77gr .223/5.56 load recommendations?

[Skinner Precision, LLC]

I’m interested in starting to reload .223/5.56

I’ve got plenty of 55 gr factory ammo on hand, so I’m eyeing 77 gr for longer(-ish) range precision since decent 69-77 gr ammo is still pretty expensive. I figure I can reload for 60% of the commercial cost or less.

Right now I have a pound of Varget on hand, and 100 77gr Sierra Match King projectiles.
I’m interested in both cost-effectiveness and accuracy as I go forward. A projectile with good terminal effects would be an added bonus.
Longer, heavier projectiles from 69-77 (maybe heavier?) are my focus.

In my current level of ignorance, I’m considering buying more 77 gr SMK in bulk and either Varget or CFE 223 (CFE 223 seems to be about $40/lb around here, while Varget is over $50/lb).

But I don’t know what I don’t know.

Input is welcome.

Google 77 gr service rifle load data. Highpower shooters cracked the code for 77 gr smk ar loads quite a while back and there is a ton of info available from their experience with this bullet and varget/rl15/4895/aa2520/tac/benchmark/vv540/....


Back in the 80's/90's when 308 was still a viable nra/cmp service rifle option the joking answer to new shooter inquiries on load suggestions was usually something like: 168 gr. Smk, lc brass and 42.5 grains of "something black" meaning any appropriate m14/m1 grand speed powder. Nowadays the internet and liability makes it harder to be so flippant with strangers but if you look at enough threads using the Google query I suggested you will see similar-ish patterns emerge for each of the powders listed above for reliable/accurate mag length ammo that should shoot at least 10 ring accuracy at 600 yds sling supported, developed by shooting a lot of rounds through a lot of different guns by a lot of different people and the answers being fairly consistent.

[Skinner Precision, LLC]

You should end up somewhere in the mid 2500- to low 2600's with varget and a 77gr and a 16" barrel. Depending on chamber , your lot of varget (there is a fair amount of variance experienced) , and what brass you are using the answer will probably be less 24.5 grs and likely in the 23- 24 gr range. Start low, work up use common sense...

[mmc45414]

I think a powder that drops well will be the most important thing. You might consider trickling a few and dropping a few with the same powder to see if the dropped charges are as accurate.

[GyroF-16]

I think a powder that drops well will be the most important thing. You might consider trickling a few and dropping a few with the same powder to see if the dropped charges are as accurate.

Thanks, I’ll absolutely validate by powder drop. Waiting on Lee powder-though die to arrive to test drops with Varget.

[bruceride]

I use a Dillon 650 for my bolt rifle loads with a 77 grain SMK bullet. I am using a RCBS Chargemaster to trickle each load after priming and then seating with the Dillon. I am using one of the spiffy Whidden floating tool heads too, if that matters.

24 grains of Varget
2.26" COAL
Norma casing
Remington 7.5 primer

Out of my bolt gun 26" barrel with 1/8 rifling and a 223 Wylde chamber I am getting an average of 2782 ft/sec with an SD of 15.3. I am running this gun suppressed. Also, this is a .5 MOA load out of this rifle for me.

I am learning how to do repeatable case prep, and have now started annealing every loading. I just bought some Laupa casings and I am going to start using them when the Norma casings finally fail. They have 4 loadings through them now.

As always, YMMV and use with caution. FWIW, chasing the lands with this loading performed substantially worse than a standard 2.26 COAL. I got the the 24 grain charge by running a ladder.

[Wyoming Shooter]

I prefer the Tipped Match King (TMK) 77 grain bullet. In my limited experience, it flies well and offers better terminal performance than the SMK. I get good groups with 24.2 - 24.4 grains Varget. Please be cautious and work up slowly.

[GyroF-16]

Thank you to all who have contributed.

I’ve been working up some 77 gr SMK loads and testing them.
I’ve been trying to drive the bullets to the 2630-2650 fps range from a 16” barrel, as I’ve been told that it’s the velocity range that seems to optimize accuracy.

