Tuesday 2/20/2024 was a pretty nice day for February in South Central Missouri. We did have wind gusts to around 10 MPH. I started out on the Multi Purpose Range checking Zero at 100 yards. I dialed a little up, and reset the scope knobs. I was chronographing at the same time with the Garmin Xero C1.
If you have read my original velocity results with the 22 ARC and Factory 75 ELD-M Bullets. My last session had my reload numbers also.
Factory Velocity 20" BBL: 2949 first Round  2964 Second Round.
Reloads 30.2 grains of CFE 223, and Remington 7.5 BR Primers: 2887 FPS

I decided to change primers yesterday. My load this round was again 30.2 grains of CFE 223 (Hodgdon Max Load), Ignited with Winchester Primers.
I was not expecting the results. My average velocity was 2930 FPS. I would never have thought that a change in primers would make that big a difference.

After adjusting my SWFA 20X Super Sniper Scope. I dialed 1 MOA Up and shot at the 200 yard steel plate. I had previously repainted the plate White, and had added a small Red Dot to it's center. Bullet impacts through the scope looked good. I had other shooters using the Range, so I did not go down for a close look at the steel.

I then relocated to the Hi-Power Range. The two shooters using this range were cooling down barrels, so I went down range and painted Steel from 300 thru 600 yards. I first shot at the 300 yard steel dialing 3 MOA Up (using my drop chart calculated with a velocity number of 2950 FPS, not the true 2930 FPS we had just checked) . This Range Faces East, and we were getting a fair wind from out of the South. This range shoots down a valley, that has a couple side valleys down range. The results were the close Wind Flags indicated wind out of the South, while the Flags at 550 Yards were showing wind from the North. The side valleys were causing some distortion of the wind.

Back to my 300 yard Steel. My first round impacted at the approximate bottom edge of the Red Dot and Left. I dialed 1.5 Minutes Right and fired again. This round impacted just under the dot.

One of the other shooters was now shooting on the 400 yard steel, so I dialed up 8.25 Minutes and shot on the 500 yard steel with my 300 yard wind correction still dialed in. Wind Correction was good, but the impact was low, under the Dot.

I now moved to the 600 yard steel. My Log Book Drop Chart indicated 11.50 Minutes Up for the 600 yard correction. Knowing that I was shooting low, I added 1 Minute Up for a total of 12.50 Minutes Up. Again no change to my Wind Correction. I fired Three Rounds not watching the Wind Flags. I am not sure if the wind speed was down, or the swirl at the end of the range came into play. These three rounds went just Right of the Red Dot. The other guys were again cooling Barrels. Buzz got in my Jeep with me to repaint the steel at this point. The 600 yard steel was the last to be painted. After looking at the impacts, I got a Ruler out of my Gear Bag. The Three Impacts were in a Triangle. Two were stacked one above the other, Two Inches apart. Both of these Impacts measured exactly 3.5 Inches to the other impact. The group was 2 Inches Vertical, and 3.5 Inches Horizontal.  A 3.5 Inch Group at 600 Yards with a AR15 is pretty impressive to me.

Gun Specs:
Rock River Upper & Lower Older Matches Set.
20" Saturn/Liberty 22 ARC Barrel.
Jewel Trigger (Probably 15 years old)
Stern Defense 15" MLOC Handguard.
Stock MagPul MOE Rifle.
Scope Mount: Leupold MK AR 30mm
Scope: SWFA 20X Super Sniper with a Scope Tube Mounted Bubble Level.
Harris Bench Rest Notch Leg Bipod with Pod Loc attached to a Yankee Hill MLOC Bipod Stud

Ammunition:
Hornady Prepped Brass (Flash Hole's Chamfered)
Bullets: Hornady 75 ELD-Match
Powder: CFE223
Charge: 30.2 grains (Hodgdon Max Load with CFE223 and a 75 grain Bullet)
Primers: Winchester Small Rifle
OAL: Seater adjusted off a factory 75 ELD-Match Round.

I am getting more impressed the more that I shoot it.

Bob R

Excellent report!  I ordered a barrel based on your last post, so I'm in for the ride!

I had 50 factory rounds left out of my original 100. I pulled the bullets on all of them yesterday. I plan to reload them a little lower velocity than the Factory loaded rounds. The plan is to have some brass without swipe marks after the first firing.

I set my Seekins Adjustable Gas Block using my first reloads that were very soft shooting. I may need to do a little more adjusting with round two of my reloads, since they are hotter.

dst27  I do not think that you will be disappointed with the Saturn/Liberty barrel. The one that I have is easily as accurate as my Krieger 5.56 or my White Oak 204 Ruger. I just got my Compass lake 6.5 Grendel together this evening. I have high hopes that it will drive tacks also.

Bob R

I have a 20" Satern barrel also. I've only tried H335 as my powder but have tried a range of charges with 55gr Vmax and 62 eld-vt's. Every test has given me MOA - sub-moa groups at 100yds. I've got more of the 62's coming so I'm ready to start doing more testing at longer distances.

So far I've been nothing but impressed.

Good results Op!

Waiting on the gas tube and ammo to arrive…then the face off!

Head-to-head face-off? Can't wait!