6mm-223

[IceAxe]

I believe your right and I don't think there would be any real harm. Just thinking in the interest of safety.... I have a similar situation with my 338~06, but just made my eldest son happy my giving him all my 3006 stuff.

The only 223 I have now is in the form of a Bushmaster m4, so it would be an easy barrel swap.

[IceAxe]

Well I went out today, not really expecting much success, and tried some IMR 8208 with the "heavier" bullets that I have had so much trouble with and actually had some promising results. Prior attempts to shoot these bullets with other powders yielded 2 to 3 inch groups with no real pattern.

[buckshotbarlow]

I had to do the ladder method on my BHW tube. Benchmark worked, varget worked, but until i ran the ladder method, i found what the tube told me it liked versus what I was telling it what i thought it liked. One thing with my tube is that it flat out hates anything flatbase above 75. BT's will pattern but not group above 80gr. The COL, like u mentioned, just flat out sucks. I'm thinking about buying a reamer, and rebarreling my savage 12 BVSS in 223. No turn neck so i can crank em out on my 1050...

Well I went out today, not really expecting much success, and tried some IMR 8208 with the "heavier" bullets that I have had so much trouble with and actually had some promising results. Prior attempts to shoot these bullets with other powders yielded 2 to 3 inch groups with no real pattern.

[IceAxe]

I did try a ladder test(s) using 0.5 grain increments on Varget, 335, Xterminator, 2015, and IMR 4895 with depressing results. I burned through 2 boxes of the 87 grain Hornady bullets and gave up on them moving to Sierra's in 85 and 90 grain and Nosler in 85 grain. Neither shot any better. It was perplexing that it could shoot half inch groups with the 58 or 75 grain bullets but 85 an heavier would go all over the place. Even more perplexing the 80 grain GMX gilding material bullets which are by far the longest bullets I have shot would print near clover leafs. I tried varying the distance of the lands within magazine limitations looking for a sweet spot but found no appreciable delta.

I have wondered if it could be related to the primers I have used Remington and Federal due to availability but perhaps I should be using a magnum or a bench rest primer especially with the ball powders. I just don't know.

I think I will try some of the Remington 80 grain bullets. But I am at a point where I think I should just load what it likes and call it good. Well... that is after trying out the 24 inch Blackhole barrel when it gets here. I've waited so long I now have everything but a stock to build another gun..

[buckshotbarlow]

Primers can be finicky, i gave up on remmy's, federal match are my preferred. Try some winchesters, see if they do any thing different. Are you crimping at all? I have all my brass trimmed to 44.5mm, chamfered with a vld chamfer, then reamed. All primer pockets are cleaned and the flash holes deburred. I did find a huge bump in accuracy once i got away from range pickup brass and went to nosler/lapua.

When doing ladder's, i start at 300yds once i get the gun on paper.

[IceAxe]

It sounds like we do the same brass prep although I have been using Lake City brass mostly. (Midway had a nice sale on bulk a while back.) I haven't been crimping...most of my 6mm bullets don't have a cannulure. Are you thinking the heavier bullets could be moving as a result of the inertial cycling? I will try to remember to take the calipers with me to the range next time and do some before and after measurements.

The way those 87 grain bullets had been shooting I don't think I could get them on paper at 300 yards.