Walmart special axis 223 heavy barrel reloading journal

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This is the start of my reloading journal for the progress of my new rifle.

Rifle- it is a savage axis 223 heavy barrel with accutrigger. It is sitting in a Boyd's pro varmint stock that has been pillar beaded. It has a weaver 1 piece rail and a 4-14 monstrum tactical ffp scope.

I will be using exclusively lapua brass but will be switching up powders and bullets as time goes on. Being a 1:9 twist I plan to see how far I can push the bullet weight before it becomes unstable. I will keep a running round count in the top left corner of every update of the range trip.

Typical shooting will be 100-350 yards but a couple times a month I will be taking it out to 500yds.

I will be loading the fist loads soon which will be fire forming loads for the brass. I will be shooting berrys 55gr fmj over a charge of cfe223.

Any questions feel free to ask pictures will be included as range trips happen

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great tread idea.

Thanks I was thinking this would give me a good progress report on my rifle but also I could maybe present some info that is helpfull to others

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If you haven't done so already, switch out the trigger spring for the varmint spring (also called target spring by some online stores) and you'll get a much lighter trigger pull. In my 9 twist 12FV I found the 53 gr V-Max and IMR-3031 to be extremely accurate all the way to 500 yds.

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Originally Posted by Texas10

If you haven't done so already, switch out the trigger spring for the varmint spring (also called target spring by some online stores) and you'll get a much lighter trigger pull. In my 9 twist 12FV I found the 53 gr V-Max and IMR-3031 to be extremely accurate all the way to 500 yds.

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Thanks for the advice I plan on tweaking the trigger like you recommended. I should be close to shooting the fire forming groups soon. I prepped the brass last night and will get the rest finished up probably this weekend. Hopefully we can get some warmer and dryer weather soon so I can get to my shooting spot.

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On my 1:9 12FV I load up Sierra 69 Tipped Match Kings on top of 24.5 gr of Varget and Starline brass. Gets me right under 2900 fps and 1/2" groups.

Nice.
The 223 is an excellent cartridge when the barrel has enough twist as to stabilize the heavy for caliber bullets. With the 70 and 80 grain lead tips the cartridge is certainly deer sized game capable and of course varmints don’t stand a chance.
I built a fast twist 22-250 and it uickly became my favourite shooter. I think I’m going to sling the 95 grain sierras for this coming season.
Anyway for varmints checknout the 53 grain vmax,unless you’re after mucho velocity,then the 40 grain vmax are absolutely explosive for anything small. Pink mist all day long.
As I was testing bullet weights,as my barrel is a 26” 7 twist shilen but I was basically flying blind since load data for 90 grain projectiles was tough to find at the time,so I started with 80 grain projectiles and worked up to heavier bullets based on the data acquired using a specific piwder(superformance).
Anyways my point being I had some mind blowingly tight groups with minimal load development using the hornady hpbt. They shot so well I almost stuck with them,almost. And they are inexpensive too.
Enjoy the new rifle.

Thanks for the advice I was able to load up the fire forming loads using 26gr of cfe223 under the berrys 55gr we will see how they shoot hopefully Wednesday

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The rount count increased today. It took 5 shots to get somewhat on target today. What not my best showing but what can you expect from break in rounds that are also being fireformed with no load development. Now that the excuses are out of the way there is one group in there that shows promise for some bulk 55gr berrys bullets. I will say I was very comfortable behind the rifle when they went off. Have not shot sense December so I'm rusty.

By the way. All groups will be shown in this thread no hiding no tricks. I'm not ashamed to shoot horrible groups lol.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7c82931795.jpg

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Looks like of the weather holds this coming week I plan to shoot these loads out to around 350. Might as well there just cheap reloads.

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Nice. There is no substitute for time behind the rifle.
If you decide to try out cfe223 I’ve found it shot best,with single digit ES and SD,when it was loaded to the high end of the powder data.
So once you get into load development you should see groups tighten as velocity increases. At least that has been my experience using that powder.
Looks like we are getting some nice weather here so I think I’m going to take a 12 pack of off brand cola out to the range and break some of the rust off the 22-250 and 260. Pop cans make spotting impacts easier at long distance. Beats walking up each time.

These were loaded using cfe223. I don't plan on doing any more load development with the 55s at this point I will be picking up some hpbt match bullets next that will be heavier

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Originally Posted by ktmracer358

These were loaded using cfe223. I don't plan on doing any more load development with the 55s at this point I will be picking up some hpbt match bullets next that will be heavier

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I had great consistency with the 53 grain vmax. Barrel needs a 12 twist though. They shot sub MOA with cfe223 at 3600-3800ft/s and the groups tightened up til 4000ft/s when they started to open up. I ran up to 4200ft/s before bolt lift got stiff and half moons presented themselves.

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Originally Posted by Ryfulman

I had great consistency with the 53 grain vmax. Barrel needs a 12 twist though. They shot sub MOA with cfe223 at 3600-3800ft/s and the groups tightened up til 4000ft/s when they started to open up. I ran up to 4200ft/s before bolt lift got stiff and half moons presented themselves.

