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Remington 5R .223 Ammo

E

ehparis

Private
Minuteman
Feb 23, 2012
61
0
78
Topeka, KS
Am looking for some recommendations of factory ammo. Just purchased the Rem. 5R and have ordered some Fiocchi Exacta Ammunition with 69 gr. and 77 gr. Sierra match bullets. Am guessing that the 69 gr. will work best with the 1 in 9 twist of the 24 inch barreled 5R with the twist rate not quite fast enough for the 77 gr. I noticed MidWAY had several other makers who used the Sierra bullets. Any experience with them?

Are there any more recommendations for factory ammo besides the Fiocchi Exacta Ammunition? I first heard of the Fiocchi here on this forum.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

77 SMK runs fine in a 9 twist.

70gr Berger VLDs work really nice also.

Going to stick with factory hinged floor plate or going to a DBM?
Tuned ammo is available, just a PM/e-mail/phone call away.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: McCourt Munitions LLC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">77 SMK runs fine in a 9 twist.

70gr Berger VLDs work really nice also.

Going to stick with factory hinged floor plate or going to a DBM?
Tuned ammo is available, just a PM/e-mail/phone call away. </div></div>

I'm brand spanking new to sniper rifles and for the moment will stick to the factory floor plate of my R5 .223. What's a DBM? Looks like I'm going to need to learn some new acronyms.
wink.gif
Thanks for your reply.

Am mainly looking for factory ammo suitable for the 1-9 inch twist 24 inch barrel of the R5.

As for acronyms for Berger bullets or JLK bullets I was around when they were first developed and shot in benchrest competition with Walt Berger and Jimmy Knox. BTW I bought the 5R just looking for something accurate to play around with from the factory and for prairie dog shooting.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

60 V-max for PDs, 70 Berger VLD might work well for PDs also. 75 A-max is great for PDs but the 9 twist is iffy, works with some lot #s but not other lot #s of 75 A-max.

DBM - Detachable Box Magazine.

Slight mod to mag box to accept longer OAL and run the 70gr VLDs for reaching out there.

I've not met Mr. Berger but I have been to Mr. Knox's place to pick up bullets, stopped by on way home from '04 US F-class National Championships.

I'll send you a PM shortly on some ammo options.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

+1 on the 70 vld, they shoot very good out of my factory rem 1/9 tube.

Also, 77 smk/75 bthp factory loads like hornady or black hills have worked well for me except when it gets down a good bit below 0.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

Walt Berger is deceased. He sold Berger Bullets several years before his death. The no-longer-new ownership of Berger Bullets remains popular with competitive benchrest shooters which says a lot for their long distance designs. I believe Berger Bullets is still located in Phoenix which is where Walt retired and started the company. He lived many years in the Kansas City area.

Thanks for your comments and for help with the acronyms.
smile.gif
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

mine loves a 69gn bullet running around 3000 fps.will even add that I load for mine but think anything running close to 3000 fps will do just as good.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

Berger Bullets is now located in Fullerton, CA.

70 VLDs will work for certain in your 9 twist, I've also had very good performance with the 75 JLKs from factory 9 twist barrel. I've modified mag box to allow feeding from the factory hinged floor plate, which you would want to do with your rifle to allow for use as a repeater.

69/77 SMK/Nosler will run as is from the magazine but will be "slow" compared to what the VLD seated out will give you. Bit of a double whammy, slower velocity and lower BC.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I just picked one up as well although with 20" barrel.

Which bullet will give the best performance for the money? I'm fairly partial to SMK's as that's what we use in the military and I know they aren't too expensive. If I can get something better than that for the same price or less, I'm ALL ears.

So for mag length load, accuracy and range at a price equal to or below SMK, what would you advise?
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I would say the hornady 75 amax or 75 bthp depending on what your rifle will stabilize. You can pick up a 600 box of either for less than a 500 box of sierras. They have been very consistent for me and don't shoot appreciably worse than the equivalent smk.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I am currently running threw different brands and grain bullets trying to find the best ammo.I have the 20 inch barrel on my 5R and I have tried 4 different types so far.

