Rokslide Special 223 recipe

[Sadler]

Anyone???

I was getting 2800 FPS out of my 16” tikka with 77 TMKs, Norma brass, Cci 400 primers and 25 grains of n540. Killed some elk with that load this year at 400 and 500 yards. I tested it agains CFE223 and Tac and this was the clear winner. 1.5” 30 round group with a low ES from what I remember. I don’t know why people are using Tac when this is all over the place too.

Edit to add. That wasn’t even the book max load

 

[Jimbee]

Just checked...the BH I have is LC brass that is crimped...

I have hundreds of once fired BH LC brass...so, what is the best method to swage this brass?

I just put a little primer pocket crimp remover in my cordless drill and it only takes a few seconds to cut them out

 

[ID_Matt]

Anyone???

Almost everyone I have seen prefers XBR.

 

[T28w]

I just put a little primer pocket crimp remover in my cordless drill and it only takes a few seconds to cut them out

Which one are you using?

 

[Jimbee]

Which one are you using?

RCBS 90386 TM Military Crimp Remover, 2 Small https://a.co/d/etsmaF2
Something like this

 

[BryanL]

Most reloads with recycled LC brass I am loading for about $.65 per if I’m not buying brass. If I am it’s Starline brass and the total loaded is $.90 per. For powders, I would get 8208XBR, AA2520, Power Pro 2000MR, Lever Revolution, Varget, or TAC. There are of course others but I generally found those work well with 62gr-77gr loads. All loaded to 2.26 COAL and using CCI400 primers.

77 TMK from Green Top, local shops, or Creedmoor Sports usually for less than $.42 per. Powders for this I got AA2520 25.0 or 23.4 8208XBR or 26.0 PowerPro 2000MR

73gr ELD-M with a variety of decent powders did well. TAC was one of the better ones at 24.5. There were some other powders that did well for me like Varget.

62gr Gold Dot. CFE223. 27.0 grains. This loads shoots identical to Federal Fusion 62gr .223 out of my tikka. My range only goes to 200 and it was same poi and same velocity over a cheap chrono.

That’s what worked in my tikka T3X stainless.To be honest, most of my practice stuff is 55gr 5.56 Winchester or Hornady Frontier in various grain weights. I found the brown box Winchester 5.56 was shooting 2-2.25 MOA for 10 shot groups at 100 consistently. I was shocked.

I would follow Forms “Painless Load Development” postings. I used to do minimal of anything other than basic sizing, reprime, charge, seat. Then I went to the whole anneal each time, clean extra well, trim, chamfer, etc. not I just use some basic steps similar to the directions in Forms post. It works better than one might think.

 

[wind gypsy]

Anyone???

Benchmark is a faster burning powder so it's billed as more for lighter bullets thus there is likely much less experience with it. I do know some folks use it with the 75/77 bullets. I've only used it with 65s and 69s.

 

[KU_Geo]

Benchmark is the king in my tikka for accuracy and speed with 50-55gr bullets. Haven’t tried it with heavies

 

[Vern400]

If your goal is to find a single load that you want to shoot and make a huge batch like 500 or 1000 you can save a some money reloading. My goal is to make ammunition that's more precise and accurate than the best off the shelf stuff I can buy. I usually end up with 100 or $200 worth of stuff I'm not going to use for each caliber I touch. For example, I still have some speer bullets that were remaining when I found out Sierra was way better. That's one example of probably 20.

The big advantage is always knowing what you're going to get. Last week I was playing around with some subsonic rounds in my 308 shooting them out to 200 yards. It was the first time I had touched the zero on my scope on my hunting rifle in 10 years. It's nice knowing that you can yoink the rifle out of your truck and hit a clay pigeon at a quarter mile with a cold bore shot. The only way you get there is by setting it up and leaving it alone. Just shoot it.

I have a new load for my 223 bolt gun. I've shot four consecutive five shot groups with the largest being 0.6 in. If I can repeat that today, I am going to load a fat 50 ammo box completely full, throw a desiccant pack in there and seal that mother up. Then I'll make a few hundred more to play with and put them in regular 100 round ammo boxes. I'll make a dope chart out to 500 yards based on five shot groups and put a copy in each box. The lot number will be 2023.

 

[epoletna]

My experience with reloading to save money is that I saved a little at the outset (that was 60 years ago) but then I began to add more and more equipment, so I'd hate to figure out what my cost per round is when sunk cost is included. But I enjoy it, so it's an end in itself.

 

[TheCougar]

@Lawnboi @wind gypsy @willfrye027 @Billy Goat

Here’s what I ended up with:

400 star line unprimed brass @ $20/100 after all the discounts.

CCi 400 primer x 100 @ $10. This was the cheapest I could find locally.

73 ELDM x 100 for $36/100. I overpaid locally. Dumbass

77 SMK x 200 for $14.50 per 100 after all the discounts. Half the price of the ELDMs.

1lb of TAC for $36. The only TAC I could find locally. I didn’t want to commit to a powder yet. I found 1lb of 8208 for.. wait for it… $68. At a local hardware store. Hard pass.

Current load cost is expected to be
Primer $.10
Bullet $.15 SMK or $.37 ELDM
Brass $.20
Powder $.12 (assuming 300 charges per lb)

Puts me at $.57 per SMK cartridge or $.79 for ELDM.

My rifle is being cut and threaded for a suppressor. Once that happens, I’ll try building my first set of test loads and take them out. Then a RokStok!

