.223 69-77 gr ammo suggestions factory/hand load

[3Dflyer]

Finding hoser ammo in the 69-77 grain range is proving to be a challenge. 

 

My Savage seems to be night and day better with 69 vs 55 gr ammo and I wish to try heavier. 

 

Id like to start off with some factory loads to narrow down what my barrel prefers. I have ahort term access to a loader to work up handloads from there. 

 

Are there some tried and true heavier bullets for 3 gun?

[TonytheTiger]

Why the desire for a heavy bullet hoser load?

[EaZeNuTZ33]

Use cheap/bulk brass cased 55gr for hoser, it will be close enough to your heavy bullets.

 

Find a handload or factory 68-77gr .223 that shoots well in your gun, chrono it, test it at various distances, and use that only for small and long range targets.

 

Burning the good stuff on hoser paper just wastes money.

[3Dflyer]

5 hours ago, TonytheTiger said:

Why the desire for a heavy bullet hoser load?

 

If I can reload one bullet that works well up close and long range,  and is cheaper than buying average 55 gr bulk ammo, life would be simpler all around.  When I say hoser, I don't mean hundreds of rounds per day, except at weekend events.

 

With 55 grain ammo I see a greater poa/poi shift between 50 yards and 100 yards.  55 grain can hit 4" higher at 100 yds while 69 gr hits only 1-1.5" higher.  I would call 0-50 yds hoser ammo due to faster target acqusition.

[TonytheTiger]

If you can reload heavies for cheaper than 55gr factory ammo, imagine how cheap you can reload 55's for.

 

As far as 55's going 4" high at 100yds, is this with a verified solid 50yd zero? Because if it is you are either defying physics or you have a 5+ inch sight height over bore.

[davsco]

18 minutes ago, TonytheTiger said:

As far as 55's going 4" high at 100yds, is this with a verified solid 50yd zero? Because if it is you are either defying physics or you have a 5+ inch sight height over bore.

think he's saying he zeroes with heavy and then 55 shoots way high.

 

for me, i just have a cheat sheet (dope card).  69g zeroed at 200 and i wrote down POI for both 55 and 69 from super close all the way out.  so when i use blaster ammo within 200 i know where i have to hold.  even the black hill blue box reloads are way too expensive to blast away with.

[TonytheTiger]

That makes more sense.  I also zero with my heavies and make note of the offset with 55gr blaster ammo, but it's never been more than 1" vertical offset at 50yd with negligible horizontal. For the size and range of the targets I use the 55's for it isn't worth worrying about.

[skeeljc]

I settled for loading Hornady 75 grain HPBT for my 1 - 8 twist AR-15.  Those bullets are available in bulk from Midway and catching them on sale at Midway is what you want to watch for.

[Pfiddy]

I have excellent results with SMK 69gr over 25.0 of varget

[Localizer]

On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 2:05 PM, 3Dflyer said:

Finding hoser ammo in the 69-77 grain range is proving to be a challenge. 

 

My Savage seems to be night and day better with 69 vs 55 gr ammo and I wish to try heavier. 

 

Id like to start off with some factory loads to narrow down what my barrel prefers. I have ahort term access to a loader to work up handloads from there. 

 

Are there some tried and true heavier bullets for 3 gun?

 

I shoot NRA highpower with an AR-15.  I have extensive knowledge loading for 556 for short range (200-300yds) and mid-range matches (500-600yards).

 

If you have a 1:8twist barrel or faster (1:7.7 or 1:7) my advise is to skip the 69gr bullets and go straight to 75gr Hornady or 77gr Nosler/Sierra 70gr Bergers.

 

Reloading formula

75gr hornady or 77gr Nosler/Sierra

24.5gr Varget or25.2gr 2000MR or 22.1gr AR-Comp

LC brass

Win small rifle primer or any primer of your choice

 

Muzzle velocity: 2,800ft/s from a 20" barrel.

