jaypap
NES Member
Yep pick up the gun one handed, find your natural point of aim, look away and cover your balls with your other hand
then squeeze the trigger. After the first one it gets easier.
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First batch of reloads - the most expensive ammo I've ever owned!
- Thread starter paulleve
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Yep pick up the gun one handed, find your natural point of aim, look away and cover your balls with your other hand
then squeeze the trigger. After the first one it gets easier.I forget what 55 gn your using but those bulk hornady are pretty good and are capable of better than 2moa. Depending on your twist I really like the 52 gn noslers for not a lot of money when they come up for sale. I shoot them out of 1/8 20” AR
paulleve
NES Member
They're Hornady FMJ-BT, which were some of the cheapest 55 grain bullets I could find. Based on the few pairs I shot at 100 yards, I do think they'll potentially group 1" out of the Savage Axis. At 300-440 yards my limitations were the wind yesterday, which was constantly shifting and my spotter, who's eyes aren't what they once were! I can generally figure out where rounds are landing when shooting at the larger gongs, but below 2MO, it's difficult to call the shots accurately enough to change holdover or make elevation and windage adjustments. Through a 12x scope, dirt flying behind a 3" gong at 400 yards looks the same if you're over or under, left or right of the plate!
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Romokid
NES Member
As mentioned your reloads will be more accurate than off the shelf standard ammo. I was at the range with my AR which has an ACOG and a guy asked if he could try, I said sure so gave him the rifle with a mag and he was hitting the gong off hand 10 out of 10. Asked if he could try again but he said he would use his mag and ammo and this time hit 6 out of 10. Asked me what kind of ammo that I had was and I informed him homemade.
Lucus
NES Member
"I bought a car last week for $50k. I drove 100 miles so its cost me $500 a mile"![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
View: https://www.facebook.com/truck180/videos/130617087643890
I just bought a box of 32 Winchester Special 20 for $90.
Realistically decrease your accuracy expectations a bit with the Hornady 55 fmjbt. The cannalure bulk 55 fmjbt is avery good shooting short range bullet. You start reaching out beyond 300 yds now wind is going to be a potential factor pushing around a light bullet . Spend the money and seek out the Nosler 69 custom comp for your precision expectations. The 69gr CC's you can find for reasonable cost as compared to SMK's or Bergers. If you have a fast enough barrel twist , take advantage of the heavier bullets .
paulleve
NES Member
I know 55 grain bullets are limited at range - they don't even make the plate at 440 yards move when they hit! (But I'm also the guy at the long range shooting steel at 400 with .22 LR, so I do like a challenge!) I've already got some heavier BTHP bullets waiting to go. Once I get things better figured out with the 55 grain, I'll be loading the more expensive bullets.
Regarding the online vendor with $.10 per for the Hornady's, I placed an order for 500 of these plus more powder last night. It had been a while since I ordered, so they sent a coupon code for $10 off and free shipping over $99. Score!
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Keep an eye out for Nosler CC " blems" IME they shoot as good as "firsts"I know 55 grain bullets are limited at range - they don't even make the plate at 440 yards move when they hit! (But I'm also the guy at the long range shooting steel at 400 with .22 LR, so I do like a challenge!) I've already got some heavier BTHP bullets waiting to go. Once I get things better figured out with the 55 grain, I'll be loading the more expensive bullets.
Regarding the online vendor with $.10 per for the Hornady's, I placed an order for 500 of these plus more powder last night. It had been a while since I ordered, so they sent a coupon code for $10 off and free shipping over $99. Score!
ShootersProShop
Explore the world of Nosler, renowned for crafting the finest bullets, ammunition, rifles, and brass. Discover our extensive lineup, including Partition, AccuBond, E-Tip, Ballistic Tip, Custom Competition, and more. Experience superior quality and performance with Nosler products.
www.shootersproshop.com
I know 55 grain bullets are limited at range - they don't even make the plate at 440 yards move when they hit! (But I'm also the guy at the long range shooting steel at 400 with .22 LR, so I do like a challenge!) I've already got some heavier BTHP bullets waiting to go. Once I get things better figured out with the 55 grain, I'll be loading the more expensive bullets.
