Reloading precision .223 for the first time. Help if you can...

[KCode]

Not sure if this is the right section but I want to start reloading .223 for precision shooting. Nothing crazy but I want to get as good of groups as I can.

I'm not new to reloading .223 but I have always just done it for plinking ammo because I have a lot of old Wolf 55gr bullets (wish I had bought double the amount).

Anyways how should I start? I have nothing but range brass so I would think I should start with new brass? Is there a specific brand that is better than others that can commonly be found? I have a good bit of Sierra 77gr MK I will be using. Other than that it's a blank slate...

 

[Clint H]

You might be interested to scroll through Johnny's Reloading Bench on YouTube. He has a series on cloning mk262 and accurizing a 223 load.



I've been having good luck with PMC range brass, 77gr SMK, VV N140.

I bump the shoulder back .004" from fired and seat the bullet .02" off of jam. It's been getting me ~3/4 MOA out of a 18" AR on average if I can do my part.

 

[diggler1833]

You'd be surprised how consistent Lake City 5.56 brass is - for the money. I used to load it in a .223 bolt rifle that averaged a half-minute.

 

[Clint H]

Agree, I've heard of good results from Lake City, too. The big thing is consistency. You want brass with little variation in volume, thickness, and neck tension between each piece. If you can find that in whatever range brass you're using, there's no need to break the bank on something like Lapua.

If you do end up wanting to buy new, Starline is popular. I've heard it compared on par with Alpha or Peterson for about 1/3 the cost.

The only brass I personally haven't had much luck with so far is Hornady. It seems soft, stretches quick, and has wide variations in weight and thickness. Groups seem to widen out and it wears out pretty fast.

 

[mikeshaw2]

I collected a couple ammo cans worth of brass and separated out the LC brass to reload for Quantified Performance matches. Seemed to do OK, but I'm by no means a good shot or an experienced reloader

Reloaded with either 69 or 77fr Sierra Match OTMs

M

 

[TheMarkm87]

You'd be surprised how consistent Lake City 5.56 brass is - for the money. I used to load it in a .223 bolt rifle that averaged a half-minute.

Yes. That's what I use. Buying nice Lapua is fine, but it gets lost too easily. Hard to screw up a SMK. But finding the right powder/primer combo that gives it a little more consistency is good.

We love Wolf SRMs and H322 or 8208. But there's a ton of combos that will work.

 

[ma smith]

+1 Follow along with the clone project for mk 262 on JRB

 

[Kadams1563]

Lake city brass
75 eldm
Varget, XBR, staball match

 

[hlee]

Start with a brass catcher. If you are going to be doing any amount of brass prep, you’re going to want to recover those cases as easily as possible.

 

[Thumper580]

Try...
LC brass
69 SMK
Any SR Primer
22.5gr. IMR4895
1.866 ogive distance.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

75 eldm

In an AR?

 

[Kadams1563]

In an AR?

Oh have no idea. Probably not lol.

 

[JerkyFreak]

Short range, LC once fired brass, powder and primer of choice and Berger 55gr bullets. Varget is a good choice.

Mid range, substitute the Berger with the 68gr Sierra. Varget or N140 works well for me.

Long range, ELD-M 75gr or 80gr depending on barrel twist. Or Berger 75gr or 80.5gr. Try a slower ballpowder where you can fit around 25 to 26gr into the case without compressing the powder.

 

[AR shooter]

I just started a long range 223 toy in a AR with a 24 inch barrel. Shooting 75 ELDM with 23.5 grain of Tac at 2.295 going 2750 and 0 pressure signs. It goes subsonic at 1200. A brass catcher is a must have.

 

[ToKeepAndBear]

Not sure if this is the right section but I want to start reloading .223 for precision shooting. Nothing crazy but I want to get as good of groups as I can.

I'm not new to reloading .223 but I have always just done it for plinking ammo because I have a lot of old Wolf 55gr bullets (wish I had bought double the amount).

