Author Topic: .223 handguns (Read 1065 times)

swampthing · « **on:** June 15, 2006, 02:43:34 AM »

Has anyone had good results with the .223 rem in short, 15" and under, barrels? Is reloading necessary to get this combo to be accurate?

Bullseye · « **Reply #1 on:** June 15, 2006, 06:47:50 AM »

My 14" Contender barrel will do under an inch at 100yrds with the cheap Winchester white box varmint loads or my reloads. Muzzle blast is not bad at all.

I had a 10" 222 barrel at one time. The muzzle blast was pretty fierce out of it.

encore3006 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 15, 2006, 07:42:12 AM »

swampthing · « **Reply #3 on:** June 15, 2006, 03:52:28 PM »

What was the bullet weight on those cheap winchester white boxes of ammo?
From what I can find it seems that bullets that weigh 40-50g are best for this caliber handgun with a 1:12twist barrel.

Bullseye · « **Reply #4 on:** June 15, 2006, 04:57:24 PM »

Winchester White Box is a 45 gr bullet.

I use a 50gr Hornady V-Max in my reloads.

swampthing · « **Reply #5 on:** June 15, 2006, 11:48:51 PM »

Thanks

Javelina · « **Reply #6 on:** June 17, 2006, 12:42:20 PM »

Hello Swampthing (great handle!),

223 Rem is an excellent caliber for 14"-15" inch Contenders/Encores. Many have also had great luck with the 10" barrels, but it may take a little more work to find a good load or handload. I have a 15" tapered factory Encore barrel in 223 Rem and it's one of my favorite guns, but it took some work to find the right load techniques. If you are interested in using indexing during your handloading process, PM me and I can help with that.

It is possible that with the right loads you can consistently shoot sub-.5" five shot groups at 100 yards with proper handloads for a 223 Rem. I do it even with a factory tapered barrel and I'm a terrible shot. You can do it too with a little work.

If you don't reload, you can still get good performance if you shoot several types of ammunition until you find the type your barrel likes best. I never did find a factory load my gun would shoot so reloading is my only option.

Safe and good shooting to you!

Javelina