.223 question about bullet length vs magazine.

[PopsZAT]

You might want to consider the potential pressure increase caused by long bullets set deeply into cases vs: the load density for the powder you are using if you are pushing max capacity. You might be compressing the load.

 

[Vern1]

Park the PMags and get some metal magazines.
They will usually allow you to load out to 2.30 or sometimes longer and still feed.
My 20" AR Performance 1/8 5R barrel with target crown loves 75gr AMaxs loaded to 2.30 and shoots microscopic touching groups at 100 yards.
It also likes 69gr OTMBTs loaded long and pushed by 25grs Varget.

My PMags are reserved for bullets less than 60gr and production ammo.

 

[OLDVET]

I have loaded thousands of .223 rounds at 2.25" and they worked perfectly in all of my Pmags.

I am also one of those guys that load a middle of the road charge. I see no reason to abuse the equipment and I can still get extreme accuracy out to 200 yards. I use Winchester 748 powder which fills the .223 case up to where it bottle necks. I use Sierra 52 gr. MatchKing HPBT bullets.
I have chronographed my loads up to 3,100 fps. Overall average of 3,045 fps.

 

[M. Sage]

Man, this got dug up?

I've had no problem loading to 2.250, the only issue I'm running into is the crap powder I have. Took advice from the wrong source, even with some hot, near-max 55 grain loads, it won't cycle my rifle (gas system is set up for American Eagle 55 gr. FMJ). Big problem with that is that best accuracy is at mid-range powder charges, and still not as good as it should be - the AE stuff is just under 1" at 100 yards, best I can get out of my own reloads is about 3". For now the .223 loading is on hold because I don't see much point in reloading crap ammo that's not much cheaper than store-bought crap ammo... Eventually I think I'm going to just load up all that I can with max charges just to burn this damn powder up.

Accurate 2230 sucks. Don't buy it. Dead giveaway is that it stinks like the powder in the steel-cased junk from Russia.

 

[Charlie]

I load Varget exclusively. Books say about 25 to 27, my most accurate load is 26.1 with a 3/8-7/16 group at 100. I'm OK with that.