.223 over 4100 fps
 

I shot my Remington 700 VLS at 200 and 300 yards the other day and according to the drops with a 100 yard zero the Barnes book says my 40gr VLC with 30gr of H335 is moving between 4100 and 4200 fps. I really need to put it through a crony but the ballistics charts and drops I had are a good estimate. By the way I shot a 3.3" group at 300 yards.

RE: .223 over 4100 fps
 

Real fast , but if you try slowing the load down a little the groups may tighten up .
I am geting 1.9" groups at 300 with H 335 50 gr nosler BT out of my savage

RE: .223 over 4100 fps
 

with my savage mod 10 FP, at 300 yards I'm getting 1.3 inch groups with 60 grain hornady V-max and H4895.

RE: .223 over 4100 fps
 

Those are very good groups. Mine will touch holes at 100 yards so I know if I had sandbags I could have tightened my group up a little. I have a cheap Tasco 4-16x40 on it now, but I would like to get a Bushnell Elite 4200 in 4-16x40 for it.

RE: .223 over 4100 fps
 

I think your estimate of 4100-4200fps for a .223 with ANY bullet is really high. If you'd have said .22-250 or 220 Swift, I might have believed it, but not the .223. My 22-250 shoots the factory 45gr Winchester JHP's (which are advertised at 4000fps) at an average velocity (by chronograph) of 4010fps, and the rounds are loaded hot enough to flatten the primers every shot.

I don't have my manuals handy (still packed from our recent move), but according to Hodgdon's data on their website, a MAX load of 28 grains of H335 should propel a 40gr Nosler BT at about 3572fps (and though the details of the barrel used aren't given other than length, I'd quess it was a pressure barrel mad to min. SAAMI specs that would give higher than normal velocities and pressures). You say you're using 30 grains of H335 (a 2 grain overcharge according to this data) to achieve 4100fps+, which indicates to me that you are either severely overestimating the velocity of the bullet, or you are getting pronounced, and potentially dangerous, pressure excursions due to the overcharge that are causing the velocity to be abnormally high.

Be careful with those loads, a couple hundred fps are NOT worth losing your hands, eyes, and/or life. If you really crave velocity that much, you need to step up to a cartridge that's designed to do it safely.

Mike

RE: .223 over 4100 fps
 

Amen to that

RE: .223 over 4100 fps
 

Driftrider

Perhaps you need to update your loading data. I have the most recent Barnes, Nosler and Speer manuals and 5th Hornady manual.

According to the Barnes manual their max load for their 40gr VLC is 31gr of H335 at 3932fps with a 24" barrel. My 700 has a 26" Heavy barrel and I use magnum primers which is recommended for this powder by my Speer manual.

Barnes, Nosler and Hornady have 40gr bullets over 3800fps, the Nosler and Barnes with 24" barrels. The coated bullets I use are capable of higher velocities with lower pressures. My 700 action is more than strong enough to handle a 40gr coated bullet with as much H335 as I can stuff in the case. My cases look fine and my primers are not popped out and there is hardly any recoil.

My velocities are estimates going by what my actual drop is and what the trajectory tables in my books say the velocity should be for those drops. It would not surprise me if a chrony showed my velocity to be close to my estimate. Why would I want to go to a 22-250 or 220 swift when I can get similar velocities out of my .223 with less powder and cheaper brass?

RE: .223 over 4100 fps
 

The extra 2" of barrel accounts for 100-150fps MAX. The data you have from Barnes for that very bullet (coating and all) shows a max load of 31 grains of H335 at 3925fps, but you think that you're getting 4100fps+ out of 30 grains. And ballistic charts are not the gospel either.

So you're using a magnum primer as recommended by one manual, with the data from another manual that doesn't use a magnum primer. What is the MAX load listed in the Speer manual for a 40gr bullet with a CCI magnum primer? I'd bet it's less than 31 grains.

If so, you're setting yourself up for pressure excursions.

As stated above, the data for the coated VLC bullet shows a max velocity of 3932fps. The coating is already factored into that data, which means that you are probably over MAX if you are really getting 4100fps+.

Well, if that's not the most reckless and ignorant statement I've ever heard, I can't remember what is! I watched a guy, sitting at the bench next to mine at the range, shooting an M700 BDL .223Rem, have a case rupture because he was shooting "misc. handloads." He was lucky that he didn't get a face full of hot gas and metal, but fortunately the rupture only blew the ammo, magazine, follower and floorplate CLEAN OFF THE RIFLE! He was lucky. Do you feel lucky?

One word:

SAFETY!!

Oh, and I do have the latest editions of both the Hornady Manual and Speer manual.

RE: .223 over 4100 fps
 

Like I said before my cases have no signs of dangerous pressures. 3932+150=4082fps so an ESTIMATE of 4100fps is not that far off. All rifles are different and shoot different.

The MAX load is not the TRUE MAX load either. The reloading books are not going to be liable for someone using their suggested max load and blowing their gun up. There is a large SAFETEY FACTOR. The gun manufacturers also have a large safety factor in their firearms as well. They don't want to be responsible for someone blowing their gun up with standard handloads or factory loads. It will take a lot more pressure than what my loads are generating to blow my gun up.

A good example of this is Hornadys Light Magnum loads. The current 7x57 Mauser Light Magnum load is a 139gr SST over 2900fps. Look at your latest Hornady manual at the 7x57 Mauser. See what the max load for the 139gr bullet is using IMR 4350. It should be 45.9gr at 2600fps. Hornadys 1973 Second edition has the same 139gr bullet with 50.9gr of IMR 4350 at 2900fps.

Reloading manuals are guides, they should be used as guides.

RE: .223 over 4100 fps
 

Reloading manuals do have lighter loads pulished than the "true maximum" for liability reasons, if small increments are made you can really improve max loads substantially and safely in modern firearms.