53 gr. v-max Hornady Superformance (Best group .860)100 yards
55 gr. v-max Hornady (Best group 1.5+)100 yards
69 gr. Sierra MK Black Hills (Best group 1.5+)100 yards
77 gr. Sierra MK Black Hills (Best group .900)100 yards

I just got some more ammo to try and I'll try to get to the range in the next weekend or so to give you a report.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

Nosler CC would be worth looking into.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: McCourt Munitions LLC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Berger Bullets is now located in Fullerton, CA. (snip)
</div></div>

Thanks for the update.

And thanks to to the others who responded to my inquiry.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

Well I ran some more ammo threw my 5R today and got some decent results.

69 gr. SMK Federal Premium Gold Medal
77 gr. SMK Federal Premium Gold Medal
75 gr. Hollow Point Boat Tail Prvi Partizan Match
62 gr. Cor-Bon DPX Hunter Barnes Triple-Shock X (Hunting Load)

I don't know why but my gun will not group 69 SMK less then 1 inch.I have tried Black Hills and Federal with the same results.

But the 77 gr. which everyone says wont shoot in a 1 in 9 twist are doing awesome with a group today at .600 my best so far.

I wont shoot the Prvi Partizan anymore.I had one round today that had a really heavy primer hit and locked the bolt making it hard to get the bolt open.I got it open then had to work the bolt back and forth because the firing pin seemed to lose power.

I tried the cor-bon just to find a good hunting load and they shot fairly good with groups around 1 inch.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

federal_77_gr__.jpg
77 gr. SMK

6995gr9595.jpg
69 gr. SMK
I wasn't trying to shoot those circles even though it looks like it.LOL
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I know every rifle is differen't, but both my 5R in 308 and my 5R in 223 shoot very impressive groups. However, neither of them like fast or max speed loads. I shoot Bergers in my 308 and can only push them 2540 fps before accuracy falls off. The 223 LOVES 69 grain Sierra's, but well short of max powder load. Max load in the 223 shot 1.25", backed off a full grain of poweder and it shoots .30".
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

when I tested for a 69gn bullet useing 8208xbr I found two nodes.I cannot for the life of me remember the low node for I went with the high node.the high node fell into high 2900-3000 fps.thats the reason why I posted the info.thought it might help the OP find a load with factory ammo.for the most part from what I seen they all run around 2950 fps or better.

if I can I will look back at my notes to see if I can find the lower node for ya.( wwith that powder 8208xbr )
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

Tried 3 different factory loads today in my 24 inch 1-9 R5 .223

55 gr. Black Hills SP Avg. 1.238 for 3 5-shot groups
69 gr. Fiocchi Exacta Rifle Match (Sierra 69) Avg, .750 for 2 5-shot groups
77 gr. Fiocchi Exacta Rifle Match (Sierra 77) .780 for 1 5-shot group

Mostly I used the 55 gr. Black Hills to break in barrel then adjusted sights using same.

Both the 69 gr. and 77 gr. SMK in Fiocchi factory ammo show good promise. I have barrel broken in now and will move out to 300 yards tomorrow and check stability of these three factory loads. Rain today but sunny tomorrow so should get in more groups.

Factory trigger breaks quite clean. I adjusted it to 2.5 lbs.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I have now tried three factory loadings in my 24 inch 1-9 R5 .223.

69 gr. Fiocchi Exacta Rifle Match 69 SMK 1.067 (4 five shot groups)
77 gr. Fiocchi Exacta Rifle Match 77 SMK .894 (4 five shot groups)
77 gr. Federal Premium Match 77 SMK 1.218 (4 five shot groups)

These are disappointing results. While there were some sub minute groups for each of the loads they were offset with much larger ones. I feel this R5 should do better. I've therefore decided to reload after all and have ordered 80 gr. Bergers and 77 gr. SMKs. The 77 gr. SMKs show promise with no indication they're not being stabilized at least at 100 yards. Haven't been able to shot at 300 yards as wind has been too strong.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ehparis</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have now tried three factory loadings in my 24 inch 1-9 R5 .223.

