Mr Majyk Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Hi all, I'll soon be getting my first centre fire rifle, a Sako S491, and i'll be home loading to tailor the ammo to the gun and squeeze every smidgeon of accuracy out of it that i can. Im just wandering what loads other people find work well with there guns? i.e. what powder, amount, bullet etc and what sort of grouping are you getting out of it? basically asking so that i can try a few combos that work well for others so i can try them as well. maybe save myself a bit of time experimenting? cheers all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 A load that works well in one gun could be pants or not even chamber in another. You just need to suck it and see I'm afraid. I suppose the first question to find the right bullet would be what are you planning to do with the rifle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Majyk Posted January 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 A load that works well in one gun could be pants or not even chamber in another. You just need to suck it and see I'm afraid. I suppose the first question to find the right bullet would be what are you planning to do with the rifle? Im aware that one good bullet is utter rubbish in another gun but maybe trying someone else's load would give me a good starting point? The rifle will mainly be used for foxing but will eventually be used for my first deer stalk (muntjac) id ideally like it to shoot fast and flat so I'm thinking boat tailed bullet with polymer jacket for good ballistic performance, the question is powder, case primer etc id guess?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Polymer tip I think you mean. Try and get hold of a few different bullets, 50/55 grn depends on twist really of your barrel.could shoot 60 well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Given what has been said correctly above, my Remington (1 in 12 twist rate) likes lighter bullets. I use 40 grain V-max driven by 26.0 grains of Vit n133 and 50 grain v-max and blitzkings with 24.0 grains of Vit n130. The first is a fast flat load which I zero at 150 yds, drops 1" at 200 and 4" at 300. the muzzle velocity is quoted as just shy of 3,600 ft per second. Its a compressed load with the 40 grain bullet but I would recommend the 40 grain recipe as a starting point if you rifle has a similar twist rate. . It doesnt take much thought to work out holdover visually, in fact its flat for all intents and purposes for fox from 100 to 250 where mostly I find they appear. If your twist rate is lower, try the 50 grain recipe but always check the reloading manual first to be sure ! Those stats came from the new Lee manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 I would look at what is easily available before you start, there is no point (or wishing to) developing a load with components that are hard, if not impossible to get hold of.Good point but all my stuff is available locally, bullets and powder(Vit is more of a problem though). The Remington also gets on well with Privvi (40 and 50 grain) which can be a blessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elk hunter Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 I've had a Tika .223 for 22 years now and still using 27gr of Hogden BLC2 with a 55gr soft point or BT. Never fails but as said you need to see what is available first before getting carried away. Some years ago I developed a load for my 25-06 with Hogden H1000 it was a blinder out of the rifle with a 120gr SP. then found out the my local gun shop decided to stop stocking both powder and bullet heads. Had to start all over again. Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 What ammo do prvi do in 40gr for 223?Its soft core expanding type - I buy it from Valley Arms - you could ring them - they dont always have it in, more usually 50's. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 I've been using 55gn vmax over 22.3gn Viht 133 for years and never felt the need to change it. It's worked very well in CZ527, Remy 700, Howa 1500 and Tikka T3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deershooter Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Remember top end loads are not normally the best try 24.5 grains of Winchester 748 with a 55 grain bullet mag primer you might have to work the best COL but nothing else normally beats it zero 1 inch high at 100 yards bobs your uncle Deershooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Im aware that one good bullet is utter rubbish in another gun but maybe trying someone else's load would give me a good starting point? The rifle will mainly be used for foxing but will eventually be used for my first deer stalk (muntjac) id ideally like it to shoot fast and flat so I'm thinking boat tailed bullet with polymer jacket for good ballistic performance, the question is powder, case primer etc id guess?? Ballistically out to 250 yards there isn't much difference between a top end 40 gr and top end 55 gr load in the 223. At most an inch at 250. So if your intention is to have a muntjac load eventually, you might a well start there from the get go. A 55 gr bullet should shoot well from any twist from a 12 down to a 9. That's about the right weight for a fox+ muntjac/CWD/Roe load. So then you need to see what you have available either locally or via the net. A 55gr v-max wouldnt be a bad start. The 52 Amax is shippable easily. There are a couple 55gr soft points which would work. The usual powder reccos for 55 in a 223 are varget, N-133, H4895, and H335. However, 3 of those 4 are hodgdon and might not be available. So go see what you can get locally for primers and powder, then compare against loads. rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Majyk Posted January 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Cheers guys, all good info to consider. my main problem is i live on the isle of wight, and my local RFD doesn't stock much in the way of reloading stuff in any reliable supply (as far as I'm aware.) so I'm pretty much stuck buying of the interwebs. which means any expanding ammo has to be sent to my RFD right? along with powder etc. so all i can do is buy in good quantities when I've found something which works i guess? the rifles a 1 in 12 twist so as far as i know my upper bullet weight limit is 55grain ish? if that'll do for fox and muntjac (and one day when I'm very confident of my ability other deer in scotland, already pretty confident what i can do on paper but live quarry is a different ball game!