223 Bullet/Twist??

[steve4102]

I just purchased my first AR rifle. It is a Colt HBar II in 223 with a 1-9 twist.
I have a bunch of .224 Ballistic Tips in 40, 50 and 55gr that I use in my 221 Fireball. Should I give these bullets a try in this 1-9 twist or should I save them for the Fireball and start my load development with something a bit heavier?

I'm in the process of ordering dies and brass, so adding a bunch of bullets is no big deal, as long as my wife doesn't find out.

Thanks
Steve

 

[old #7]

Your 40gr bullets might get torn up. ???
I shoot 55gr ig my AR-15 with a 9 inch twist with great results.

 

[nomosendero]

Sometimes you get fooled and the 40's may do well. However, the 55's are the most likely of the weights you have. I will bet the 60 BT or V-max
will kick butt & of course the 69 gr.

 

[1Shot]

With the 60 to 69's try Varget powder it is great in my Bushmaster 1-9 twist. Mine also shoots 52 & 55's great. Never tried anything lighter than 52 grs.

 

[WHELENATOR]

Steve, howdy. I don't post too much on here, as I am usually a non-social hermit. But I do read a lot, and try to shoot a lot. I have a 16 inch Bushmaster 1:9 rifle. It sounds like you got the 20 inch A2 rifle. That Colt is a good choice, not to mention it will NEVER lose any value unless you paint it pink.. :shock:
Those 40's will do fine in there, and won't come apart. My Bushmaster loves about all weights of the Hornady V-max's. With the 55's, I load 25-27 grains of Winchester 748, 27 being the best for my gun. It has shot a .229 inch group, but only once. That was the very best I could shoot a few years back before I had to get glasses. The rifle will still do it but I can't. My gun also loves the 60 grain V-max's and that's what I use to critter call with in Alaska. We got wolves and can hunt them, so I like the heavier bullet. I have also loaded the 60 grain Partitions vith Varget and they shoot very consistently. I can't remember how much I used right now since I am not at my data, but pick what's in the Nosler book and run with it. I once tried some 53 grain Barnes XLC blue coated X bullets and my gun sprayed them all over the place, so I have't messed around with Barnes in the AR anymore. I bet it would do ok though with the TSX's or the new varmint bullets they have. I don't have much use though for a bullet that tough.

 

[Larry in SD]

I too have a 16" Bushmaster. I am loading 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips with H-4895 to a cartridge overall length of 2.252". I have yet to shoot a group larger than 1", with most measuring right at 3/4" at 100 yards off the bench. I am going to be replacing my M4 Handguards with a Free Float Tube. Not sure if it is going to make my gun shoot any better but the way I look at it is it can't hurt.

Larry

 

[Nic_58]

I had a Bushmaster Varminter 1:9 twist and now have a Predator in 1:8 twist and they both shot extremely well with Varget and 55 gr. Ballistic Tips. I recently shot 4 consecutive 3 shot groups with the Predator using this load and the average for the 4 groups was in the .3's. So yeah, I'd have to agree that the 55's or 60's are your best bet, but the lighter bullets can be made to work in the fast twist AR barrels also.

 

[Ol` Joe]

Don`t know about ARs but my M70 HV with a 1/9 twist shoots lights out with 50 gr ballistic tips. 52 gr Hornady HPs are the best bullet I`ve tried as far as tight groups go. I wouldn`t ignore the light bullets until I tried a few.

 

[C.Smith]

You guys using the BT's are you taper crimping them or leaving them the way they are when loaded? If not have you had any problems witht bullet set back?

Also how clean does Varget burn in the AR?

Corey

 

[nomosendero]

You guys using the BT's are you taper crimping them or leaving them the way they are when loaded? If not have you had any problems witht bullet set back?

Also how clean does Varget burn in the AR?

Corey

I have shot 6-800 BT's in my RRA Varmiter, I don't taper crimp & I have no problems. Many do the same. For more info, check reloading forum on

www.ar15.com

 

[old #7]

You guys using the BT's are you taper crimping them or leaving them the way they are when loaded? If not have you had any problems witht bullet set back?

Also how clean does Varget burn in the AR?

Corey

I put a slight crimp on mt AR-15 rounds and I also use Varget.
This is a 5 round group of 55gr Hornady FMJ/BT, 24.5 grs of Varget, CCI 400, RP case at 100yds. The rifle is a Bushmaster 16" heavy bbl A3.

 

[C.Smith]

Great guys, thanks for the replys. I was worried I was going to have to buy a taper crimp die on top of the regular dies.

Corey

 

[Alaska]

The .223 Rem shoots a wide range of bullets very effectively, from 35gr flat-based varmint bullets, to ultra-long 90gr VLDs. However, you'll need the right twist rate for your choice of bullet. For max velocity and accuracy with the lightest bullets, a 1:14" twist may be ideal. More versatile is a 1:12" twist that will allow you to shoot the popular 60-64 grain match bullets. (However, a 1:9" twist is needed for the steel-core 62gr bullet used in the M855 military loads, because that bullet is as long as most 70-grainers.) For normal lead-core jacketed bullets, a 1:9" twist will let you shoot up to 73gr bullets. Since most .223 Rem shooters prefer bullets in the 50-73gr range, a good "do-it-all" solution is a 9-twist, unless you're a Highpower competitor.

For long-range match purposes, long, high-BC bullets are favored for their ability to buck the wind. You'll want at least a 1:8" twist to shoot the 77gr and 80gr MatchKings and 80gr Bergers. To shoot the new 90gr pills, a 1:6.5" is recommended, though a true 1:7" will work in most conditions.

Overall, what twist rate is best? For varminting we like a 12-twist. The slower twist will give you a bit more velocity, and minimize the risk of jacket failure at high rpms. For general use, an 8-twist barrel will let you shoot the excellent 77gr and 80gr Sierra MatchKings and nearly all varieties of non-tracer milsurp ammo. We'd only select a 1:7" or faster twist barrel if we had a need to shoot the 90gr VLDs.