Heavy-weight .224 caliber bullets help make the most out of the .223 Remington at long range.
by Tom Badham
It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. When I walked into the Sand Mountain Shooters Club near Boaz, Alabama, a few weeks ago; I hadn’t the least idea that I would walk out with a slightly used Savage Model 10 BVSS in 223 Remington caliber. With a 24 ounce aftermarket trigger, it sported a Burris Fullfield II 6.5 X 20 scope in Burris Pos-align insert rings on a Leupold base. Also with the rifle came three targets with ridiculously small groups on them. The rifle was on consignment and the price asked was more than reasonable.
The 26 inch stainless fluted barrel had a 1 in 9 inch twist and a long chamber for shooting heavy bullets that could be seated out further than the standard 223 Remington Overall Length of 2.250 inches. Any cartridge longer than 2.260 inches would have to be single loaded since it would not fit in the magazine. I didn’t mind that.
By the time I reached home I’d decided that heavy bullet accuracy tests at 100 yards would be a great project to start the summer. Starting with a 55 grain bullet to use as a base line, I would then work up from there to 80 grains and even try 90 grains if I could find the bullets. Hopefully my new rifle would make me proud.
Due to the relatively small case size of the .223 Rem, chamber pressures can skyrocket past maximum chamber pressures with just the addition of a grain or two of powder and/or a bullet base seated too far into the case. Also ambient temperatures affect the powder burning rate. So, to be on the safe side I’d seat the flat bullet bases to bottom of the case necks and the boat tail bullets would be seated so that just the boat tails protruded past the case necks.
Never forget we are dealing with pressures up to the 55,000 PSI range contained by a thin brass gasket (the cartridge case) that are going off just a couple of inches from the shooter’s tender face. Steam locomotives used to drag great long trains using just two cylinders at 200 PSI (they were great big cylinders, though).
I was going to be seating the bullets farther out than normal, but still using all the case neck to hold the bullet. Looking at the Western Powder 5.0 Reloading Manual and seeing that Western Powders use the latest piezoelectric transducer lab setups to make accurate pressure measurements; I decided to start my testing with their top loads for the 223 Rem. With the bullets seated out, pressures should be a bit less than listed. I also decided not to exceed those loads. Accuracy was the goal, not raw velocity and skyrocketing pressures. I had a suspicion that those loads would also just happen to produce nice little groups.
Note that all the loads listed in this article are safe in my firearm. If you haven’t used any of these loads before, reduce the powder amount by 10% and carefully work upwards. Be extremely aware of high pressure signs and follow all safety procedures.
I happened to have on hand a goodly supply of Accurate 2230 powder, so that would be used. Rummaging through my reloading supplies cabinet I came up with five suitable bullets in different weights for the project. I would load up twenty rounds, chronograph five of them, then shoot three five shot groups with each bullet.
All reloading was done on my little Lee C press, using Lee Competition Dies. My old Lyman No. 55 powder measure metered the powder and the powder weights were checked with a Lyman LE 1000 electronic scale. A Midway dial caliper checked cartridge overall length.
Shooting conditions were good during my range sessions. Light breezes under 10 MPH swirling over the range with temperatures around 80° F. The only problem was the bright sunshine. Looking through the scope set at 20X, I could see some mirage boiling up. That would make things a bit interesting.
First up by weight would be the 55 grain Hornady AMAX Ballistic Tip Flat Base bullets. They would go over 23.5 grains of AA 2230 sparked by Winchester Small Rifle primers in Federal Brass. Overall Cartridge Length with the bullet base seated to the bottom of the cartridge neck averaged 2.375 inches.
According to the WP manual this load’s chamber pressure is 54,210 PSI with a muzzle velocity of 3,209 FPS. My Shooting Chrony© showed an average MV of 3,266 FPS for five shots. Okay, not too shabby for a 26 inch barrel.
Target (1) shows the three targets shot with the 55 grain Hornady AMAX Ballistic Tip Flat base load.
