Posted: 6/17/2012 6:25:07 PM EDT
| I'm looking to reload for highpower practice and competing. my questions are: .223 or 5.56? and could somebody point me in the right direction of load data for that purpose. I'm looking for accuracy but I would also like it to be cost effective.. |
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Full course. I am wielding a RRA NMa2 with a 20" stainless match grade 1:8. Cost effective meaning.. I want quality ammunition as an end product but if reload A hits 1/16th" tighter groups for twice the bullet cost then I'm not interested. I'm on a budget to some extent. I'll spend what I need to but this is a hobby for me so I'm not trying to break the bank. At some point money becomes an object. I want to save money handloading vs store bought ammunition as well as be more accurate.
I wasn't sure if there was something to take into consideration between the two loads. If maybe one was favored over the other in competition because of ballistics or something. I know 5.56 hits harder but wasn't sure if they shared the same ballistic properties. 
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| We commonly refer to it as 223. The difference comes up more in the way the barrel chambers are cut, rather then the ammo itself. You can shoot 77gr Sierra's across the course. There are balisticaly superior bullets to shoot at 600, but you will be fine with 77 to keep it simple. |
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The military highpower ammo is a 77gr Sierra Match King HPBT. They are made by Black Hills and you can find lots of data on the round if you want to work up something close to it. The Navy guns are also RRA NMA2 with 1:8 and they shoot 200, 300, and 600 all day long.
I have loaded 8208 XBR and am pleased with it's performance so far. It is an extruded stick powder, and it's about 1/2 the size of Varget so it meters much better. The next powder that I am working up is TAC. TAC has been highly recommended by many reloaders that I know and is also said to closely match the Black Hills ammo. For high power in an AR platform you don't need to get bogged down with hand metering each load. Most powders will meter well enough to hit the X-ring consistently (even Varget). That being said, the ball powders like TAC and Win 748 meter better than stick powders like RE-15 and 8208 XBR. 69gr SMK are a very popular choice for many high power guys for practice and reduced course matches. They can do the job across the course, you will just have to get better at reading the wind and making proper adjustments. For 200 yd practice, the 53gr SMK over Win748 has been highly recommended to me. The 53gr is a flat base bullet and I have discovered that I prefer loading boat tails because they sit on the case better when making the ammo. The 52gr SMK is the BT version of the 53gr SMK. They have very similar BC's, but I have actually heard a lot of guys get better results with the 53gr SMK. I just got my RRA NMA4 and am sighting it in with some factory XM193 55gr crap. The 55's will hit the X ring at 200 easily. A lot of guys on the reloading forum swear by Hornady 55gr FMJ-BT, so I have some of those to try next also. So cost wise, the 53gr SMK and 52gr SMK are probably some of the cheapest bullets for good accuracy at 200yds. The Hornady 55gr FMJ-BT and Sierra Blitzkings are probably next on the list moving up in cost. I talked to a guy yesterday that loads 60gr Sierras for practice and swears they are more accurate the the 69gr SMKs that he uses for matches. 69gr SMK's are a bit more expensive, but will work across the course. The closest to military highpower match ammo is the 77gr SMK, and they are a proven performer across the course. Some civilian shooters also load 80gr VLD bullets just for the 600 yd line. Powder selection is just going to be your preference. I would recommend starting with TAC because it is popular, easy to find, and has a large range of safe charge weights. It meters well and works across the course. Some guys use only VV powders even though they are very expensive. N135 or N133 are said to be reliable and burn very clean. Re-15 and 8208XBR may be on your list later on as powders to try, although load data usually starts to show up at the heavier bullet weights. If you mix and match your practice ammo and match ammo, it is especially important to keep a good dope book on your gun. It would be disasterous to use the wind and elevation data for a 53gr SMK that you practice with at 200yds if you shoot a 77gr SMK at 600yds. Good Luck. |
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Midway has many of the Sierra match kings on sale (77,69,53) . Compare them to Graffs and Wiedners-those are the big three that comes to my mind.
Once you get screwed into what bullet you will use Sierra packs the SMKs in 500 boxes-usually 3-5cents cheaper per bullet. Not a huge deal but think of it as paying for your primers. Also after you get a decision on your powder buy in 4lb and 8lb bottles from one of the big mail order guys (or ask your local guy what it would cost to order) 1lb powder bottles are for chumps! At 25gr per load you won't get but 275 loads per lb(yeah I know 280 but you will spill a bit) Keep in mind most local stores have to mark up reloading supplies quite a bit because they sit around so long. Work up a good sized bulk order (big boxes of bullets,kegs of powder and sleaves of primers) and you might be surprised at what price the local guy can let you have them for. Compared to haz-mat and shipping from the mail order guys a smart local guy might be able to nearly match the cost of the mail order outfits. (I get screwed here in CT with our sales tax but it never hurts to ask) There are other choices but for my match loads I always start with Sierra bullets and the data in Sierra'a load manual,they even have a section for AR15 seperate from 223 bolt gun loads. Sierra bullets are a bit more expensive but in line with other primium match bullets and the easy availability of 500 count boxes softenes the blow somewhat. If I am going to go through the trouble of doing case prep and all that I want a good load that I can have confidence in. I don't load blasting ammo for the AR only match ammo. Good luck |