69 gr. Fiocchi Exacta Rifle Match 69 SMK 1.067 (4 five shot groups)
77 gr. Fiocchi Exacta Rifle Match 77 SMK .894 (4 five shot groups)
77 gr. Federal Premium Match 77 SMK 1.218 (4 five shot groups)

These are disappointing results. While there were some sub minute groups for each of the loads they were offset with much larger ones. I feel this R5 should do better. I've therefore decided to reload after all and have ordered 80 gr. Bergers and 77 gr. SMKs. The 77 gr. SMKs show promise with no indication they're not being stabilized at least at 100 yards. Haven't been able to shot at 300 yards as wind has been too strong.

</div></div>

Try hornady 75 gr match
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

Thanks nexusfire I'll order some of the Hornadys. Shot in high wind today and was surprised at results with Federal Premium 69 SMK. Four groups averaged .865 which wasn't all that bad considering the 20 MPH winds gusting even higher.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

To follow up on an earlier theme. The following are my best handloads for the 1 in 9 twist barrel of my Remington 5R .223:

69 gr. SMK 26 grs. Varget (compressed load) Lapua brass Fed 205 primers
69 gr. Nosler Match 25 grs. Varget Lapua brass CCI BR primers
70 gr. Berger VLD 25 grs. Varget Lapua brass CCI BR primers

I've also been experimenting with H4895 and 8208 XBR powders. Both are close to the results with Varget so apparently the barrel of my 5R isn't that particular about powders used.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nexusfire</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ehparis</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have now tried three factory loadings in my 24 inch 1-9 R5 .223.

69 gr. Fiocchi Exacta Rifle Match 69 SMK 1.067 (4 five shot groups)
77 gr. Fiocchi Exacta Rifle Match 77 SMK .894 (4 five shot groups)
77 gr. Federal Premium Match 77 SMK 1.218 (4 five shot groups)

These are disappointing results. While there were some sub minute groups for each of the loads they were offset with much larger ones. I feel this R5 should do better. I've therefore decided to reload after all and have ordered 80 gr. Bergers and 77 gr. SMKs. The 77 gr. SMKs show promise with no indication they're not being stabilized at least at 100 yards. Haven't been able to shot at 300 yards as wind has been too strong.

</div></div>

Try hornady 75 gr match </div></div>

I bought some Hornady 75 Match bullets on your recommendation and they show promise. Need to shoot more of them before I sing their laurels. Thanks again.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

For my 1-9 twist it looks like 69 (Sierra and Nosler) and 70 Bergers (VLD) are the best bet. This is based on my having shot more than a dozen groups with these bullets.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

Shot my .223 20" 5-R today-

75gr Hornady OTBT Match- Did well @ 100, staying under .75, opened up to about 2" @200. Makes me think they aren't stabilizing enough.

60gr Hornady Urban (V-Max)- About 1.5 @ 100- 3.5@ 200.

55gr American Eagle FMJ- Kind of shocked just how inaccurate this stuff is- I could manage about a 3.5"-10 shot group @ 100. Figured it would do a bit better than that out of a 5R!


I have 100pc of Lapua brass and the following bullets to experiment with:
Hornady 75gr OTBT Match
Hornady 68gr OTBT Match
Hornady 75gr A-Max
Sierra 77gr OTBT MK
Sierra 69gr OTBT MK

I'm sending both of my 5-R's out for fluting tomorrow, should be back third or fourth week of April. I will have test loads ready. Going to attempt to develop loads for each (assuming I have no immediate indicators that one of these will not produce) in their respective nodes and find the best. I'd love to see the Hornady match 75 or 68 produce great results since they are the cheapest.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I have decided to stick with 53 grain hornady superformance with average groups under .750 after I zeroed the scope a crow landed about 120 yards from me and became the first 5r casualty.
laugh.gif
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Andy Y.</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have decided to stick with 53 grain hornady superformance with average groups under .750 after I zeroed the scope a crow landed about 120 yards from me and became the first 5r casualty.
laugh.gif
</div></div>

