Ok I have gotten I think all of the supplies that I need. I have a hornady l&l kit with a few accessories. My first question is: I have hornady bullets that have a cannular in 224 caliber. I have a hornady manual. I have read that you seat to the cannular?(But not in the manual) If that is the case then the col is going to be short also it is a 223 bolt action. The books say col is 2.26 max and I have a dummy round at 2.25 which places the cannular above the brass. I think that this is ok but need another opinion. Thanks for the replies (Sorry about the grammatical errors)
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223 loading
- Thread starter Nube
- Start date
You can forget the cannelure altogether and just load to the Max OAL given in your manual.
American manuals follow SAAMI specs. SAAMI(Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute) Max OAL for .223 is 2.260". Minimum is 2.125". Anything in between is fine. so your 2.250" will be fine. 10 thou isn't much and nothingto worry about.
Then there's the whole Off-The-Lands thing. That's an optional, 100% trial and error, load tweaking technique that is not absolutely necessary. It'd can be done after you have worked up the load. If you feel like it.
What is important is that you check case lengths, trim, chamfer and deburr as required only if you need to(Trimming is unlikely with new brass, but you will need to chamfer the case mouths). The chamfering of the inside of the case mouth makes seating easier.
American manuals follow SAAMI specs. SAAMI(Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute) Max OAL for .223 is 2.260". Minimum is 2.125". Anything in between is fine. so your 2.250" will be fine. 10 thou isn't much and nothingto worry about.
Then there's the whole Off-The-Lands thing. That's an optional, 100% trial and error, load tweaking technique that is not absolutely necessary. It'd can be done after you have worked up the load. If you feel like it.
What is important is that you check case lengths, trim, chamfer and deburr as required only if you need to(Trimming is unlikely with new brass, but you will need to chamfer the case mouths). The chamfering of the inside of the case mouth makes seating easier.
greaseswabber
New member
I tried seating FMJs longer than the cannelure, at 2.260. They didn't shoot well in my 16" AR. Hornady recommends seating their 55 gr FMJ BT at 2.200. That gave me much better results.
Other guns shoot better other way around. Pick a length that fits and try it.
Other guns shoot better other way around. Pick a length that fits and try it.
NoSecondBest
New member
I just went through a couple of months of load development for a new .223 barrel on my TC Encore. I used quite a few different bullets, some with cannelure and most without. As mentioned above, just pretend it isn't there. Just some advice if you haven't already heard it: the .223 Rem is probably the fussiest caliber to load for as far as barrel twist is concerned. Find out what twist your barrel is and then start with some bullets that are "close/appropriate" for that twist. Today, you can buy a .223 with 1:7, 1:8, 1:9, 1:10, 1:12, and I've even seen a 1:14 twist barrel. Probably the most popular is the 1:9 twist...it's for those who can't decide (me). It shoots 50-62g bullets pretty good and 69g sometimes "fair". Good luck with your new gun and reloading.
For what it might be worth, note the 222 Rem shooting 50 to 52 grain match bullets in 1:14 twist barrels was the ticket to win benchrest matches in the 1950's.
Today, the 223 Rem shoots the same bullet a little faster. I would use a 1:15 twist .223 barrel with those bullets today. Spinning bullets too fast degrades accuracy; all bullets are not perfectly balanced.
Check this out: https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=530927
Today, the 223 Rem shoots the same bullet a little faster. I would use a 1:15 twist .223 barrel with those bullets today. Spinning bullets too fast degrades accuracy; all bullets are not perfectly balanced.
Check this out: https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=530927
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Another possible consideration for COL may be what you're chamber will accept without jamming the bullet into the lands. Not all chambers are cut the same, and some bullets have the full dia located more toward the tip of the bullet. Some bullets prefer a longer jump to the rifling.
Ok I have gotten I think all of the supplies that I need. I have a hornady l&l kit with a few accessories. My first question is: I have hornady bullets that have a cannular in 224 caliber. I have a hornady manual. I have read that you seat to the cannular?(But not in the manual) If that is the case then the col is going to be short also it is a 223 bolt action. The books say col is 2.26 max and I have a dummy round at 2.25 which places the cannular above the brass. I think that this is ok but need another opinion. Thanks for the replies (Sorry about the grammatical errors)
The only Hornady .223 Remington bullets I am aware of with a cannelure are the GMX bullets and the 55 grain SP W/C or 55 grain FMJ-BT W/C. Working from the Hornady 9th. I see a trim to length of 1.750", are your cases trimmed to suggested length?
