50gr Zmax OFFICIAL Load Thread!!!

[sagela]

that rifle u have is it one that takes ar mags ?

Sorry, denton, I missed your post. The bolt guns I have which take AR mags are Rem700s in .223.
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.

[ROB]

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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[CodySPowell]

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...

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[sagela]

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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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.

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[ROB]

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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[sagela]

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. :>)

[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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[72Camaro]

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...

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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.



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.



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.

[sagela]

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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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.
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.

[sagela]

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.

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.

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.

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.

72Camaro sounds familiar and Graham is fairly close...were you an SGN guy? WaGuns.ORG?