New guy with new rifle.

[dbk84]

First off hello everyone, new to the forum, did some looking around and found alot of good reading material to keep me occupied for awhile from all the seasoned handi rifle shooters in here.....anyway to my first question, I just bought a new heavy barreled handi in 223 and was interested in reloading for it. This will be the first time I have ever attempted to reload any cartridge so I have a few questions.....the first load I am going to make will be the 50 grain nosler ballistic tip over 24.5 grains of benchmark powder so in my nosler book it says that the maximum overall cartridge length is 2.260, so is that what I should seat my bullet to or am I missing something here?....sorry if this has already been hashed out I searched for it and didnt find anything. also in the sticky on the top of the forum it states that the new handi rifles chambered in 223 are a 1-9 twist, correct me if Im wrong but dosent that mean it will stabilize heavier bullets or am I backwards on that to?....thank you in advance.....

[LaOtto222]

First off - Welcome to GBO. My first Handi was a 24" Bull barreled 223, but it has a 1-12" twist. Normally a 1 in 9" twist will stabilize heavier than normal (normal is 55 grains) bullets. The 50 Nosler should not be a problem. The 1-9" twist rate should stabilize 65 - 69 grain bullets, but you will have to try them to be sure. You will not be able to reach the lands with your Handi rifle with a 50 grain bullet. The throat is very long in a Handi 223 rifle. So load to recommended OAL and do not worry about reaching the lands. You can get good accuracy loading to recommended OAL. 24.5 grains is a good place to start with Benchmark. Nosler lists Benchmark at 24.5 grains as their starting load and as their most accurate powder. If you get the accuracy you are looking for, then you have found an ideal load. If not you can increase the load by .5 grains until you reach the max of 26.5 grains. Nosler lists 25.5 grains as their most accurate load but this will vary depending on the particular gun you have. Personally, I think the 50 grain bullets are ideal for the 221 Fireball, 222 Remington and 223 Remington. They are a good balance between velocity and Ballistic Coefficient.

It sounds like you already read the stickies at the top of this section - that is a good thing. You may want to read them again, when you get a chance and or if you have any questions or problems. You can always ask here too, but you may be referred to the the stickies if the answer is there. Good Luck and Good Shooting

[dbk84]

Thank you very much....I was curious about reaching the lands but you cleared that up....anyway when I get my loads worked up and hit the sweet spot I will come back with a range report.....anyway thanks again

[LaOtto222]

I will be looking forward to a range report. I am currently experimenting with Benchmark and 40 grain V-Max bullets in a 223 - but with a different make of gun that has a 1-14" twist rate.

[dpe.ahoy]

Howdy.  Sounds like yer starting off on the right foot for your first reload.  Listen to what LaOtto222 said and you will find a good load.  Later you can mess with OAL to fine tune your load.  DP