Oal 223

[JamieC]

I was loading up some 55gr fmj ammo I just got from Everglades ammo, Win 748 powder. My mind wandered, (not a great thing to do whilst reloading, but..), I had been loading to 2.200", the thought struck me to load longer. I've been working loads up with different powders, amounts, etc., haven't really played with length. Decided to load some at 2.215", didn't want to go much longer, there is a cannelure, didn't want to go out of it. Is there that much a difference in OAL as far as accuracy? The gun is an AR, 16" barrel, 1:9 twist.

 

[trigga]

i haven't really experimented with COAL exclusively but my first loads were with AA2230 @ COAL 2.230 (slightly above the cannelure) and also some W748 at the same length. I later tried them at 2.200 with both and have not noticed any major difference in accuracy. all bullets are the same, 55gr xtreme fmj

again the furthest i've shot was at 100 yards so i can't really confirm. i just make sure the feed and sit in the mag reliably and stick to the same COAL. gun is similar to your specs.

 

[rcmodel]

IMO: You will never get good enough accuracy with FMJ bullets to tell any difference in seating length.

If you want accuracy, you will have to buy bullets with the jacket hole in the nose.

Here is the same gun, and the same exact load, using Win 55 FMJ, and Nosler 55 Ballistic Tip bullets.

With the same exact standard seating depth.

rc

 

[Walkalong]

It might help a little, who knows until you try, but basically, if you want better accuracy, buy better bullets, IE, ones with the opening of the jacket in the front, be it closed point, hollow point, soft point......

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...nt224_Diapoint_55_Grain_Soft_Point_2000_Count

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...-55-Grain-Soft-Point-With-Cannelure-250-Count

Not much more than a FMJ and a better bullet for accuracy.

 

[trigga]

interesting, great price for the 2k. i've been pretty happy and had decent accuracy with the xtreme fmjbt. might be worth a try

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

I load my 55 grain FMJ's in the cannelure, shooting a Mini-14.

My Nosler 69 grain HPBT's are loaded at 2.240....2.250" is the longest my magazines will accept.

 

[moxie]

No question better bullets yield better accuracy.

But, with your 55FMJs, seat so that the case mouth edge centers on the cannelure, on average, no crimp. This should work out to about 2.254", give or take a few thousandths.
This duplicates Lake City M193.

 

[Kaldor]

These guys are all correct, within reason. Yes, better bullets should yield better accuracy.

However, dont think that you need to shoot them to get accuracy. I load alot of Hornady 55gr FMJBTs at cannelure seating depth, and consistently shoot 3/4" groups at 100 yards with my AR15.

 

[saitek]

you need a lot heaver bullet to get the ojive of the bullet out near the lands of the barrel on the 55gr just seat out to the cannular . you would have to use a single load sled adapter in the magzene to take advantage of the longer bullet to lessen the jump .

 

[spitballer]

will never get good enough accuracy with FMJ bullets to tell any difference in seating length...

Must agree. Bullet designed for battlefield function without fouling and best bet is probably to stick with a configuration that most closely matches the mil-spec. All the hard work and experimenting have already been done.

 

[JamieC]

I realize that FMJ aren't going to give me the best accuracy, (mostly what I've read here and backed up by range testing). My best results have been with 55gr VMax, 75gr Everglades ammo HPBT. 60gr Hornady SP have been so so, (still working them, want to load a bunch for SD), just starting to check out the Everglades ammo 55gr, type 2, working up loads using Win 748 for the first time. This is fun!

 

[rzrrdr]

Recently jumped on the AR band wagon. Had all my supplies waiting for the strike. Started out loading some R-15 and Varget, because I had it on hand. I got decent results at 50 yds. Picked up some Ar-comp at the new field and stream store, and had a hard time finding load data on it, being it's so new. Found a few people who had some data posted on some forums. Went with 22.7 gr under 55gr Sierra game king spitzer boat tail seated to 2.255" OAL, to get a starting point. Got really good results at 50 yds. Picked up some CFE-223 to try it out, and once again, no data out there because of how new it is. So, a workup with it provided me with a superb load for my particular setup! I found that 27.0 grains of CFE-223 under 55 grain Sierra game king spitzer boat tail, with cci no.400 (small rifle primers), Winchester once fired brass(full length resized, weighed, no trim) seated at 2.255" OAL or between 1.908 to 1.910 with comparator. All fit and fired from magazine. Picture is 4 shots, one pulled, at 100 yds. I think I can live with that!