18" 8 twist 6x45 poly 3 barrel load

varminter .223

Active member
Well it was raining and as I was sipping coffee looking out the window minding my own business while hitting all my classifieds etc and outta no where this barrel on True Sporting Arm site jumped outta my phone at me. Naturally I could'nt resist it. Anyone have and experience with one? Wondering what the 8 twist will like.
 
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My 8 twist barrel shoots 55 grain Varmageddons as well, or better, than the 75 grain Speer hp's that I prefer. The 75's easily do around 1/2" when I do my part.

21" 8 twist with 5R rifling from X-Caliber on a Savage 12FV.
 
My 16' 10 twist bhw was awesome one day and crap the next with 27.3 aa2200 and 55 varmageddons. I have 47 of those still loaded. Obviously I will try those first. Should be just over 3300 fps.
 
Day 12 and I have not received shipping confirmation yet. I called them on the 10th
business day which was last Friday and the guy said he would crack the whip and speed it up. I hope so and I also hope they're barrels are better than their shipping department.
 
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Business day 16 and still no shipping confirmation. The recording said their new business hours were 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. I left a detailed message. They're not exact building my confidence at this point.
 
Well it's been 19 business days and I still don't have shipping confirmation. I called them middle of last week and they said it was boxed up there were taking it to FedEx and it was going out that day and I would have shipping confirmation the next morning. Well I've not received anything yet. A new side charging upper and everything I need to finish it is sitting here patiently waiting.
 
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The barrel came in today and I got the rifle put together about a half hour before dark. After 2 zeroing shots at 50 I shot 5 of the 55 varmageddons I had loaded with 2200 powder . It threw one about 2" out and one about 5" out. So I ran back inside and grabbed some of the 60 grain Sierra hollow points loaded with h4895 that my 16" 10 twist likes. It put 5 in at .75" center to center. I made a small scope adjustment and shot two more. They were for right at an inch but still a little high. I adjusted the scope down a little more and put the next three at .750" and it was dark out. I was shooting five or six different headstamps which is not something I normally do but the primers in the two PMC cases were smashed flat. Those cases weighed basically 1 grain more. Being nearly dark, shooting severely mixed brass and a 9x Scope with crosshairs that completely cover a dot I could barely see I'd say it looks pretty promising with the 60s. It was too dim outside to chronograph but with h4895 they're probably only 3,000 feet per second but I will try some different powders when I get a chance.
Pretty convenient it will shoot the exact same load as my other 6x45 though. It basically shot as good as I could hold it tonight.
 
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I shot a few more rounds this morning over the chronograph. 3053 average with 60 HP's and 27.3 h4895. My group opened up to an inch or maybe a hair over but I cleaned it came back close to .75" but on occasion I get one around the inch mark. I will play with the powder charge a bit given this was just the first thing I tried given I had them sitting around for another rifle.
 
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Nope moved up to 25 lol......
Yes I shoot all my groups at 100 yards. Too bad my yard isn't bigger I'd shoot 200. Having a 100 yard range 30 feet outside my front door assures I never bother going to the range where I can shoot further.
 
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Loaded five of the 60 hollow points up with two tenths more powder to put me at 27.5 which is an absolutely full case of H 4895. Since the case was so full I opted to go 2.300" OAL. Somehow I made it out the door with only four rounds so I just shot four but those had maybe three quarter inch of vertical still but they got a little bit over an inch horizontal and the speed was down the hair. I loaded up five more with the same 27.5 grains and seated them down to 2. 270". Of those five four were one ragged hole in the top edge of the bull and one was just to the right enough that there was maybe 1/8 inch piece of paper between it and the other four. I think I'm going to spare my sanity and call that good after all I can't fit anymore powder in the case, I'm getting zero case head marks, the primers look beautiful and ejection is about 4 o'clock with an adjustable gas block that was tuned for one of my 6 x 6. 8. Its basically 3000 fps. I might try it when the temperature drops to about 40 degrees but that's the reason why I'm sticking with H4895 is to stay away from temp. sensitivity.
 
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Now onto the next chapter.... I thought I would try the same load in my 16 in 10 twist since it's shot so good with 27.3grains. It is now vertical stringing no matter what I put through it. That Barrel has been a struggle it seems I'll get one load that shoots awesome and then it'll take a dump I find another load that shoots awesome and it takes a dump again. It has a Zeiss Conquest scope on it so I doubt that's the issue but needless to say it's frustrating. I cleaned it and the next group had no vertical but then went horizontal then it went right back to vertical various powder charges along with 2 previous good loads. This Barrel will shoot 55 varmageddon tipped bullets in a rediculous straight up and down line but I have varried the powder charge as much as 6/10 down and 3/10 up. String gets worse when I go up but when I come down it doesn't change its still an inch and a half vertical. The gas block is still tight and it doesn't appear there's any contact from the handguard.
 
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