.223 ai

[cranebird]

I'm having trouble finding a lower accurate load with Win 748 powder ? 28.8 gr of 748 with a 52 gr SMK is really good but was hoping for a lower charge finding. It seems to be the only powder not working well at lower powder charges ?Maybe I need to try more BR primers ?I am lost with it, not really wanting to run 28.8 gr......

[justdave]

Why would you be going lower? 748 really shines in mine with a 50 vmax, wolf primer, and a charge of 29.7. Yields 3400 fps with only 20 inches of barrel.

[scope eye]

I concur more powder, LOL

Dean

[DanSavage]

Mabe it is your lower node, have you woked up to find pressure sign's yet?

[DanSavage]

Also being a ball powdet you may want to try the cci 450,, may help with ignition, and Louies has them.

[earl39]

The only reason to use 450's or any magnum in the 223 is to get a thicker cup. The powder column is not long enough to need a super hot primer and it could mess with your ES/SD and raise your pressure.

[cranebird]

I have a lower node but the powder is frustrating as it gives very little accuracy in between nodes so I have been putting more time with it, hence the up to 28.8 gr testing..It seemed as though it worked better in my .222 but I haven't reloaded for that in years. Reloader 10X and IMR 8208 XBR has been excellent for the 1:12 twist .223AI.Accurate 2230 shown signs of pressure when fire forming cases with 69gr SMK's that were collecting dust. I was over max listing.....

[cranebird]

I was in the gun shop yesterday, bought up the 53 gr V Max bullets.

[dcloco]

You are probably not typing everything that you are doing, but there is no fast road to reloading, especially for a wildcat.

Every barrel is like dating somebody new - figure out what they like.

To take advantage of the AI of any case, does it not make sense to be using a slightly slower burning powder and/or a full/nearly full case with a primer that IS going to ignite the powder?

[cranebird]

You are probably not typing everything that you are doing, but there is no fast road to reloading, especially for a wildcat.

Every barrel is like dating somebody new - figure out what they like.

To take advantage of the AI of any case, does it not make sense to be using a slightly slower burning powder and/or a full/nearly full case with a primer that IS going to ignite the powder?

I didn't want to type everything down but I am working up 8 different powders and a horde of different bullets so I am crawling super slow up through documenting everything from start to finish for future reference. Where this powder is heading is towards compressed loads and I'm not liking the idea since it is requiring a super short OAL to achieve any kind of accuracy at all with this powder but that remains a mystery in itself, I don't feel comfortable adding a hotter primer in the mix. I was already in a situation with BLC (2) in the previous standard barrel. The charge worked fine at 20 degree air temps when it was tested and developed and even proved good down to 9 below zero temps while coyote hunting. In the spring when it warmed up to 65+ degrees, it developed a stiff bolt opening upon firing the left over rounds so I pulled them apart and went a different route seeing I couldn't pinpoint the cause of the issue when working other components in place of the existing configuration other than blaming it on the powder being sensitive to temperature change. The 748 seems to be very similar to the BLC(2)powder that I ran into trouble with so I'm already on high alert with using it so far up into the powder charge. I'm beyond where the kissing cousin powder gave me issues and it has not yet been proven that this powder won't give me the same issues later on down the road. Maybe I am being too sensitive ?

I'm at odds whether it would be better to use a ton of slower burning powder or two thirds of the amount of another warmer running powder to achieve the same degree of accuracy.My opinion is that a barrel has x number of round life expectancy. Unless you are constantly running the loads hot to achieve the accuracy, the barrel should perform well until you reach the X number of rounds through it where the accuracy falls off. If you have to work a powder twice as hard to achieve the same degree of accuracy. What have you gained from losing barrel life at a faster rate by testing twice as much ?

[dcloco]

Have you thought about using one of the Hodgdon Extreme line of powders? My best loads for 223 and 223 AI involve H4895 - and the temperatures here run from - to 100.

Of the powders mentioned previously in this thread, all are temperature sensitive.

[cranebird]

I have H322 and Varget.

[dcloco]

It must be me....and I even did a "blind" test (did not know which rounds had Varget - friend laid out the round of shooting by handing me rounds without my knowledge of what powder was in the case). I have not been able to get Varget to group well. So, I believe it must just be me.....because 98% of every other reloader seems to be able to. PM sent.

[cranebird]

Why would you be going lower? 748 really shines in mine with a 50 vmax, wolf primer, and a charge of 29.7. Yields 3400 fps with only 20 inches of barrel.
29.0 gr is flattening the primer but I jumped to a 52 gr SMK and a Rem 7 1/2 BR primer. Not sure what its getting for velocity out of this 26 " barrel but it doesn't matter, 28.8 is very accurate. What I need to do is work the load up during coyote season to see what the -10 to 20 degree seasonal temps does to it pressure wise.

[Blitzfike]

Remember, most of the erosion is to the throat, you can always rechamber to 22-250 or an even wilder 22 wildcat when the throat goes in this one...