gdcpony
Member
My first AR was a Bushmaster match rifle bought just after my first deployment to Iraq. It was a departure from my usual bolt and single shot style of weapon. It proved more than sufficient to send bullets down range into sub- MOA groups. Many a coyote, ground squirrel, and ground hog attest to its usefulness in the field. Follow up shots were fast and it always hit if I did my part.
When I got married I sold it and got a Howa 1500 Varminter Supreme with a thumbhole stock. That rifle was too good for the .223. I would love to own another in .243. Out to as far as I would throw my 40gr pills, this rifle would keep them on target. At 100yd it rarely shot out of .5 inches with any load, and routinely broke .375. I just couldn’t miss with it. Unfortunately, it was heavy, long, and I couldn’t get it to handle well enough to take on a ‘yote that came in the wrong way. This was complicated by the thick country I hunted my coyotes in.
Enter my latest .223, a DPMS upper and lower with a 16” barrel and collapsible buttstock. Not the pinnacle of accuracy according to most. With the factory trigger and a standard production barrel I honestly expected to see larger groups than any of my prior .223 choices. I traded for it because of the thicker brush I was going to be hunting in, and the nature of a predator to show up where you least expect. I was to be pleasantly surprised.
For an optic I chose another underdog that had served me well on my 20ga shotgun during a fast shooting deer season. The Konus 1.5-5x32 has the best reticle I have ever used for a combination speed sight and medium range precision scope. For standard use I leave it set at 1.5 power and if the shot is fast and close, I simply center the bold diamond reticle on the kill zone and fire. If I have a few seconds on a more distant target, I can dial it up to 5 and place the super fine crosshairs on the target without blocking it out and make that kind of shot as well. I use this scope on my daughters’ rifles, my shotgun, and my .22 rifle now and it has proven rock solid. Best of all it is a $100 scope so it won’t break the bank.
With all the hype these days in the varmint hunting field about the AR-15 platform and its potential as a fast shooting and handy predator rifle, I felt that maybe another faucet if its capabilities might be overlooked. As I scan article after article of reviews on different models the one thing I notice is a repeated phrase “Extremely accurate for an autoloading rifle.” With this are groups that range from .75 to 1.5 inches at 100yds. This is not exactly exciting for those who have seen bolt guns that can routinely go to the .5” mark in my opinion.
My first day on the range with this rifle I, was just breaking it in. Using a 100 round box of Federal 55gr FMJ rounds, I cleaned after each of the first ten, then after every five for the next fifty shots. With the rifle now zeroed in I started shooting for groups. First, I did a cold barrel base line grouping. Then a warm barrel (30 seconds between shots) grouping was done. These were 5 rounds at 100yds.
I mentioned my expectations were not as high as normal before, and maybe I got a fluke set of parts. When I got to measuring them, only one group was over an inch. I had pulled that one. The rest hovered at about the .75 mark. I instantly knew I had a shooter! I returned home that night with a mental list of loads to think over.
With the short 16” barrel I knew that the Varget I had on hand would likely not be the most efficient powder to use. I would be burning allot of it after the bullet was already gone. Looking at burn rate charts, I elected to try the slightly quicker burning H-335 as I had had good results with it in the past. I wanted both precision and as much speed as the 16” barrel could give me.
For bullets I elected to try out some 40gr Sierra Blitzkings out of the 1/9 twist, and see how they held up. I was hedging that they would not be move fast enough for the fast twist to have any derogatory effects. I also loaded a full set of 55gr Hornady SP’s.
As I had more 55gr bullets than the others I used them to find out how far off the lands shot the best from this weapon. One thing I have found in my own weapons is that this measurement seems to remain constant regardless of what bullet and powder charge I use in a particular barrel. I used to go through the full process for each bullet change, until I realized that each one for a particular gun was measuring the same (to the thousandth) to the OD of the bullet. This realization meant that once I found it for one, I could use that for the other bullets too and save allot of testing. Of course, I tend to play with it anyways just to make sure I don’t get the one rifle that proves me wrong. Regardless it is still a good starting point.
So the 55gr bullets got their test early. The best charge was 25.2gr of H-335 that flew to .63 inches best and average of .7inches. Once the OTL(Off The Lands) was established (my own ogive measuring device is home made so I won’t waste your time with the measurement) they flew to .64 inches average.
