Reloading .223

[swampratt]

I hate to wet my cases..But i found that BL-C(2) trickled through a funnel into a case will settle the same each time.

So I have measured case volume with that ball powder and the Perfecta cases really have a small volume .. the others are close.

I can shoot over a chrony and test .

 

[swampratt]

Few things I found out. My eyes get tired.. My stock is too narrow and curved ,I remember I was going to do something about that.
Gun rocks very easy side to side.

Anyway here is the target.
If you have a lorge computer screne you will be able to read head stamps and FPS.

As I chamber the round I found 2 rounds that seated stiff. CBC and FC-13 cases.. Both of those went High and left.

#17 i choked on and there were 18 rounds,, I then shot a group of 3 at the end with all LC-14 cases.

The outside of the circle measures .850"
2,917 FPS was slowest (LC13 case) and 3,002 FPS was fastest (A-USA case)

I feel my gun was not up to the challenge with me behind it..Could not get it really stable and I need a little less trigger tension or a flatter forend to make it stable.
the picture.

 

[dlbleak]

swampratt, i like this test. can you take the ones that hit bull and do another test? mainly to see if the results are consistent.

 

[swampratt]

Heck I already know if the weather changes they will not.
I shot this same load when it was 22f outside and the day i shot this It was sunny and the barrel and chamber were warm.

Groups were much larger than when it was cold outside with a cold gun,,So much for Varget extreme powder.
But i discovered that phenomenon a few years ago with my .308 and 30-06 when running Varget.
Funny thing though when i used IMR4064 the groups did not change in size during extreme temp swings,, but the group was lower by an inch or so.

Sometimes i wonder why i bother with Varget

 

[dennishoddy]

Varget is one of Hodgdon's extreme powders. This means that they are affected less by temp changes. I load Varget in several of my rifles, and have never had any issues with the loads I work up in the cold winter months. Not to say your rifle won't have pressure problems, just stating my personal experience. One other thing you might look at is the load data from the bullet manufacturer i.e.-Sierra, Hornady, Berger, etc. Alot of times load data from the powder manufacturers will be a long way off from the bullet manufacturer because of the design of the bullet and it's effect on pressure.

 

[swampratt]

I should elaborate. My groups open up about --- that much..I have shot many groups in the cold thinking i have a great load with many bullets touching.
Then it becomes Tshirt weather and no bullets will touch each other.. persnickety 1/4 to 1/2" difference in group sizes

 

[Tcox]

With varget, maybe your velocity is somewhat consistent but something with the barrel/projectile combo didn't like the change as much? In theory, velocity should be pretty minimal right?

 

[swampratt]

I never checked velocity change when hot vs cold..Could care less at the time ,,I was more concerned about the group sizes and where they hit.

 

[vooduchikn]

Varget is one of Hodgdon's extreme powders. This means that they are affected less by temp changes. I load Varget in several of my rifles, and have never had any issues with the loads I work up in the cold winter months. Not to say your rifle won't have pressure problems, just stating my personal experience. One other thing you might look at is the load data from the bullet manufacturer i.e.-Sierra, Hornady, Berger, etc. Alot of times load data from the powder manufacturers will be a long way off from the bullet manufacturer because of the design of the bullet and it's effect on pressure.

I have to second Varget in both .223/5.56 and .308. I have slowly been working on a .243 load with 95grn Berger VLD. I like it can be freezing cold or melting and it's consistent.

 

[vooduchikn]

I never checked velocity change when hot vs cold..Could care less at the time ,,I was more concerned about the group sizes and where they hit.

some powders act differently when hot/cold. What's safe in the winter could result in overpressure in the hot summer months. I almost think you would need to leave your reloads in a hot car before you shoot but there are "stories" about it. YMMV.