reloading costs

[Psychosomatic88]

See what you mean about the diiference in OAL. If I were you, I would stick to loading to the orginal OAL and simply use better bullets and care and attention for better results. After all, no factory ammunition, apart from GP11, can compete with your own, right?

Load to the shorter manual specifed length rather than my measured length? .323" 200 grain bullets (as in, please forgive me bullet heads not cartridges. Which bar the fmj surplus I've never seen for sale but apparently is the likes of 150/175grain soft point) are difficult to find. I thought sierra match king HPBT would be the best I could find. Else wise it's stuff like 198grain PPU FMJBT which is a fair bit cheaper (£10ish cheaper per 100) The discrepancy over the OAL being +\- 0.01" was from 10 readings of trying to measure the chamber OAL not the completed cartridge. I usually load and check every cartridge to be within 0.001" I weigh individual charges fwiw regardless of quantity to be loaded. I wanted a solid figure and see that standard deviation between measurements was negligible. The way I was doing it was not consistent enough, I hope your way when I get my calipers back and start taking measurements will be. The surplus ammo available to me is frankly dog do do!


Remember too, that your military Mauser, if that's what you have, was doing just fine if it put three shots in 90mm at 100m, let alone the minute groups that folks seem to think are their birthright. Anything that did better, just like the Lee-Enfield, was set aside for 'better things'.

yeah I have a waffen stamped 1937 kar98k, large ring mauser. I'm happy if it will hold in the black. Though it seems to be at best a 5-7moa ish rifle but I'm only a young lad not used to firing these big scary bangers practise with it will help the groups I'm sure. Incidentally I will be putting in far a variation as I'd like a 'proper' sniper version too. Better things indeed

It's howling down with rain right now, so I'm not going out to the shed to check your VARGET loads for the 8mm Mauser, but please take great care not to get any round too short - even a slight difference, especially with the teeny calibres like the centre-fire .22s, can be very much NOT what what you want.

Exactly, although I'm also aware/concerned that loading a cartridge longer causes big pressure spikes too, which links back to my first answer to the above. I guess if I did load 0.005" off the lands and progressively further away (increasing bullet jump) that I'd need to go right back to the mid point in the sierra book and proceed carefully. The annoying thing was my first loads (42ish grains varget from memory was putting the bullets in the mantel (2-3foot low)
tac

I've got to say its much easier with a scope to develop a load from my limited experience. Perhaps I should buy one of the weaver rails that replaces the sight leaf and a LER scout scope for load development, then take it off when done. It really appeals to me to match the load to the rear sight calibrations, then go shoot it at 600m and possibly 1000m.

[Parabuteo]

does anybody find that mil surp recohets more than vmax.

my budget is prob 200- 300

i would should maybe 800 rounds a year

I would expect it to be pretty random when it does, the stuff has a steel insert up front so the arse overtakes it on impact.

Take a file to one.....no wonder they go every which way but loose!!!

The Vmax is designed to mushroom and slowdown, but it all depends on so much you can never say what they will do for sure

[Parabuteo]

I am with TAC on teh OAL issue.

You want to avoid changing too many variables, a change of .2gr of load can shift the sweet spot quiet well,and the small changes in OAL can similarly change things.

I have 2 loads for my F/TR rifle. One sees the bullet (SMK .308 155gr 2156) seated 16thou off the lands.

The long range load sees a Berger hybrid some 40 thou off the lands to achieve an acceptable group (not my birthright, just a basic requirement when your v bulls are .5moa before you bugger things up by getting involved).

My old M67 will shoot .5moa, but forget the lands, the bullet needs a polevault to reach em.

If I use a stony point gauge the bullet will all but fall out, but set to factory COL (or near enough) it works well.

Some rifles just have to jump the bullets

[DedIdick]

I would expect it to be pretty random when it does, the stuff has a steel insert up front so the arse overtakes it on impact.

Take a file to one.....no wonder they go every which way but loose!!!

The Vmax is designed to mushroom and slowdown, but it all depends on so much you can never say what they will do for sure

Other way round,old boy, the penetrator punches through the jacket and leaves it behind. (it still behaves unstably though)

[Si-snipe]

hi havent posted in a while, but have been doing some plinking practice with the 223.

the gun has liked the following and i might reload
so far i have been using remington umc 55 gr £14 per 20
hornady vmax 55gr £27 per 20

i have about 80 fired cases

does anybody have a rough estimate how much i would save reloading these two cartridges.

thanks

You will enjoy the reloading process. It's quite therapeutic if you have adequate space in a quiet area.
The 1:8 twist you have will allow you (as already mentioned) to shoot the 75 gr Amax bullets. They have a very good Ballistic coefficient (0.435) and will allow you to shoot out to some extreme ranges with your .223 with practice. Don't be put off them due to slower speeds, BC wins out as the distance increases. If you have a good section of land with good backstops get them going.
Si