New reloader - .223 REM, 50gr Z-Max, Varget, what COAL in AR-15?

[MrSpiffy]

I'm still fairly new to reloading, so forgive me if these are very basic questions.

I'm loading up some .223 Remington for my AR-15. For heavier bullets, I've used 2.260" as my COAL, which makes sense as the bullets are longer. But, these 50gr Z-Max bullets aren't nearly as long, so it leaves me wondering how to seat these bullets.

Hodgdon lists them with a COAL of 2.210" when using Varget. That puts these bullets 0.050" farther from the rifling lands.

• How will having such a short round impact performance?
• Will seating at 2.260" as usual cause issues or overpressure?
• Perhaps I should consider a different powder altogether? Or is Varget just fine?
• I also have VV N140, but VV doesn't list any loads for this powder. Will it still work? Or is it too slow for this light of a bullet?

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

Pressure can rise when you seat very close to or into the lands. That's not going to happen with the short bullet you are using. You will have to seat deep enough to get neck tension to hold the bullet.
Even with longer bullets your COL is restricted by the magazine in an AR.
If you don't see load data for a specific powder don't use it. Hodgden and VV both have good load data available online but a good loading manual is an important tool to have on your bench.

 

[MrSpiffy]

Thanks, @drunkenpoacher. I do have the Lyman 49th reloading manual, but it doesn't have data for this combination. I did find data on the Hodgdon site for Varget. VV has data, but not for VV 140 (probably too slow-burning).

I guess I'm curious if having too large of a jump to the lands will be detrimental to accuracy.

 

[MrSpiffy]

Doing some more research, it seems COAL can vary quite a bit based upon bullet weight. I'll probably try out the recommended 2.210" COAL to start, find a solid load, then adjust a bit to either side to see what happens.

 

[horsey300]

Thanks, @drunkenpoacher. I do have the Lyman 49th reloading manual, but it doesn't have data for this combination. I did find data on the Hodgdon site for Varget. VV has data, but not for VV 140 (probably too slow-burning).

I guess I'm curious if having too large of a jump to the lands will be detrimental to accuracy.

Chasing the lands is overrated friend.

 

[MrSpiffy]

True, but it can make a difference.

 

[Blue68f100]

I always start at what the mfg recommends for OAL. I also check to see at what length it will contact the lands before loading any live rounds to test. My AR has a min spec match chamber and some bullets are into the lands at book values. Once I do a load workup I do change the OAL to see if the groups improve. In some cases they do. But you never know till you try.

 

[MrSpiffy]

If it helps, I've loaded heavier bullets, 77gr SMK's, and they didn't touch the lands at 2.260". I'll give the recommended length a shot and see how it goes.

 

[horsey300]

True, but it can make a difference.

I would agree if they didn't keep running away.

 

[CJ8281]

Bullet shape can play a part in COL. If you have 2 bullets of the same weight but of different manufacture the Ogive might be different. When seated to the same length, one might be fine and the other might be in the lands. A friend of mine long ago (more than once) told me "If you are going to shoot hornadys, you should have hornady's book, if you are going to shoot Speers, you should have Speer's book." The different manufacturers test their own bullets with the different powders. You can use a manual for generalized reloading, IE using a hornady book with speer bullets of the same weight. This can be helpful if one book lists a powder that another does not. Then again, powder manufacturers websites and booklets (hard to get these days) are nice as they generally list many different powder and cartridge combinations.

 

[Ifishsum]

I load those to 2.250 or whatever fits freely in the magazine. As long as you work up your load using your chosen seating depth there should be no problem with pressure that you wouldn't see during the work-up - they are nowhere near the lands unless you have a .223 match chamber and even then probably not. Luckily seating depth really doesn't really matter with the V-Max/Z-Max design as far as accuracy is concerned.