I hope that crow appreciates the fact that he's now a part of history of your 5R.
smile.gif
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I shot some more today.I tried the 75 gr. superformance today and once again didn't group at all.This has been the pickest gun I have ever seen when it comes to finding the right load.But I ran some 53s threw it again and shot lights out.No crows today.LOL
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

Mine likes 55 grain Hornady factory load. This is a 5 round group i shot on Wed.
IMAG0399.jpg
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I've been getting good luck with the Berger 70 gr. VLD seated out to 2.415 OAL where it just kisses the lands. Also had luck with the bullet backed off to 2.410 and 2.400 OAL. This is considerably longer than maximum overall length but I don't consider the throat of my Remington 700 5R abnormally long.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DP425</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Shot my .223 20" 5-R today-

75gr Hornady OTBT Match- Did well @ 100, staying under .75, opened up to about 2" @200. Makes me think they aren't stabilizing enough.

(snip)

I'm sending both of my 5-R's out for fluting tomorrow, should be back third or fourth week of April. I will have test loads ready. Going to attempt to develop loads for each (assuming I have no immediate indicators that one of these will not produce) in their respective nodes and find the best. I'd love to see the Hornady match 75 or 68 produce great results since they are the cheapest. </div></div>

DP245

Please keep this topic in mind and report your results. Am curious who you're having do the fluting.

Jerry
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I cant get the 69s to do what i want maybe my expectations are too high,

Ive tried varget 25.1, 24.5, 24 ... I have had sub moa but thats not good enough, groups Ive had bullet on bullet then a flyer off an inch.

Wondering if my scale is jerky and the loads are off

Just whipped up some 23.5 and 22.8 to see what i get out of it them A 26 load may be in order to rule out the top end.

 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I'm generally getting disappointing groups with the 69 gr. SMK and Varget. Much better is the 70 gr. Berger VLD and Nosler 69 match. Still have some 75 gr. Hornadys I haven't really tried yet.

Think I'm going to work with the 70 gr. Bergers a bit more with the bullet kissing the lands and 8208 and H4895. Results with Varget aren't bad but could be better.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

Update ... We'll i decided to give the 69SMK one last go 26grains ... It has promis i only loaded 3 so the repeat trip will tell a better story. If i can find a few bergers i may give them a go.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I've been trying lighter bullets in my 1-9 twist barrel. The 52s and 55s all want to shoot better than their 69 and 70 gr. brethern. Beats me what's going on. Group uniformity is also better with the lighter bullets.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I first started using BHA 77-gr SMK loads (red box) in my 5R, but they haven't been totally consistent, even though I have shot a tight group here and there with them. My 5R likes the 69-gr SMK, with most of those being the BHA red box. Last week I ran a box of the FGMM with 69-gr SMK, and didn't notice any difference between it and the BHA stuff.

If you run the JBM bullet stability program for the 77-gr SMK in a 1-9 twist, the stability is in the marginal region.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

Alpine 338

This has been my experience with the 77 gr. SMK, i.e., just on the borderline of stability. Unfortunately my 5R doesn't like the 69 gr. SMK and likes the Berger 70 gr. VLD only marginally well (about one inch groups). Of late I seem to be getting it only to shoot with the lighter varmint bullets usually used with a 1 inch 12 inch twist. Frustrating as I bought it to shoot the heavier bullets like the 69 gr. SMK.

