Load for 223 Remington VTR

[roc1]

does any one have a good load for a 223 remington VTR? i have not found the sweet spot but have only loaded 20 rounds so far so really have not shot it much.It does not like the cheap American Eagle very well. I would like input and thanks in advance.
roc1

 

[cfullgraf]

I have two Remington 700s (221 Rem Fireball and 17 Remington) and an XR-100 (223 Remington) and I could not find a good load for any of them.

I eventually changed the triggers, free floated the barrels and bedded the action on one them.

You may need to look at the rifle before you find its favorite load.

 

[NCsmitty]

Are you looking for reloading data or factory loads? After all, this is the handloading section.
If reloading, what components do you have?



NCsmitty

 

[roc1]

Reloading data. I have Hogdon powders. Varget H4895 H4831 H380 IMR 4064 H4350. Bullets Hornady VMax 55 50 gr 60gr HP.
roc1

 

[climbnjump]

Do you have a "Remington" Remington VTR .223 or a "Cabela's" Remington VTR .223?

The difference is the Cabela's version is sans muzzle break and also has a 1:12 twist instead of the 1:9 twist of the Remington version. I bought the Cabela's version because I wasn't fond of the muzzle break, but I didn't know it had the 1:12 twist until I got some great keyholes with 68 gr match rounds my first time at the range.

A call to Remington customer support verified the difference in twist. So if you have the 1:9 twist, I'm not sure I can help, but these are 3 loads that give under 3/4" 100 yrd groups in my 1:12 in version:

All 3 use Winchester cases:

V-Max 40gr
H335 26.5gr
WSR primer
3460 fps

V-Max 50gr
H335 25.0gr
WSR primer
3220 fps

Speer TNT HP 50gr
Benchmark 25.8gr
CCI 400 primer
3320 fps

 

[roc1]

Remington VTR did not know Cabelas had one.
Thanks
roc1

 

[NCsmitty]

You have 3 powders that will do the job, and I would do some work up loads starting with your heaviest bullet first. If you indeed have a 1in9" twist, the heavier bullet may be best, but you never know until you try.
I like H4895 myself, but many like Varget. IMR4064 is a old standby, but some measures won't handle the long extruded kernels well.
Go with starting loads and see if you have any loads that show promise. If not, perhaps some alterations to the bedding will need to be tried. Use your manual(s) or the latest data at www.hodgdon.com.
I really like the concept of the VTR and believe it has a lot of potential.



NCsmitty

 

[climbnjump]

Remington VTR did not know Cabelas had one.
Thanks
roc1

Occasionally Cabela's orders a model from a manufacturer with slightly different specs than the original, but there is no badging or anything marked on the rifle that says "Cabela's Version". The only visual difference from the regular model is the lack of the machined-in muzzle brake.

Well, almost... It also has a 24" barrel instead of a 22" barrel so that might be apparent if you're familiar with the original.

 

[TonyAngel]

OK, I'm going to share my loading data, but please understand that I worked these up in my rifle and they are safe in MY rifle. I'm posting this just for reference and assuming that you have the 1:9 twist model. If you have the 1:12 twist, disregard the data for the 69gr bullet.

First I use all Lake City brass. I bought it new and only use this brass in my bolt gun. I trim all brass to 1.75" and do not apply any crimp at all for the bolt gun. I also use Remington 7.5 benchrest primers.

69gr Sierra Match King, seated to 2.255 OAL with 25gr Reloader 15 (Varget is close to this, start a couple of grains under and work up). This is a very solid sub MOA load in my rifle.

55gr Hornady V-Max, 25gr Ramshot Tac, 2.255 OAL. Another sub MOA load in my rifle.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I was using H335 for a good long time for my 223 ammo and it was a good powder. I decided to try something different and tested the load in Lyman #49 that was marked "potentially most accurate" and it is outstanding.

Here are the components I used with that Lyman powder/charge combination.
Federal Brass
CCI-400 primer
55gr Sierra GameKing #1390 bullet
25.0gr Varget
OAL 2.255"

This load gave me several sub 1/2 MOA groups @ 100 yards in a Howa 1500 bolt action rifle.