1/9 223 bullet weights

[mosin46]

a pretty non specific open ended question. likely get me some s _ _ _ but...
might be trading into a 1/9 223 bolt gun and wonder about performance with 68/69gr match stuff. what people have found or seen. all the 5.56/223s i have and had,bolt or AR, are 1/8,1/7. i doubt 77gr is worthwhile in 1/9 but i have no experience with that twist rate. just wondering if i will be stuck in 55 or 62gr. range 300yd and maybe 600 yd. 300 yd light bullets OK i'm sure but 600? i know i can try 69gr but asking what others have seen.

 

[spife7980]

69gr is the highest I could reliably stabilize with a 16” 9 twist

 

[diggler1833]

My old Remington SPS Tactical with a 20", 1:9 wouldn't keep the 75gr Amax or 77 SMK together, but was lights out with the 68 Hornady and 69 SMK.

 

[SporterII]

69 SMK is the best bet. Push it or not. Factory match ammo like Federal is not a hot load but easy enough to use to see for yourself. I have also used 73 ELDM with success at 3000 fps in a 24” 9 tw. Several 24”5Rs all liked the SMK.

 

[gopherslayer]

75 Amax in Salvage 20” and 26” barrels is just fine for me in low elevation of WI. I haven’t tried any of the new fangled stuff.

 

[Turkeytider]

There`s overlap. My Model12 LRPV in .223 1:7 really seems to like 68 and 69 grain match loads but my 1:9 110 will shoot them as well.

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

Built a Savage Striker in .223 for my wife to shoot silhouette. it was too heavy for her to shoot effectively, but it was a great shooting big ole bolt action handgun. It had a 1/9 barrel and fired 77 grain Sierra Match Kings exceptionally well. Now we had it cranked way up, getting over 2500FPS out of a 14 inch barrel. BLC(2) can be a lot of fun and a real blast to shoot.

Word was, with some rifles,1/9 worked great and would shoot the 77's, others, not so good, but in our handgun, it was special.

We still have a Fireball, customized with a 1/7 barrel. It will stabilize 80 grain Bergers at 2000FPS. Struggles with 90 Grain Sierra MK's, but both put a real strain on the little Fireball case. Powder changes become super critical, super quick. Not something to causally play around with. However, with the Bergers, accuracy is more than good enough to shoot perfect scores.

So, back to the subject at hand, build your 1/9. In my mind a 1/8 or 1/7 with a long throat would be better, but, the 1/9 can and does shoot. Guess I am not a varminter because, I think 1/14 barrels in ,224 should be against the law.

 

[mosin46]

gonna be an all factory gun and ammo. will be 26". wondering if barrel length has an effect.

 

[SporterII]

It does. Especially in 223, especially if you do load development.

 

[huntinherrington]

My R700P 26” 1:9 barrel shoots Hornady 68/75 gr bthp and Sierra 69gr very well.

Some 1:9 barrels stabilize the 75gr and some don’t.

 

[supercorndogs]

My factory Remington 26" 1 in 9 would stabilize the 77SMK, but not the 75 A-max.

 

[mosin46]

thanks for all the info. i know i will have to experiment with this particular piece but looks like 69gr would be something to focus on initially.

 

[supercorndogs]

You can't nessasrily just look at weight either. Some bullets like the 70RDF are in the weight range but really long.

 

[mosin46]

yea,but should be no issue factory and factory-i hope!