I'm prepped and primed to test my howa 22-250. Waiting on my trigger and floor plate for it first.Quote:
Originally Posted by sagela
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I'm prepped and primed to test my howa 22-250. Waiting on my trigger and floor plate for it first.Quote:
Originally Posted by sagela
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that rifle u have is it one that takes ar mags ?
50 grain Z-Max.... For my M77 223, 26.5 grains of Benchmark does the job! On a good day, 3” groups at 500 yards, a pop can full of water explodes! Can’t wait to try them on prairie dogs...
Nice! [emoji106]Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelB
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My PD pard uses Benchmark with great results in .223. Fantastic MV!Quote:
Originally Posted by CodySPowell
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Awesome stuff !
Was testing with Ramshot Tac and Shooters World Tac Riflehttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...92188c1aa0.png. Best group was actually with the SW Tac Rifle @ 27.0 gn.
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Nice!Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevenstovall
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Great group! How'd you happen to select this powder, previous experience with it?
I love the tech improvements happening in our sport?
When I started shooting 1 moa was the holy grail! (And nobody had yet thought to dilute gasoline with alcohol.)
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Actually picked up the powder on a free hazmat sale looking for cheap plinking components for the kids. Tried it and am really liking it and started using it instead of H335 more and more. It meters well and is pretty clean.Quote:
Originally Posted by sagela
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Sorry, denton, I missed your post. The bolt guns I have which take AR mags are Rem700s in .223.Quote:
Originally Posted by denton
They started life as "Tacticals" but now have AR mag conversions, 26" Shilen barrels with brakes,
Bell and Carlson tactical stocks, Timney triggers and somewhat unique slings that allow me to carry
them like luggage... the sling rises OVER the rifle, doesn't droop under it, allowing it to 'dangle' from my straight
arm as I walk. They also have Weaver 4-20x50mm "Tactical" mildot scopes with 3" shades which make them
difficult to shoulder normally.
The Rem M788 in .22-250 has a DBM but only holds 3 rds.
The Savage 12 bench gun has a blind box. Load it 3 deep one at a time, and unload it by working the bolt. :(
However, it's so heavy I'm unlikely to ever carry it in the field and at the bench, even in prairie dog country,
I'll probably single feed it.
At the risk of sounding obsessive...I also have 2 Mossberg MVPs that accept AR mags and which have 24" barrels.
They were far less expensive and are just as accurate as the Remingtons.
I put over 14,000 handloaded 50 Zs through the first Remington's 20" hvy barrel and it would still pick off prairie dogs
at 300yds when I changed barrels. I had loaded it to about 2900'/s with TAC which is a few % below published max charge and
the factory barrel stood it nicely.
About to start load development with these little guys, and was wondering what increments you use? I’m using Wes’ prepped brass, TAC powder, and WSR primers. I’m going to start in the middle of the Hornady load data. Was thinking about .5 gn increments, but am re-thinking things and am now thinking .3. What are your guys’/gals thoughts?? Shooting these out of a Daniel Defense AR.
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I usually go in .2gn increments. It's a bit more work but I usually won't have to do a second round of test loads. Just my 2 cents...Quote:
Originally Posted by ROB
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Since max load is ~ 25gr, I'd go with the smaller increment - thus starting 10% below max is a super simple workup. Since it's lighter than published maximum, I'll offer that my Remingtons and Mossberg both shot hlf inch grps with 25gr TAC under 50Zs and that was my std .223 load for 5 years. One Remington still shot 1" grps (sufficient to hit most p-dogs out to 300yds) after 14,000 of these loads.Quote:
Originally Posted by ROB
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Thank you. I think I’ll work up in .2. I have enough brass and pills for them. Bonus: I get to shoot more at the range. Shit part is that I shoot all my rifles to 200 yards. I WALK down range after every group. Good way to lose the holiday fat. Lol.