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Yea that's moving out forsure. This states it's a 1:9 twist but measuring it last night it looks like it's closer to 1:8.5. I'll be trying hornady 75gr hpbt

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Ryfumman,

You probably already know this, but your wording might mislead some of readers, so let me clarify.

The 52/53 grain bullets don't "need" a 1:12 twist, it requires at least a 1:12 twist to spin it enough to achieve stability.
Having a faster twist' like a 1:9, is not a problem, having a slower twist would be a problem.

I have a 1:9 twist .223 that shoots lights out with 52 SMKs, 53 SMK FB and Berger 52 FB bullets.
I have even shot 52 grain SMKs in my Les Baer Super-Varmint .223 that has a 1:8 twist to an 5-round group average of 0.352 at 100 yards.

I've never had a problem shooting a light bullet accurately in a fast-twist barrel in any caliber as long as I didn't press the velocity in a fast-twist barrel so much that the bullet spins itself apart and disintegrates.
It is pretty hard to do that in a .223 cartridge with a 52 grain bullet.

I don't think you could put enough powder behind a 52 grain bullet to achieve enough velocity.

It might be possible with a 35 grain bullet.
I've seen that happen in .204s with really light bullets.
Seeing a puff of white smoke before the bullet reaches the target and then finding no hole in the target is quite an confounding experience.

Just for my own information. Did you go through any break in procedure. I would like to follow a new Savage heavy barrel as much as I can. Thank You.

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Originally Posted by azguy

Just for my own information. Did you go through any break in procedure. I would like to follow a new Savage heavy barrel as much as I can. Thank You.

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For me break in procedures are to everyone's opinion. I shoot 50 rds through the rifle then I clean to a perfectly clear bore then I shoot it till accuracy falls off. And repeat.

This is not typical or recommended. This is just what I do.

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Also on a side note I pulled the stock off and adjusted the accu trigger and it was set at almost max pull. I set it to minimum and is not a lot better.

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Thank You,
I know that every one has their own procedures. I am keeping track of break ins and cleaning habits and how they relate to long term accuracy. Yours is the first Savage heavy barrel that I have been able to follow, except mine. I am following several custom hand lapped barrels. Maybe down the road I can report my findings. Your procedure seems the most common even among match shooters.

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Originally Posted by azguy

Thank You,
I know that every one has their own procedures. I am keeping track of break ins and cleaning habits and how they relate to long term accuracy. Yours is the first Savage heavy barrel that I have been able to follow, except mine. I am following several custom hand lapped barrels. Maybe down the road I can report my findings. Your procedure seems the most common even among match shooters.

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I also did this procedure on my axis 243 heavy barrel and my savage 12fv 308 barrel.

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May I ask? Do you find that they are more accurate after a number of shots? Do they lose accuracy for a time after a good cleaning? Can you give me any numbers on how many shots.

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Originally Posted by azguy

May I ask? Do you find that they are more accurate after a number of shots? Do they lose accuracy for a time after a good cleaning? Can you give me any numbers on how many shots.

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I have noticed so far out of my savages they do shoot a little better when there dirty. It only takes a few rounds after cleaning to get back to a consistent shooting rifle. I I don't shoot enough with them as of yet to determine when the accuracy starts to drop off.

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25 more rds down range shooting a 12in steel plate at 350. Was able to finish off the fire forming rounds. I was consistently hitting, I was not able to get a pic of the final targets but I did catch a bullet wake in the process on video. But I'm not able to post here. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6caa30d39a.jpg

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by azguy

Just for my own information. Did you go through any break in procedure. I would like to follow a new Savage heavy barrel as much as I can. Thank You.

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No special break in for any of my savage or shilen barrels.

CFJunkie
i was referring to the 53 grain vmax,and the box says it needs a minimum 12 twist,nowhere did I express or imply anything else.
Was there anything else?

Ryfulman,

I guess then I should have addressed my comment to Hornady.

No offense intended, just clarification. Sorry if it sounded that way.

I was able to get the brass resized tonight only bumping the shoulder 2 thou. For my next load I will be trying the 75gr hornady hpbt match bullets. I have not decided on a powder yet but it will be an extruded powder. I have 8208xbr on hand and also varget. I might pick up some 4895 or something different I just have not picked yet.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ktmracer358

I was able to get the brass resized tonight only bumping the shoulder 2 thou. For my next load I will be trying the 75gr hornady hpbt match bullets. I have not decided on a powder yet but it will be an extruded powder. I have 8208xbr on hand and also varget. I might pick up some 4895 or something different I just have not picked yet.

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If you’re going to try a new powder out I suggest looking for one that completely fills the case as this helps improve consistency as a whole. There will be an optimal burn rate powder perfect for the weight bullet you want to use. I’ve found superformance and the 140 grain class of bullets is a perfect match in my 260.

