Got my 22" 1:7 barrel for my Savage, and after fireforming 50 pieces of brass yesterday loaded up a few to check velocities.
With the 80gr A-Max at 2.485" OAL, 26.4gr Varget got me a 2936fps average and the best accuracy of the test. There were light ejector marks on two of the three pieces of brass, but primers looked fine.
A nice gentleman on another forum offered to run the load through QuickLoad for me, and the estimated pressure was 69358psi of pressure with estimated velocity within 9fps of my average.
Based on everything I've seen on the interwebs about the 223AI, my velocities and charges seem to be in-line with others' 80gr bullet experiences...but I'm a bit concerned given the estimated pressure.
So...should I back the load down in the interest of safety, or should I be okay to continue working in the 26.2-26.4gr range and keeping a close eye on pressure signs?
With the 80gr A-Max at 2.485" OAL, 26.4gr Varget got me a 2936fps average and the best accuracy of the test. There were light ejector marks on two of the three pieces of brass, but primers looked fine.
A nice gentleman on another forum offered to run the load through QuickLoad for me, and the estimated pressure was 69358psi of pressure with estimated velocity within 9fps of my average.
Based on everything I've seen on the interwebs about the 223AI, my velocities and charges seem to be in-line with others' 80gr bullet experiences...but I'm a bit concerned given the estimated pressure.
So...should I back the load down in the interest of safety, or should I be okay to continue working in the 26.2-26.4gr range and keeping a close eye on pressure signs?
