.223 69 grain Sierra Match King Shootout

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TheDomFather

TheDomFather

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Folks,
Here are the results of my range day, most of you will laugh but as a new rifle shooter getting my first two sub MOA groups makes me happy :) Here are how my reloads compared to some factory match grade ammo.

 
Nice job man,

I'm enjoying your videos. Good discussions without acting like a know it all.

I think you're doing really well for a newish rifle shooter.

The velocity difference between the standard CCI and the 41 is pretty interesting.
 
I've always got tighter groups using the Rem 7 1/2 Bench rest primers. But I have found it seams to switch depending on brass used.
CCI #41 are a magnum class primer as well as a different anvil to prevent slam fires for the military.

Keep it up. It only gets better as you gain more experience.
 
nice info.
I shoot a lot of 223rem and love benchmark and h322 for the 50-55gr bullets. I will be trying 60-68gr in the spring. If you would like a suggestion and tightening groups up, try some other powder then h335 as my groups shrunk with other powders a lot and I have went all cci mag primers too as they seem the best for me. I too noticed a lot of difference in factory vs handloads and I think its the powder used. Ive tried duplicating factory with trim length, OAL, brass and mine still shot better and I think its the powder that is making the largest difference. I love it when guys at the range say oh man you gotta try this factory ammo and I say nah, my reloads are cheaper and do better then that. :)
 
ohihunter2014 said:
nice info.
I shoot a lot of 223rem and love benchmark and h322 for the 50-55gr bullets. I will be trying 60-68gr in the spring. If you would like a suggestion and tightening groups up, try some other powder then h335 as my groups shrunk with other powders a lot and I have went all cci mag primers too as they seem the best for me. I too noticed a lot of difference in factory vs handloads and I think its the powder used. Ive tried duplicating factory with trim length, OAL, brass and mine still shot better and I think its the powder that is making the largest difference. I love it when guys at the range say oh man you gotta try this factory ammo and I say nah, my reloads are cheaper and do better then that. :)
Click to expand...


so true, I am shooting out of a sig MCX which has a 1 in 7 twist barrel and it does not seem to be a fan of lighter weight projectiles. If you noticed I did shoot a little 55FMJ both hornady and bobs bulk bullets on the right side of the target.
 
TheDomFather said:
so true, I am shooting out of a sig MCX which has a 1 in 7 twist barrel and it does not seem to be a fan of lighter weight projectiles. If you noticed I did shoot a little 55FMJ both hornady and bobs bulk bullets on the right side of the target.
Click to expand...
gotcha. :)
 
I've never got H335 to shoot any where close in my AR's. Have not tried it on my new 20" barrel. But my min spec 24" 1:10 twist bull barrel did a lot better with TAC, Varget and CFE-223. The old barrel that I shot out loved the Varget and the 69gr HPBT-Match bullets. It had a 1:8 twist with a Wydle Chamber. This barrel would not shoot anything accurate under 65gr. Unless you consider 2 moa accurate at 100 yrds. That's one of the reason the barrel got shot out, me trying to get it to shoot the lighter pills. After 5500+ rounds down the tube it finally quit shooting the 69gr MK's, so I replaced the barrel. I did try reworking the chamber and re-crowning but it did no good. I've finally discovered that the Hornady 55gr FMJBT cheap bullets like a heavy rifling, tight bores. Both of my guns that shoot the cheap stuff good has a land ID of 0.2187" or smaller. The barrel that did not shoot them good had a 0.2190" ID. The good part is all the work I did on trying to get it to shoot, paid off in my other guns. Did not have to rework the loads. Which is good since I still have around 1500 still loaded and ready to rock.
 
Blue68f100 said:
I've never got H335 to shoot any where close in my AR's. Have not tried it on my new 20" barrel. But my min spec 24" 1:10 twist bull barrel did a lot better with TAC, Varget and CFE-223. The old barrel that I shot out loved the Varget and the 69gr HPBT-Match bullets. It had a 1:8 twist with a Wydle Chamber. This barrel would not shoot anything accurate under 65gr. Unless you consider 2 moa accurate at 100 yrds. That's one of the reason the barrel got shot out, me trying to get it to shoot the lighter pills. After 5500+ rounds down the tube it finally quit shooting the 69gr MK's, so I replaced the barrel. I did try reworking the chamber and re-crowning but it did no good. I've finally discovered that the Hornady 55gr FMJBT cheap bullets like a heavy rifling, tight bores. Both of my guns that shoot the cheap stuff good has a land ID of 0.2187" or smaller. The barrel that did not shoot them good had a 0.2190" ID. The good part is all the work I did on trying to get it to shoot, paid off in my other guns. Did not have to rework the loads. Which is good since I still have around 1500 still loaded and ready to rock.
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention but I also have the 77 gr SMK loaded up with some CFE 223 as well that I will incorporate into my shootout. Back to the range on Halloween!
Dom
 
Dom
I highly suggest trying some 8208 XBR with anything from 68-77 grains. It's never let me down producing good consistent groups under an inch, and getting my Hornady 68gr BTHPs down to under a half inch at 100 yards in a 5 shot group.
 
Kaldor said:
Dom
I highly suggest trying some 8208 XBR with anything from 68-77 grains. It's never let me down producing good consistent groups under an inch, and getting my Hornady 68gr BTHPs down to under a half inch at 100 yards in a 5 shot group.
Click to expand...

I have heard great things about 8208 XBR, Waiting for the gun show to come back to town to see if the guy I buy from there has any. Pain in the ass with powders is no one local has a really good selection at a fair price so I either need to buy alot to make it worth the hazmat and shipping fees or check Cabelas or wait for the gun show. But I will definitely check it out!
Thanks,
Dom
 
TheDomFather said:
I have heard great things about 8208 XBR, Waiting for the gun show to come back to town to see if the guy I buy from there has any. Pain in the ass with powders is no one local has a really good selection at a fair price so I either need to buy alot to make it worth the hazmat and shipping fees or check Cabelas or wait for the gun show. But I will definitely check it out!
Thanks,
Dom
Click to expand...