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

77 gr SMK BTHP
2.26” COAL
23.6 gr Varget
16”: 2,470 fps 1.875” group of 12 (7 inside 0.875”, 5 touching)
24.4 gr Varget
16”: 2,584 fps 1.75” group of 5 (4 inside 0.875”)
24.7 gr Varget
16”: 2,624 fps 1.75” group of 5 (4 inside 0.625”)

Even the 24.7 gr wasn’t showing any signs of excessive pressure. That last loading got me pretty much to the velocity range I was looking for, and seemed to optimize accuracy as well.

[ECK]

I’ve been toying around with the ideal of building a .223 bolt gun as a practice gun for PRS/NRL. One concern I have with the lighter bullets is ability to see hits. So for the hell of it the other day I grabbed an AR (18” JP bbl that had a 3-14x scope mounted), attached a bipod, and a box of 75 gr Hornady reloads with RL-15 to give it a try at distances ranging from 300 out to 717 yds.

I worked up a quick profile of the rifle and ammo in Strelock to get dope, then started banging away at steel plates ranging from 300 out to past 700 yds.

Between 300-576 I was getting first round and consistent impacts on 8-12” size steel plates. The plates were on straps or chains so they were reactive enough when hit. The 717 yd target was a 2/3 IPSC on a T-post and was a little more iffy to see impacts but I could hear them. There was some wind so I was trying to account for that, but the plate was surrounded by tumble weeds so had a difficult time spotting my misses for correction. Eventually I found the right wind call and started getting impacts but it wasn’t consistent. I figured I was getting close to the max range for that particular load.

No real moral to the story, other than than compared to other calibers .223 is not really “long range”, but inside of 600 yds I think it’s plenty capable of ringing steel even with a gas gun. Maybe I could improve on that with a bolt gun and playing around with my load (i.e. try Hornady ELDMs instead of bulk Hornady 75 gr pills). But at the end of the day spotting hits/misses is harder with lighter bullets than 6mm or 6.5mm. Especially in the winter when the ground is frozen.

[SecondsCount]

I’ve been toying around with the ideal of building a .223 bolt gun as a practice gun for PRS/NRL. One concern I have with the lighter bullets is ability to see hits. So for the hell of it the other day I grabbed an AR (18” JP bbl that had a 3-14x scope mounted), attached a bipod, and a box of 75 gr Hornady reloads with RL-15 to give it a try at distances ranging from 300 out to 717 yds.

....

Compared to a larger caliber, such as 6.5 Creedmoor, the 75 BTHP load is going to have about 50% more wind drift. In a bolt gun, you can go with the much higher BC of the 75 or 80 ELD. Run them out of a 24" barrel, and you'll see about a 20% difference in wind drift.

I shoot a 24" 1:7 Krieger, and the difference in energy on target between an 18 and a 24" barrel is definitely noticeable. The added velocity makes a noticeable improvement to the BC as well.

I shoot my 223 bolt guns about 10x more than the big guns. Lots of fun, even if it is a little windy.

[ECK]

Compared to a larger caliber, such as 6.5 Creedmoor, the 75 BTHP load is going to have about 50% more wind drift. In a bolt gun, you can go with the much higher BC of the 75 or 80 ELD. Run them out of a 24" barrel, and you'll see about a 20% difference in wind drift.

I shoot a 24" 1:7 Krieger, and the difference in energy on target between an 18 and a 24" barrel is definitely noticeable. The added velocity makes a noticeable improvement to the BC as well.

I shoot my 223 bolt guns about 10x more than the big guns. Lots of fun, even if it is a little windy.

Good point on the 24” barrel yielding more velocity and better BC bullets to buck the wind less.

Its lower on my priority scale (currently building another rifle in another caliber) but one of these days I’ll have to add a .223 bolt gun to the collection bc they are just too much fun.