Regarding the online vendor with $.10 per for the Hornady's, I placed an order for 500 of these plus more powder last night. It had been a while since I ordered, so they sent a coupon code for $10 off and free shipping over $99. Score!
Yup the custom comps shoot real well. They got the blem 77 grainers in stockKeep an eye out for Nosler CC " blems" IME they shoot as good as "firsts"
ShootersProShop
Explore the world of Nosler, renowned for crafting the finest bullets, ammunition, rifles, and brass. Discover our extensive lineup, including Partition, AccuBond, E-Tip, Ballistic Tip, Custom Competition, and more. Experience superior quality and performance with Nosler products.
ShootersProShop
Explore the world of Nosler, renowned for crafting the finest bullets, ammunition, rifles, and brass. Discover our extensive lineup, including Partition, AccuBond, E-Tip, Ballistic Tip, Custom Competition, and more. Experience superior quality and performance with Nosler products.
www.shootersproshop.com
Paid cheap money for 77gr blems back during the wonderfull Trump era... bought all I could afford !Yup the custom comps shoot real well. They got the blem 77 grainers in stock
ShootersProShop
Explore the world of Nosler, renowned for crafting the finest bullets, ammunition, rifles, and brass. Discover our extensive lineup, including Partition, AccuBond, E-Tip, Ballistic Tip, Custom Competition, and more. Experience superior quality and performance with Nosler products.
Steve600
NES Member
Making low power rounds for target shooting is the way to go. More accurate and less stress on the gun. I see people now and then shooting hollow points at a paper target 10 feet away and just shake my head.
2017 the prices and deals where silly I stocked deep on 55, 69, 77s 155s 168s and have a bunch of random stuff for plinking.
Picking up those pales of General Dynamic and "mil spec " branded 55s when they where pennies was a good choice and have plenty of fodder to blast through. They are great for steel blasting and plinking. I know im going to find a nice little 223 bolt gun for short money some day and will be loading these bulk 55s for fun shooting.
Another example ...... I bought 2000( buy weight about 50 lbs i think) 308 180gn soft points from a small shop because they where loose in a box and there was definitely random odd balls in there. He could not be bothered to sort them. .03c each so far I think I have 20 that where not 180 308s. so far . I grab a handful here and there for blasting water bottles , pumpkins and load up some reduced loads.
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allen-1
NES Member
.223 bolt gun - mossberg predator is worth looking at. I’m pretty dreadful with a rifle and I’ve rung steel at 400 yards with mine. Bonus is that it takes ar15 mags.
Eh , AR mags hanging out of a 223 bolt gun. Maybe fine for that Oh shit time .
I would be running 10 rounders at best.
Anyway I have to come across one at a price to good to walk away from. Im only going to end up reloading light 200 yard plinking loads anyway.
allen-1
NES Member
I have a bunch of 10 round AR mags; I use them in that rifle and in CT. I won that rifle at a NRA dinner raffle. Fun little gun, about the size of a 10/22, but a bit heavier. Not as heavy as the Ruger PC9. Very maneauverable.
paulleve
NES Member
I've been eyeing the Ruger Predator because it also takes AR mags. I'm not planning on running anything over 10 rounders, but I like the fact I can get good quality AR mags for much less than proprietary mags. My Savage Axis XP shoots surprisingly well, but replacement 5 rounders go for $50+!
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allen-1
NES Member
This isn't universally true. If I had my Bible in front of me I could probably rattle off a half a dozen reload recipes that were slower than normal that actually increased the SD and likely decreased the accuracy. There are also numerous Rifle and Pistol loads where is hot as you can go feasibly is actually the best round it all depends on what powder projectile and application you're using.
People say this constantly and I have no idea what it means because it's not quantifiable usually in any meaningful way what do you mean you wear out of recoil spring 200 round slower?
