I may need to neck turn & I got my Dope

[swampratt]

I have been shooting this .223 Axis rifle and every now and then I get a flier.
I probably need to weigh and neck turn my cases.

Some 3 shot groups and the numbers. All shot the same day (today) just a few minutes apart.
100 yards .775" looks like a triangle.

200 yards 1.415" looks like a triangle with one about .250" farther out.

300 yards 2.990" 2 of them were 1.124" apart side by side Shot 3 high and left.

400 yards 2.113" 2 side by side .621" apart shot 3 went low and right.

500 yards 4.4" 2 straight up and down from each other .881" apart and I pulled shot 3 a tad high and right by a lot. I knew I pulled it. Shooting off the top of my car with a pair of jeans wadded up for a front bag.. no rear bag.

3 shot groups I know. All measurements are center to center.

Yes MOA or better on all of them ..I think I will start neck turning to see if the fliers will go away.
Can't help the ones I choke on though.

I got my dope on the mil dots today.
That was the entire reason to do this.

100 yard zero.
-5 @ 200 yards. Down 1 mil @ 12 power.
-16 @ 300 yards. Down 1 mil @ 7 power or 2 mil @ 14 power.
-32.5 @ 400 yards. Down 2 mil @ 8 power
-57.5 @ 500 yards. Down 4 mil @ 12 Power with the dot above the 2. so just a hair past 12.
That should come in handy.
I will write that down on paper, laminate it and tape it to the gun stock.

Tasco scope 6-24.
55gr V-Max and H4895 powder in FC cases lit by CCI 450 primers.

 

[dlbleak]

I sure like the H4895 powder. I can reasonable results in just about all of my rifles.

 

[Tcox]

Swampratt, one thing to try is dirty up the inside of your neck with a swab of graphite powder. Some people do this the get better results with ES/SD, but I found that it has also reduced fliers. I think turning is certainly worth it, and probably the best option.

Have you marked brass that gave you the original flier and duplicated to see if it will give you a flier on the second loading?

 

[swampratt]

I have been thinking of reloading about 100 rounds and then take barrel temp reading and shoot 2 rounds at say 250 yards.
wait many minutes and shoot 2 more and so on and so on.

Make sure barrel temp is the same. ..I would like to do this with barrel temp in the 75 degree area. That is about the middle point of hunting barrel temp for me.
Temp may not really matter as I tested this load down to below freezing and at 110 Fahrenheit.

But 2 shots is usually all you will get before the critter is long gone if you miss.

This should allow me to eliminate the bad brass.
Then take the "bad" brass probably 20 rounds of it and 20 rounds of the "good" brass and reload it all again keeping it separated and shoot again and see if there is an issue.

I think i will start with a tube ID micrometer and see what I have and I have an RCBS neck turner .. but I do not have a mandrel for .223.
Turning my cast load 30-30 brass eliminated fliers.. but some (Most) necks measured .010 and some measured .014".. that is too much for good accuracy.

My neck area in this rifle is pretty snug.. to the point that Lapua cases are not happy in this gun.
I can't get good accurate handloads with that brass with any bullet or load.
That may be a good bunch of cases to neck turn. Sad as that may sound.

 

[Boehlertaught]

Interesting read on all of this. With all you have done and are looking to do. How about taking the accuracy enhancement to the next level? Have you ever thought of choosing the case, bullet combination that works and having your gunsmith re-work the chamber to match the loaded round. A good gunsmith can take a dummy round you supply...your specific brass with bullet seated to your desired OAL. And chamber your barrel for that specific round you built. Yes, to do this heal have to remove your barrel and cut part of it off. But, if you've sent gobs of rounds down the barrel you could have some erosion going on and this could eliminate it. Just a thought.

 

[Jcann]

I have a chamber neck diameter of 0.320" in my 7mm and a finished case neck diameter of 0.313". That's a total difference of 0.007" or 0.0035" between outside neck and inside of chamber. This workers fine for me with my rifle but you probably would not want too much "room" between outside neck/inside chamber or you'll over work your brass. I anneal after two firings. I also use Redding type S dies with a bushing. I assume you're set up likewise. I also use a K&M neck turning tool with a cordless drill (slow RPM). If your using a bushing seater die you may want to try two or three different bushings.

There is an execellent article on Accurate Shooter with regards to neck turning, I'll look for it and post the link tomorrow if you would like to read it.

 

[swampratt]

I did some neck turning on some .243 cases for my very reduced loads with H4895.
No fliers.. tested at 200 yards.
Found an excellent load that has less recoil than the .223.
Just need to build some more.
I have not neck turned any .223 yet.

I am going to get an AR eventually and If i need a smith to touch my stuff that gun will get it. My axis shoots very well for what it is.

 

[Jcann]

Here's the article I mentioned
http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/neck-turning-basics/