OK, guys. I have questions about this new endeavor.
I built an AR using a 16" Bravo Company SS 410 1:8 twist barrel and it has a 5.56 chamber. The projectiles are going to be 77gr. Sierra Match King. The powder is going to be RL15. I got the brass from Scharch in the form of 500 once fired .223 casings in a mixed lot to include LC, FC and WCC. I got them already primed with CCI primers.
Now, to the questions. My biggest question is with regard to the brass. Scharch claims that the brass is fully prepped and that it is all uniformly trimmed to 1.75". Assuming that to be true, my question is whether I should sort all of the casings by manufacturer because of differences in case volume? I'm asking because if there is a substantial difference in case volume among the manufacturers, I can only assume that I'll have to work up maximum loads for each brand or at least segregate the different brands of cases to get the most consistent groups. Am I right or am I worrying about nothing?
My second question is with regard to the charge weight. I've searched here, other sites and read the FAQ at Sierra and the consensus seems to be that 24grs. of RL15 under a 77gr. SMK loaded to a 2.260 OAL is the "magic" load for most. I know that all loads should be worked up, but still, there has to be a floor where a load couldn't be an over pressure load inspite of the variances in components. I mean, can I just whip out a bunch of rounds with the above recipe or should I start out lower on the charge weight. If so, how much lower? 23gr? 23.5gr? Does the fact that my barrel has a 5.56 chamber affect any of this?
Lastly, I'm going with the 77gr SMK because I've seen guys shoot some really amazing groups with them using RL15. On the other hand, I've read that guys go with lighter bullets for closer ranges (100 yards), like 52gr hollow points. Why is that? Is it because of the cost of the bullets? I usually shoot at 100 yards and am now wondering if I just bought a bunch of the wrong bullets.
Your information and guidance is appreciated.
Thanks.
I built an AR using a 16" Bravo Company SS 410 1:8 twist barrel and it has a 5.56 chamber. The projectiles are going to be 77gr. Sierra Match King. The powder is going to be RL15. I got the brass from Scharch in the form of 500 once fired .223 casings in a mixed lot to include LC, FC and WCC. I got them already primed with CCI primers.
Now, to the questions. My biggest question is with regard to the brass. Scharch claims that the brass is fully prepped and that it is all uniformly trimmed to 1.75". Assuming that to be true, my question is whether I should sort all of the casings by manufacturer because of differences in case volume? I'm asking because if there is a substantial difference in case volume among the manufacturers, I can only assume that I'll have to work up maximum loads for each brand or at least segregate the different brands of cases to get the most consistent groups. Am I right or am I worrying about nothing?
My second question is with regard to the charge weight. I've searched here, other sites and read the FAQ at Sierra and the consensus seems to be that 24grs. of RL15 under a 77gr. SMK loaded to a 2.260 OAL is the "magic" load for most. I know that all loads should be worked up, but still, there has to be a floor where a load couldn't be an over pressure load inspite of the variances in components. I mean, can I just whip out a bunch of rounds with the above recipe or should I start out lower on the charge weight. If so, how much lower? 23gr? 23.5gr? Does the fact that my barrel has a 5.56 chamber affect any of this?
Lastly, I'm going with the 77gr SMK because I've seen guys shoot some really amazing groups with them using RL15. On the other hand, I've read that guys go with lighter bullets for closer ranges (100 yards), like 52gr hollow points. Why is that? Is it because of the cost of the bullets? I usually shoot at 100 yards and am now wondering if I just bought a bunch of the wrong bullets.
Your information and guidance is appreciated.
Thanks.