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Yeah, .223 holes are tough to see at 200yds. Used to have property near Bend, have fond memories of coyote hunts out near Wagontire. :>)Quote:
Originally Posted by ROB
Nice! I hunt coyote near Brothers and Hampton. Out near Fredericks Butte. You used to live in Bend, you come out this way anymore?
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Finally did this yesterday and found a couple loads to try a bit more on as I do prelims with 3 shot groups and then go to 5 to confirm. Found a couple of 5/8" groups at 200yds and 1 group 1/2" at 200yds. That is enough for error on my part so I'll do all three, narrow it down to one load and then do velocity checking to get the BDC correct in the scope. I'm actually adding a forth that is between the 2 at 5/8's since they were only .2 grains apart and most likely the best is between them. Finger is 1/2" group.Quote:
Originally Posted by CodySPowell
http://i.imgur.com/KkBLKE5l.jpg
That being said, I was doing some loads with 2 different barrels and one barrel is incredibly more accurate than the other. Sometimes you get what you pay for as one is a 700.00 upper and the other is 219.00 upper. If you can swing it get a White Oak Armament varmint barrel in 1:12 and 24". It is rare for anything to shoot over 1MOA. Yesterday on 10 loads all were under with Benchmark. The other barrel all were over but two with CFE223 and it is a 20" 1:8 barrel and not a WOA barrel but I did find one load that did go 9/16" at 200yds and one just squeaked in at 1MOA. Upper center target is the 20" barrel 9/16" group of 3.
http://i.imgur.com/41OWuCll.jpg
I've also tried the velocity way to find the node for loading and have not had much success and went back to the old full ladder of 3 each.
I normally shoot only 40 grain loads with my 24" barrel but all this talk about the 50's, had to try them and glad I did. Can always use another load that will shoot around 1/2" at 200yds if I do my part and hopefully buck the wind a little better. That is my nemesis.
Didn't live there, just had property in Deschutes Co. Had an uncle and cousin in Cove, NE corner. I really like it there. Did a couple forays into the sticks outside Imnaha. Lots of elk, mulies, bear and rattlers.Quote:
Originally Posted by ROB
Good water bubbling out of active springs... was great country to hike and hunt in when I was fit to.
Don't get down nearly often enough since I started pursuing prairie dogs in MT but I just got my Oregon Hunter's Ed certificate so I MUST be planning to return, right? Malheur Nat'l Forest (desolate!), Burns, Hines area and The Steens in SE corner pull at me. I just don't have time to do it all.
We have a Stag Varminter (#6) with 1:8 that performs like that with the 50Zs/TAC. Heavy, stiff, quality barrels get the job done. And in 2017 I shared a ridge on an Eastern MT ranch with a guy shooting his favorite prairie dog rifle and taking pot shots at 500+ yards with it. The wind was kicking his butt and the rancher told me later the guy had been an Olympic contending shooter. Winds never exceeded 15mph, but weren't steady so NObody could predict them. And we were firing across a depression and into a hillside, vegetation changing color 3x in 500yds. (We didn't have a chance.) Worst case, we'd have winds blowing on our right cheek and bending the grass the opposite direction on the opposite hillside. Crap shoot. We were lucky to kick dirt in their faces.Quote:
Originally Posted by 72Camaro
72Camaro sounds familiar and Graham is fairly close...were you an SGN guy? WaGuns.ORG?
I hunt Malheur every year with a couple buddy’s that have been hunting it for 30 years. Buck hunt last year was shit. Saw a few elk, of course. Will probably put in for elk there this year. Hard winter a couple years ago really hurt buck numbers. Tons of doe though. Mostly hunted around Pine Ck. area.Quote:
Originally Posted by sagela
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Talked to a warden there years ago who described coyote predation as #1 concern after weather - hunting mule deer in packs and getting good at it.Quote:
Originally Posted by ROB
I doubt that has changed since.
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That’s very interesting.
