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Sierra Match King 77 grain or Hornady 73 grain ELD?


leam

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Or something else entirely? Loading for an 18" AR barrel, 1:8 twist. Have IMR 8208 ready to go but no local shops seem to have match level .224" bullets in stock. I'm just starting in PRS style shooting and trying to work up a load for the rifle. 

 

Appreciate the help!

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My 18" AR barrel liked 69g SMKs the best.  I really wanted the heavier 77g, but they just didn't shoot as tight. This is a Quentin Defense 18" 3gun barrel

 

In order the bullets I found to be the most accurate (all using TAC):

69g SMK (1380) consistently below .5 moa - best group was .32" at 100

69g Barnes BTHP Match

68g Everglades match 

70g Barnes HPBT Tac-X

55g Hornady SP 2266n - averaged about .75" groups at 100 - best group .52"

69g Nosler HPBT

77g SMK 

75g Hornady BTHP consistently about 1.5 moa

 

I was surprised that the lighter bullets did so much better ... but I ended up settling on the 69g SMK for long distance and the 55g SP 2266 for hoser ammo.  

 

did all these tests about 2 years ago and I haven't taken them out to check on paper but the 69g SMKs hit 3gun steel 200-535 yards and the 55g 2266 does great inside 200.

 

 

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5 hours ago, usmc1974 said:

I went to Nosler 70 gr RDF, BC .416 and a whole lot cheaper too.

What load works for you? I tried them when they were new, they shot very erratically in all the barrels I tried with several powders. There was a big thread on SH of a lot of people getting the same results. Bolt gun guys that can run them close to the lands seem to like them though.

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I have tried the 77 SMK, 77 TMK, 75 Hornady BTHP and the 73 gr ELD. The 73 gr ELD was the least accurate for me out of 3 hand lapped barrels.  I have the Nosler 77's but have not loaded to test yet.

 

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1 hour ago, 12glocks said:

I have tried the 77 SMK, 77 TMK, 75 Hornady BTHP and the 73 gr ELD. The 73 gr ELD was the least accurate for me out of 3 hand lapped barrels.  I have the Nosler 77's but have not loaded to test yet.

 

Same here, no luck with ELDs, but the 75 hornady BTHP is my most accurate. I use H335. This is in a 20 inch compass lake spec 1:8 twist.  

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On 5/7/2018 at 12:41 PM, leam said:

Or something else entirely? Loading for an 18" AR barrel, 1:8 twist. Have IMR 8208 ready to go but no local shops seem to have match level .224" bullets in stock. I'm just starting in PRS style shooting and trying to work up a load for the rifle. 

 

Appreciate the help!

 

On 5/7/2018 at 2:11 PM, 38superman said:

@38Superman, thanks for the link, great reading.  @Leam, I just started shooting 6.5 Creedmoor (RPR 1:7 twist) and REALLY like the Hornady 140 ELDs.  Hornady just came out with an awesome 88 gr one that I am going to reload for the .224 Valkyrie (PSA upper, 1:7 twist), I have not done a lot of heavier bullets for 223 yet but was going to get a .223 bolt gun to match my 6.5 CM and use as a trainer.  I am going to try the 88 gr ELDs with that gun and update but that will be awhile.  

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16 hours ago, TonytheTiger said:

What load works for you? I tried them when they were new, they shot very erratically in all the barrels I tried with several powders. There was a big thread on SH of a lot of people getting the same results. Bolt gun guys that can run them close to the lands seem to like them though.

26.5 varget 2.260 very light crimp.A strong buffer spring, 18" barrel. Right at 3000fps.   I keep'em in about 1/2 to 3/4 inch at 100. Good enough for me.

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On 5/7/2018 at 1:41 PM, leam said:

Or something else entirely? Loading for an 18" AR barrel, 1:8 twist. Have IMR 8208 ready to go but no local shops seem to have match level .224" bullets in stock. I'm just starting in PRS style shooting and trying to work up a load for the rifle. 

 

Appreciate the help!

I've found it very easy to get an accurate load with 69 Sierra Matchkings. 8208 meters very well and you should be able to get 2750+ with anywhere from 23.6 gr and up. However, I've seen lot variations with 8208, so start low and work up.

Midway, Midsouth, Grafs and Powder Valley for the match bullets.

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On 5/7/2018 at 12:41 PM, leam said:

Or something else entirely? Loading for an 18" AR barrel, 1:8 twist. Have IMR 8208 ready to go but no local shops seem to have match level .224" bullets in stock. I'm just starting in PRS style shooting and trying to work up a load for the rifle. 

 

Appreciate the help!

