223 Ackley Improved

Huckleberry75

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
    I saw an "All Ackey" thread, but nothing specific to just the 223AI.

    Fire Forming load
    LC Brass - 1x fired and prepped to FF
    CCI 450
    IMR8208XBR @ 24.0gn
    Berger 80.5gn seated at 2.485" COAL
    22" 7 twist Rock Creek #4
    Defiance Deviant
    Jon Beanland built
    5x @ 100yds measured 0.2455" CTC


     
    27in.krieger,stiller tac30 action,calvin elite trigger,MDS chassis,,lapau virgin brass,cci450 primer...
    fire forming @ 24.0 varget using 75 AMAX and 80 berger VLD...both look promicing ,same loads now @ once fired cases !!!!
    only 75 rnds.down new weapon...time will tell...now going to 25g. 0f Varget...
     
    I run 2, 223ai and they both shoot 80 amax and 80 vlds over 25.0gr Varget. One is a 30" Brux and the other is a 20" Krieger. I've run them up to 25.7 when I found pressure and they both shot best at 25.0

    .100" free bore
    Laupa brass
    Rem 7 1/2
     
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    I'll have to check when I get home in August but it pretty sure they're both in a node 25fps apart. The short one runs 2875ish and the long one 2900ish. I have a 75lbs of brass and I've have thought about hammering on it to see what itll take but haven't yet.
     
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    Dogsniper,Have you shot that 16" barrel out to 500 yds or more yet.Im just wondering how the 75 gr amax does at 500 yds with a 16" barrel.Im having a 16" 223ai built and i was curious.
     
    223 ackley
    16" bartlien 1-8
    65 gr. Game king
    27.5 varget
    lc brass

    this is my favorite pelt saving load for cat, coyote , fox and badger.
     

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    LRI built 7.7 twist 5R Bartlein at 23"
    80 JLKS over 26.8 of h4895 in lapua brass at 2.53
    Which is 10 off shoots 3070 .
    Substitute 80 Berger Vld same load 3110 same accuracy consistent .2s and .3s
    53 vmax over 29.4 of H335 goes 3600ish jumping a lot, maybe 100 thou
    These are likely to be Too Hot in your rifle, In my last AI I was maxing out at least a grain less and it would just touch 3030 with a 75 amax.
    So I guess this barrel is FAST. I use lapua brass with these loads and have loaded the 50 pieces 6 times plus fire forming with no loose pockets.
     
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    Tagging in on this... my gun is a Howa mini action with a 26" 7-twist heavy Palma (sorta) K&P done by LRI.

    Anyhow, my FF load in once-fired Fiocchi brass was 22.5 gr of 8208 under a Hornady 73 gr ELD-M seated ~.010 into the lands (1.910 base-to-ogive, 2.346 OAL) lit by CCI 450 primers. I was seeing 2850-ish FPS at 59 degree ambient temps, and it seemed to be about a 1 MOA load on average with a best group of right at 1/2 MOA. Not terribly impressed, but not too upset considering that I just pulled that load more or less out of my ass.

    Anyhow, the primary goal of this gun for me is to find a load that shoots the Hornady 53 gr V-Max really well; the intent is exploding prairie dogs. First load out of the gate with the 53 gr projectiles has them ~.010 in the lands (1.873 base-to-ogive, 2.305 OAL) over CFE 223 and lit by CCI 450s. Starting charge is 28.5 gr, and I'm going up from there in .2 gr increments. At this point, I am only loading two at each charge to get average velocity and check for pressure.

    I also have some H4895 and BL-C(2) to play with, as well, and may pick up some Varget if I can't find something to work with what I've got.
     
