SInce the WSSM's not very popular there's a general lack of load data especially for projectiles heavier than 70gr, so out of curiosity I put a 26" 1:8 barrel on a .223 WSSM to drive heavy .224s for my local steel matches. I already had everything but a reamer and I chamber my own barrels so it's an easy experiment. I figured I'd see what happens when you run a little more powder at a lower pressure instead of a pinch of powder at high pressure (.22BR, .22-250AI, .22 C'moor). Maybe the throat'll last longer than the cartridge has a reputation for. Since I own the reamer and a bore scope I can monitor erosion/fire cracking over time.
The local steel matches (~550yd average shot distance and >4500' elevation) limit velocities to 3200fps to prevent damage to their steel, so I was looking for the sweet-spot that will give me competitive ballistics/accuracy, low recoil and decent(?) barrel life.
I'm not really interested in the max velocity, but I've bumped into the pressure limits on a few powders since there's virtually no load data published for heavy .224s in the WSSM. Quickload seems to underestimate pressure badly and many predicted starting loads were already over pressure and/or past 3200fps. As usual YMMV, but here's what I got, which is more than there was:
88 Hornady ELD-M (.5MOA@200; .8MOA@965) Low pressure, lots of room to go faster.
37gr H4350
3072 avg
88ELD
40gr Superformance (high ES, poor case fill and 1.25 MOA accuracy)
3045 avg
88ELD
46gr Retumbo
3129 avg
-----------------------
85 Nosler RDF (.6MOA@200)
46gr Retumbo
3173 avg
85 Nosler RDF
43.25gr Reloder 26
3156 avg
-----------------------
90 Sierra Match King
42gr Superformance ((Too hot, hard bolt lift, ejector swipe) inconsistent neck tension, high ES, poor accuracy)
3102 avg
90SMK
43.25gr Reloder 26
3148 avg
Brass was processed to include turning necks (for clean-up only), PP uniforming, annealing and weight sorting. I've only used Remington 9.5 primers since I have a lot of them. I've been working on getting consistent next tension with some Redding Bushing dies. Thick necks and non-VLD seating stems are putting a little ring in the projectiles' ogives. I'm still ironing that out. Hopefully, the throat lasts long enough I can collect more data with other powders, but if I find a combo that works (88ELDs and H4350 are promising) I might stick with that until the barrel's toast.
I also have data for the 95SMK in a tight-bore Krieger 30" 1:7 twist, but it the 95SMKs routinely don't make it to the target (340,000rpm), so the data's not very useful.
The local steel matches (~550yd average shot distance and >4500' elevation) limit velocities to 3200fps to prevent damage to their steel, so I was looking for the sweet-spot that will give me competitive ballistics/accuracy, low recoil and decent(?) barrel life.
I'm not really interested in the max velocity, but I've bumped into the pressure limits on a few powders since there's virtually no load data published for heavy .224s in the WSSM. Quickload seems to underestimate pressure badly and many predicted starting loads were already over pressure and/or past 3200fps. As usual YMMV, but here's what I got, which is more than there was:
88 Hornady ELD-M (.5MOA@200; .8MOA@965) Low pressure, lots of room to go faster.
37gr H4350
3072 avg
88ELD
40gr Superformance (high ES, poor case fill and 1.25 MOA accuracy)
3045 avg
88ELD
46gr Retumbo
3129 avg
-----------------------
85 Nosler RDF (.6MOA@200)
46gr Retumbo
3173 avg
85 Nosler RDF
43.25gr Reloder 26
3156 avg
-----------------------
90 Sierra Match King
42gr Superformance ((Too hot, hard bolt lift, ejector swipe) inconsistent neck tension, high ES, poor accuracy)
3102 avg
90SMK
43.25gr Reloder 26
3148 avg
Brass was processed to include turning necks (for clean-up only), PP uniforming, annealing and weight sorting. I've only used Remington 9.5 primers since I have a lot of them. I've been working on getting consistent next tension with some Redding Bushing dies. Thick necks and non-VLD seating stems are putting a little ring in the projectiles' ogives. I'm still ironing that out. Hopefully, the throat lasts long enough I can collect more data with other powders, but if I find a combo that works (88ELDs and H4350 are promising) I might stick with that until the barrel's toast.
I also have data for the 95SMK in a tight-bore Krieger 30" 1:7 twist, but it the 95SMKs routinely don't make it to the target (340,000rpm), so the data's not very useful.