I think mostly it's a bunch of stuff people tell themselves to make themselves feel good about making mouse farts. I bought guns to shoot them not pull a soft shoe routine. I only ever damaged one gun with hot ammunition and I really didn't care about it.... that's when I was loading up 920 FPS plus 230gr Thumpers for my pin gun... somehow it bent the guide rod a little bit I just sanded it down a tiny bit and it's good to go for another God knows how many thousand rounds... honestly I don't even know if it was the hot ammo because that gun took many thousand more rounds before I stopped using it and even today it still will lay bullets on top of each other at 25-35 ft. Don't get me wrong most farts have useful applications but to make them as a matter of course it's just insane I don't really get why people are so obsessed with producing mouse farts as reloads. Sure i made a 750 fps light pin load and I thought it was marginally useful for some applications (you could run the gun very fast with such a load... but I also could run that gun without having to respring it in the process these guys who make mouse farts that are so slow where the stock Springs are too heavy for the load it's just f****** ridiculous to me.
By default im factory or factory plus. I even chastize lots of commercial ammo for being too weak. I don't really like shooting ammo that's not reflective of the reaal world unless there's a great reason for it.
You would have an aneurysm if you came to a pin shoot in the mid 2000s then. A lot of us were lobbing golden saber 185 +P at pins 25ft away because you could get them for like $20/50rds. 1170fps sure moves the pins well.
also honestly I would have bought hollow points to shoot for target shooting for 45 even working them up it's reloads because a lot of times you could actually get the load to be more accurate not to mention they work a little bit better on pins because the edge of the jhp might grab the skin of the pin and help rip it off the table...I like me some mouse farts.This isn't universally true. If I had my Bible in front of me I could probably rattle off a half a dozen reload recipes that were slower than normal that actually increased the SD and likely decreased the accuracy. There are also numerous Rifle and Pistol loads where is hot as you can go feasibly is actually the best round it all depends on what powder projectile and application you're using.
People say this constantly and I have no idea what it means because it's not quantifiable usually in any meaningful way what do you mean you wear out of recoil spring 200 round slower?
Don't get me wrong most farts have useful applications but to make them as a matter of course it's just insane I don't really get why people are so obsessed with producing mouse farts as reloads. Sure i made a 750 fps light pin load and I thought it was marginally useful for some applications (you could run the gun very fast with such a load... but I also could run that gun without having to respring it in the process these guys who make mouse farts that are so slow where the stock Springs are too heavy for the load it's just f****** ridiculous to me.
By default im factory or factory plus. I even chastize lots of commercial ammo for being too weak. I don't really like shooting ammo that's not reflective of the reaal world unless there's a great reason for it.
You would have an aneurysm if you came to a pin shoot in the mid 2000s then. A lot of us were lobbing golden saber 185 +P at pins 25ft away because you could get them for like $20/50rds. 1170fps sure moves the pins well.
I do it mostly to stretch powder and safe a little cash especially with cast loads.
Cast loads out of the old war dog rifles at 1250-1750 fps with 14-20 grains of appropriate powder do very well for a 200 yd hole puncher.
As for “less stress”. Eh if its moving its wearing.
There are also fun gallery loads
Inside 100 yards its fun to shoot light cast or even heavy cast bullets with a small charge of appropriate powder at milk jugs 50 yards away.
As for accuracy , there are some cartridges that tend to like the higher end of velocity , 223 seems to be one of them. (I do have a cast load that will cycle my ARs and it will deliver sub 1.5 moa ) More so to just have that option.
yeah, any time i test a brand new rifle or handgun i make sure to keep my mug very far from the chamber and use a left hand to pull a trigger.
just because.
ps. because where are those damn ROs when you could actually use one!
![[rofl]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/013.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
paulleve
NES Member
I've reloaded quite a bit more .223, so I'm down to a few bucks per round at this point! 
I picked up a Ruger Predator recently and got it out to the range in its current form today. Shooting those same 55 grain Hornady FMJBT bullets that started this thread, I was able to hit 6-7" targets at 435 yards three in a row multiple times. Given the breezy conditions today, I'm very happy with sub 1.5 MOA at that distance! I've got some 77 grain Sierra MKs on the way to start making some more accurate rounds that will hit a little harder at the longer ranges.
