223 ammunition

[nick703 446]

What's everyone using? I've been using hornady superformance 53 grain at 28.99 a box of 20,  used 4 rounds to get back to bull other day after cleaning the rifle so want to try something cheaper an I'm not home loading as i work an have enough hobbies

[Deker 3,450]

PPI PRVI 55g SP worth a look, they don't suit every rifle but they give me 1" in my T3 Lite and for field work that's just fine for me!

[Meece 1,957]

No two rifle barrels are the same and although ammo is made to saami spec different guns will shoot better with a certain cartridge. This is why people reload with a recipe that they find suits their rifle. You might be lucky and the first and  cheapest round suits your rifle. I've known 3 different rifles in 222 that would only group  with one type of cartridge. With the swèet round all 3 would put 5 shots on a 10 pence coin at 100 but that any of the rifles used with anything else had a hard job to group within 4 to 6 inches. The 222 is a very very accurate round but alĺ rifle barrels seem to  match a preferred diet. Basically it ain't as simple as what is anyone else usIng, ok, so I'll use that also. Some people like cabbage, some hate it !

Edited July 23, 2018 by Meece

[nick703 446]

An here's me thinking my rifle would be good with any cheap ammunition      My local shop as 23 different types of 223 ammunition so was just wondering what other people are having good results with, in 20+years of rifle shooting I've learnt nothing, until now.          An I like cabbage

[shovel leaner 7,648]

I have stuck with Sako 50 grain ,I found it shoots tight groups through my Brno and my Tikka . However at £26 a box I’m thinking of starting reloading .

[nick703 446]

3 minutes ago, shovel leaner said:

I have stuck with Sako 50 grain ,I found it shoots tight groups through my Brno and my Tikka . However at £26 a box I’m thinking of starting reloading .

My local shop as 223 ammunition starting at £12.99 a box, the ones I use are one of the most expensive so I'll stick with them but every time I go to shop I'll get a box of the cheaper ones to try, I've got  night vision on my 223 so check my zero regularly and it's getting expensive

[Deker 3,450]

7 minutes ago, nick703 said:

My local shop as 223 ammunition starting at £12.99 a box, the ones I use are one of the most expensive so I'll stick with them but every time I go to shop I'll get a box of the cheaper ones to try, I've got  night vision on my 223 so check my zero regularly and it's getting expensive

I check the zero regularly on ALL my rifles, I also keep them all clean.  They are never far off, even after a clean, one or two shots at most to get zero back, and that is usually just to clear any cleaning/oil residue in the barrel.

I have settled on the ammo that suits my rifles and needs so I very rarely change, but any different ammo will of course need a zero check!

[shovel leaner 7,648]

2 minutes ago, nick703 said:

My local shop as 223 ammunition starting at £12.99 a box, the ones I use are one of the most expensive so I'll stick with them but every time I go to shop I'll get a box of the cheaper ones to try, I've got  night vision on my 223 so check my zero regularly and it's getting expensive

I know what you mean , if I knock my night vision scope I check it with a couple of shots . If it’s out it can take a few to get it back . I probably use more ammunition messing about zeroing that actually shooting foxes . Having said that , I was on a good run for a bit and went for a while without having to zero . I’ve got a mate who makes rifles and reloads . He said he can get me all the kit for reloading at trade price . I said I like the Sako ammunition I’m using 50grain game heads , and I don’t want to get into cooking up different loads . He said if your rifle likes the 50grain Game heads , stick with them , it’s a good starting point . I’m not going to get hung up about super accuracy, My night vision is only really effective to about 200 or so meters , so as long as I get a reasonable group at 100 I will be happy . Trouble is I know what I’m like , I will probably get hooked on reloading and be constantly tinkering. Watch this space !!!

[Deker 3,450]

I don't reload but I know several who do, they will come up with the perfect load this week and be happy for a day or two, then I find next week they are tinkering again to improve it, and so it goes on and on......

[shovel leaner 7,648]

My motivation to reload is purely a financial one . I will probably just make a round that suits and that will be it ....I hope

[IanB 0]

In my 1:12 T3, 40gr vmax or Varmageddon reloads. cost me about 40p or less each roughly to reload a round, thats primer, powder, head, thats not including the brass which provides multiple reloading..

Deadly accurate for me and have dropped everything I have shot stone dead, 3700fps.

[nick703 446]

7 minutes ago, shovel leaner said:

I know what you mean , if I knock my night vision scope I check it with a couple of shots . If it’s out it can take a few to get it back . I probably use more ammunition messing about zeroing that actually shooting foxes . Having said that , I was on a good run for a bit and went for a while without having to zero . I’ve got a mate who makes rifles and reloads . He said he can get me all the kit for reloading at trade price . I said I like the Sako ammunition I’m using 50grain game heads , and I don’t want to get into cooking up different loads . He said if your rifle likes the 50grain Game heads , stick with them , it’s a good starting point . I’m not going to get hung up about super accuracy, My night vision is only really effective to about 200 or so meters , so as long as I get a reasonable group at 100 I will be happy . Trouble is I know what I’m like , I will probably get hooked on reloading and be constantly tinkering. Watch this space !!!

I'd be same if I started home loading, my wife says I'm not aloud any more hobbies, especially expensive ones . 

[walshie 2,804]

1 minute ago, nick703 said:

I'd be same if I started home loading, my wife says I'm not aloud any more hobbies, especially expensive ones . 

Technically it's a cheap hobby if it saves you money. 

I've found a recipe that works well in my 223 for everything I use it for so I don't see a need to "fine-tune" it. 

[ianm 2,594]

My 223 Tikka T3 1-12" didn't like hornady 53grn ammo, odd ones used to tumble. I tried federal premium 40grn and they were ok in it but at £29 a box 6 years ago they where expensive. 

Then i bought a Tikka supervarmint in .204 to try and i liked it a lot. I bought all the reloading gear for £200 s/h and very quickly found a load that puts bullet on bullet at 100yds. The reloads cost me about 40p each and i have hundreds of cases once fired from mates who don't reload and have binned their 223s in favour of 204. I sold my 223 about 5 years ago and bought another Supervarmint 204 for day time shooting. Luckily both rifles favour the same recipe home load so i don't have any messing about.   

I have a Drone pro x 10 on a McKillop mount on my rifle for night time foxing fitted and zeroed 2 yrs ago and it never moves, even after driving over rough ground.

[Meece 1,957]

To several  post above,  you might find that the cheapest round that you can  buy may well be one that suits your gun. Reloading is a hobby in its own right and you've got to go about it in a methodical way recording what you do. I would say that a chronograph is a pretty essential bit of kit. Not having one is like having a car without a speedo. Reloading isnt just buying a book and pouring bits into a case, theres a lot to it. There a lot of testing and understanding whats going on with the loads. Youve got to be someone that is patient and methodical.  I've knòwn several who have tried it and given up.  Once a suitable load is found you don't need to keep to fiddling  about with it. Ps the chrono. I loaded and found an accurate combination that would shoot 410 cases off of fence posts at 100 but when used on fox they went straight through but didnt kill. When I used a chrono I found the bullet was doing 2900. At range this wasn't fast enough to make the bullet set up. After a lot of testing with powder and bullet  changes, I developed a 55grn load at 3450fps which has never failed to kill on the spot out to 300 paces, althoug eighty to 100 is more usual range.

Pps why is it that using the digits for eighty 8 & 0 makes this smiley 》》》》 ? .....

Edited July 25, 2018 by Meece