safe load for t.c.223

j3081

hey guys,,,just bought a t.c. super 14 in .223 cal. i'v been reloading for a couple years now with win 55 gr. FMJ,win case,win wsr primers and 21 grains of IMR4198,they are awesome out of my RUGER bolt action rifle,,,however i shot 15 out of the t.c. and couldn't make a 6" group at 100 yards,,,they were scattered all over,,,tried to make scope adjustments but it didn't help,,,now my question,would increasing the powder to 23.4 grains help or hinder me in my accomplishment of 2" groups at 100 yrds.i did all my homework as far as prep and trimming goes,i use a lyman 1200 dps scale and am very depressed after the first shoot.the gun has a burris 4 x eer scope and was shooting from sandbags,the same way i alwaws shoot.thank you,,,joe

gunnut505

It depends.
You've worked up a fine load for your rifle, now you get to work one up for your T/C.
I'd try lower velocities until you get the powder right, then start trying different bullets; that longer bore in the rifle gives the bullets time to settle in, and you'll have to experiment to see where the sweet combos are on the T/C.
PS- give the bore a good cleaning with a copper solvent, you might see a difference right away.

b00mer

try 20 grains of reloader 7 with the 55 gtain, also may want to look at 50 gr and 40 gr tips

deadeye46

I have a friend of mine who gets great results in his 16" Contender using Varget powder and 40 grainers.Just a thought.

Cannon Ball

I have been loading for a TC Contender Super 14, 223, for as long as Thompson has made the barrels. It is by far the most accurate TC barrel I have ever owned. Started off using H322, CCI 400 primers, Hornady 52 gr BTHP bullets and Winchester cases. Tried several other powders including H335, BL-C2, IMR 4198, & AA2230, but no other combination equaled the H322 in my barrel, which provided a max of 1.5" groups at 100 yds, many of which were under 1". This was, of course, from the bench with a Burris 3 x 9 scope.

When Hodgdon introduced Varget powder, I tried it in my .223 target rifle and it was by far the best performing powder ever used in that rifle, with consistent grouping under .4" as long as the wind and mirage cooperated. I now also use the Varget in my 243, 308 and Contender which provides for purchasing larger quantities with the same lot number.

The load for the 223 Contender now consists of 25.5 to 26.5 grs. of Varget, Federal 205M primers and Berger 52 gr. Bullets. Hornady and Sierra 52 gr. also perform well but not quite as good as the Bergers. One nice thing about Varget in a 223 case is that the above load is near 100% load density and is much less sensitive to ambient temperature changes between winter and summer. Max Varget loads listed in most loading manuals are compressed loads and very time consuming to pack that much powder in that small case. I have tried it but never fired one. Max loads rarely produce max accuracy.

As far as safe loads for your Contender are concerned; my 50 years of reloading experience have taught me many important lessons. One being that no one on this forum can or should provide you with safe loading data for your firearms. The responsibly is yours alone. You must ensure your firearms, loading equipment and components are kept in immaculate condition and you are up to date on all the latest information provided by the reloading component suppliers and, just as important, you must keep your mind and body in like condition. You would think with 50 years of reloading experience, what more can I learn. Wrong! I learn something new every time I visit this forum and other similar forums. This is just my opinion (but not humble).

Good luck with your Contender,
Ed

sandwarrior

j3081,

I'm thinking you might check your technique while shooting the T/C. You are on the hot side with the loads you're using there with 4198. Something to remember about these also is, it's a lot less stable when pulling the trigger than a rifle is. An equal group takes a lot more concentration than it does in a rifle. The other issue I would look to check is the mounting of the scope. -good luck

nononsense

j3081,

Welcome to the Forums just in case you didn't get the Welcome before!

"...however i shot 15 out of the t.c. and couldn't make a 6" group at 100 yards..."

If this is a new Contender, I would be surprised or shocked at all especially if this is your first time shooting a Contender. First things first.

Attempting to adjust your scope to get a better size group won't work. If the scope won't repeat, get rid of it and get one that will.

Make sure that your scope mounts and rings are tight enough to keep the scope in its place without movement, just don't crush the tube.

Measure the twist rate of your barrel to be sure what length bullets will work for sure. Even a 1:14" twist should stabilize your 55 gr. FMJ's.

Your load for the 55 gr. FMJ's is a little under powered since most of the upper loads are running at 2850 FPS approximately out of a short barrel. It's certainly nothing to get excited about though. If it proves to be accurate, who cares?

Here's where I think the real problem is; shooting the T/C Contender. It has probably the worst trigger from the factory in the history of pistols. Get a good T/C trigger 'smith to fix that right off the bat. The forearm can cause problems with accuracy by virtue of the way in which it is attached to the barrel. This needs to be free floated and glass bedded to a new forearm hanger. Check with Bullberry:
http://www.bullberry.com/

As pointed out, shooting technique with a short barreled pistol is nowhere near shooting a rifle. You need to practice control and breathing more than with a rifle. Small movements with a short barrel are magnified as opposed to a longer barrel.

Get right with your Contender then talk about starting a load work up program.

Best.