New project .223

[desertcj]

Loaded some 50gr Speer TNT at 2.312" OAL using LC brass, CCI 450 primers and 25gr-27gr of Exterminator. Also, 28gr-30gr of Leverrevolution. I've never seen that done with 50gr bullets but I've read that it's pretty good with 68gr+ bullets...

 

[desertcj]

The Lyman digital pocket scale came today and I was able to run it side by side with the Brifit scale. Let them both warm up, calibrated them both with the weights they came with and the Brifit is the hands down winner. The Lyman was OK, but sometimes it would just start drifting until it was 1.7gr off at the worst? Usually it would drift .5gr when it did it. That was unsettling for weighing powder. As long as the zero didn't drift or the tare weight, the Lyman was accurate however to the tenth of a grain. The Brifit never skipped a beat and I'll be using it over the Lyman 99% of the time.

The loading today were Ladders with Hornady 68gr hpbt, Varget, A2495 and Leverrevolution. All at 2.290" oal.

24gr to 26gr of Varget, got into compression halfway through this ladder and the seater was leaving rings on the bullet tips. I'll shoot them, but that's not going to work.

23gr to 25gr of A2495, again....compression about halfway through but maybe not quite as bad as the Varget.

26gr to 28gr of Leverrevolution, only slight ring at 28gr with this.

I should have loaded an Exterminator ladder. I still might, but I have some 75gr hpbt coming too. I have a bunch of ladders to shoot now. No groups out of any of this, just looking to find max loads and hopefully velocity plateaus in the .3gr charge steps.

 

[ShadeTree]

Desertcj, glad you were able to score some primers, looks like you're set to have some fun.

What priming tool were you having trouble with if I can ask?

 

[desertcj]

Desertcj, glad you were able to score some primers, looks like you're set to have some fun.

What priming tool were you having trouble with if I can ask?

It's the RCBS universal hand priming tool. Just need to load up some 75gr ladders and I'll be ready to hit the hills! I even have several types of hand loaded 12ga #4 buckshot shells to test and pattern.

 

[ShadeTree]

Desertcj, glad you were able to score some primers, looks like you're set to have some fun.

What priming tool were you having trouble with if I can ask?

It's the RCBS universal hand priming tool. Just need to load up some 75gr ladders and I'll be ready to hit the hills! I even have several types of hand loaded 12ga #4 buckshot shells to test and pattern.

Man sorry to hear that, that's one I would recommend. Not the slickest thing in the world when switching the pieces to use between large rifle and small rifle, but I haven't had any issues with mine.

 

[desertcj]

Yeah, the issue is that the handle bottoms out before the plunger goes up high enough. I got it to work by leaving the plunger that you swap out between large and small primers unscrewed a few turns.

 

[ShadeTree]

Yeah, the issue is that the handle bottoms out before the plunger goes up high enough. I got it to work by leaving the plunger that you swap out between large and small primers unscrewed a few turns.

When you get a chance to spare it for a week or so, I'd contact RCBS and send it back. They've been really good about standing behind their product the few times I've had to deal with them on anything that wasn't operating as it was supposed to.

Even an undersized die that was OLD and I was not the original owner. I sent it back to them, their machinist took some measurements on it, and they replaced it.

 

[desertcj]

Did some shooting. My chronograph would not read and it was driving me nuts trying to figure it out. Then I blasted the screen with some buffer that was in the shotgun shells and cracked the display....good grief! It finally started reading after the sun rose over the hill. I've never had any trouble with it before? Even with the drama, I was able to get some good data and even groups if you could call them that with all different powder charges.

50gr TNT- 2.312" OAL
Hit 3472fps with 27gr Exterminator. Could go a bit higher, maybe 28gr?
3565fps with 30gr Lever. Pressure Ok, could possibly go a touch higher but that's an awful full case.

68gr HPBT- 2.290" OAL
3129fps with 28gr of Lever. OK, but this bullet is the same size as the Hornady 75gr HPBT so I'm not going to pursue the 68gr any further. Only .355 bc vs .395 bc for the 75gr.

75gr HPBT- 2.290" OAL
3023fps with 25gr Exterminator. That's OK in my rifle but I'm calling that max.
3079fps with 27gr Lever. Pressure was OK, could hit 3100fps no problem. 3150fps might be about max? I plan on finding out! And that's why the 68gr hpbt is probably irrelevant to me.

So now I'm getting it narrowed down quite a bit. I have quite a bit more data, just sharing the cliff notes. I will load some more up to shoot for groups. Based on what I saw today, I'm expecting some pretty decent groups. Not sure about 1/4", but maybe around 1/2". Time will tell!

 

[desertcj]

Settling for now on 29.7gr Leverevolution with the 50gr TNT. Need to load up some more and verify it's right at 3500fps and about 1/2" group it looks like.

Still need to test some more with the 75gr hpbt...

 

[desertcj]

I dialed in my 75gr load today. 27gr and 27.2gr of Leverevolution had the same avg velocity for 5 shots and the groups are also very close minus the one which could have been me? Not sure what happened there. Probably settle on 27.1gr.
Next, I’d like to try the 53gr Vmax and if my 9 twist will stabilize it…..the new 62gr Eld-VT! They say a 9 twist won’t cut it though so?

 

[JD338]

Nice shooting. I'm guessing you would need a 1:8 twist for the 62 gr ELD's.

JD338