Best neck dia. for Lapua brass in .223 Rem.?

K

Krister

Guest
Hi, im new here, so bear with me if im out of line - but tell me. I could not find answers to my satisfaction searching on this topic.

I am currently using a std. .223Rem. chambering in the LR BR game - specifically 500m. I am in Norway and this not very common yet - we shoot what we call 500m UNL (unlimited), all rifles allowed to avvoid excluding anyone.
Our level is NOT what you will see in the states, and at the latest match most shooters used Sauer 200STRs og Sako TRGs, unaltered, prone and using bipods.
My 1:7" .223 pushing 90gr Berger VLDs is a little of an oddball. But i have som problems handling recoil consistently in the bigger bores, so the .223 works very well for me.

Anyways, having stagnated just above 100mm for 10 shot groups @ 500m - i need new tricks, also groups have opened up alittle as the barrel is on 2k rounds now, Liljabbl btw. Going from a std. chamber to a fitted neck is one trick.
- I will use ONLY Lapua brass
- i need not/will probably never shoot a factory loaded round regardless of chamber
- i will use 90gr Berger VLDs or to some extent then Hornady 80gr Amax, on the lands
- i already have a Sinclair neck turning device
- I use Redding Compettion Bushing dies only
- I will not use a magazine nor am i limited by action lenght, today my COL for the VLDs is 68.5mm

Big Q: What neck diameter should i use? Reamer dimensions? Bushing size? for maximum .223 Rem. accuracy

Regards and straight shooting
Krister
 
buy the brass, seat some bullets, take some measurements.....go with as thick as will cleanup...........
for the reamer, send seated dummy rounds to the reamer maker...let thim work from there.

do not go to thin (less than .010) necks....my GUESS is you should be able to go with .011 or thicker....

mike in co
 
buy the brass, seat some bullets, take some measurements.....
Click to expand...
Done that


go with as thick as will cleanup...........
for the reamer, send seated dummy rounds to the reamer maker...let thim work from there.
Click to expand...
OK

do not go to thin (less than .010) necks
Click to expand...
Why?

Good advise and thank you. The whole thing then converges on .250 cartridges, .249 bushing, which is what i use now.
But a .252 neck (0.001 clearance), replacing the .255 thing.. Then i could even use factory ammo if i measure it first, for safety.

However i am still looking for "this works for me" kind of input, Like . "this and that guy uses that, and shoots such and such"

What about throat lenght?
Any thoughts on case neck annealing?

Krister
 
go look at the specs for 223...i believe 250 is min...which is what my match reamer is...
getting a 252 neck to clean up is tuff....

thin necks dont survive well.....and no need to remove that much metal....thin necks in ppc is the results of early brass quality which REQUIRED a lot of turning to clean up. not so with todays brass...my 6ppc/beggs are both 270 necks.

i shoot short range 223(100yds) i am under .2 (14 twist/52/53gr). i have shot out to 600 but not with this setup. hornady 75 amax.

tighter bushing/throat jam may give better burn.

set the reamer throat so that as throat wear occurs you can still move out your oal with some neck tension.

maybe ask on the 600/1000yd forum. most guys that shoot 223 long range only need 1moa(for highpower mil rifle shooting).

are you getting the 90's to stabilize in the 7 twist bbl ? not everyone had that luck.

is this current production lapua brass or older stuff. the older stuff was essentially mil subcontracted brass, not match brass.
even so weight sort it after full match prep...i was not impressed with the spread on the new stuff.
better to buy 500 winchester and sort them....


mike in co
 
My brass is current Lapua "Match" headstamp, i noted upon cleaning up the necks that the neck walls were way more uneven than the 6.-284 or 6.5x55 brass i have. Way more, and much more metal needed to be removed to get as many uniform cases.
My loaded necks now measuere .2497" on 20 round average. None are >.250", that makes neck walls .0128", and cutting to .012 would probably be 100%cut on 90% of cases, .011" would be 100% on everything

Now local advise says this will give me too weak neck walls for our field condition shooting. I dont see this, as .011 or 12 is not much under .0128?
IMG_5513.jpg


.012 walls would give me .248" rounds, would a .250" chamber fit that? Or go to .011" neck walls and same math further? Would they be that weak?

As i say i use 68.5mm (sloppy smith made 3mm "extra" freebore..) on the 90VLDs, this has given me occasional groups in the .2" range @100m, but mostly around .5".
Today i need to clean like a madman to avvoid opening up from there.

They shoot well way down in the 750m/s range, but i am running them at 810-815m/s, did i mention i get high ES, sometimes 70fps, more than 20m/s - but still accuracy at short range. I colud make them go close to 850m/s but got the primer pocket disease after a few reloads with that stuff.

My groups at 600yds (10rd) hover between 4" (calm weather) and 6", depending on conditions of course, sometimes we have WIND, and it aint blowing across no plain...
On of my 6.5mm shoot maybe 2" at 500m, but then there are the "recoil shots", hence .223.
My goal would certainly be to approach 2" @ 500m /600yds

Krister
 
i think most will tell you that 1-2 thou neck clearance will be fine. i think 12/250 would work well.......i would try to find a load with a smaller es.....
( i have never shot 90's so do not know what is possible)

mike in co
 
Krister:

I've found with my (White Oak Wylde-chambered) ARs that I must use a 249 bushing in the Redding S-die with Lapua brass, otherwise necks will split after only a few firings. Lapua necks are 0.001" thicker than ordinary brass. Ordinary brass require the smaller 247 or 245 bushings. Chuck
 
.223 necks

I am shooting a factory Savage LRPV .223 1-7" twist in 500 meter groundhog matches here in the US. With a .247 titanium bushing in Redding Competition sizer, unturned Lapua brass, and 25.5 grs. Varget under an 80 gr. Berger VLD, CCI BR4 primer, jammed
.010", my groups are about half minute all the way to 500. No stability problems. I don't believe turning Lapua brass for a factory chamber is worthwhile.
 
Rem 223

Built this 223 last spring for FTR shooting in Canada, won a couple local shoots and at Connaught won the July Longrange challange 7,8 & 900 meters
Using 90gr VLD
Neck .252
Lapua lightly turned necks.
CCI BR Primers
OAl 90gr bergers, 2.620
Barrel 30",1/7 twist 6 grove TF
Barnard S action
Robertson Stock.
NF Benchrest 12x42

never shot a group at longrange but gun will shoot 80gr vld .2" groups, the best I have done with 90gr VLD .345" I have tried eveything and thats the best |I can do with 90gr vld,s
80s will shoot under 1" at 300y pretty constantly if wind is okay, and nut behind bolt is okay.
P1060915.jpg
 
Krister...I have a Savage M12,LRPV,.223,1/9 and I'm using Lapua .223 Match brass with necks cut to .0125" giving me a loaded round diameter of .2490". The chamber neck inside diameter is .2550". My next barrel will have a "tight neck" .246" so I'll be turning brass to .0100" and loaded rounds will be .2440" for the .2460"chamber neck. .002" total clearance is plenty,but you must keep it clean. My 6mmPPC uses .002" with no ill effects. Good luck...gpoldblue
 
why turn perfectly good necks(lapua) to 0.010.????.....if they clean up at 0.012 then shoot them at .012...........

change your spec's to match the brass cleanup number not some mythical thin neck number........

mike in co
 
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