Larue + 223 reloads. Your experience?

[vujade]

Hello,  

I took a short break from shooting but now getting into it again. I picked up a Larue Stealth Upper (20 inch) and shot it today.  The only factory ammo I had were some 55 grain and factory match loads in 69 grains.  I however reload and that was what I primarily shot.  

My go to load is a little on the light side.  50 or 55 grain pills + 22.3grains of H335.  It will do 1.5 MOA and is very easy shooting.  It does well in about 3 AR15s I've tested from in 1/9 and 1/7 (A PSA, A Stag and a Troy).    After some reading, I loaded up 77 grain Noslers using 23.5 and 24.0 grains of Varget.  2.255 OAL.  CCI primers.   These were carefully weighed and each loaded.  

I seem to be getting just a hair above 1 inch at 100 yards (front sandbagged, rear was my left hand and a sandbag).  I'm going to start some load development - maybe start at 22.3 and increment up to 24 grains.  (i had one pierced primer at 24.0 so it was getting hot).  

As a note, the gun was shooting about 2 inches and I was getting frustrated until a friend suggested I remove the cheap (maker unknown) muzzle brake...that tightend up the groups to what you see below.  Unfortunately we had shot the last of the Federal GMM 69 grainers and most of my reloads by then so the below groups were the last of them... (i didn't wait but more than a few seconds between shots/no cool down period for the barrel).

I'm interested in what you all have to say and what types of groups you get from Larue barrels/uppers.

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2016 by vujade

[vujade]

Group at Lower left corner - that was right after we removed the muzzle brake.  It changed the POI quite a bit.  I adjusted and shot the other 3 groups soon after.