Bullets heavier than 60 gr. in 9" twist .223s?

[PeterCartwright]

I learned this week that my assumptions about the twist rate in my SL .223 were probably wrong.  A couple minutes with a marked cleaning rod confirmed my error.  (I thought I had a 12" twist barrel, but it's a 9" twister).  Now I'm wondering what your experiences are with the faster twist Handi's and bullets heavier than 60 grs.  My gun does fairly well with 60 gr. Partitions, but I haven't tried anything heavier (or longer, for that matter).  It also does fine with 55 gr. bullets (and the 53 gr. TSX).  I'd be interested to know if any of you have played heavier pills, e.g. the 62 gr. TSXs, for example.

PC

[trotterlg]

If the bullets are not stable you will know it the first time you punch paper with it, the bullet will go through sideways.  If they are going straight through the paper then they are stable, just because they don't shoot well does not mean they are not stable, plenty of light bullets don't shoot well either.  I cannot imagine that a 9 twist won't keep a 70gr bullet stable unless it is a long pointy nosed boat tail bullet.  Your best accuracy will be when the bullet is just a little over being stable, so too much twist is bad.  This is especially true at long range, an over stabalized bullet ends up flying nose up way down range, so the BC of the bullet is much worse than what is published.  Just load some up and shoot them and see what you get.  Larry

[Default]

 I have played with them from 55 FMJ up to 75 gr match

  Found that my 1 in 9 liked the Hornady TAP 75 gr rounds alot (like cover a 4 shot string with a dime @ 100 ALOT) as for my reloads i had good results with the 68 gr hornadys and 69 gr sierras     ...   Though on this subject your barrel will be the one to tell you of course ... I would think the 62 gr bullets would turn in nice results , i have found my Handy Bull barrel (1 in 9) ,Mini 14 (1 in 10) and Colt AR (1 in 9) all liked the 62s, not all liked the 75gr loads i worked up... And 68 gr will be bought again for sure..

   Hope this helps you peter ,

    Default

[PeterCartwright]

Thanks, guys.  That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for.  I'd be happy to hear from others as well.

PC

[OR-E-Gun Bill]

From reading reports on here about the Handi .223 in 1:9 twist, there seems to be two camps. Some reporting good results with bullet weights from 45 to 60 grains and another group reporting good results with bullet weights from 60 to 75 grains.
My standard contour Handi .223 in 1:9 twist falls in the latter group. I started out with factory and handloaded 45 gr. and up. Everything under 60 gr. was flat out pathetic from my Handi.
A list of bullets that I've found that shoot well in mine so far:
60 gr. Hornady V-Max
64 gr. Win. Power Point
68 gr. Hornady BTHP Match
75 gr. Hornady A-max 

Much like the report from Default above, the 68 and 75 gr. bullets have proven to be the most accurate in my Handi.
It's all part of the fun of owning a Handi and handloading, always trying something different...

As Larry said, "Just load some up and shoot them and see what you get."

Bill

[snakeskinner]

I know you asked about 223 but here is my experience with 243 ultra. The longer 100 grain bullets shot terrible out of the 1:10 with standard to hot loads. When I slowed the bullet down (under 2900) I got much better accuracy.

EDIT: Corrected twist per Quick.

[quickdtoo]

The 243 has a 1:10" twist, some have checked and said they found it to be 1:11", but I have 4 of em that are all 1:10". It's not easy to check the twist with a tightly patched jag unless the rod can freely move and follow the shallow rifling, I believe that's the reason for false measurements. The same for the 243 not shooting the heavier bullets well, some do, some don't.

Tim

[PeterCartwright]

Tim,
Does barrel contour have anything to do with it.   I guess I'm asking if the harmonics of the SL make it less likely to like the heavier bullets, 9" twist not withstanding?

Guess when its all said and done, there still won't be any substitute for range trips with loads in hand.  (Nice problem, that!)

PC

[quickdtoo]

Maybe, I'd take a Limbsaver Deresonator with ya the next time and see how it works, costs less than $20 for a poor man's BOSS, I've spent more and got far less in return! 

Tim


http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,129224.msg1098472123.html#msg1098472123

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,158373.msg1098695855.html#msg1098695855

[PeterCartwright]

Thanks, Tim.  I'll probably wait for warmer weather (i.e. April/May) since we've descended into Yooper Winter.  The Deresonator thing is intriguing.

PC

[MSP Ret]

what affects the flight of the bullet, and is usually incorrectly ascribed to the bullets weight, (no, it's not the barrel contour, that does not affect bullet flight) is the LENGTH of the bullet. It just so happens that MOST heavy bullets are longer than lighter bullets of the same caliber....<><.... 

[PHATINJUN]

I had good success with the sierra's in 69gr before I turned my 223 into 225win still shootin same bullet bout 600fps faster though. Kurt

[Graybeard]

I had good success with the sierra's in 69gr before I turned my 223 into 225win still shootin same bullet bout 600fps faster though. Kurt

You must be running some hellaous pressures there Kurt. According to my Hornady manual there should be about 200 fps difference between the .223 and .225 with that bullet weight. Remind me not to stand anywhere near you when shooting that one please.