.223 oal

ziggy

Well-Known Member
hi guys, i already have a load that i like in my .223 and im about start trying toget the groups that bit tighter(it doesnt need it but i like to play) and i was just wondering what sort of oal everyone else uses with a 50 grain bullet? i have mine at 2.22" at the moment but will be making them a bit longer next.
 
oh i know this, im not after advice its just a curiosity thing. i was bored early and just thought id see what i could actually get to chamber etc, the longest with out having to "force" the bolt was 2.9"
 
ziggy
my old 223 info was
rem LTR 223
5 "tho off lands
coal `1.9150 50 gr
coal 1.9190 45 gr frangable head due to short OG
no use to you i no, but this was mine

i used bullet comparator and o.a,l gage mod case ect to setup correct chamer size and backed then off lands and my ar15 with 69hp match were around the same ish
paul o'
 
cheers for the reply paul, like i say i was just interested as i was surprised how much extra "room" i had to play with
 
IF YOU WERE IN THE SOUTH USA YOU WOULD BANG IT IN TIGHT CLOSE YA EYES AND PULL:cuckoo:
ALL THE BEST
PAUL O'
 
hahaha yeah i can imagine. its halfway up the barrel before you squeeze the trigger haha. good job i enjoy reloading isnt it :D
 
yes feller i love the moon cuts from the retrimed necks befor you debur them my wife loves the black marks i put on he cabnets when i come in from loading room for a brew just one look and i no i'v been a bad boy and the odd unused primmer up the bench hoover is a grin aswell :rofl:henrys not well today!
keep on stuffing em in feller
paul o'
 
just dont get caught cleaning your brass in the washing machine, it doesnt go down too well. saying that though, what nobody else knows cant hurt me :cool:
 
nowt wrong with that i used to make pratical pistols before thay said we were all gun nuts:ban: i used to put glock 40cal in the dish washer after milling slides and porting barrels but her in doors found out and i had to buy an altrasound but clean was clean kept cost down aswell .funny things them with front bumps
:doh:

laters feller
i'am off out its 17hmr bunny time
paul o'
 
You talk of the sweet spot with the overall length how do you figure out how long the bullet can be maximum? I usualy follow the manual and if it says 2.20 then that's what I do; if I increase the length will this improve groupings I use 50g sieras soft points with 2.20 aol and get half inch groups at 100 yard;
 
You talk of the sweet spot with the overall length how do you figure out how long the bullet can be maximum? I usualy follow the manual and if it says 2.20 then that's what I do; if I increase the length will this improve groupings I use 50g sieras soft points with 2.20 aol and get half inch groups at 100 yard;

all manual gives an average length so a std factory round will cycle and chamber in any factory rifle,to find your sweet spot you have to adjust your seating depth,either taking it in or out of the case,to do this the best way is to find your rifle OAL "overall length" of the bullet your using,take nor different bullets may give different readings.
so one size dosnt suit all,so to speak.
once you have found the OAL load in batches of 3 at various different seting depth to see a pattern appear,I have found to save time and money I load a batch to the OAl and take by hand press and dies into the field,I only fir 2 shots if they dont touch I dont fire a 3rd I press the bullet in 10 thou
keep doing thios untill you find the sweet spot,then fire a 3r 4th and 5th shot to varify
but to be fair if your getting 1/2 groups from a factory rifle I would bother
 
The longest I can close the bolt properly on my t3 is 2.390 but I've not gone that far yet.
 
You talk of the sweet spot with the overall length how do you figure out how long the bullet can be maximum? I usualy follow the manual and if it says 2.20 then that's what I do; if I increase the length will this improve groupings I use 50g sieras soft points with 2.20 aol and get half inch groups at 100 yard;
I have become convinced that seating out farther is no guarantee of accuracy.
I seat the bullet to minimum OAL (or until the parallel sides of a boat-tail bullet are at the base of the neck) and start from there. I don't care one bit how far off the lands the bullet is. It is amazing how many times my best accuracy is had at that point. My old Savage .223 got this treatment with Speer 50 grain "TNT" bulk bullets and I was instantly rewarded with bug hole sized groups and staple punching repeatability. Same with my 6.5mm FN, and my .308 Savage Long Range Hunter: both top notch shooters.

Were I to adjust my OAL, the max OAL would be magazine length if the throat length allowed it out that far. But, I don't like seating out too far. I like to maximize the available combustion chamber and the neck tension and bullet alignment.~Muir
 
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