Short throat length 223

I have a mod 10 heavy barrel that has the typical savage short throat. This barrel shoots pretty good for a factory barrel and likes the 68 grain hornady hpbt. My question is would it be worth sending it to a smith to get the throat lengthened. The reason I ask is i can hear powder start to crunch at about 22 grains of varget. I have loaded up to 24 with no pressure signs but my oal is not very consistent and sd is not very good. I think it would shoot very well if i could load up around 24 or 25 grains and not be supper compressed. Not sure it would be worth the money for a factory barrel but dont really want to buy a new barrel at this time. If i did this i would probably have the oal cut to 18 or 20 inches at the same time.
Is there any smiths that would do this to a factory barrel? or should I just deal with it and get a 7 or 8 twist barrel when the time comes?

Thanks for any help

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I load 25 gr. of Varget under 69 gr. Sierra TMK's to within .020" of the lands. Yes, my Savage 12FV is short-throated also. I use an electric toothbrush to vibrate the filled cases in order to settle the powder. I still crush/compress a tiny bit sometimes, but no issues. I am able to load my crappy Savage Edge in .223 much longer, FWIW.

Are you loading to an OAL or a BTOG? You can switch powders, one that takes up less case capacity for instance. IMR8208 or 3031 comes to mind. You can also switch to a more tapered bullet, like the TMK to let you load it out further thereby gaining case capacity.

Or just shoot shorter bullets until your throat has eroded out with use. You may find yourself chasing the lands if your optimal seat is, say, .020 off and eventually you find you can't load close to the lands and keep enough of the bullet in the case neck. That's about the time you start looking for a new barrel and twist.

Would 8208 have less case fill when loaded to similar presure? That is one powder i have wanted to try but haven't yet.

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That's a good question, but 8208XBR is a good choice for 223 and the 69 grainers. What I did was to take each of the various powders I had and fill a spent cartridge case until level with the neck/shoulder junction, using the best method I could muster in order to get an even packing or settling. Then dump into my scale and record the results.

That gave me an idea of powder density, and with a goal of finding a powder that filled the case to 100% with the bullet seated at the ideal COL, what ever number that is for the particular chamber.

As far as going with a compressed load, some say a tightly compressed load is better than a lightly compressed load for ignition consistency. Others may disagree, and as always, your mileage may vary.

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Originally Posted by MI223

1) My question is would it be worth sending it to a smith to get the throat lengthened.
2)The reason I ask is i can hear powder start to crunch at about 22 grains of varget. I have loaded up to 24 with no pressure signs but my oal is not very consistent and sd is not very good.
3) I think it would shoot very well if i could load up around 24 or 25 grains and not be supper compressed.
4) Is there any smiths that would do this to a factory barrel?
5) or should I just deal with it and get a 7 or 8 twist barrel when the time comes?

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You have a few problems, so here we go.
1) It's "worth it" if you want it, otherwise there is no absolute about a personal choice.
2) There are a few things about this. First is don't watch for "signs", watch your velocity. Since the old A-Squared manual, NO ONE lists lot numbers tested, so never assume you magically have the same components. You also aren't using SAAMI minimum spec equipment like is done in the manuals. If you ever meet our exceed book velocity, you exceeded book pressure. Pressure testing showed us that most brass TENDS to show "signs" around 75,000psi. Which interestingly corresponds with Hornady which typically tests a case to 125% of SAAMI max.
3) super compressed, probably not. But that bullet is long enough that you are already in the "maybe" zone for stability, even at max speed. Just don't expect a miracle.
4) Any Smith you give money to will gladly do anything you pay them for.
5) Just depends on what you want to do man. If you like shooting lightly constructed bullets at varmints(TNT, SXSP, Dogtown's, etc) you need to be careful. That 9-twist is already taking them near max RPM. If you go faster twist, you need to REALLY slow them down.

Hodgdon Benchmark is a good powder that will not get crunched. Max load of benchmark will fill the case less than IMR-8208xbr.

Found Benchmark to be a VERY accurate powder.

I know its a bit old school but W748 and 69 MK have always been a very accurate combo for me, but I have an accuracy node at 2700 fps. I use 24.5 gr and seat to factory magazine length in LC cases with no compression.

Consider buying a PT&G throat reamer for around a hundred and a half. I bought one to lengthen the throat of my competition .223 and I thought I would sit on the shelf after that. But just last week I took delivery of a new barrel for my non-competiton "fun" .223 rifle and I used the throat reamer to lengthen the throat on this new barrel to optimize it for shooting SMK 69 gr bullets. It's easy to do the job yourself; no need for a gunsmith. Just be sure of your measurements and make the first cut a little bit shallow. You will be surprised at how little effort it takes; just a turn or two. Remember, you can't go back, so be careful.

With high-density loads, I have learned a secret from BP cartridge shooters -- the powder drop tube. No more crunchy loads. Amazing how much powder can fit comfortably and consistently in to a case with a few inches of drop...