This did present a problem as the final measurement put the polymer tipped Blitzkings too long to slide easily in the AR magazines. This meant simply shooting them singly for test purposes; just to see if the rifle would take to such light bullets. The results were a big positive with a best of .28in with 28.0 grains of H335 behind them. Even the worst of the H335 loads shot to less than 3/4in. I was, of course, testing Varget at the same time. Its best a 27.0gr charge that flew to a still impressive best of .63in. It was a big win for the 40gr pills, but time would prove another flaw.
It only took me a few days more to get this out to the field to test it on a few of the local groundhogs. I figured to single load the Blitzkings to use them up. The 55gr slug had gone into my daughters’ loads for their rifles. My first shot was a standing hog at 112yds. It went to heaven before it knew it had been hit. Next one proved different. The next ranged at 306yds. I saw it take the hit through the scope and then it managed to get 10yds into the trees. I found the blood leading to its hole 20yds into the woods. I thought I might have scored a poor hit and went on to my next field determined to not make the same mistake. Sure enough I was presented with a 286yd shot on a standing hog and it flipped back as if it took a chest hit then made it to its hole as well. Judging from the blood (a bowhunter tracking skill) they both seemed to be lung hit, but they were not expiring quick enough.
I started to think about it and decided that maybe the bullets were not expanding as well as they should. I had used Blitzkings in the past with excellent results, but not out of such a short barrel. I truly wanted to get a hold of one of the hogs and see what had gone wrong. If I had had a shovel, I would have probably dug one up.
Finally, I tried one that had roamed too far from its hole. I took a chance and it paid off. As did another in a similar situation. Ranges were about the same as those that had escaped. I took them apart to see how the bullets did and found they weren’t passing through. Also while there was fragmentation, it was not as much as I was used to seeing from this bullet. Groundhogs and coyotes are tough critters, so you tend to need a good bit of damage internally to stop them in their tracks. In any case, there was no way I could use this load on a ‘yote.
So when I return home from deployment I will be trying out the 50gr Dogtown bullets from Midway. I figure it will stop the mag length problem and if they prove accurate enough and break the 3000fps barrier, the terminal one as well. Two birds killed with one stone. I will post another thread then.
When I got married I sold it and got a Howa 1500 Varminter Supreme with a thumbhole stock. That rifle was too good for the .223. I would love to own another in .243. Out to as far as I would throw my 40gr pills, this rifle would keep them on target. At 100yd it rarely shot out of .5 inches with any load, and routinely broke .375. I just couldn’t miss with it. Unfortunately, it was heavy, long, and I couldn’t get it to handle well enough to take on a ‘yote that came in the wrong way. This was complicated by the thick country I hunted my coyotes in.
Enter my latest .223, a DPMS upper and lower with a 16” barrel and collapsible buttstock. Not the pinnacle of accuracy according to most. With the factory trigger and a standard production barrel I honestly expected to see larger groups than any of my prior .223 choices. I traded for it because of the thicker brush I was going to be hunting in, and the nature of a predator to show up where you least expect. I was to be pleasantly surprised.
For an optic I chose another underdog that had served me well on my 20ga shotgun during a fast shooting deer season. The Konus 1.5-5x32 has the best reticle I have ever used for a combination speed sight and medium range precision scope. For standard use I leave it set at 1.5 power and if the shot is fast and close, I simply center the bold diamond reticle on the kill zone and fire. If I have a few seconds on a more distant target, I can dial it up to 5 and place the super fine crosshairs on the target without blocking it out and make that kind of shot as well. I use this scope on my daughters’ rifles, my shotgun, and my .22 rifle now and it has proven rock solid. Best of all it is a $100 scope so it won’t break the bank.
With all the hype these days in the varmint hunting field about the AR-15 platform and its potential as a fast shooting and handy predator rifle, I felt that maybe another faucet if its capabilities might be overlooked. As I scan article after article of reviews on different models the one thing I notice is a repeated phrase “Extremely accurate for an autoloading rifle.” With this are groups that range from .75 to 1.5 inches at 100yds. This is not exactly exciting for those who have seen bolt guns that can routinely go to the .5” mark in my opinion.