Fortunately I have the convenience of having a great local supplier. Ive tried alot of different powders in 223. You name it, Ive probably used at least a pound. If I was going to use just one powder for 223, 8208 would be it. Also a contender for 308 as well with bullets up to say 175gr. Another bonus? It meters great in a rotary drop because its a short cut extruded, accuracy is generally +/- .05 gr. CFE223 just isnt temp stable enough for me for accurate shooting even though Ive had good luck with it with 53gr Vmax, and other lighter bullets when I really want to push a hot load.
 
Kaldor said:
Fortunately I have the convenience of having a great local supplier. Ive tried alot of different powders in 223. You name it, Ive probably used at least a pound. If I was going to use just one powder for 223, 8208 would be it. Also a contender for 308 as well with bullets up to say 175gr. Another bonus? It meters great in a rotary drop because its a short cut extruded, accuracy is generally +/- .05 gr. CFE223 just isnt temp stable enough for me for accurate shooting even though Ive had good luck with it with 53gr Vmax, and other lighter bullets when I really want to push a hot load.
Click to expand...

I will definitely pickup a couple of pounds. I have a trip to Cabelas scheduled weekend after next and a friend sent me an employee discount coupon so I will be stocking up there. If they dont have it unfortunately I will have to wait for the next local gun show or a large Hazmat order from midsouth shooters supply or Powder Valley.
Thanks for the tip.
Dom
 
Dom, nice video. Just some random thoughts:

My most accurate 69 Match King Varget load is over a grain less than yours.

For me H335 is a great powder for light projectiles. I have never got it to work well with heavy projectiles. If I had a bottle of 335 around, I think I would pick up a box of 52 and 53 Match Kings.
 
The only question/comment I have isn't about your handloads, it's about the rifle. What's the twist on its barrel? I see a lot of guys complaining about a 69gr or 75gr bullet being a POS only to finally figure out their 1.12 barrel is designed for the lighter pills.
The other question I thought of is; Did you do any ladder testing or are the loads you're comparing just based on a factory load?
 
rskent said:
Dom, nice video. Just some random thoughts:

My most accurate 69 Match King Varget load is over a grain less than yours.

For me H335 is a great powder for light projectiles. I have never got it to work well with heavy projectiles. If I had a bottle of 335 around, I think I would pick up a box of 52 and 53 Match Kings.
Click to expand...

Ive always found H335 a little inconsistent due to temp swings, even so, I use it for 55gr FMJBTs, but once this last 8# jug is gone, Im not buying anymore as I can get better results with CFE223 or 8208 for only a minor difference in price. I tend to use CFE 223 for lighter bullets as its a little more temp resistant, has roughly the same burn rate as Varget, and I can get a crap load of it in the case if I so desire. Im not a big Varget fan in 223 unless youre sporting a 20"+ barrel because it burns pretty slow, slower than CFE223, which on the books is about the same speed. However in practice, CFE223 is a better powder for burn rate. One of those weird cartridge specific things.
 
papajoe222 said:
The only question/comment I have isn't about your handloads, it's about the rifle. What's the twist on its barrel? I see a lot of guys complaining about a 69gr or 75gr bullet being a POS only to finally figure out their 1.12 barrel is designed for the lighter pills.
The other question I thought of is; Did you do any ladder testing or are the loads you're comparing just based on a factory load?
Click to expand...
Sig MCX which is a 1:7 twist rate which is likely why I am struggling a bit with 55gr projectiles, although I will keep trying.
 
rskent said:
Is it because it 55 grains or because it’s not a great bullet? Not trying to be a jerk, just asking?

A 52 or 53gr bullet should shoot fine out of a 1/7 barrel. At least 52gr Match Kings do for me.
Click to expand...
Good question I dont know and I need to do more testing to answer your question, There are two different 55's on that target one is a Hornady FMJ and one is Bob's bulk bullets. both inexpensive and probably more of a plinking round than a accuracy round.
 
rskent said:
Ok, I live in Florida so no big temperature swings here. I will say, you need a magnum primer.
Click to expand...

Debatable. Ive loaded close to 30# of H335 in the last few years, all over CCI 400s, and have never found evidence of needing a mag primer. This includes temps from -30 to 100 degrees. Maybe when I got below zero in the middle of January the cases might be a little bit dirtier than what Id see in the summer. But Ive never found any unburnt powder in the gun or found it way dirtier that when using any of the other powders Ive used.

Im not saying you cant get H335 shooting good, as Ive pushed 53gr Vmax down to .6" 5 shot groups at 100 yards with it. But that was just to see if it could be done. My H335/55gr FMJBT blammo load shoots consistent 1.5" groups. There are just better options out there that are more stable, that will produce better velocity, with more consistent accuracy.
 
Kaldor said:
Debatable.
Click to expand...

No debate. I should have said I need a magnum primer.

.

.

.

If you have time for the short version: I am shooting a service rifle match. Hundred yards walk and paste.

Slung in, in prone. Fire the shot. Sounds funny, gun didn’t cycle. I pulled the charging handle.

Out pops the case, powder all over the place. Bullet is still in the bore. Clock is ticking.

I get things cleaned up. Try to chamber a round. Still powder in the chamber. More cleaning.

Finish my shots, just in time. Score, well I don’t remember.


This was not the first time I found a significant amount of unburnt powder, it was the last. After that I

switched to magnums. Probably just a coincidence.
 
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