Custom .223 Build Questions

[SteelBanger]

Hey everyone, I have a Zues action in an XLR chassis waiting for a barrel. The purpose of this build is to be a switch barrel, do it all rifle ... don't have the funds to build up multiple custom rifles at this point. I will eventually add a couple barrels chambered for LR hunting but with those hunts being a couple years out my first barrel will be a .223 match barrel to use for practice. To date all my rifle shooting has been with semi-auto's so I'm trying to learn what I can in regards to bolt actions and how to set them up properly. I plan to primarily shoot long heavy bullets and the XLR .223 magazine allows up to 2.325 COAL, do I need to specify a custom freebore length to get the most out of the rifle or are there other considerations I need to think about when ordering the barrel? Any suggestions on where to get a decent barrel for not crazy money? Seems like PVA has a decent price on their .223 rem button barrel but I don't see the twist mentioned anywhere so I'd have to call them to make sure it's a 1:7.

I also want to upgrade my .223 sizing and seating dies from the basic Lee dies I currently have. What dies would you recommend (and why) and would the sizing die also work for my semi-auto reloads as well. I don't have any experience with bushing dies but I've been reading up on them ... basically I want to squeeze as much accuracy out of this .223 as I can.

Thanks for your help and suggestions!

 

[ATH]

Never used that action or PVA, but whenever I've ordered prefit barrels with a custom freebore, they have requested I send in a couple dummy rounds with the bullets set to the length I want and they ream accordingly.

 

[johnnyk]

Seems like PVA has a decent price on their .223 rem button barrel but I don't see the twist mentioned anywhere so I'd have to call them to make sure it's a 1:7.

Just my opinion but they seem kinda high to me.

Check this out; https://www.6mmbr.com/barrels.html

Lots of name brand, aftermarket barrels here. I have pre-fits from Pac-Nor, Shilen and Lothar Walther and one of Kirby Allen's .270 Allen Magnums with a Lilja 3 groove. Not sure if any of these manufacturers accommodate the Zeus action but it's worth a look.

 

[rsmithsr]

long range 223 with an 80 gr bullet is more like 2.45" so your mag is useless for real long range. most 223 long range is done single shot. there are options for longer mags.

 

[SteelBanger]

long range 223 with an 80 gr bullet is more like 2.45" so your mag is useless for real long range. most 223 long range is done single shot. there are options for longer mags.

I saw recently that magpul's new .223 mag coming out this summer allows up to 2.39" so that get's me a little closer. What other mags are out there with a longer COAL? I'm not opposed to loading single shots, but I like to run a mag also when practical.

One another thought - is it possible to have the chamber custom reamed for a certain mag / COAL length?

 

[rsmithsr]

lol you NEED 2.4xx for heavy long range bullets.
getting a shorter chamber for a particular bullet is no help.
the very popular Wylde chamber is actually a compromise chamber that shoots lots of bullets well, but still allows single loading a sie 80 at 2.45.
these are large target compromises, 2moa 10 ring

I saw recently that magpul's new .223 mag coming out this summer allows up to 2.39" so that get's me a little closer. What other mags are out there with a longer COAL? I'm not opposed to loading single shots, but I like to run a mag also when practical.

One another thought - is it possible to have the chamber custom reamed for a certain mag / COAL length?

 

[Bang4theBuck]

Couple Comments:

Depending on what you have for Lee Dies, you might be disappointed to pay a bunch of extra money for expensive dies and not see any real gains. Don't let the cost fool you on the lee dies, they are great. And I've got lots of success in the way of concentricity, accuracy and crazy low ESs to prove it. If your current set doesnt have the neck collet die, check to see how much neck tension it is generating. If it is .003 or more, it should be fine to use for your gasser. Then, for the bolt gun, get a 2 die set with the neck collet die and the seater die. Then pick up a Redding Body die, and you have all you need to make excellent ammo.

 

[SteelBanger]

Couple Comments:

Depending on what you have for Lee Dies, you might be disappointed to pay a bunch of extra money for expensive dies and not see any real gains. Don't let the cost fool you on the lee dies, they are great. And I've got lots of success in the way of concentricity, accuracy and crazy low ESs to prove it. If your current set doesnt have the neck collet die, check to see how much neck tension it is generating. If it is .003 or more, it should be fine to use for your gasser. Then, for the bolt gun, get a 2 die set with the neck collet die and the seater die. Then pick up a Redding Body die, and you have all you need to make excellent ammo.

Thanks Bang, I have the Lee deluxe 4 die set so it does have the neck collet die, but I'm not using it for my semi-auto reloads. My sized necks come in at .246 and the neck walls of my Lake City brass are .013 ... so if I'm doing math correctly then that should put my .2245 bullets at .0045 neck tension. Just to compare, when I measure in the inside neck diameter the most consistent measurement I get is .221, which gives me a .0035 neck tension. Again ... if I'm doing math right. In all honestly I've never even given a second thought to neck tension or measured anything until now. Either way though like you said, use in my gasser should be fine. I was thinking about picking up the Redding S type full body bushing die so I could dial in the neck tension a little better, but I don't think that would gain me much at this point. I'd also really like a comp micrometer seating die but again, I'm not sure I would gain a ton over my Lee seating die.

I think right now my money may be better spent on a case / bullet concentricity gauge to be able to check the quality of ammo I'm currently producing, and probably even upgrading my press but I have another thread I'm going to start on that topic.