Next as to the COL for the GMX bullets:
50 grain GMX is 2.165"
55 grain FMJ-BT W/C or 55 grain SP W/C is 2.200" (These are non-GMX types)
55 grain GMX is 2.185"
70 Grain GMX is 2.235"
You may want to note that the 70 grain GMX bullet has two cannelures. When loading per the 5.56 NATO section of the manual they call out:
70 grain GMX is 2.250 (this is 0.015" greater than the .223 Remington service rifle loading section calls out. I believe if you work with the numbers in the Hornady Manual using Hornady bullets your cannelures will be at the case mouth when you seat your bullets. While I agree you can seat for any COL you wish I would start with working from the manual you have from Hornady.
Ron
NoSecondBest
New member
No one makes a 1:15 barrel for .223. For many, many years the "standard" twist was 1:12. Today, that twist is an exception. About everyone shooting an AR platform is using a 1:8 or 1:9 twist. A twist of 1:15 would be horribly slow for any bullet.
There are several bullets with cannelures. The Nosler varmageddon 62g HPFB immediately comes to mind. There are several more out there.
There are several bullets with cannelures. The Nosler varmageddon 62g HPFB immediately comes to mind. There are several more out there.
1:16 twist is common for 22 caliber 40 grain bullets leaving 1100 fps.A twist of 1:15 would be horribly slow for any bullet.
Geezerbiker
New member
If the the length of the magazine allows it, I always start by seating the bullets .003 off the rifling or so at least one diameter length of the bullet is seated into the case neck...
I've never bothered with published over all length specs...
Tony
I've never bothered with published over all length specs...
Tony
NoSecondBest
New member
That's called a .22lr, a rimfire round. You'd be very hard pressed to even find a centerfire barrel in .223 in that twist. I've never seen one or heard of one. The OP isn't looking for rimfire advice.1:16 twist is common for 22 caliber 40 grain bullets leaving 1100 fps.
Read this link to the history of the .223, and the rifling twists developed and used from conception to today's military round. It started life being designed for a 55g FMJ bullet being fired at 3300fps and had a 1:12 bbl. Today it has a 1:9 bbl and fires heavier bullets. It never fired a 40g bullet except by reloaders who adopted the use of this military cartridge. Some manufactures are still making and marketing rifles with 1:12 bbls, but they are becoming increasingly unpopular due to the availability of heavier bullets used for long range shooting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.223_Remington
How long is the barrel? What twist?Ok I have gotten I think all of the supplies that I need. I have a hornady l&l kit with a few accessories. My first question is: I have hornady bullets that have a cannular in 224 caliber. I have a hornady manual. I have read that you seat to the cannular?(But not in the manual) If that is the case then the col is going to be short also it is a 223 bolt action. The books say col is 2.26 max and I have a dummy round at 2.25 which places the cannular above the brass. I think that this is ok but need another opinion. Thanks for the replies (Sorry about the grammatical errors)
NoSecondBest
New member
Ignore the cannelure. You don't have to use it and it makes NO difference if you don't. Neck tension is all you need to hold the bullet in place. This has been discussed ad nauseam on many other sites. The same thing holds that bullet in place that holds the bullets in place without a cannelure....neck tension. This round is so mild in recoil that the bullet won't move when shooting the gun.
"...Reading the internet can be confusing..." Hi. That's why we always say to read your manual.
"...to win benchrest matches in the 1950's..." Wouldn't be competitive today. And we all owe a great deal to the bench rest guys. The assortment of quality match grade bullets(no match grade 6mm bullets when I started chasing ground hogs etc.) we have now are due to them creating the demand.
"...to win benchrest matches in the 1950's..." Wouldn't be competitive today. And we all owe a great deal to the bench rest guys. The assortment of quality match grade bullets(no match grade 6mm bullets when I started chasing ground hogs etc.) we have now are due to them creating the demand.
As you can see that there is a ton of variables when loading and shooting ammo. It can be mind-blowing but do not let it get to you. When I started reloading 40 years ago all I did was just started loading 5 rounds at minimum and work myself up in .3 grain increments to close to max load. I than would shoot 5 rounds of each load to see which load gave me the best group. Once I got the smallest 5 shot group I only used that load. I tried different powders and primers as well.
Once you get the hang of it and you are interested in competition than I would go the next step. If non of the loads work well than it is time to use different c.o.l. and repeat the process until you get the group you want. It may be tedious but it is also fun having to shoot a lot.
Once you get the hang of it and you are interested in competition than I would go the next step. If non of the loads work well than it is time to use different c.o.l. and repeat the process until you get the group you want. It may be tedious but it is also fun having to shoot a lot.
I've never bothered with published over all length specs...
Neither have i.
If the round fits the magazine it's acceptable. Many of my bolt action target rounds are too long and are single loaded.