Sako 85 xs .222 - load development & COAL

[salopsniper]

So I have had my Sako 85 XS .222 just over 2 months now and I’ve gone start some load development for it and move away from factory fodder.

I used my a Hornady modified case and OAL gauge to find the lands and loaded a dummy up using a SBK 50gr with 20thou jump to the lands. I’ve then put it in my Sako mag and it barely fits as in a cigarette paper thickness or two of clearance. 20thou is where I wanted to do my powder charge testing but not sure that it’s wise to continue with so little room in the mag.

I have also measured some factory Hornady Superformance 50gr and made a second dummy to book COAL. There is a big difference between these two and my 20thou jump !

What’s anyone else’s experience and thoughts especially with the .222 calibre ?

 

[the prowler]

Load them to just fit the magazine and give them a try.

 

[andyk]

The only problem it’s likely to cause is with feeding, so there’s no harm giving it a try.

I use 73gr ELD in my 222 and they’re loaded as far out as the mag allows without a risk of them hanging up. They could go further out were it not for the mag.

 

[salopsniper]

Is there any concern of them being loaded too long as I’m not enough bullet in the neck of the case ?
Cheers

 

[andyk]

Potentially but more so if you’re jamming them into the lands (as you may find the bullet stays in the barrel when you try and eject an unfired case).

Have a look at how much bullet you have in the neck and perhaps try pulling one to see how well held it is?

One other consideration is whether the bullet is properly centred, as it’s more able to sit out of alignment if it’s only just seated.

 

[Smellydog]

Who said they must be .020" back?
Unless you are after more powder capacity do them for reliable feeding otherwise you will get fed up pretty quickly.

 

[salopsniper]

20 thou just being a common banded tiger to start load development at !

For this rifle it’s going to be more I think. Will do another dummy at 40 thou jump and see what that’s like in the mag

 

[3595wilk]

I run Hornady vmax 50gr with 50 thou jump.

Hornady are very jump tolerant. They clock around 3080 FPS with RS36 and more than accurate enough for Fox and Munty.

The Hornady OAL is a faff to use. The Cortina method may give you more consistency in identifying your lands....

 

[cjs66]

Mine works perfectly with what the books recommend for oal, never felt the need to p!ss about getting near the lands. My 50g soft points have loads of room in the mag, feed perfectly and shoot small groups when load testing. Same goes for my 50gr Vmax load.

cjs

 

[charlie222]

I measured a factory 50 vmax cartridge and just stick to that length for my reloads. I think could load a turnip in my .222 and it still out shoot me, they are pretty forgiving.