Anyways how should I start? I have nothing but range brass so I would think I should start with new brass? Is there a specific brand that is better than others that can commonly be found? I have a good bit of Sierra 77gr MK I will be using. Other than that it's a blank slate...

Starline 5.56 brass is incredible brass for the money. I like it better than LC. Their 300 BLK, 308 WIN, and 6.5CM brass has also been excellent.

Mandrel neck sizing has helped my reloading consistency.

I have some powder preferences but if you have been reloading you probably already have something in mind.

How far away are you shooting and for what purpose?

 

[supercorndogs]

What do you like about it better than LC?

 

[Bantam1]

LC or Lapua brass
77 SMK of Hornady 75 HPBT
Pick your small primer. Fed GMM has been most consistent for my rifles, but CCI 41, Rem 7.5, CCI400 have all worked well.
23.2-23.6 XBR 8208

Should group well if you barrel is good and you are a good shooter.

 

[JerkyFreak]

I find LC brass much more consistent than Lapua brass in my Tikka in every way that makes a difference.

 

[Kadams1563]

I find LC brass much more consistent than Lapua brass in my Tikka in every way that makes a difference.

Said the first person ever.

LC is good but that’s a stretch.

 

[JerkyFreak]

This is the best I can get shooting the Berger 75gr VLD out of Lapua brass

This is from LC brass also Berger 75gr VLD

 

[n2ishun]

I've had very good results with BLC-2 and H110 (yea I know, mag pistol powder but it runs fantastic in a 223).
IMR4227 is another good one to consider.
Note, these powders are usually available unlike most these days.

I'm a fan of PMC brass too.....it's good stuff.
LC or Federal marked are good....but I hate reaming primer pocket crimps if I don't have to......what, no one else mentioned that ?

I have a shit ton of older Nosler stuff that's no longer available so I don't have any further bullet suggestions beyond what has already been shown.
I can run Berger 80's in my chamber but you probably can't.

 

[Jdowns0415]

This is the best I can get shooting the Berger 75gr VLD out of Lapua brass
View attachment 8471929


This is from LC brass also Berger 75gr VLD
View attachment 8471930

sorry to bump an old thread, but did you do this in a bolt gun or a AR. Berger told me I can load it to 2.260 COAL and gave me recommendations for a few powders but I know I am not going to get anywhere close to that velocity out of a 16 inch AR barrel

 

[matt33]

I've experimented with a few different powders and bullets, IMR 8208 XBR between 23.3 -23.5 and 77 grain SMK'S set at around 2.250" work really well for me. These are well under 1 MOA in my primary AR's, and even 1.25ish in average barrels. Velocity is very good, just under mk262, around 2,690 FPS in my 16" Criterion and close to 2,600 in a 14.5 Geissele URGI

Hornady has a new line of bullets called AreoMatch which appear to be direct copies of common Sierra and Berger bullets, they are a little cheaper and Hornady says they are extremely consistent, consecutive lots, and will be readily available. No way to know if that's true or not, but I'm going to give them a shot

 

[JR1200W3]

For a 16" AR, I'd just stick with a 77SMK or a Hornady 75gr BTHP. I would like to tell you that 23.5grains of 8208 is the sweet spot, but that's like telling a dying man on a desert island in the Caribbean that the 7-Eleven in Springfield, Missouri is having a two-for-one sale on bottled water. I would try Ramshot tack shooters world tactical rifle, maybe Xterminator, N133/135/540. I would avoid plastic tipped bullets in ARs. Everyone and their mother has tried to one-up the precision AR game by stuffing the latest 70gr VLD in a AR mag. Old reliable in ARs seem to offer the most consistancy over time.

On brass it's kind of a weird subject. Lapua 223 brass is pretty much non-existent. Most of the online chop shop reloading component stores seem to be selling LC of unknown lot and number of firings. I don't know where to buy brand new LC. Starline seems like good quality but from what I hear lacks case capacity bc it's thick. You can still find some brand new primed Norma here and there but it seems to be pretty much Hornady quality. Oddly enough, the precision .223 brass situation ain't great right now.