 

[TheCougar]

I couldn’t find any xbr besides the price gouger selling that single pound.

 

[wind gypsy]

@Lawnboi @wind gypsy @willfrye027 @Billy Goat

Here’s what I ended up with:

400 star line unprimed brass @ $20/100 after all the discounts.

CCi 400 primer x 100 @ $10. This was the cheapest I could find locally.

73 ELDM x 100 for $36/100. I overpaid locally. Dumbass

77 SMK x 200 for $14.50 per 100 after all the discounts. Half the price of the ELDMs.

1lb of TAC for $36. The only TAC I could find locally. I didn’t want to commit to a powder yet. I found 1lb of 8208 for.. wait for it… $68. At a local hardware store. Hard pass.

Current load cost is expected to be
Primer $.10
Bullet $.15 SMK or $.37 ELDM
Brass $.20
Powder $.12 (assuming 300 charges per lb)

Puts me at $.57 per SMK cartridge or $.79 for ELDM.

My rifle is being cut and threaded for a suppressor. Once that happens, I’ll try building my first set of test loads and take them out. Then a RokStok!

And after that first round, they'll be $0.20 less when you don't include brass in the price.

 

[willfrye027]

@Lawnboi @wind gypsy @willfrye027 @Billy Goat

Here’s what I ended up with:

400 star line unprimed brass @ $20/100 after all the discounts.

CCi 400 primer x 100 @ $10. This was the cheapest I could find locally.

73 ELDM x 100 for $36/100. I overpaid locally. Dumbass

77 SMK x 200 for $14.50 per 100 after all the discounts. Half the price of the ELDMs.

1lb of TAC for $36. The only TAC I could find locally. I didn’t want to commit to a powder yet. I found 1lb of 8208 for.. wait for it… $68. At a local hardware store. Hard pass.

Current load cost is expected to be
Primer $.10
Bullet $.15 SMK or $.37 ELDM
Brass $.20
Powder $.12 (assuming 300 charges per lb)

Puts me at $.57 per SMK cartridge or $.79 for ELDM.

My rifle is being cut and threaded for a suppressor. Once that happens, I’ll try building my first set of test loads and take them out. Then a RokStok!

Very nice. I went back and put my .223 into one of my alterra stocks and it’s shooting 15 shots into 1.1” now. Might have just been crappy shooting on my part with the factory stock. This was prone on the ground with bipod and rear bag.

I’m sitting on 2k of the 75bthp, prob 4k CCI 400, and now 16lb of lever. Minus the few hundred rounds I’ve put down the barrel so far. Happy with how mines shooting. Should keep me in business for awhile through some likely shortages on the horizon.

How did you get the SMK so cheap? Shoot me a PM if you want..

 

[Lawnboi]

@Lawnboi @wind gypsy @willfrye027 @Billy Goat

Here’s what I ended up with:

400 star line unprimed brass @ $20/100 after all the discounts.

CCi 400 primer x 100 @ $10. This was the cheapest I could find locally.

73 ELDM x 100 for $36/100. I overpaid locally. Dumbass

77 SMK x 200 for $14.50 per 100 after all the discounts. Half the price of the ELDMs.

1lb of TAC for $36. The only TAC I could find locally. I didn’t want to commit to a powder yet. I found 1lb of 8208 for.. wait for it… $68. At a local hardware store. Hard pass.

Current load cost is expected to be
Primer $.10
Bullet $.15 SMK or $.37 ELDM
Brass $.20
Powder $.12 (assuming 300 charges per lb)

Puts me at $.57 per SMK cartridge or $.79 for ELDM.

My rifle is being cut and threaded for a suppressor. Once that happens, I’ll try building my first set of test loads and take them out. Then a RokStok!

Only change I would make, is no more 400s. Replace with 450s, or fed 205. The cups are thicker and handle pressure better. Probably not a big deal with mild loads at the range but a little extra insurance when shooting in field/wet conditions is nice.

 

[fshaw]

Very nice. I went back and put my .223 into one of my alterra stocks and it’s shooting 15 shots into 1.1” now. Might have just been crappy shooting on my part with the factory stock. This was prone on the ground with bipod and rear bag.

I’m sitting on 2k of the 75bthp, prob 4k CCI 400, and now 16lb of lever. Minus the few hundred rounds I’ve put down the barrel so far. Happy with how mines shooting. Should keep me in business for awhile through some likely shortages on the horizon.

How did you get the SMK so cheap? Shoot me a PM if you want..

What powder charge are you using with Lever. I understand that it's your load in your rifle and that if I blow myself up it's on me.

Thanks.

Frank

 

[Mulyhuntr]

75 eldm is a great option given they can be found at $.2 a bullet at times. And, they're consistently obtainable.

Lapua brass, 23.9 H4895, and 75 eldm gets me 2900fps and awesome accuracy.

 

[ID_Matt]

75 eldm is a great option given they can be found at $.2 a bullet at times.

Lapua brass, 23.9 H4895, and 75 eldm gets me 2900fps and awesome accuracy.

at tikka mag length?

 

[FLS]

77 SMK
24.5 TAC
LC Brass
BR4
2.260”
2840 out of a 24” CTR
2750 out of a 18” 1-8 Wyle chambered AR
I load these on a progressive and have shot thousands of them. It’s my go to 223 load In multiple rifles. TAC is always available and usually cheaper than most of the others listed.

 

[Mulyhuntr]

at tikka mag length?

Mountain tactical mag.