Five shots and you completely missed the dime?
I'll take that rifle off your hands for $400. Cash.
Nice shooting.
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I think I will keep it.Five shots and you completely missed the dime?
I'll take that rifle off your hands for $400. Cash.
Nice shooting.
What’s your goal? That would guide me if I was happy or not.
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I would try and repeat the group you shot above. If it can be replicated then start working on shrinking it. Being able to shoot consistent small groups is a sign of a good load, a load that shoots good in certain conditions means there's work to be done.Right now my goal is getting better in my precision reloading process for gas guns. This load will be a all purpose round to stock up on. Coyotes, whitetail, and range fun.
Overall the group is quite good for your intended use. I've been running the 73gr ELDM's since mid 2018 in my 26" bolt gun. They perform awesome, both in accuracy and terminal performance on PDogs & Woodchucks. They are nowhere as explosive as a VMax or varmint style bullet, but they do tend to fragment/grenade with minimal exit wound channel at the velocities I'm using. For reference that is pushing it at 3025fps and an OAL of 2.550in.Right now my goal is getting better in my precision reloading process for gas guns. This load will be a all purpose round to stock up on. Coyotes, whitetail, and range fun.
Overall the group is quite good for your intended use. I've been running the 73gr ELDM's since mid 2018 in my 26" bolt gun. They perform awesome, both in accuracy and terminal performance on PDogs & Woodchucks. They are nowhere as explosive as a VMax or varmint style bullet, but they do tend to fragment/grenade with minimal exit wound channel at the velocities I'm using. For reference that is pushing it at 3025fps and an OAL of 2.550in.
In a 14.5" barrel I would guestimate muzzle near 2525-2550fps which should put you at a nice sweet spot for expansion and terminal performance. The minimum expansion threshold of 1600fps Hornady lists in their manual right would be around the 500yds range.
After the awesome experience in my bolt gun naturally I wanted to run them in my AR'stoo! That is when I found out that the 73gr ELDM can be a bit of a persnickety bullet to load for in an AR.
It typically likes to be loaded a touch longer than magazine length of 2.260in. Rainer barrels do tend to love the bullet, my 105" upper did). However, my two White Oak barrels not so much. ASC stainless steel magazine allow an OAL of 2.310in for reference and 2.300ish tends to be near the optimum OAL. Be careful going much above 23.5gr, XBR 8208 can go from ok to pressure signs very quickly.
A lot of folks use the Hornady 75gr BTHP as their general purpose bulk loading bullet as it is cheap and accurate. It is also not very sensitive to being loaded to 2.26in or less muck like the 77gr SMK. I see @Toprudder posted up a very fine group with load data back on pg 1.
I settled on running 77gr SMK's over 23.1gr of XBR 8208 in an LC case OAL 2.248in for all my AR uppers.
I would try and repeat the group you shot above. If it can be replicated then start working on shrinking it. Being able to shoot consistent small groups is a sign of a good load, a load that shoots good in certain conditions means there's work to be done.
Looks like it will serve your intended purposes well. It is also a great starting point for working towards a smaller group. What is your current reloading step order? What dies are you using?Here is the followup 10 shot group from above. Not as great as the first. But it was also cold and I was not very comfortable at the bench. .99 MOA shot as fast as I could settle down between shots.
I think2019 rounds under 1moa seems to be a good load.
View attachment 407039
Looks like it will serve your intended purposes well. It is also a great starting point for working towards a smaller group. What is your current reloading step order? What dies are you using?
Sounds like a good system. Have you tired it without the FCD? It seems to me that it would be counter productive to using the mandrel and then crimping. I know many recommend crimping in the AR to make sure there's no bullet setback, I also know there are many who don't crimp in the AR's and it works fine. How much are you expanding the neck with the mandrel? Whats your neck tension?Currently I process all my brass on my 650 in one step.
Deprime
Swage
Size & trim dillon die
Expand case neck sinclair mandrel die.
Loading steps
Lyman M die. (Loading Hdy flat based bullets and didnt pull the die when i swapped to the ELDMs)
Case activated Charge die
Lee Seater
Lee FCD
Most of my dies are floated. But not the processing toolhead. I think my reloading improvements would be the following
- Uniform primer pockets & FH
- improve Runout using a better seater
- Test different primers with this load.
My biggest improvement would probably be more trigger time and working on myself.
I am using the smaller neck turning mandrel that gives .002 or .003 neck tension. However, the M die right now is further expanding and slightly belling the case for the flat base bullets I was loading. I have the lee FCD set light to remove the slight bell from the M die.Sounds like a good system. Have you tired it without the FCD? It seems to me that it would be counter productive to using the mandrel and then crimping. I know many recommend crimping in the AR to make sure there's no bullet setback, I also know there are many who don't crimp in the AR's and it works fine. How much are you expanding the neck with the mandrel? Whats your neck tension?
So I tried the 68gr Hornday HPBT-Match bullets today with several loadings of CFE223. Out of my 18" 223 Wylde barrel, they were HORRIBLE! Worst groupings I have ever shot with this rifle. I got 1/4" groupings with Varget, then I try this powder and it was just gawd awful. Amazing how powder makes such a huge difference. I think I'm going to keep the CFE to just light bullet duty and not even try it with heavier bullets anymore.
I actually have 2 boxes of the 73 ELD-M that I'll be trying soon. I'm back to working on my 308 loads for a while, but up next will be ELD-M and I also have some 77gr SMKs on the way. I was actually very happy with the 68gr with Varget, but it turned to crap with the CFE! I am using an ultramatch barrel, so funny you mentioned that one.For the record, I’ve used Proof, Shilen, Rainier match and Ultramatch barrels and they all hated the 68gr Hornady. I’d try the 73gr ELD or even the 60gr VMax before using the 68gr BTHP
Or just go with the 69gr SMK. Always a winner in my rifles…25.8-26.0gr CFE223 IIRC. Can check my load work up notes later on
Put them up for sale in the reloading FS section.I've got about 500 rounds of 1-2x fired 223 brass if anyone wants em
If no takers I'll drop them at a recycling center more to freak them out.