experiment and have fun.

Thanks for the recommendations. Powder is hard to come by so the Winchester 748 is what I was able to pick up from the local shop. I would however like to find the powder that provides a good muzzle velocity using the least amount of powder making the rounds the least expensive possible.
 
23.0gr of N133 gets me roughly 3190ft/s with the same bullet and COL you listed. Not screaming, but it gets the job done
 
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Joshua,,Look into the Ramshot X-Terminator and TAC line...When W-748 was hard to find locally, I picked up those two and found them to be slightly less expensive, burned slightly cleaner, and the X-Terminator has a slightly faster burn rate than the W-748, while the TAC is slightly slower, but great for the heavier bullet weights... The 50gr will work well with either...The both meter like water compared to many others...
 
Originally Posted By: JoshuaNOriginally Posted By: midwestpredator as for the 25.5gr, did you work up to that load or did you merely pick a charge weight and go with it?

This was the mid load amount from the online Nosler load data. Shown here http://screencast.com/t/orz0FRoWq8BR http://www.nosler.com/223-remington

Right but that does not mean it will be even remotely accurate in your rifle, you might get lucky or you might get a "shotgun" pattern instead.

The most commonly accepted way to find a load is to start low and work up in powder charge, 10% lower than max listed is a good place to start if a "start load" is not listed. most people typically load 4-5 rounds of the listed start load and then increase in .3gr or .5gr increments until you find an accurate load or if you see pressure signs then back off a smidgen. This method will not only get you an accurate load but will allow you to safely move up in charge weights so you don't blow up your face.

Have you read a loading manual?
 
Originally Posted By: midwestpredatorOriginally Posted By: JoshuaNOriginally Posted By: midwestpredator as for the 25.5gr, did you work up to that load or did you merely pick a charge weight and go with it?

This was the mid load amount from the online Nosler load data. Shown here http://screencast.com/t/orz0FRoWq8BR http://www.nosler.com/223-remington

Right but that does not mean it will be even remotely accurate in your rifle, you might get lucky or you might get a "shotgun" pattern instead.

The most commonly accepted way to find a load is to start low and work up in powder charge, 10% lower than max listed is a good place to start if a "start load" is not listed. most people typically load 4-5 rounds of the listed start load and then increase in .3gr or .5gr increments until you find an accurate load or if you see pressure signs then back off a smidgen. This method will not only get you an accurate load but will allow you to safely move up in charge weights so you don't blow up your face.

Have you read a loading manual?

Yes have read the Hornady manual. I followed it for their fmjbt w/c and saw amazing results. So I figured I would follow the same method for these rounds.

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I loaded up 50 more tonight at 26gr of the 748 but I was having major issues with the COAL. My Hornady AP press wasn't cooperating this evening. Nothing outside +/-.003. Which leads me to ask what kind of tolerances make a difference? Should I be worrying about +/-.001-.003 when it comes to COAL?
 
.001-.003 is just fine, don't lose sleep over it. I have noticed changes at the .015 level but not where you are at
 
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Originally Posted By: JoshuaNI loaded up 50 more tonight at 26gr of the 748 but I was having major issues with the COAL. My Hornady AP press wasn't cooperating this evening. Nothing outside +/-.003. Which leads me to ask what kind of tolerances make a difference? Should I be worrying about +/-.001-.003 when it comes to COAL?

If your are measuring to the bullet tip you will get variance in length. You will need to get a hornady bullet comparator kit or something similiar and measure off the ogive of the bullet. You will still see some variance but 1-2 thou is nothing.
 
I have a Colt Hbar that has seen thousands of rounds of that combo, only I loaded 27 gr 748 with that bullet loaded to mag length, 2.260". LC brass. It still works fine. I don't shoot it much anymore but I did find H335 to be even more accurate in it.
 
i have had good results with 748 and 55gr bullets of a few varieties at anywhere from 25gr to 26.5gr. off the top of my head, i think my load with a 55vmax is 25.5gr maybe 26.0gr. i have shot more than a few groups in the .5 moa range.
 
That makes me feel much better. I found variance in the actual bullet lengths not a big difference but a difference none the less.
 
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