I'm new and trying to get some accuracy.

[runfiverun]

H-110 is a weird duck.
I sucked it up and tried it in some rifle loads a while back and it done fine, I was nervous as heck doing it and thankfully the accuracy wasn't much to get worked up about.
aa-1680 shot much better for me and 2400 done just as well as that and used less.

I used published and tested H-110 data so wasn't on my own this time.

[22_boomer]

H-110 is a weird duck.
I sucked it up and tried it in some rifle loads a while back and it done fine, I was nervous as heck doing it and thankfully the accuracy wasn't much to get worked up about.
aa-1680 shot much better for me and 2400 done just as well as that and used less.

I used published and tested H-110 data so wasn't on my own this time.

I checked into doing really reduced loads for the rifle cartridges (both .222 and .223) and all the info I found said the really fast powders kind of explode to start with and are not a problem as far as detonation goes. That is the reason I use (or at least am trying) Unique. The powder is like fairly large discs and works great for what I am doing but I measure each load on a beam scale so the size and shape is not a problem. LoadData says 8.0gr of Unique in a .223 Remington cast should get around 2000fps. This was the load that gave me some accuracy but I need to figure out why I get the inconsistency -- some shots grouping together and then random shot placement. I have not in the past tried to weigh the boolits but I guess that will have to become standard practice.

[runfiverun]

especially with the 22 boolits.
I sort them all.
my plinkers are the 'outside' weight boolits, they are still in a weight group though.
and yeah I got little cups full of weight sorted boolits all the same style sitting on the shelves.

[22_boomer]

I built a second manual AR upper to see if I could get any accuracy using .223 brass and light powder charges. I did a bunch of loads using cast boolits and also did some rounds using 40 grain V-max bullets as a comparison test batch. The first picture below is the V-max test group. I loaded 15 rounds but shot 2 to get sighted in so the group is only 13 rounds. The V-max rounds used 6.7gr of Unique powder and where shot through a Colt 1:7 twist 20" HBAR barrel.


I shot cast boolits through the same barrel as above. The cast boolits were Lyman 225415 51gr boolits and did fair with 8.0gr of Unique and 8.5gr of Unique but the best was at 9.0gr of Unique as shown below.

that was a fair 5 shot group and the other rounds using that powder charge did the same. I believe I may have gotten around 2100fps with the 9.0 powder charge. The big thing was that this made for a good plinking and small varmint rifle using easy to find .223 brass and a light powder charge. All the cartridges were primed with CCI BR-4 primers.

I forgot to say that it was darn windy the day I shot these and was knocked around a bit by wind gusts.

[Pilgrim]

Guess I have to back and buy some standard small rilfe primers. I was told that the BR-4's were just more consistent primers as compared to standard small rifle primers.

xxxxxx

You were told correctly. The folks that make the CCI primers have their production more or less continually tested. The tech that makes the most consistent standard primers for a month, then makes the next months BR primers. The primer mix is the same, tools are the same, work area is the same. I've been there, seen the primers being made, and talked to both techs and CCI management. In fact I know BR shooters that use standard CCI primers rather than buying the BR primers. They win, too!!

[22_boomer]

I wondered about the BR-4 primers so I sent an e-mail to CCI about it and I got this reply;

"Charlie, you are almost right. The BR-4 primer is a standard primer, thrown to a tighter tolerance, but it also has a thick cup. The CCI 450 primer is hotter than the BR-4 primer. Below you will find the primer comparisons.

Small rifle primers
CCI-400.............................. standard mix, standard cup, and standard anvil.
CCI-450..............................Magnum primer, Mag primer mix, thick cup, standard anvil.
#41......................................Mil. Spec. primer, thick cup, magnum primer charge, angle of anvil change.
BR4.....................................thick cup, standard anvil and standard priming mix held to a tighter tolerance.





Make Every Shot Count!
Justin M.
CCI/Speer
2299 Snake River Ave
Lewiston, ID. 83501"

I would like to continue to use the BR-4's in my reduced load rounds since the rounds all seem to be more consistent. Only problem is they are also a bit more expensive and hard to find around here. I may try some standard rifle primers and some magnum primers just to see if there is any real difference in my light loads.

[Digital Dan]

Boomer, maybe you should look to some of the basics before pursuing minutiae? Lot of powders are position sensitive when using reduced loads. Try tilting your rifle up before each shot, or use a bit of dacron to hold it in place. You might try a bit larger diameter. You might also endeavor to make sure any and all copper fouling is removed from the bore before shooting lead bullets. Maybe a different alloy mix? Your more favorable results with the fast twist barrel is a bit counter intuitive but perhaps there's a message to be found there.

H110 won't be your friend with this, stick with Unique or similar powders.

[22_boomer]

Unique is the only really fast powder I have and it seems to work very well for me. if I put each cartridge together paying attention to all the details they seem to work well. My manual AR still has the buffer and spring in place so the rounds are loaded into the chamber rather quickly. I would imagine the powder in each case is pretty much at the rear of the case near the primer hole. I use a 10 round Magpul magazine for all the rounds in the test gun. I'm not sure yet if I want to go the dacron route yet but I may try tipping the muzzle up before I shoot. I am a bit surprised that the 1:7 twist will actually allow me to put the cast boolits close to where I want them. The bore was clean before and after shooting so I must be keeping the velocity in the "Good" range. I did try a slower twist barrel at one time but it was an older Colt SP1 and I was not working that hard at keeping everything just right -- more like "load em up and shoot em" without a lot of control as to how things went together.

[22_boomer]

OOPS! double post -- fat fingers.