 

If I may add a bit of advice here, you state that that your interest is due to starting in PRS. One of the things that will dictate your load is which division you plan to shoot in. You can shoot a gas gun in the Bolt Gun series, but you will never be competitive in the PRS open division with a .223. I shot my first two matches back in 2013 with a 20" barrel .223 and did okay. However, in today's environment, you are shooting against elite shooters with hot rod custom built 6mm and 6.5mm rifles and bullets with ballistic coefficients well up into the .600s. Their loads will stay supersonic well past 1300 yards and buck the wind in ways the .223 can't begin to match. Your best bet is to shoot in the Gas Gun Series in the Tactical Light division. This is a .223 only division and the playing field will be a little more level for you. If your background is USPSA you will find the Gas gun series is set up closer to what you are accustomed to. Think of it as 2-gun. Lots of matches have pistol content and scoring is more speed related where most PRS bolt gun stages are par time scoring. All that said, you will still be engaging targets at pretty extreme ranges for the .223. By rule, in Tac light, the heaviest bullet you can use will be 77gr at no more than 3000 fps. and you will need every bit of B.C. and velocity you can get. I highly recommend you re-barrel or get an upper with a 22" barrel at minimum. My 22" JP barrel will push 73 gr Bergers to 2900 with CFE-223 in the Wylde chamber with acceptable pressure. This is the bullet I use because I have a lot of them. When they are used up, I will move to the 77s.

Edited by 38superman
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Yes, but there's a plan.  :)

 

Range report from yesterday was "Needs a lot of work!" I've never really used a scope before, never calculated shots past a hundred yards or so, never <long list of things>. PRS is how I define what I'd like to do.

 

Several years ago I was at a military rifle shoot with a loaner FAL. I hadn't ever fired one but love the looks of it. Between the time I sighted it in and my time on the line someone else used it and adjusted the sights. The match was eight rail road ties plates at 100 yards or so; a minute to knock them over,. Unlimited shots and the tricked up AR crew were using all their time and bullets and still not making it. One shot from the FAL to realize the sights were changed and the spotter gave me a measurement and direction I was off. Guesstimate adjustment worked, eight more shots and all eight plates fell. The AR folks were still plinking away. I enjoyed the rifle and the shooting, though we only did prone.

 

I have a loaner AR; 5.56 with a 16" barrel and a Millet TRS on top. I have a basic precision class next weekend and Dan says I'll leave with the skills to hit targets reliably at 600 yards. My goal for the rest of this year is to build the absolute basics; different firing positions, precision reloading, using the AR platform, etc. In December 2018 decide if I'm ready to compete and if so focus on the 600-1000 yard range band and the Tactical (Light and Heavy supposedly went away this year) class. Spend 2019 just showing up and moving lead. "Compete" does not imply "win".  :) By the end of 2019 I should have more detail on my goals and clarity if I want to (and can afford to) push past 1000 yards. 

 

At this point I barely know what questions to ask. I don't know that this is "the" sport for me but it seems closest of the ones I know. I'm not out to beat anyone but myself; to have fun honing my craft.

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Sometimes I get ahead of myself; this was one of those times. The intent was to use a friend's AR in 223 to start in PRS but the gun really isn't set up for precision. So now I have reloading components for 223 and no gun, with a recommendation to go to 6.5 Creedmore if I'm gong to buy a bolt gun.

 

Drat.

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With newbie skills and limited resources I'm going Savage Axis in 223. I cna use my 223 store of components while I build basic rifle skills and move from pistol reloading to precision rifle reloading. There are local F-Class matches I can use to push my skills a bit more.

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On 5/8/2018 at 10:29 PM, xdr said:

Same here, no luck with ELDs, but the 75 hornady BTHP is my most accurate. I use H335. This is in a 20 inch compass lake spec 1:8 twist.  

We had great luck with 75 grainers as well.  I know you're interested in loading your own leam, it's a lot of fun. 

 

Edited by GrumpyOne to remove advertising reference.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yep, reloading is fun, it lets me shoot more for the same dollar, and I can eventually tailor my load to my rifle.

 

How do I find the right bullet length/weight for a 1:9' twist? Lighter seems better, but they also have a lower BC, right?

 

Addendum: If I understand correctly, lighter bullets work better with the twist but not with the ranges I'm looking at. Locals go up to ~800 yards, so that's my goal.

Edited by leam
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One thing that I have not seen mentioned hear. If you have the distance to shoot and test, test the bullet on out there.  100 yards is one thing, but many bullets settle down at distance and do much better than originally thought to shoot.

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2 hours ago, troupe said:

One thing that I have not seen mentioned hear. If you have the distance to shoot and test, test the bullet on out there.  100 yards is one thing, but many bullets settle down at distance and do much better than originally thought to shoot.

 

That's part of the plan. However, I have to pass a test to shoot past 200 yards. Shouldn't be difficult, but I'm still a newbie. Trying to eliminate as many variables as I can.

 

 

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