I'm in the process of getting one built up and would like to see what everyone is using for their favorite loads.
I am hoping to start with 75gr ELDM's
I am hoping to start with 75gr ELDM's
- Thread starter shootertom
- Start date
5.56 AR Only Loads
Post your 5.56 AR Loads here Ill Start off 23.6gr 8208XBR 77 SMK 1xLC Brass 205M 2710 20" WOA
www.snipershide.com Lots of stuff posted in here over the years
18" WOA and 18" BA
77SMK
N135 23.7gr/TAC 24gr
Ginex/CCI 41
IMI cases
2730s-2750s
77SMK
N135 23.7gr/TAC 24gr
Ginex/CCI 41
IMI cases
2730s-2750s
Thats too bad.
Yup. 77SMK 2.255 is the easy button.
I take it these are impossible to come by? lol
They aren't mag length friendly. You can single feed them in an AR, or use them in a bolt gun.
There is a third option, but it's kinda silly.
73 ELD-M forget about the 75 eld-m
77 TMK
77 SMK
77 Scenar-L
Pick whichever you can find a few hundreds in stock and go 22.5-23.5gr XBR or 23.5-24.5 varget depending on brass case capacity, chamber, etc.
Easy button.
77 TMK
77 SMK
77 Scenar-L
Pick whichever you can find a few hundreds in stock and go 22.5-23.5gr XBR or 23.5-24.5 varget depending on brass case capacity, chamber, etc.
Easy button.
I found the photos of 75gr A-MAX loaded to mag length.
You could trim your necks to half a caliber I guess. Ha ha!
A guy showed up to one of my DM courses in 2013 with a bunch of that stacked deep. I brought cases of 69gr and 75gr BTHP for when his stuff would inevitably crap the bed on Day 1, Morning 1. But it ran like a raped ape and he slayed targets with better hit rate than anyone else. It was crazy. His buddy loaded them up for him too, crimped the necks down onto the freakin’ ogive.
24.5 grains of Tac. 77SMK LC brass. CCI mil primer. That’s about as close to the mil ammo as you can get and shoots very well in everything between 12.5 and 18”
I found the photos of 75gr A-MAX loaded to mag length.
You could trim your necks to half a caliber I guess. Ha ha!
A guy showed up to one of my DM courses in 2013 with a bunch of that stacked deep. I brought cases of 69gr and 75gr BTHP for when his stuff would inevitably crap the bed on Day 1, Morning 1. But it ran like a raped ape and he slayed targets with better hit rate than anyone else. It was crazy. His buddy loaded them up for him too, crimped the necks down onto the freakin’ ogive.
Genius comes in many forms.
Oh ok, well im learning now! What are the max size that load well in the gasser mags?
I found the photos of 75gr A-MAX loaded to mag length.
You could trim your necks to half a caliber I guess. Ha ha!
A guy showed up to one of my DM courses in 2013 with a bunch of that stacked deep. I brought cases of 69gr and 75gr BTHP for when his stuff would inevitably crap the bed on Day 1, Morning 1. But it ran like a raped ape and he slayed targets with better hit rate than anyone else. It was crazy. His buddy loaded them up for him too, crimped the necks down onto the freakin’ ogive.
Pretty much anything up to 77gr, with the exception of the 75ELD's and the fancy new ELD-VT 62gr or whatever they are.
Do the 73 ELDM's work?
Yes.
I never got them to shoot really well. Okay, but not great. In fact that's been the case with any of the newer higher BC bullets and I've pretty much gone back to the boring old low tech SMK's.
I'm going to run a 6-twist barrel so hopefully that will help. I have had good and bad luck with Hornady's in other rifles so hopefully I'll be able to make them work.
I was shooting mag fed 75 ELD's for a while in a very modified gun. They didn't like to jump and when the throat went they flat refused to shoot after that, but at 2900fps+ and the BC trued at .45 they were magic.
I found the photos of 75gr A-MAX loaded to mag length.
You could trim your necks to half a caliber I guess. Ha ha!
A guy showed up to one of my DM courses in 2013 with a bunch of that stacked deep. I brought cases of 69gr and 75gr BTHP for when his stuff would inevitably crap the bed on Day 1, Morning 1. But it ran like a raped ape and he slayed targets with better hit rate than anyone else. It was crazy. His buddy loaded them up for him too, crimped the necks down onto the freakin’ ogive.
Someone here told me years Go to try 24.0 of Varget and a 77 smk in a Wylde chamber.
Well, several of those chambers between ARs and Bolt guns and they all shoot that load very well.
