Thread: Getting ES down with 223

Round 2... 25.6gn Benchmark 2

Skipped the control group with virgin brass, as the first round showed very little difference between new and fireformed (all else being equal)... Plus I was feeling lazy.

Same Forster dies. Same scale. All cases FL sized, trimmed, and wax residue wiped off with a rag. Second set has the extra step of the necks getting a scrub with a nylon brush and a dip in some graphite.

Wiped
3237
3242
3196
3205
3199
3221
3250
3242
3231
ES 54, SD 20.4, AVG 3225

Wiped, scrubbed, graphite
3296
3291
3271
3314
3254
3301
3292
3310
3266
3278
ES 60, SD 19.6, AVG 3287

Interesting thing I note from this is the 62ft/s increase in average speed on the second batch. Not sure how to explain that. First thought was perhaps the powder was acting like moly coating on the bullets... But my understanding is that coating bullets alone will drop velocity which you then recoup (and more) by adding more powder... So there must be something else going on?? Without the 3254 shot, the numbers would be a fair bit better, but I don't think it's fair to exclude it.