I agree with you 100%. Most the time when I reload I tend to use powders on the slower end of the spectrum so this aids in filling the case up. I don't call a good load a good load till my sd and es are in the single digits.

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It might not improve accuracy but it will improve function. I was able to get the stock bolt knob threaded today and will update with pictures once it is on the rifle with the new knob.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1582d2d3fa.jpg

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Here it is all mounted up https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...65f50c1f0d.jpg

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The 75gr hornady hpbt bullets are ordered. I plan on doing the satterlee load development procedure for these. I have had great luck with this in the past. Thinking of using cfe223 and imr 8208xbr.

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The bullets have arrived was able to pick up 100 75gr hpbt hornady for 14.99. Will load this weekend and hope to get a chance to test them out between rain showers next week.

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Was able to get out today this fist group was some factory nosler 40gr stuff I was using as fouling shots. This was with a fresh cleaned and oiled barrel. Not to bad for not shooting in so longhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ec2fdefb02.jpg

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Did some satterlee load development on the 75gr hornady hpbt they had no problems stabilizing. Veloicty ranged from 2500 up to 2700. Not bad for a 10 shot group with 10 different charge weights. I was using imr 8208xbr in lapua brass. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...79275fd77c.jpg

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Better photos the first set turned out a little blurry for some reason https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b739c9bb9e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0ad26a8f13.jpg

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After reviewing the data looks like the only good node on the current test was down around 2550fps. I'm looking for more speed then that so I have not hit any pressure signs yet so I'm going to load 2, 5 shot groups at the max load I tested and the other group at .3 over the highest load I tested.

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after a long hiatus I was able to get out to the range today. Using some left over ammo from my old 223. The loads were 69gr Barnes match bullets pushed by cfe 223. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f7f620cc1d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b6a94e3d36.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2841ad0bcd.jpg

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You have had as good a luck with yours as I have had with mine. I settled on Varget for powder at 23.5gn with the 77gn Sierra Match Kings. Shoots 1/2 inch groups or less at 100yds. I just tried IMR 4166 today after watching CFJunkie do load work on his 12FV in .223. It was just as good as the Varget for groups, but, is about 100fps slower (2700 vs 2600). The nice thing is it shows less copper fouling than the Varget, so will stay with it and see if the 600yd performance is just as good.

I have been using military brass for a bit. Winchester cases wear out after 4 loadings (primer pockets get loose). The military stuff (FC and LC) lasts for 5. I will probably break down and get some Lapua brass next.

I also had some great 1" groups when I was not weighing charges. Just throw from the powder measure. I had pretty good luck with Nosler 69 and 77 match bullets as well. They aren't quite as good as the Sierra's, about 0.2MOA larger groups. The Hornady 75gn did about the same.

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Originally Posted by charlie b

You have had as good a luck with yours as I have had with mine. I settled on Varget for powder at 23.5gn with the 77gn Sierra Match Kings. Shoots 1/2 inch groups or less at 100yds. I just tried IMR 4166 today after watching CFJunkie do load work on his 12FV in .223. It was just as good as the Varget for groups, but, is about 100fps slower (2700 vs 2600). The nice thing is it shows less copper fouling than the Varget, so will stay with it and see if the 600yd performance is just as good.

I have been using military brass for a bit. Winchester cases wear out after 4 loadings (primer pockets get loose). The military stuff (FC and LC) lasts for 5. I will probably break down and get some Lapua brass next.

I also had some great 1" groups when I was not weighing charges. Just throw from the powder measure. I had pretty good luck with Nosler 69 and 77 match bullets as well. They aren't quite as good as the Sierra's, about 0.2MOA larger groups. The Hornady 75gn did about the same.

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I've been excided that this 1:9 twist has been able to stabilize so well. This gun will be my sub 500yd gun for the most part. I would like to challenge my abilities some time and take it to 1k if I ever get the chance. I have some varget I'll be trying with the Hornady 75s. I'm interested in seeing how the lapua brass holds up. I will be annealing ever 2 firings.

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Yep, the ability to stabilize those heavier bullets has been a surprise to several of us. I want to be able to shoot less than MOA at 600yd off my bipod or bag. I'll try 1000 one of these days.

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Originally Posted by charlie b

Yep, the ability to stabilize those heavier bullets has been a surprise to several of us. I want to be able to shoot less than MOA at 600yd off my bipod or bag. I'll try 1000 one of these days.

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Yes unfortunately where I live there are very few spots to shoot 1k. I can shoot out to 500 on my own land but more than that is hard to find.

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I understand. Up until a few years ago I didn't realize how lucky we are with the range we have. It is a city maintained range, free for any to use and has no on site personnel. I am amazed how well most people behave out here too as I have seen 'free' ranges go to ruin quickly from just a few hooligans.

When we moved I expected to find some similar ranges and found out how bad the situation is in most of the country. Many locations are lucky to have anything beyond 200yd and a huge number are limited to 100yd. Glad we moved back here.