Jerry
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

ehparis, If your looking for good match ammo for your 223, try the Previ Partizan match. I shoot it in my RRA Predator Pursuit 223 and also use this ammo in my Sako TRG 308. I compared the Partizan match against the Federal Gold Medal Match and found absolutely no difference in accuracy also the Partizan burns very clean. I don't re-load anymore and with the price of match ammo I had to find something that would work and be reasonably priced. I have not found anything else on the market the comes close to the price and accuracy of the Partizan ammo.
Give it try you might be surprised....
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

My 5 R shoots 5 sht clover leaf, .25 inch groups with 77grain SMK. .5 or better with 69grainers. 77 outshoot 69's slightly. Hand Load with H322.

Never tried quality ammo any lighter. Been shooting 69's so long. Just recently tried 77's for the hell of it and was surprised.
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: peterh</div><div class="ubbcode-body">ehparis, If your looking for good match ammo for your 223, try the Previ Partizan match. I shoot it in my RRA Predator Pursuit 223 and also use this ammo in my Sako TRG 308. I compared the Partizan match against the Federal Gold Medal Match and found absolutely no difference in accuracy also the Partizan burns very clean. I don't re-load anymore and with the price of match ammo I had to find something that would work and be reasonably priced. I have not found anything else on the market the comes close to the price and accuracy of the Partizan ammo.
Give it try you might be surprised.... </div></div>

Sounds interesting. What is the bullet weight?
 
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

Posting more findings for anyone else looking for 5R info ... It would seem factory loads just arnt up too par for me ... As stated many times before every gun is different and you may find a great factory load. BlackHills shot consistent 3/4 groups and i found little to no difference betweeen the factory new and reloads so unless you want once fired fireformed brass for reloading no need to spend the extra $10 on a box of new blackhills.

Hands down loading is definetly the way too go. I was sticking with light loads to conserve powder and as a few recommended lighter loads worked for them and i found that to be true with 52 Amax ... We'll not the case with my rifle and smks... 53gr SMKs HPs hot at 26.7 gr varget have been excellent, Same with 69 SMKs hot was the ticket with 26.2 grains varget. The lighter bullets offering the tighter groups more often at 100 but both very consistent. Will see what happens at 200 once i upgrade my scope.


 
andy52887 said:
Well I ran some more ammo threw my 5R today and got some decent results.

69 gr. SMK Federal Premium Gold Medal
77 gr. SMK Federal Premium Gold Medal
75 gr. Hollow Point Boat Tail Prvi Partizan Match
62 gr. Cor-Bon DPX Hunter Barnes Triple-Shock X (Hunting Load)

I don't know why but my gun will not group 69 SMK less then 1 inch.I have tried Black Hills and Federal with the same results.

But the 77 gr. which everyone says wont shoot in a 1 in 9 twist are doing awesome with a group today at .600 my best so far.

I wont shoot the Prvi Partizan anymore.I had one round today that had a really heavy primer hit and locked the bolt making it hard to get the bolt open.I got it open then had to work the bolt back and forth because the firing pin seemed to lose power.

I tried the cor-bon just to find a good hunting load and they shot fairly good with groups around 1 inch.
Click to expand...

Hey Andy, If you have one of the knew Rem 700 5r rifles with the 24" fluted barrels and the stock is the black spider web type, then the issue with the Previ ammo is that your rifle has a tight chamber, the Previ ammo say's 223Rem but it's acutely 5.56. I have the same rifle and encountered the same problem the other day. My bolt got jammed so tight I had the use a rubber mallet to get it open. I don't use any european made ammo anymore for fear of it happening again.
 
@
ehparis said:
Re: Remington 5R .223 Ammo

I'm generally getting disappointing groups with the 69 gr. SMK and Varget. Much better is the 70 gr. Berger VLD and Nosler 69 match. Still have some 75 gr. Hornadys I haven't really tried yet.

Think I'm going to work with the 70 gr. Bergers a bit more with the bullet kissing the lands and 8208 and H4895. Results with Varget aren't bad but could be better.
Click to expand...

I know this is an old thread but could you run the 70gr. Bergers with the normal box mag are did you have to run an aftermarket detachable mag?
 
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