 

If you must shoot factory loaded ammunition, look into black-hills, southwest ammunition, hornady, or federal.

 

Good luck.

 

 

[Hunt4food]

I'm going to try that recipe

[Miggz55]

I had good luck with 75gr hpbt with 25gr of CFE223. Felt the CFE223 measured and fed more consistently in my Powder Measure. No problem shooting out to 560yrds this weekend at North Texas Multigun


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[TimHawkins]

Hello,

 In my 8 twist barrel, I had the best luck with rl-15 and h-322 and varget was pretty good also. I tried some imr 4320 and it was shooting pretty good.

 I did find that my gun wasn't finnicky about powder as many different powders shoot under an inch.

 I was shooting a sako varmint rifle with heavy barrel and not an ar platform,

 Tim

[Shep]

On 3/31/2019 at 11:56 PM, Pfiddy said:

I have excellent results with SMK 69gr over 25.0 of varget

Most of my guns love the SMK 69 GR. with reloader 15 or BL 2. I'm away from the bench or would share the recipe. The Bergers do well also, but hardly ever at a price comparable to the Sierras.

[Harpo]

One thing to consider is that if you have the opportunity to handload and test different loads is that if most blaster ammo has the same POI, you could try tuning a heavy load to match.
All of my hoser and varmint loads(factory and handloads) have the same POI in the rifles I've tried both in, so when I began working up my "heavy" load, and I noticed that a shift occurred, I was able to choose a node with the same POI. Using CFE-223 and a 69gr SMK, the loads on the lighter end on the spectrum were hitting about 1.5" lower, and(oddly) 0.5" right, but about halfway through my ladder, POI shifted to match everything else I run, so I was able to pick a charge in that range and maintain a consistent zero.

[pjb45]

I think I understand the desire to go with a heavier bullet.  Sometime ago, I had two guys shooting long range at a club.  They were using x193 out to 600 & 800 yards.  Of course, they had the appropriate scopes and dope.  That is generally outside my comfort zone.  I am just a duffer but my experience is that 55 grs can easily go to 500 yards. In Raton, at the Whittington Center, shooting across canyons and in open areas the wind can play havoc with lighter bullets.

Below is my dope for a JP 18in and Swaro 10x.  Here in the southwest, if I was reloading again I probably would standardize on a 62-65 gr bullet--SMK or H.  

 

The yardage verifications were estimated by the SWARO and verification done with two targets side by side out to 450+ yards.  I was in the A zone (uspsa paper) plus some fliers in the C zone. 

 

[Tophernj]

On 4/28/2019 at 8:49 AM, Localizer said:

 

I shoot NRA highpower with an AR-15.  I have extensive knowledge loading for 556 for short range (200-300yds) and mid-range matches (500-600yards).

 

If you have a 1:8twist barrel or faster (1:7.7 or 1:7) my advise is to skip the 69gr bullets and go straight to 75gr Hornady or 77gr Nosler/Sierra 70gr Bergers.

 

Reloading formula

75gr hornady or 77gr Nosler/Sierra

24.5gr Varget or25.2gr 2000MR or 22.1gr AR-Comp

LC brass

Win small rifle primer or any primer of your choice

 

Muzzle velocity: 2,800ft/s from a 20" barrel.

 

If you must shoot factory loaded ammunition, look into black-hills, southwest ammunition, hornady, or federal.

 

Good luck.

 

 

I've personally had much better luck with Sierra bullets.  For some reason I've never been able to get Hornady bullets to shoot well easily enough to justify using them.  Otherwise, this is a solid starting point.  

OP, good luck.  

[JPeel]

Kinda late to the party, been away from the game for a while...

 

but if it's any use to you I shoot handload 69gr SMK's out of a 18" JP supermatch and get 1/2" moa groups when I shoot like the gun is capable of.  My recipe is whatever brass I have with wolf primers and 23.8 gr of 8208.  I shoot these out to 700 yards on 3 moa targets with about a 70% hit ratio