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    Got to the range yesterday with some of my loads, and got the following results with Hornady 53 V-max:

    CFE 223:
    28.5 - 3473
    28.7 - 3476
    28.9 - 3453
    29.1 - 3490
    29.3 - 3533
    29.5 - 3578
    29.7 - 3576
    29.9 - 3652
    30.1 - 3640
    30.3 - 3679

    VV N135:
    27.0 - 3561
    27.2 - 3594
    27.4 - 3632
    27.6 - 3638 (slight ejector mark)
    27.8 - 3659 (defined ejector mark/swipe)
    28.0 - 3691 (slightly sticky extraction)

    All velocities stated above are the average of two shots at an ambient temp of 59 degrees. I also played around with some Sierra 90 gr projectiles (1.922 base-to-ogive, 2.428 OAL), and got the following results:

    Superformance:
    28.0 - 2681 (light ejector swipe)
    28.2 - 2675 (defined ejector swipe)
    28.4 - 2709 (slightly sticky extraction)

    H414:
    26.1 - 2676 (defined ejector swipe)
    26.3 - 2703 (defined ejector swipe)
    26.5 - 2730 (slightly sticky extraction)

    CFE 223:
    24.6 - 2708
    27.8 - 2723 (slight ejector mark)
    25.0 - 2738 (slight ejector swipe)

    As with the 53gr projectiles, these are two-shot averages at 59 degrees ambient temp. Obviously, with only two rounds at each charge there isn't really any data regarding grouping, but I can at least say that there was no sign of key-holing with these projectiles at these speeds out of a 7-twist barrel (at 100 yards). At this point I am prepared to at least tentatively say that the .223 AI can run with the .224 Valkyrie (at least with factory loads).
     
    Back to the range today to test some 53 V-max loads with Ramshot TAC (ambient temp was 57 degrees):

    28.0 - 3523
    28.2 - 3522
    28.4 - 3529
    28.6 - 3565
    28.8 - 3582
    29.0 - 3617

    Will likely continue to play with this and CFE 223 with this projectile.

    I also did some testing with the 90 gr Sierra and some 2000-MR (again, ambient temp was 57 degrees):

    26.4 - 2800
    26.6 - 2792
    26.8 - 2820
    27.0 - 2836
    27.2 - 2875
    27.4 - 2896 (slight ejector swipe)
     
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    Huckleberry75 that’s your FF load? If so what is your regular load. I’m trying out that 8208 too


    25.0gns of IMR8208 with the 80.5's. Crazy accurate at 2888 fps. Could probably get more speed from H4895, but meh, it aint broke. First pic is a comparison of 55gn ball 223 next to the 80.5 AI's.
    20181107_213628.jpg223ai 80.5's.jpg
     
    Anyone have a good starting load for the 80gr eld-m?
    I am loading the 80-ELDm with 24.8 of H4895, .020 from the lands. I'd start around 24.0 and work up. Using GBW brass (midsouth shooters), and a CCI450. Runs 2950 from a 24" Rock Creek 7 Twist chambered with a Manson reamer. OAL is 2.393, but I have a short throat.
     
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    I am loading the 80-ELDm with 24.8 of H4895, .020 from the lands. I'd start around 24.0 and work up. Using GBW brass (midsouth shooters), and a CCI450. Runs 2950 from a 24" Rock Creek 7 Twist chambered with a Manson reamer. OAL is 2.393, but I have a short throat.

    Any luck with Varget?
     
    Any luck with Varget?
    Yes, my old load was 25.3 Varget with a Berger 80 VLD, .010 off. Shot bugholes. But H4895 gives me about 50-75 FPS more speed, with a little less powder compression. The 80 bergers shot slightly tighter for me, but they are $15 a box higher, so I started shooting the ELD.
     
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    I have found my Proof CF barrel likes this load.
    .223 AI
    CCI 400
    Fire formed brass.
    80 grain Amax.
    27 grains n540
    3050 with good accuracy and case life.
    Barrel is 22” IIRC.
     
    Subhunter2, I found a good load for the 40 grn nosler bt. 29.0 of benchmark in my 24” ackley improved ar. Mv is 3920. That load is tough on prairie dogs. That was my first ai in a ar. It made it to 4400 rnds before I pulled the barrel. It ran flawless. I have a pile of load data with the ai.