My new LMT shoots very well....

gcp · Post by **gcp** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:00 pm

...and feeds releably. Here's the target I shot with it today, with a redot scope and no magnification. The 150 or so yards seem almost too much for my old eyes but I am sure with the right scope it'll get it way tighter.

Did I mention that I like it one heck of a lot?

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 7:03 am

What type round, and what is the twist rate of your barrel?

R,
Bullseye

gcp · Post by **gcp** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 7:46 am

The barrel is 1 in 7 twist, and I was shooting Fiocchis 55gr FMJs.

Yesterday I purchased some 69 gr and 75 gr bullets to reload, I think heavier will probably perform better through this barrel but I'd like to establish the near perfect round for all of my ARs so I don't have to keep up with too much in 223. I bet it'll be a challenge if I'm to include my AR pistol.

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 4:50 pm

That could be some of your problem. Try some heavier bullets. 63 or 75 grains and see if that doesn't tighten up your group. Fifty-fives will not group well in my 1-7 barrels, the bullets are just to light for that fast twist rate.

R,
Bullseye

gcp · Post by **gcp** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:14 am

Problem? I see no problem with this target....other than old, tired eyes

All kidding aside, on my way home on Monday I stopped by my friendly ammo place and picked up one box each of 100 bullets (69gr and 75gr) for reloading. Great minds.... But I still believe it's me and not the rifle, or the Fiocchi ammo, so even a 4X scope would prob. do wonders to reducing "my" spread. I'll keep you posted.

Post by **Bullseye** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:28 am

Well the problem I see is the group is fairly open for 150 yards. This is likely due to the lack of stabilization for the 55 gr. bullets. When shooting these bullets out of a 1-7 Colt barrel I would typically see 3-3.5" groups at 200 yards. Yet with heavier bullets, that same barrel would easily group under 2". Doesn't seem like much but when your shooting on reduced targets, a more open group means lower point values.

R,
Bullseye

gcp · Post by **gcp** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 9:45 pm

So, I did a bit of reloading today for the 6.5X55 which went without a hitch. I also started on the 223 but I'm kind of stuck because I am using WC846 powder, which is equivalent to BL-C(2), but my Lee reloading manual does not specify BL-C for the 69gr bullet (estimating that 25gr ought to work well based on the H-Varget 24.1-25.5 range), and jumps from 70gr to 80gr so I have absolutely no charge data for my 75gr bullets. Can some one please provide me some not to exceed numbers so I can complete my reloading?

Thank you.

Post by **Bullseye** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 6:29 am

The Hogdon website has load data for BLC2 (the equivalent load for WC846 Ball surplus) http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp They have all loads for 223 and you can select BLC2 as an option and get a data chart for sizes up to 90 grain bullets.

The 69 gr. are at 26.5 of BLC2
The 75 gr. are at 26.0 of BLC2

R,
Bullseye

gcp · Post by **gcp** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 6:42 am

I found their site yesterday Bullseye, and a Hornady recommendation page from their manual, online, so I have more than enough recipes to try. Thank you for replying!

Here's the Hornady page for anyone that may need it, interesting to note that Hornady's max is somewhat lower than Hodgdon's.

Here's a bit more online info: http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html

And yet more: http://accurateshooter.net/Downloads/sierra223ar.pdf

Hakaman · Post by **Hakaman** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 3:30 pm

I don't know how much this helps this discussion, but, the ballistics tech at Sierra told me the 8" twist on my barrel should stabilize bullets between 50-100 grain. I had concerns whether I could shoot the 55gr fmjbt bullets I bought (1000) would work. I have yet to receive my AR, and am looking forward to trying them out. Should be here and day now. I already have my pmags loaded with:
Berry's 55gr FMJBT, CCI primer, Hogdon Varget 25.5gr, OAL 2.220"
Berry's 55gr FMJBT, CCI primer, Hogdon Varget 26.0gr ,OAL 2.225"
H

Post by **Bullseye** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 4:24 pm

The 1-8's may fair a little better with the lighter projectiles. The 1-7's definitely show a preference toward the heavier bullets.

R,
Bullseye

Hakaman · Post by **Hakaman** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:59 pm

The 1-8's may fair a little better with the lighter projectiles. The 1-7's definitely show a preference toward the heavier bullets.

Well, I'm hoping you and the ballistics tech are right, and I'm sure it helps to have the right load in it as well.

Did I mention that I like it one heck of a lot?

I'm not sure if you mentioned it before or not, but, that sure is a nice looking rifle.
Is that a carbine length AR? If so, how do you like that length stroke? I am thinking of building an AR, maybe this winter, and am wondering what length to build. I here pro's and cons about the carbine, mid, and rifle length sized AR's.
thanks, be safe,
Hakaman

Hakaman · Post by **Hakaman** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 6:03 pm

Oh yea, I did take a chance and bought one of these for cleaning my AR:
http://pptexas.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Scr ... _Code=ar15
h

Post by **Bullseye** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 6:43 am

That looks pretty nice for an AR cleaning stand. Is it made out of Delrin? I have an upper stand-off that I use for cleaning that I fashioned out of Delrin. That way I can use my standard cleaning stand I made out of Oak. The stand-off keeps the upper from flopping around when I run the rod through it. That plus a receiver good rod guide are essential for AR maintenance.

R,
Bullseye

gcp · Post by **gcp** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 7:35 am

It appears that the A-MAX may not be the proper bullet for an AR. The Hornady chart says OL should be 2.390" but there's no way such round would fit into the AR's mag. And I fear that when I seat the bullet low enough to feed through the mag the round may become unsafe due to excessive pressure. Any recommendations from our experts?

I'll probably need to call Hornady.....

I just found this interesting read http://www.zediker.com/books/ar15/images/ch6AR15.pdf