Choosing the right 223 Ammo

Bullet type is just as important as weight. In general a hollow point or v-max will shoot much better than a fmj. A 68 gr is typically as heavy as you can go with a 1:9 twist. Some 1:9 barrels won’t even stabilize a 68 and others will shoot awesome. Try something with a 50 or 55 grain vmax.

If your gun shoots FM 69 gr great, buy more. Have patience, and stock up when you can.

"I even read a chart that says 55 to 60 grain ammo is best for my twist rate."

mathematically speaking...Yes, 55gr to 60gr is "best"
In the real world.. at least mine ... that has not always been the case.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/A...rrels-Firing-55-grain-FMJ-Bullets/118-771140/

All my .223 / 5.56 barrels ( 1n7 or 1n8 twist ) shoot Fed. TV 50gr ( no longer produced ) fantastically... always right at 1 MOA... but that round is the anti-thesis of "by the book" rounds... short stubby bullet no where near the lands, bulk loaded in mass produced Fed .223 cases and it was cheap. Best price was $5.29/20rds.

If you have the money, I would suggest trying a variety of factory ammo.

To be completely honest... every barrel I have shot, has its own preferences when it comes to ammo.
Or better said... If someone knew how to make every barrel consistently identical... they could sell every darned one they could make.

Hornady makes something like 5-6 different 223 and 5.56 loads in 55 grain. Some are match grade, some are hunting grade, some are a short step above rot gut surplus ammo…

Not every rifle likes every load. That same bullet at a different charge weight or seating depth might shoot beautifully in your rifle. I wouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water just because ONE load at that weight didn’t shoot well.

It is not surprising at all that that rifle likes 69gr hpbt bullets with that twist rate and length. My CZ with the same twist and a 22" barrel really likes them, and you are probably sending them a touch faster from the extra 2 inches. As has been said, try quality ammo in other weights, you might find something else it likes. Otherwise, keep an eye out there are several brands that load a 68 or 69 gr hpbt.

Just food for thought - in the long run you should really give some consideration into settling up to reload. Then you aren't at the mercy of the stores to stock what you need and you can dial in the load your rifle likes. Reloading components are hard to come by at the moment, but you can definitely find them with a bit of hunting. Personally, I enjoy reloading as much as I do shooting, and seeing results as you find loads a rifle likes is a nice feeling.

69 grain Freedom Munition Reloads are your huckleberry

someguy2800 said:

Bullet type is just as important as weight. In general a hollow point or v-max will shoot much better than a fmj. A 68 gr is typically as heavy as you can go with a 1:9 twist. Some 1:9 barrels won’t even stabilize a 68 and others will shoot awesome. Try something with a 50 or 55 grain vmax.

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I've never seen a 1-9 twist 223 barrel that wouldn't shoot up to 77gr BTHP bullets excellent. It's not the weight of the bullet as much as it is the length of the bearing surface of the bullet. Most 1-9 twist barrels will fail to stabilize longer bullets like the 75gr AMax & ELD-M or some of the Berger Match style bullets.

MR WICK said:

Any opinions on what to do?

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Order more than a weeks worth?

When I was shooting greater quantities, I had enough reloading supplies on hand to load thousands. Literally. I could sit at my Dillon 550 and crank out a couple hundred in twenty minutes.

I just gave my best friend two 8# jugs of Varget. Each jug makes about 2,000 rounds.

MR WICK said:

Any opinions on what to do? Stores around town don't carry anything higher then 55 grain.

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Learn to reload so you can better ensure supply of ammunition.

RMR bullets manufactures their own "match grade" 69 gr BTHP bullets at $147/1000 with free shipping and offer 5% THR discount (PM members for code) - https://www.rmrbullets.com/shop/bul...low-point-boat-tail-3-gun-hunter-bullets-new/

BTW, ELEY uses RMR bullets for their 9mm match ammunition - https://www.eleyammunition.com/minor9_competition_pistol_pcc_rounds

The Reloading Forum here is an incredible source of knowledge

With a good progressive like my Dillon, you can move at a steady pace and turn out match grade ammo at about a round every 3-5 seconds

You just never know what each individual barrel will like the best until you try. I've seen 1-9 twist barrels do very well with the 77 grain bullets and also have seen 1-7 twist barrels do very well with 50 grain bullets.

And one of the main reasons for the M16A2 1-7 twist barrel was so that it would stabilize the longer M856 tracer rounds. The M856 tracer bullet is 64 grains versus the M855 62 grain bullets. In this case, it is the bullet's overall length that caused the problems when using a 1-9 twist (mostly in extreme cold environments).

