.223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

[JB02]

<span style="font-size: 11pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Hi there .223 shooters, I'm in the market for a .223 and am giving serious consideration to the Remington SPS tactical with a 1/9 twist barrel.

I like what I have read about the 75gr AMAX, and I like their price as well. However, from reading 6mmbr, it seems that the 75gr AMAX is is right on the borderline of where a 1/9 twist can effectively stabilize it. Have any of you have had luck with this bullet from the SPS's factory barrel or one with a 1/9 twist? If not, what did you end up using? Did Varget work well as a propellant? For those that had luck with the 75gr AMAXs and Varget, about what velocities did you obtain?

Thanks!
</span></span>

* For the money, this rifle nearly meets all the requirements I have in mind, and it will be a "budget" training rifle I intend using for hitting paper and steel out to 400yds. I realize that if I want to take advantage of the very heavy .223 bullets that a faster twist barrel (e.g., 1/7) would be more desirable. However, I only have so much money, I consider this platform purely as a low-cost training rifle, and I'm perfectly content with dropping the SPS in my Manners T3 mini-chassis and leaving well enough alone. I would rather get the SPS and use lighter weight bullets if necessary than drop a pile of dough building an awesome .223 that can handle 90gr bullets.

 

[Niles Coyote]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

If you have high altitude, give it a try. However it would not work in my tactical and I am at 900'.

Here is a link to my tactical thread with trial and error loads...
http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthre...886#Post3031886

 

[Frank]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

I would plan on using 68/69 grain bullets in a 1/9. I have a 26in Compass Lake douglas barrel in 1/10 that shoots 68/69 bullets into little knots. 68/69's should get you to 400 without any problem. And yes 75s would be better "if" they would stabilize.

 

[samnev]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

I have a Remy PSS in 223 with a 1:9 twist and I would not go any heavier than the 69 grain SMK's.

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

Hornady redesigned the 2279 mag length bullet in 2003 to work with 9 twist barrels.

The AMAX will be a crap shoot, but give it a try anyway.

 

[jbailey]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

I have a 1:8 twist .223 and it shots 75gr AMAX like sh*t. 77gr SMK no problem. I'm at basically sea level and pushing them at 2600fps, so a faster, higher altitude shooter might have better luck.

 

[7mmRM]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

1-9s are hit and miss for the 75s. I've not owned a factory tubed 1-9 twist 700 or Savage that would shoot them. I and some local shooters have custom tubes of various makers in 1-9 that run the 75s wonderfully.

 

[Grumpy61]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

my XCR 1:9 won't stabilize the 75 Hornady, ymmv

 

[northern50]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

My savage shot them great. Shot even better punched to .223 ackley. Thing was a tack driver at 600 yds.

 

[bodywerks]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

Take a look at the Berger 70 vld. They take a little work to come up with an accurate recipe but once you find it they fly.

 

[dwt]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

I've been using them out to 1000 in our monthly match's all year,in a Savage model 10,9 twist, 20'' fac bbl, 75gr A-Max and a healthy dose of VV-N540,Rem 7.5 primer and Win brass . This is a extremly fast bbl , I wish I had not cut 6'' off it before I ever shot it ! I use 8moa at 500yds,15moa at 700yds,24moa at 900yds and 29 at 1000yds , you can due the math ,its quick for a 20''. The Rayner's faithful can agree it shoots real well ?

 

[Kasumi]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

I bought a LTR this year, tried FGMM 69gr Hornady 75gr and FGMM 77gr.

All performed very well, groups at 100yd .5, the 69gr gave best results, but the 77gr was damn close.

 

[ORD]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 7mmRM</div><div class="ubbcode-body">1-9s are hit and miss for the 75s. I've not owned a factory tubed 1-9 twist 700 or Savage that would shoot them. I and some local shooters have custom tubes of various makers in 1-9 that run the 75s wonderfully. </div></div>

+1 on this information. In my experience, most 1:9 twist barrels WILL NOT adequately stabilize heavier than 69gr pills, but I have run across some that will (sticking to my old adage that not all barrels are created equally in the eye of the bullet). I personally wouldn't want any slower twist than a 1:8 for the heavier bullets.

 

[Cegorach]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

They 75 AMAX did not work in my 9 twist SPS, even when I had the chamber set back and reamed to AI.

 

[Erthal]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

My custom rifle with Krieger 1/9 tw barrel stabilize even the 77 grains (.940") FB bullets fine.

 

[BoilerUP]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

My 1:9 26" Savage 223 shot the 75gr Amax over 24.5gr Varget about 0.7MOA to at least 200yd, verified over multiple 5-shot groups.

It shot the 75gr HPBT slower, but closer to 0.3MOA over multiple 5-shot groups.

 

[DT1]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

I bought a couple of boxes of 75gr A-Max bullets awhile back and couldn't get them to shoot in anything including a number of AR's with 1:8 twist barrels and faster and a bolt rifle with 1:7 twist barrel. Tried different powders, no joy. Gave up and went back to 69 and 77 grain SMK's which shoot lights out in all my rifles.

Hope you have better luck.

 

[seanh]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

just buy a box can do some testing.

 

[JB02]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: seanh</div><div class="ubbcode-body">just buy a box can do some testing.</div></div>

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: _9H_Cracka</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hornady redesigned the 2279 mag length bullet in 2003 to work with 9 twist barrels.

The AMAX will be a crap shoot, but give it a try anyway.</div></div>

Working up a new load is tedious and I much prefer just shooting something that works and leaving it alone. I'm reluctant to try the AMAXs, but the 2279s (i.e., BTHPs) might be worth a try if you say they "should" work in a 1/9 barrel. I guess I could get a box of 75 BTHPs and a box of 68 BTHPs and see which does better.

For those of you that had no joy with the 75gr AMAXs in a 1/9 barrel, how did the 68gr BTHPs fare?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Niles Coyote</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If you have high altitude, give it a try. However it would not work in my tactical and I am at 900'.

Here is a link to my tactical thread with trial and error loads...
http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthre...886#Post3031886
</div></div>

This is great Niles! Thanks!

 

[Cegorach]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

The 68 bthp did pretty well, however I have had the best luck with the 69 smk. The 70 vld, 75 bthp, and 77 smk also worked just fine.

 

[BigMofoFrog]

Re: .223 1/9 twist and 75gr AMAX, good combo?

Have had good results with the Hornady 75gr BTHP at 2848fps (2200 ft ASL) in my 5R .223. The 75gr AMax are longer, and haven't heard of too many having luck with 1/9 barrels, in particular Remington's.