I may go up there in the Spring, scout a little, turkey/coyote hunt, and enjoy some sage rat shooting.
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What velocities are you all finding your best groups at?? Took my loads out today and had best groups at 2900. Seems really low to me. My last load work up just broke 3000 and that was about a grain above listed max. Pressure signs were non-existent. So I will keep working up. Just curious to know what you all are finding.
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The TAC load I mentioned above gave me 2870 from a 20" bbl, but I get about the same groups at 3210'/s (MVP 24"bbls), 3350'/s (Shilen 26" bbls) and in .22-250 from 24" bbls @ 3850'/s.Quote:
Originally Posted by ROB
It's the bullet!!
Lest there be any confusion, all these rifles wear 20 to 24 power scopes and Timney triggers.
My partner gets 3250/'s and 3350'/s from 20" and 24"bbls, respectively, using Benchmark and shoots the same groups with this bullet.
We buy them thousands at a time for prairie dogs.
Hopefully finishing up and finalizing the 50 grains tomorrow and whichever is most accurate, looking like 26.1 grains of Benchmark if I was to guess, and then whichever is most accurate I'll chrono on the next loading. 24" barrel 1:12 twist. Was hoping it would be a max load but it is not. Good groupings in the middle and one a couple loads down from max for the initial 3 shot group but I'll have to say, they are accurate. Usually shoot 40 grainers at 3400fps with H335 but if Benchmark gets me close for 50 grainers, I may use them instead on the next prairie dog shoot. I'm expecting about 3350fps as listed above by someone else, but we will see.
Awesome!!! Keep us updated buddy!!
Loads I worked up last weekend with TAC were alright. Best groups at 200 yards were ~3”. Max FPS was 3000.
I bought a pound of h335 and have rounds loaded that I will be shooting on Sunday. Hoping for better groups. This is out of a 16” AR15. 1:7 twist.
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I think H335 will do better in the 16" for you, and as most people have seen, the Zombies like to be pushed a bitQuote:
Originally Posted by ROB
Thanks. I’ll post results. Fun stuff playing around with these.
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Yes sir!!
Awesome bullet for sure!!
Sad they won't make more, but glad we have some left right now for those who like them
Quote:
Originally Posted by ROB
I worked up to the max with h335and less than half inch one hole.Quote:
Originally Posted by ROB
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What range were you shooting? And how long/twist of your barrel? Thanks for the help.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shane P
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Well, 5 rounds shooting about .438 MOA at 200yds for the 50 grainers, not bad and close enough for prairie dogs and it wasn't my initial 26.1 grain as that was .5 MOA for 4 and if the flyer added in 1 MOA, it was a lighter load that shot well on all 5. Now to load and do some Chronos. Had another barrel I was working on a 50 grain load that in initial was good but then only shot 1MOA. I'll need to work some different loads up.Quote:
Originally Posted by 72Camaro
http://i.imgur.com/1SkIM1al.jpg
Pretty awesome if you ask me!!
Best bullet for the money I have ever seen, which is why we use them :)
I've actually had a little bit better with 40 grain at 3400fps, but we are nearly splitting hairs better. 4 out of 5 at 1/2" grouping at 200yds a few times. Those 50 grainers are a great bullet and so far and no flyer in testing of that load. I bought another 1000 yesterday. When I get to shoot a bit more I bet I'll be close to getting that 1/2" grouping with the 50's at 200yds.
Awesome!! Thanks buddy!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by 72Camaro
How much cfe223?
Who are you asking? I was using Benchmark with the 50 grain. I have a bunch of CFE223 and will possibly try that afterwards. After you find the velocity that is accurate you can somewhat go to any other powder that will give you the same velocity and have the same accuracy. I have a 40 grain load with H335 and one with H322 and they are both accurate and averaged 1fps difference.
So vMax and zMax are the same projectile right, just different colored tips? Do the vMax projectiles act the same?