Studying the groups, it seemed that the rifle wanted to shoot really well. Probably with a little variation of the load, I could find what the rifle really liked. Okay, maybe the shooter needs some more practice at the bench with the rifle as well.
Next up was the 60 grain Hornady Hollow Point Flat Base over 23.2 grains of AA 2230, Winchester SRP, Federal Brass and an OAL of 2.260. WP showed the chamber pressure at 54,060 PSI with a muzzle velocity of 3,077 FPS. My Chrony showed an average velocity of 3,091 FPS. Shooting conditions still held good.
I found a box of 68 grain hollow point, flat base bullets from the Starke Bullet Company. They’ve been out of business for years, but I had them so I might as well use them too. I loaded them on top of WP’s suggested load of 23.7 grains of AA 2230 for the 68 grain bullet weight with an OAL of 2.440 inches in Federal brass using Winchester SRP. Chamber pressure for that weight was listed as 54,650 PSI with a muzzle velocity of 2,977 FPS. My Chrony showed a muzzle velocity of 3,100 FPS.
The fourth bullet tested was a 70 grain Berger VLD (Very Low Drag) Hollow Point Boat Tail. At 40¢ a piece, I didn’t want to waste even one of them. The load used was again 23.7 grains of AA 2230, Winchester SRP in Federal brass with an OAL of 2.360 inches. The WP manual showed a muzzle velocity of 2,904 FPS for that bullet weight while my Chrony gave an average of 3,012 FPS.
The heaviest bullet tested was the Sierra 80 Hollow Point Boat Tail. Using 23.1 grains of AA 2230, Winchester SRP, Remington brass (I’d run out of Federal), the cartridge had an OAL of 2.509. The manual indicated a chamber pressure of 54,440 PSI with a muzzle velocity of 2,732 FPS. My Chrony five shot average was a very nice 2,923 FPS. I think the velocity discrepancy might be due to my 26 inch barrel. If WP tested the load’s velocity in a 20 inch AR barrel, that would account for the difference.
My overall impressions are happily favorable. The Savage BVSS is what I wanted: an accurate honest rifle that will shoot sub MOA (under an inch group size at 100 yards) with various types of good ammo in decent shooting conditions. All this shooter has to do is learn not to yank its trigger like trying to start a balky Evenrude outboard motor.
Accurate’s 2230 powder is perfect for all 223 Remington loads. With my Remington 700 I’ve shot it in most of the lighter bullet weights. It is my “go to” powder in 223. Its fine spherical granules meter very accurately through powder measures, while its consistent burning rate can handle all 223 Remington bullet weights with consistent muzzle velocities. I noticed some rather neat things about the powder, bullets and rifle while wringing out the Savage.
First was that once the rifle was sighted in for 55 grain bullets, I didn’t have to adjust the scope at all. I like for my bullet strike to be a little above my aiming point, so I have a clear sight aim point. All the bullet weights hit near the same point of impact. From 55 to 80 grains with three different manufacturers and bullet styles, they all hit close to the same point.
Second is that across the board the load velocities were very similar, as were the charge weights. That probably contributed to the point of point of impact similarity. Consistency is the key to accuracy and this powder has it.
The third thing I noticed was while waiting for my barrel to cool a bit between groups. With a high powered scope, mirage off a hot barrel can be even worse than mirage across the range. So, I carefully feel the barrel from chamber to muzzle making sure that it doesn’t get too hot. If it can’t be comfortably held, it’s too hot. I noticed that the barrel was cool at the chamber, then began getting warmer near the front of the scope and then began to noticeably cool before I reached the muzzle.
I had never before noticed this exact condition. The AA 2230 powder seemed to be completely and efficiently burning inside of the barrel. In reloading I also noticed that the powder charges didn’t fill the case up to the neck, either. So, at least for the heavyweight 223 loads, you are not wasting any powder. In shorter barrels it still would be quite efficient. More powder charges per pound make me happy.