Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Reloading equipment, methods, load data, powder and projectile information.

Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by Adelaide » 07 Sep 2021, 9:04 am

Morning all,

Have got some Barnes TSX 45G which I am keen to try in my Howa 1500. Any feedback and load recommendations would be gratefully appreciated.
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by boingk » 07 Sep 2021, 9:31 am

2206H is your friend here. 25gn starting load for 3200fps and up to 27.5gn as listed by ADI - that'll return 3450fps they reckon.

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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by Adelaide » 07 Sep 2021, 10:22 am

Thanks a ton, any history on accuracy on these?
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by boingk » 07 Sep 2021, 11:09 am

No idea unfortunately. I dare say you'd be "within limits", and from experience I get good results in my 1:8 twist 18" barreled Ruger American with 55gn Super Roo's around the 2900fps mark.

Do you know what the twist rate for your rifle is?
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by deye243 » 07 Sep 2021, 2:59 pm

Yes a lot of the cheaper made monolithic projectiles generally not as accurate as traditional cup and core projectiles like everything else there is exceptions to the rule and every rifle is different.
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by bladeracer » 07 Sep 2021, 3:53 pm

Adelaide wrote:Morning all,

Have got some Barnes TSX 45G which I am keen to try in my Howa 1500. Any feedback and load recommendations would be gratefully appreciated.


The TSX is a very expensive bullet, so I'd be surprised if many others have tried it in .223, a lot of people choose .223 specifically because it's cheap to shoot.
Be interested to see how you go with it, but I doubt it'll shoot any better than bullets costing a quarter to a tenth of the price.

As boingk said, AR2206H would be my choice. BM8208 and AR2208 are also good choices. These three powders are extremely versatile and can be used in a great number of different cartridges.
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by Adelaide » 07 Sep 2021, 9:10 pm

Thanks a ton for all the responses. Will put them to the test and post the findings.

Have a great evening.
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by Adelaide » 20 Sep 2021, 6:47 pm

Evening All,
I have started to reload with ADI new cases and 2206H powder
Two quick questions
1) Started at 25g the cases seem pretty full and with the bullet seated I would think compressed.No signs of pressure in the last batch I tested up to 25.5g. Is it ok to step it up?
2) Would magnum primers be preferable ?

Really appreciate feedback.
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by bladeracer » 20 Sep 2021, 8:14 pm

Adelaide wrote:Evening All,
I have started to reload with ADI new cases and 2206H powder
Two quick questions
1) Started at 25g the cases seem pretty full and with the bullet seated I would think compressed.No signs of pressure in the last batch I tested up to 25.5g. Is it ok to step it up?
2) Would magnum primers be preferable ?

Really appreciate feedback.


Anything over about 25gn of AR2206H is likely to be compressed if the bullet is seated to the standard 2.260", if you can seat longer it will give you a little more capacity.

Check the case length is within spec, if it gets too long it can crimp the bullet into the rifling.

I don't think magnum primers would offer a significant benefit, but there's no harm in trying them if you want to.

This is Barnes' load data page. https://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/223RemingtonWeb.pdf
ADI AR2206H is sold by Hodgdon in the US as H4895. They don't list it for the 45gn TSX, but do list if for the 50gn TSX/TTSX and heavier, so you can extrapolate from that. If you study the 50gn data page you'll see that the monolithic copper TSX/TTSX bullet generally uses a larger charge (up to 2gn more) than the copper-jacketed lead Varminator bullet. Keep that in mind if you decide to switch to a 45gn copper-jacketed bullet in the future, you'll want to reduce the charge and work the load up again.
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Barnes 223 30-36gn.JPG
Barnes 223 30-36gn.JPG (90.09 KiB) Viewed 2989 times
Barnes 223 40-45gn.JPG
Barnes 223 40-45gn.JPG (98.84 KiB) Viewed 2989 times
Barnes 223 50gn.JPG
Barnes 223 50gn.JPG (106.95 KiB) Viewed 2989 times
Barnes 223 52-53gn.JPG
Barnes 223 52-53gn.JPG (94.54 KiB) Viewed 2989 times
Barnes 223 55gn.JPG
Barnes 223 55gn.JPG (112.57 KiB) Viewed 2989 times
Barnes 223 62-69gn.JPG
Barnes 223 62-69gn.JPG (108.33 KiB) Viewed 2989 times
Barnes 223 70-85gn.JPG
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by Adelaide » 21 Sep 2021, 11:52 am

Thanks a ton for the info, Is it safe to exceed 25g if its going to compress the load. Have just made another batch with max loading of 26.2.G.I can move the seating depth out but Barnes recommends .050, which is what I have gone with. On another note what projectiles would you recommend for accuracy ( paper punching)? Is 2606H the best powder or would you recommend anything else.

