.223 ammo
- Thread starter CRUSHER
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Zak Smith
Member
It will depend in part upon the gun you're shooting it from. If you have a 1-in-12" twist barrel, the 40-55gr bullets will probably work best. If you have a 1-in-7" twist, then 62-77gr is likely to work better.
Quack
Member
in my 1:12" RRA varmint, it prefers 45gr JHP Win Varmint, 52gr Match HP Black Hills and 55gr FMJ Lake City surplus. all 3 of these rounds i have shot .25" groups with.
Edit:
these were 3 shot groups @100yrds. scope was a 6-24X42 Sightron SII
Edit:
these were 3 shot groups @100yrds. scope was a 6-24X42 Sightron SII
Last edited:
I've got a 1:9 twist barrel on my accurized AR15, with very basic handloads it simply loves 40grain Hornady Vmaxes and Sierra BlitzKings being able to deliver 10 shot group averages hovering right around 3/4 inch at 100 yards.
They aren't the best at long range though as the little bullets begin to blow around a lot in the wind. I haven't tried to see if my 1:9 will shoot bullets heavier than 70 grains accurately.
They aren't the best at long range though as the little bullets begin to blow around a lot in the wind. I haven't tried to see if my 1:9 will shoot bullets heavier than 70 grains accurately.
Zak Smith
Member
FWIW, the best groups I've gotten out of my 16-inch 1-in-9" twist was 0.4MOA (5-shots, 110 yards) using Hornady 60gr "TAP" (a V-MAX bullet). From memory, the IMI 62gr SS109/M855 performed similarly.
Close behind was a 0.6 MOA 3-shot group using Black Hills 68gr at 220 yards.
-z
Close behind was a 0.6 MOA 3-shot group using Black Hills 68gr at 220 yards.
-z
LeonCarr
Member
Black Hills 52 grain BTHP has shot well in just about every AR-15 I have shot, regardless of barrel twist, with groups running about 3/4 of an inch at 100 yds with open sights, and around 1/2 inch with a scope.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
Steve Smith
Moderator Emeritus
Perhaps some of the most accurate is the Sierra Mtch King 52 and 53 grainers. The Hornady V-Maxes are also incredibly accurate.
Others here are clearly more knowledgable than I, and much better shooters as well. But I was experimenting with a half dozen different factory rounds at 50 and 100 yards this past weekend with my 20" Bushy, so I'll chime in anyway.
I shot Win white box 55-grain .223s, Win white box .223 varmint loads (can't remember, I think they were 47-grain??), Federal American Eagle .223s, Federal packaged Lake City 5.56 XM193s, Win packaged 5.56 Q3131As, and something else, too, but I can't remember what it was.
Now, in fairness to me, this was with factory iron sights, mediocre 47-year old eyes, a flimsy plastic lawn chair as a rest, shooting one shot every second, and it was the first time I had shot the gun outdoors.
At 100 yards, my results were not helpful; just embarassing. (I did later get a 5-shot quarter-or-nickle-sized group with my scoped A-Bolt, so I'm not completely incompetent.)
At 50 yards, however, my patterns turned into groups. All of the .223s shot into 6"-diameter circles at 50-yards. The two 5.56 loads, however, shot into 4"-diameter circles. I did one 20-round slow fire test with the Lake City rounds (about one shot every 10 seconds), and got a 3"-diameter circle. Hey, I know that sucks, but that's what happened, and I wasn't unhappy with it given all the circumstances.
So, my conclusion is that if the gun is designed for 5.56 rounds, it will probably shoot factory 5.56s better than .223s. That's not exactly a news flash.
The place we bird hunt, in the western part of the state, is really the only place I can test this stuff out (um, no, not on the birds), and last weekend was my first chance. Over the next 5 or 6 weeks, I will definitely be refining these "tests" and getting more familiar with the gun. I'm really looking forward to it, but, man, one really does go through the ammo out there...
I shot Win white box 55-grain .223s, Win white box .223 varmint loads (can't remember, I think they were 47-grain??), Federal American Eagle .223s, Federal packaged Lake City 5.56 XM193s, Win packaged 5.56 Q3131As, and something else, too, but I can't remember what it was.
Now, in fairness to me, this was with factory iron sights, mediocre 47-year old eyes, a flimsy plastic lawn chair as a rest, shooting one shot every second, and it was the first time I had shot the gun outdoors.
At 100 yards, my results were not helpful; just embarassing. (I did later get a 5-shot quarter-or-nickle-sized group with my scoped A-Bolt, so I'm not completely incompetent.)
At 50 yards, however, my patterns turned into groups. All of the .223s shot into 6"-diameter circles at 50-yards. The two 5.56 loads, however, shot into 4"-diameter circles. I did one 20-round slow fire test with the Lake City rounds (about one shot every 10 seconds), and got a 3"-diameter circle. Hey, I know that sucks, but that's what happened, and I wasn't unhappy with it given all the circumstances.
So, my conclusion is that if the gun is designed for 5.56 rounds, it will probably shoot factory 5.56s better than .223s. That's not exactly a news flash.
The place we bird hunt, in the western part of the state, is really the only place I can test this stuff out (um, no, not on the birds), and last weekend was my first chance. Over the next 5 or 6 weeks, I will definitely be refining these "tests" and getting more familiar with the gun. I'm really looking forward to it, but, man, one really does go through the ammo out there...
280PLUS
Member
crusher,,
look over at "competition shooting" forum,,, under my post "rifle ammo" you'll find a link to major carl leisinger III (posted by steve smith). carl has designed a very good .223 round that hornaday/3D is producing exclusively for him and i am EXTREMELY happy with, i'm east of the missippi and my total expenditure including shipping was about $0.27 per round. if you dont want to buy 1000, let me know and i'll ship you a few boxes for what i paid plus shipping to to you. very accurate, very consistent. i havent found any better, especially for the price!! p/m me if you'd like.
m
look over at "competition shooting" forum,,, under my post "rifle ammo" you'll find a link to major carl leisinger III (posted by steve smith). carl has designed a very good .223 round that hornaday/3D is producing exclusively for him and i am EXTREMELY happy with, i'm east of the missippi and my total expenditure including shipping was about $0.27 per round. if you dont want to buy 1000, let me know and i'll ship you a few boxes for what i paid plus shipping to to you. very accurate, very consistent. i havent found any better, especially for the price!! p/m me if you'd like.
m
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