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixhills 69 Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Why not just pop over to the main land many a good gun shop on the south coast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Majyk Posted January 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Why not just pop over to the main land many a good gun shop on the south coast would love to but it costs bout £20 just to go as a foot passenger, I'm sure i'll have to do it at some point though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 The 52 gr amax will be your friend then if your gun shoots them. They are target bullets so shipable but more than handy on fox. Not sure about muntjac, but i suspect they will be good. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry931 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 For fox and vermin: 52gr A-Max Hodgdon Benchmark A tough primer like Rem 7.5, CCI BR4, CCI 450 Any brass should do but lapua is the best and is reasonably priced in .223 (~£65/100) You will get a lot of loadings out of lapua brass anyway so it sort of pays for itself Don't use the A-Max bullets on deer it's not legal because technically they're a target bullet! You might want to consider a soft point for deer to reduce meat damage. e.g. 60gr nosler partition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Don't use the A-Max bullets on deer it's not legal because technically they're a target bullet! Henry, The OP can read up on the legality, but essentially they are deer legal. It has been discussed on here a bunch of times and the best thread is this one with a response from BASC: http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/192262-a-max-and-deer-email-from-basc/ The summary is "legal, but not recommended" because hornady's own website says small game. However, if you consider your application and game, there can be exceptions. Muntjac aren't much bigger than fox. They would fit hornady's classification of small. In a 223 at 3000 fps they would be just fine for both fox and muntjac. I agree with you that a partition is a good choice for deer, but i wouldn't shoot them on fox myself. I would go to a 55gr soft point before a partition. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry931 Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 I stand corrected. Out of interest would a fmj loaded backwards be a legitimate deer round, as it's now "soft-nosed"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Majyk Posted January 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2014 Ok next question, what would be the heaviest bullet my 1in12 twist rifle could sensibly fire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Majyk Posted January 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2014 and another question, how many times is it SAFE to use the same brass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted January 28, 2014 Report Share Posted January 28, 2014 and another question, how many times is it SAFE to use the same brass? Ok next question, what would be the heaviest bullet my 1in12 twist rifle could sensibly fire? Technically it is bullet length that is the issue not weight, but since most bullets are lead core and copper jackets weight is a good proxy. For normal bullet types a 55 gr should be okay. A 60 will need to be a shorter bullet for the weight Brass life depends on how gard you are pushing it and how big you chamber is over your dies. Practically speaking you should get at least 5-6 loadings from good 223 brass ,sometimes a lot more. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixhills 69 Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 and another question, how many times is it SAFE to use the same brass? Always inspect brass before loading look for burring on the neck cracks splits or any hairline fractures if you fire form the brass and use it in the same gun you will get away with just neck sizing. I have had 6 loads out of mine so far and know signs of cracks or stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Majyk Posted February 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Ok, heres an update, I got a load of free brass the other day from soneone who doesnt homeload, but its mixed I.e. Different brands etc how much will this effect shot consistency? Ive been told that different brass performs differently? Also after checking with my rfd what heads hes got in stock he said that he usually keeps nosler 50gr polymer tip boat tails in stock. Are these good heads to be using? Ive heard nosler are good but its good to ask the PW forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 depending on the internal capacity it could vary quite a bit. You might develop a load for a larger capacity case which is near max, then load it in the smaller capacity cases and it is over pressure. Even worse if you do the development now and then load the smaller cases in the summer. If you really want to use mixed cases, you need to sort them by internal capacity (or at least check how close they are). 50 gr nozler Btips are a great choice. rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Majyk Posted February 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 depending on the internal capacity it could vary quite a bit. You might develop a load for a larger capacity case which is near max, then load it in the smaller capacity cases and it is over pressure. Even worse if you do the development now and then load the smaller cases in the summer. If you really want to use mixed cases, you need to sort them by internal capacity (or at least check how close they are). 50 gr nozler Btips are a great choice. rick ok so the whole mixed case thing is probably a bad idea? think maybe i'll make a "softer load" with that brass for "plinking" ammo and fork out the cash for some lapua brass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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