.223 ai 80 ELD M Load Data

[Elk botherer]

Anyone loading 80 gr Eld M or Eld X in a .223 ai? From what I can gather 25-25.9 gr of tac (I’ve got a lot of tac) should work but I’m a bit unsure on over all length for the cartridge. Any recommendations where to start for length? Thanks.

 

[amassi]

I use 25.0 varget at 2.450 coal. MV From a 24” is 2950.
I have a long freebore though .110 if you have the more standard .060 you’ll be shorter
25~ grains of tac should put you in the same wheelhouse.
I used sierra data and it lined up nicely with the eld-m


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[Elk botherer]

I use 25.0 varget at 2.450 coal. MV From a 24” is 2950.
I have a long freebore though .110 if you have the more standard .060 you’ll be shorter
25~ grains of tac should put you in the same wheelhouse.
I used sierra data and it lined up nicely with the eld-m


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome! I used Sierra’s data for the 77 tmk and worked up a good load for it but I wasn’t sure if their load data for the 80 gr match bullet would translate to Hornady’s 80 gr eldm. I was guessing 2.400” was a good jump off point but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t on the wrong trail. I’ve got the standard freebore so I’ll go shorter than your coal. I called Hornady for some assistance and the dude was gruff and said they don’t offer data on wildcats. I thought the .223 ai was a bit more mainstream for a wildcat since Sierra has its load data in their app. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and happy trails.

 

[Kaleb]

Not taking the guys side at Hornady but he's not in a very good position to just give you a length. I understand adjusting seating depth is looked down upon here but for me and everyone I know in real life you want to know where your bullet jams or sticks at. Once you know what too long is then you only have one direction to go seating the bullet.

Asking how long your coal needs to be is a hard question to answer. For example the load I shoot in an old factory tikka 223 is too long for a current 223 I bought this summer for my daughter. That's factory chambers from the same manufacture.

Lots of ways to do things but you can partially size the neck(unprimed case) then lube the inside of the neck and bullet. Seat the bullet long. Chamber your dummy round quickly and extract it quickly. This will allow the chamber to seat the bullet where it jams at. Back 20 tho off that and see if your getting marks on your bullet. If no marks or only slight marks are on the bullet let er rip.

I won't bother with saying if adjusting seating depth is good or bad people have their own opinions but I will say you don't want it long enough you stick bullets.

 

[Elk botherer]

Thanks for the advice, it’s my first custom chambered rifle. I’ve always just looked up the recommended data from a manual and used that as a baseline to find the best coal for that particular rifle. I’d do a latter test and then mess with coal until it really tightened up. I’ll definitely use the method you suggested with new bullets going forward. I know certain bullet designs need to be loaded short while some need to be loaded long, just wasn’t sure where to start in the dark with a new chambering and a new bullet. Thanks again!

 

[Kaleb]

You’re exactly right that some bullets can be a little more particular about the amount of jump. I’m by no means an expert and other things could be playing into that too. I have to try and keep things simple and it helps me to only have one direction to go with seating depth. Some just shoot no matter where they are and we’ve been shown examples of that on here. Maybe some are just a little more fussy than others? I hope yours isn’t and is no drama for you to find a good load for.

I’ve shot 223AI’s for about 15 years or so and think it’s a great cartridge. A good standard 223 load almost always makes for a good forming load. For example the load I use in standard 223 is the exact same load I use for fire forming. The velocity is a little less I assume less pressure in the AI chamber but accuracy is fine. After you have your formed cases ready to go again bump up .3-.5 grains of powder and see what you have. Work up like anything else except you’re already pretty close. You will probably end up with your formed load being a grain or grain and a half over your forming load depending on your forming load of course. Going off memory not looking at notes I’m about a grain or 1.2 grains from forming to formed cases. I use lever but would use tac in a second based on others experience with it.

 

[Elk botherer]

I just used the dummy bullet method and it came out 2.435” with slight marks on the bullet. So start loading at 2.415” and go from there? Just making sure I’m getting the process right. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

 

[Kaleb]

Yes if you seated the bullet in/with the chamber. You could try 2.420 and see if that’s making contact or leaving marks on the bullet. Then just work up to pressure with your powder charge.

 

[Elk botherer]

Perfect! Thanks for the help and merry Christmas!

 

[Kaleb]

Merry Christmas to you sir.