Thanks once again for your
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by bladeracer » 21 Sep 2021, 1:41 pm

Adelaide wrote:Thanks a ton for the info, Is it safe to exceed 25g if its going to compress the load. Have just made another batch with max loading of 26.2.G.I can move the seating depth out but Barnes recommends .050, which is what I have gone with. On another note what projectiles would you recommend for accuracy ( paper punching)? Is 2606H the best powder or would you recommend anything else.

Thanks once again for your


Yes, compressed is good. With no air space in the case, ignition is about as uniform as it's possible to get it.
You can keep increasing the charge if you are looking for an accurate load, but there's really no need to chase velocities, especially for shooting paper and steel.

I would have to check if the TSX is a secant, tangent or hybrid design, but I would expect it to not be a secant if they're suggesting starting at .050" jump.
You can load out as long as the bullet is not actually touching the rifling, and is still firmly held in the case mouth, so it doesn't come loose during feeding. If you can load it longer, the extra case volume reduces pressures, and/or allows you to push higher velocities before reaching pressure signs.

In .224-calibre I've only owned a 14"-twist .222 and my 8"-twist .223. In the .222 the bullets of choice for accuracy for me (back in the eighties) were the 52gn and 53gn match bullets from Sierra and Speer. Not having a .22 any more though, I don't know if the bullets I used were identical to the modern versions. In the 8"-twist I prefer the heavier bullets, 77gn and up. The heavier bullets don't make as much velocity (although my Ruger allows me to seat them very long which makes up for that), but their much high BC makes them less affected by wind, and wind is a major issue for me.

For competition I would start with something readily available and relatively cheap, cheap means you can do a lot more shooting for your money, and practice is how you improve. The Sierra Match King (SMK) is probably a good starting place and they have a wide range of bullet weights to try. And they offer bulk 500rd or 1000rd packs if you find a bullet that works really well. Berger do offer a couple of lighter bullets that might work and they're not too expensive, though sometimes supply is difficult.

The only way to determine the "best" powder for your load is to try them all. This guy tested 19 powders last week - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LkMYUdh6mQ - although he only tested a single load with each, which is far from sufficient data to make a choice. You really need to do load development with each powder with the bullet you intend to use, but it's a lot of work and quite expensive. I would expect you will have no difficulty finding accuracy using AR2206H, but as you improve you may find yourself trying other powders. BM8208 (IMR 8208XBR in the US) is a good choice for benchrest-style shooting, and it is still quite versatile. Currently, ADI has slowed production of the less common rifle powders, so I would try to work with something that is readily available - AR2206H (H4895), AR2207 (H4198), AR2208 (Varget), BM8208 (IMR 8208XBR). AR2205 works very well in small capacity cases but is difficult to get just now.
http://www.adiworldclass.com.au/2021/04/16/propellant-update-rifle-powder-update/
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by Adelaide » 21 Sep 2021, 1:54 pm

Really appreciate your input. Haven't checked velocities but happy to keep it as low. Good to know no issues with compressed loads. Have no intention of going any where max loads indicated on ADI. Have been offered some Hornady 55 VMAX with a cannular, so will give those a try . Going to stick with AR2206Hfor the time bieng.

Thanks once again
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by Adelaide » 21 Sep 2021, 1:54 pm

Really appreciate your input. Haven't checked velocities but happy to keep it as low. Good to know no issues with compressed loads. Have no intention of going any where max loads indicated on ADI. Have been offered some Hornady 55 VMAX with a cannular, so will give those a try . Going to stick with AR2206Hfor the time bieng.

Thanks once again
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by bladeracer » 21 Sep 2021, 2:23 pm

Adelaide wrote:Really appreciate your input. Haven't checked velocities but happy to keep it as low. Good to know no issues with compressed loads. Have no intention of going any where max loads indicated on ADI. Have been offered some Hornady 55 VMAX with a cannular, so will give those a try . Going to stick with AR2206Hfor the time bieng.

Thanks once again


How well did the TSX shoot?
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by Adelaide » 21 Sep 2021, 3:57 pm

TSX was ok 21 mm three shot group. Best was 25.5g ( three batches 25,25.3, and 25.5)
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by Adelaide » 21 Sep 2021, 3:57 pm

TSX was ok 21 mm three shot group. Best was 25.5g ( three batches 25,25.3, and 25.5)
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Re: Reloading Barnes TSX 45G for 223.

Post by bladeracer » 21 Sep 2021, 5:42 pm

Adelaide wrote:TSX was ok 21 mm three shot group. Best was 25.5g ( three batches 25,25.3, and 25.5)


Sounds good. I think I only have the TSX and TTSX in 7mm, never tried them in a .22-caliber.
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