bullet preference for Criterion barel in .223

[jhelmuth]

Wow... 2-3fps for an SD. Very challenging.

I'm using CCI BR primers. Any suggestions? Are primers a crap shoot, or is there a "good" choice based on the round and/or powder?

[helotaxi]

2-3 for an SD would mean that for a 100rd sample 95 of them would fall within an extreme spread of 4-6fps with the last 5 still under 10. Single digit extreme spreads are where you need to be. The longer the range and the smaller the target, the more important it is to get the SD as low as possible. Shooting a very high BC bullet can minimize the effect of velocity variation and give you a little more wiggle room. There's a reason why the .223 and .308 are all that's allowed in F/TR. It's essentially a handicap division. They are totally outclassed in Open because of their limited velocity and BC available. F/TR is about getting a consistent load and getting really good at reading the wind. He who has the most consistent load and does the best job of reading the wind will win 99% of the time. Compare that to Open where the guy shooting the highest BC bullet at the highest velocity has a buffer against bad wind calls and load variation.