Hey guys is there any links for some good reloading data for .223 out of a 10.5 barrel?
Your load data for a 10.5" gun should be about the same as what you would load for any other length.
Obviously you will get less velocity from the 10.5" then what is posted in most reloading manuals, but max pressure will still be max pressure.
With that said, here are some examples of my max loads I use in my 11.5" AR and 16" AUG. Velocity quoted is out of the 11.5" AR in South Florida elevation and environmental conditions. I load COAL to magazine length. These loads will likely only be safe in a NATO 5.56 chamber, not a 223 chamber.
55gr FMJ:
H4198 @ 21.5gr = 2760fps
77gr HPBT:
Varget @ 23.5gr = 2320fps
Forgive me for being stupid but what is the magazine COAL?
COAL = Combined over all length of the entire loaded cartridge.
At some point, the total length of the cartridge will be to long to fit inside a magazine. I load them just within that limit, which it about 2.25, but could vary depending on your magazines.
With my 55gr loads I tend to get lazier and just seat them anywhere between 2.23 and 2.25.
Agreed…there is no magical “SBR powder”–use the same loads you use in your regular barrels.
Of course, if you’re going for tight groups out of an SBR (not many out there, but some do), you may have to tune the load slightly due to differing barrel harmonics.
Inside of the 100 yard mark (where an SBR would be appropriate anyway) there’s no accuracy loss from an SBR.
I soundly out shot everyone in the last carbine class I took with my 11.5".
No–in fact SBRs barrels are inherently more accurate due to increased stiffness.
However, few people use an SBR for precision shooting. For those that do, slight load variations may be necessary to account for the different barrel harmonics (as in fine tuning for ANY barrel change, regardless of length). For tweaking loads, I’m not referring to maintaining carbine class-type accuracy: I’m talking sub-MOA accuracy.