0.5 MOA for 5 shots well.
And tested to 750 yds.
Well, several of those chambers between ARs and Bolt guns and they all shoot that load very well.
0.5 MOA for 5 shots well.
And tested to 750 yds.
The 73 ELD's? 6 twist is way unnecessary for that. I wouldn't go that way at all for any mag fed 5.56 rifle.
68gr Hornady BTHP
69gr SMK
69gr TMK
69gr Nosler CC
70gr TSX
70gr Nosler RDF
70gr Berger VLD
73gr ELD-M
73gr Berger
75gr Hornady BTHP
75gr Hornady BTHP with cannelure
77gr SMK
77gr Nosler BTHP
77gr Nosler BTHP with cannelure
77gr Berger
77gr TMK
77gr Scenar-L
You’ll be fine with a 7 or 8 twist for these. 6.5 twist is for the 90gr Bergers or SMKs single-loaded in custom chambers.
69gr SMK
69gr TMK
69gr Nosler CC
70gr TSX
70gr Nosler RDF
70gr Berger VLD
73gr ELD-M
73gr Berger
75gr Hornady BTHP
75gr Hornady BTHP with cannelure
77gr SMK
77gr Nosler BTHP
77gr Nosler BTHP with cannelure
77gr Berger
77gr TMK
77gr Scenar-L
You’ll be fine with a 7 or 8 twist for these. 6.5 twist is for the 90gr Bergers or SMKs single-loaded in custom chambers.
What could be a negative effect of that? More twist equals higher bc right? Ive had excellent results from fast twisting a lot of other calibers.
77gr RDF works too. Well, works is a strong word. It fits in a mag
LOTS to choose from, hopefully not all too hard to get my hands on.
Maybe not a negative per se, but its unnecessary, and possibly limits you to only the heavier end of the .224 bullet spectrum. And I've heard of twist effecting BC but no hard data to support it being a consequential amount.
All the bullets on that list will shoot very well in an 8 twist.
77gr SMK
23.5grs TAC
Starline or LC Brass
BR4 Primers
23.5grs TAC
Starline or LC Brass
BR4 Primers
@shootertom - bullet length certainly comes into play with the magazine restriction, but the bullets that shoot best in the ARs are the ones that have their initial bearing contact surface closer to the tip of the bullet, thus allowing it to decrease the jump to the lands while seated magazine length friendly, for me that's 2.250-2.255. (Ideally, the 77SMK nose profile, and basically none of the "tipped" versions)
This is in contrast to the long pointy VLD types that have the initial bearing surface contact further back, and all that length out front just eats the mag length for no gain.
This is in contrast to the long pointy VLD types that have the initial bearing surface contact further back, and all that length out front just eats the mag length for no gain.
That makes perfect sense, Im more used to setting up bolt rifles so itll be an adjustment for me. Seems as though the smk's are a crowd favorite, so perhaps Ill start with those.
I had stronly considered a 6 arc or 22 arc, but I like the availability of .223.
How are the ginex primers doing?
Solid, a tad spicier than CCI 41. Have to back down .2/10s when using Ginex vs 41s.
I appreciate everyone's feedback on this one, I'm now leaning towards a 6 arc. The bullet restrictions on the .223 seem to dull it down a bit. In the same token, the .223 seem like it would be a lot of fun. Either way, I'm reloading so I'm thinking 6 arc is more appealing.
I do, but it’s not a precision rifle so I don’t have everything to load for it. I’ll need dies and such to start something new.
77 smk
TAC powder
LC brass
24.4 gr
CCI #41
Win Brass
24.2 gr
Cci 400’s
Both recipes shoot tiny knot holes in all my AR 223’s.
I plan to try 77 TMK’s again shortly but I haven’t been as happy with them. Same accuracy as 73 eldm’s (1-1.5 moa) but twice as expensive.
Xbr 8208 gets the same velocity maybe a smidge better accuracy and very temp stable but I got tired of trying to find after pandemic and when I do it cost a fortune.
TAC powder
LC brass
24.4 gr
CCI #41
Win Brass
24.2 gr
Cci 400’s
Both recipes shoot tiny knot holes in all my AR 223’s.
I plan to try 77 TMK’s again shortly but I haven’t been as happy with them. Same accuracy as 73 eldm’s (1-1.5 moa) but twice as expensive.
Xbr 8208 gets the same velocity maybe a smidge better accuracy and very temp stable but I got tired of trying to find after pandemic and when I do it cost a fortune.