The Predator's accuracy is respectable given its price point. The factory rifle wasn't bad, but it's been much improved with a lighter trigger spring, extended bolt handle, and Magpul Hunter stock that takes AR mags. The action is a bit rough, which was made more evident as I rotated between this rifle and my Bergara B-14. If Bergara made a rifle in .223, I'd definitely buy one. (Apparently, Spain doesn't allow them to manufacture a .223/5.56 rifle.)
I picked up a Ruger Predator recently and got it out to the range in its current form today. Shooting those same 55 grain Hornady FMJBT bullets that started this thread, I was able to hit 6-7" targets at 435 yards three in a row multiple times. Given the breezy conditions today, I'm very happy with sub 1.5 MOA at that distance! I've got some 77 grain Sierra MKs on the way to start making some more accurate rounds that will hit a little harder at the longer ranges.The Predator's accuracy is respectable given its price point. The factory rifle wasn't bad, but it's been much improved with a lighter trigger spring, extended bolt handle, and Magpul Hunter stock that takes AR mags. The action is a bit rough, which was made more evident as I rotated between this rifle and my Bergara B-14. If Bergara made a rifle in .223, I'd definitely buy one. (Apparently, Spain doesn't allow them to manufacture a .223/5.56 rifle.)
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paulleve
NES Member
I took the Predator and a .223 Savage out to the range and finally got some of those grain hand loads on paper. I tried a few different powder measurements with the 55 grain Hornady FMJBTs, and the Ruger kept all 3-shot groups under an inch at 100 yards. (The Savage seemed a little pickier about the loads.) I fired a couple 5-shot groups toward the end of the session, and they opened up to a little over 1 MOA - still not bad given how cheap these bullets are.
For the final few groups of the day I decided to try a few quick groups with some 77 grain SMKs I had with me. I tried two different loads and was shocked by how well the Predator grouped! Four groups, all under .7" at 100 yards, and the largest had a flyer that very well could have been me! For anyone considering a .223 rifle that takes AR mags, this one will shoot.
For the final few groups of the day I decided to try a few quick groups with some 77 grain SMKs I had with me. I tried two different loads and was shocked by how well the Predator grouped! Four groups, all under .7" at 100 yards, and the largest had a flyer that very well could have been me! For anyone considering a .223 rifle that takes AR mags, this one will shoot.
Same with 45acp bullseye loads. Can't find lswc 45acp anywhere and if you did it'll be ass rape prices. I agree it's not just about cost savings it's custom ammoyou generally cannot buy a 1/2 or 1/4 MOA stock match factory .223 ammo for your specific rifle, you'll need to make it if you want it.
no matter to talk about the cost of something what does not really exist.
as of 9mm - if you get an unlimited supply of used brass - it is still good thing - especially with folks making their own bullets.
but the idea of crawling and picking up all the 9mm brass as well - damn, no way. not yet.
paulleve
NES Member
Tonight I reloaded my 1,000th round! After experimenting with .223, I recently moved up to 6.5c. Here's #1,000 with a 140 grain BTHP sitting on top of H4350. Looking forward to hitting the range tomorrow to give these a try.
paulleve
NES Member
Too many things to do and not enough time, so I had to postpone to next weekend. I've been hitting the range a lot more since I started making my own, so no big disappointment in missing a day. By then I should have my first batch of .30-06 ready to try in the Garand as well!
1903Collector
NES Member
I gave up on the economics of reloading a long time ago but I do have some pricey calibers That I shoot. Nowadays the value for me is being able to load and shoot stuff that you can't find, the 44-40 is one of my favorite's to shoot but I can't tell you the last time a vendor had it in stock.
paulleve
NES Member
I finally got to try out the 6.5 loads. I wanted to hit the 100 yard range for some accuracy testing, but it was pretty busy even thought the weather wasn't so great. I went straight to the long range and started shooting at 400+ yards. At 400 yards I was getting repeatable hits on the 4" gong - until I sent it up and over the support beam! I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of groups I'll get at 100.
Jenska22
NES Member
and isn't that really the reason for (and joy of) reloading?
