I am new to reloading and of course my number one concern is safety. I am also new to the forum so I hope you will forgive my long post.
I picked up a box of 50 grain varmint grenades in .223 and loaded 10 of them with 26.5 grains of varget, CCI400 primers and Federal brass. I seated to 2.25. My rifle is a Savage XP10. At the range they performed reasonably well with a 1.1 inch spread at 100 yards. Hoping to improve on this I planned to up the powder to 26.7. Prior to loading another 10 I measured to the lands using a dummy round with a split neck and the primer pocket drilled out so I could hold the case in the chamber and push the bullet forward through the primer hole until it touched the lands. After 20 measurements I discovered that the bullet contacted the lands at 2.26. This is the standard max OAL indicated in my reloading manual. In comparison, using a Hornady 60 grain HP as the bullet I had a measurement of 2.35. In visually comparing the two bullets, besides the obvious difference in length (0.810 for the Hornady and 0.860 for the Barnes), the major diameter on the Barnes started much closer to the tip of the bullet. This I presume accounts for the shorter OAL. My concern is that the varget load at 26.5 grains almost fills the case. To seat the bullet at 2.25 a lot of it is pushed into the case extending below the case neck and obviously compressing the powder. While I saw no pressures signs in the lighter (starter) load I am wary about increasing it with this much bullet in the case. Even the starter load is now looking scary. Am I being overcautious? Would another powder that uses a lower volume charge for the same weight bullet be indicated or should I just abandon this bullet?
I picked up a box of 50 grain varmint grenades in .223 and loaded 10 of them with 26.5 grains of varget, CCI400 primers and Federal brass. I seated to 2.25. My rifle is a Savage XP10. At the range they performed reasonably well with a 1.1 inch spread at 100 yards. Hoping to improve on this I planned to up the powder to 26.7. Prior to loading another 10 I measured to the lands using a dummy round with a split neck and the primer pocket drilled out so I could hold the case in the chamber and push the bullet forward through the primer hole until it touched the lands. After 20 measurements I discovered that the bullet contacted the lands at 2.26. This is the standard max OAL indicated in my reloading manual. In comparison, using a Hornady 60 grain HP as the bullet I had a measurement of 2.35. In visually comparing the two bullets, besides the obvious difference in length (0.810 for the Hornady and 0.860 for the Barnes), the major diameter on the Barnes started much closer to the tip of the bullet. This I presume accounts for the shorter OAL. My concern is that the varget load at 26.5 grains almost fills the case. To seat the bullet at 2.25 a lot of it is pushed into the case extending below the case neck and obviously compressing the powder. While I saw no pressures signs in the lighter (starter) load I am wary about increasing it with this much bullet in the case. Even the starter load is now looking scary. Am I being overcautious? Would another powder that uses a lower volume charge for the same weight bullet be indicated or should I just abandon this bullet?