MR WICK said:

I think you may be right. But there is a two week wait. Going to have to try a couple different rounds tomorrow.

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how did you find yourself using the 69 grain cartridge? I have a 1:9 twist rifle that shoots .223 and have just stuck to 55 grain, but I'm not shooting targets at 400 meters, really only shot out to about 50 meters so far.

If you're going to be shooting a couple other boxes to try them, I'd restart and sight in again with whatever you're shooting, the different weight might be altering your POI more than you'd expect, just guessing - but, maybe it is a POI change, more than the consistency of another type of ammo in that barrel.

Txhillbilly said:

I've never seen a 1-9 twist 223 barrel that wouldn't shoot up to 77gr BTHP bullets excellent. It's not the weight of the bullet as much as it is the length of the bearing surface of the bullet. Most 1-9 twist barrels will fail to stabilize longer bullets like the 75gr AMax & ELD-M or some of the Berger Match style bullets.

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I’ve not had luck with 1:9 with the 77gr sierra or 75 gr hornady. I like a 1:8 for those.

Might be worth trying 62 grain if you ever come across some (the kind that is NOT SS109/M885 amd doesnt have the penetrator core). I've heard of quite a few people having good luck with 1:9 twist and that weight.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1001922012?pid=858247

Nosler Match Grade Ammunition.

For shooting 400-500 yards with the .223 Remington, I highly recommend sticking with the 68/69/75 grain match hollow point bullets. You MAY find a good shooting lot of 55 grain bullets, but they're going to get pushed around quite a bit beyond 300 yards if there's any kind of breeze.

It does sound like the Freedom Munitions 69 grain loads are a great fit for your rifle. Definitely stock up when you can. And learn to reload when you have a chance too. I can tell you from experience that all you need to make good mid-range .223 Remington ammo is Hodgdon Varget, 69 grain Nosler Custom Competition bullets, Remington 7 1/2 or CCI BR4 small rifle primers, and a batch of consistent Lake City cases. Load to magazine length and you're done. I have yet to meet a fast-twist .223 Remington barrel that can't be coaxed to shoot under MOA with those components.

You should also be able to get away with using the 75 grain Hornady HPBT match bullets (not to be confused with the plastic tipped A-Max bullets). I've never tried these in factory loaded form, but reloads using these bullets will shoot MOA in my Colt 6920 (16", 1-7" twist barrel, 5.56 NATO chamber), my Armalite M-15NM rifle (20", 1-7" Wilson stainless steel barrel from White Oak Armament with a .223 Wylde chamber) and my CZ 527FS (20", 1-9" twist barrel, CIP .223 Remington chamber).

I'll refrain from getting into a rant about "ideal twist rates and bullet weights" for the .223/5.56. A lot of the theories clung to by the tactical rifle crowd are predicated on using what I consider marginal quality bullets and barrels that aren't necessarily given the potential to shoot the best. The short version of my rant is that bullet consistency matters more than twist rate, so long as the bullet length isn't too long for the rifling twist rate. I've seen stubby little 52 grain match bullets produce too many small groups in 1-9" to 1-7" twist barrels to make me believe in over-stabilizing bullets. This is independent of pushing light, thin jacketed bullets fast enough to come apart, which is really a separate but related issue.

I'd suggest trying some of the Aust. Outback 69gr as well... I haven't tried this batch, but the previous batch was great... and the BOGO deal ( back then ) was awesome.

https://globalordnance.com/adi-worl...a-matchking-200-round-case-upc-9332153003296/

Not all rifles prefer the same load. For instance I have a 1:9 twist 223 that is a sub minute of angle rifle with my 60 gr. handloads. Go above 60 gr. and it become a scattergun. Experimenting with different brands and bullet weights is the only way to find a rifle's preferred load. Consider a friend's advise or what you read in a book a starting point and go from there.

MR WICK said:

I am going to order the max that they allow me to. They don't even have them in stock right now. When things settle down with my new job my buddy who reloads is going to teach me.

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Components are still hit or miss, but the main advantage with reloading is you can tailor your loads for the intended use, and your particular rifle.

I'm surprised that your rifle didn't shoot the Hornady 55 grain stuff better. I have 2 223 caliber rifles with a 1-9 twist and they shoot anything between 50 grains and 69 grains well. I haven't shot anything either lighter or heavier than those weights.

Its been my experience that up to a point a faster twist is a little more forgiving than a twist thats too slow. But then you have cases where an individual barrel will make its own rules!