My first day on the range with this rifle I, was just breaking it in. Using a 100 round box of Federal 55gr FMJ rounds, I cleaned after each of the first ten, then after every five for the next fifty shots. With the rifle now zeroed in I started shooting for groups. First, I did a cold barrel base line grouping. Then a warm barrel (30 seconds between shots) grouping was done. These were 5 rounds at 100yds.
I mentioned my expectations were not as high as normal before, and maybe I got a fluke set of parts. When I got to measuring them, only one group was over an inch. I had pulled that one. The rest hovered at about the .75 mark. I instantly knew I had a shooter! I returned home that night with a mental list of loads to think over.
With the short 16” barrel I knew that the Varget I had on hand would likely not be the most efficient powder to use. I would be burning allot of it after the bullet was already gone. Looking at burn rate charts, I elected to try the slightly quicker burning H-335 as I had had good results with it in the past. I wanted both precision and as much speed as the 16” barrel could give me.
For bullets I elected to try out some 40gr Sierra Blitzkings out of the 1/9 twist, and see how they held up. I was hedging that they would not be move fast enough for the fast twist to have any derogatory effects. I also loaded a full set of 55gr Hornady SP’s.
As I had more 55gr bullets than the others I used them to find out how far off the lands shot the best from this weapon. One thing I have found in my own weapons is that this measurement seems to remain constant regardless of what bullet and powder charge I use in a particular barrel. I used to go through the full process for each bullet change, until I realized that each one for a particular gun was measuring the same (to the thousandth) to the OD of the bullet. This realization meant that once I found it for one, I could use that for the other bullets too and save allot of testing. Of course, I tend to play with it anyways just to make sure I don’t get the one rifle that proves me wrong. Regardless it is still a good starting point.
So the 55gr bullets got their test early. The best charge was 25.2gr of H-335 that flew to .63 inches best and average of .7inches. Once the OTL(Off The Lands) was established (my own ogive measuring device is home made so I won’t waste your time with the measurement) they flew to .64 inches average.
This did present a problem as the final measurement put the polymer tipped Blitzkings too long to slide easily in the AR magazines. This meant simply shooting them singly for test purposes; just to see if the rifle would take to such light bullets. The results were a big positive with a best of .28in with 28.0 grains of H335 behind them. Even the worst of the H335 loads shot to less than 3/4in. I was, of course, testing Varget at the same time. Its best a 27.0gr charge that flew to a still impressive best of .63in. It was a big win for the 40gr pills, but time would prove another flaw.
It only took me a few days more to get this out to the field to test it on a few of the local groundhogs. I figured to single load the Blitzkings to use them up. The 55gr slug had gone into my daughters’ loads for their rifles. My first shot was a standing hog at 112yds. It went to heaven before it knew it had been hit. Next one proved different. The next ranged at 306yds. I saw it take the hit through the scope and then it managed to get 10yds into the trees. I found the blood leading to its hole 20yds into the woods. I thought I might have scored a poor hit and went on to my next field determined to not make the same mistake. Sure enough I was presented with a 286yd shot on a standing hog and it flipped back as if it took a chest hit then made it to its hole as well. Judging from the blood (a bowhunter tracking skill) they both seemed to be lung hit, but they were not expiring quick enough.
I started to think about it and decided that maybe the bullets were not expanding as well as they should. I had used Blitzkings in the past with excellent results, but not out of such a short barrel. I truly wanted to get a hold of one of the hogs and see what had gone wrong. If I had had a shovel, I would have probably dug one up.
Finally, I tried one that had roamed too far from its hole. I took a chance and it paid off. As did another in a similar situation. Ranges were about the same as those that had escaped. I took them apart to see how the bullets did and found they weren’t passing through. Also while there was fragmentation, it was not as much as I was used to seeing from this bullet. Groundhogs and coyotes are tough critters, so you tend to need a good bit of damage internally to stop them in their tracks. In any case, there was no way I could use this load on a ‘yote.
So when I return home from deployment I will be trying out the 50gr Dogtown bullets from Midway. I figure it will stop the mag length problem and if they prove accurate enough and break the 3000fps barrier, the terminal one as well. Two birds killed with one stone. I will post another thread then.
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