Accurizing factory loaded ammo?

[sweetjeep]

Stupid New Guy question here:

I don't truly have a full grasp on why ammo X is better/worse than ammo Y. I have a basic understanding, but that's not the question here.

Lets pretend I got a great deal on a big ass box of Green Tip 556. Let's pretend that I have the proper barrel for it. We all sort of accept that it's not likely to be match quality ammo for a variety of reasons.

Would I be likely to find benefit and added accuracy if I were to unassemble and carefully check/reassemble these exact same components? Or would the accuracy likely remain the same but the consistency could rise? This assumes I "blueprint" them. Not change the primer, or individual powder load or anything like that.

Or would nothing happen and I'd have just spent a bunch of time and effort for the sake of not talking to my wife?

 

[browncoat]

When you pull bullets, you have a pretty good chance of distorting the bullet itself, which is probably going to have a larger negative effect then anything else you could do to improve things.

Edit: I think if you used an inertial bullet puller your bullets should end up not having pull marks. However, why not just shoot the cheap ammo, and then use the cases to reload your own custom ammo? Seems like a lot less of a hassle and you would end up with better results.

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

Waste of time and effort for 0 results.

 

[EddieCoyle]

Stupid New Guy question here:

I don't truly have a full grasp on why ammo X is better/worse than ammo Y. I have a basic understanding, but that's not the question here.

Lets pretend I got a great deal on a big ass box of Green Tip 556. Let's pretend that I have the proper barrel for it. We all sort of accept that it's not likely to be match quality ammo for a variety of reasons.

Would I be likely to find benefit and added accuracy if I were to unassemble and carefully check/reassemble these exact same components? Or would the accuracy likely remain the same but the consistency could rise? This assumes I "blueprint" them. Not change the primer, or individual powder load or anything like that.

Or would nothing happen and I'd have just spent a bunch of time and effort for the sake of not talking to my wife?

As we speak, I'm writing an article on this subject for the GOAL newspaper. Not re-assembling rounds, but rather on why factory ammo is less accurate than hand-loaded ammo. The reason is the bullets.

I think I can save you some time, and allow you to get some decent results. You want to sort rather than remanufacture. All you'll need is a bullet comparator (I used the Hornady) and a dial (or digital) caliper. Here's what you do:

Install the appropriate (22 cal) bushing in the comparator, and measure the OAL (with the comparator) of a bunch of your cartridges and sort them by length.

You should find groups of them that are the same length. Within those groups, measure the straight case head-to-bullet tip OAL and sort again. Shoot groups with the sorted cartridges. I think you'll be impressed with your new-found precision.

 

[dhuze]

5.56mm (.223) PARAMILITARY AMMUNITION

The following article is from the January/February, 1988
issue of Rifle magazine pages 36, 37, 70 and 71. This
article was written by John Schaefer.

"NATO specifications for SS109 (U.S. M855) Ball require a 61.7 grain
(q 1.5 grains) with a hardened steel penetrator at a velocity of 3,025 fps
(q 40 fps) from a 20 inch barrel 25 meters from the muzzle. Typical
velocity 15 feet from the M16A2's muzzle is around 3,100 fps. The accuracy
requirement from a test fixture equates to a maximum of approximately four
MOA over the 100 to 600 yard range. Typical accuracy of average lots in an
M16A2 is about 2+ MOA. This round must also penetrate a nominal 10 gauge
SAE 1010 or 1020 steel test plate at a range of at least 570 meters (623
yards). The M193 round will penetrate this same plate reliably at 400
yards, and about half the time at 500 yards. The 5.56mm and 7.62mm NATO
rounds will penetrate it reliably out to 700 yards or more. Nominal
ballistics for M193 and M855 Ball rounds are given in an accompanying
table. The tables were constructed from the latest data supplied by the
U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground,
Maryland.

Military Factory Ammo isn't really made for accuracy. It is made to hit a man sized target at certain distances. In order to have better accuracy you need better equipment and you'll need to change equipment more often as it wears.

The same holds true with mass produced commercial ammo. If you want more accurate ammo you have to either pay extra for ammo that took longer to make with better components or load your own with better components.

 

[jasons]

Google "Mexican match." Interesting stuff.

 

[sweetjeep]

I don't know that I was honestly planning to do this. It was as much a hypothetical question as anything. I don't know if things have changed recently, but with the powder shortage the thought came across my little pea brain.

Powder is in short supply.. but assembled bits are not. That's along the lines I was thinking. Though what Eddie says makes perfect sense. I have heard of similar techniques with the .22 lr ammo. You aren't making anything more accurate, but you size/weigh the ammo and group it accordingly. At some point there is a particular group that your .22 will love and you have effectively produced "match grade" ammo for the cost of a little effort.

 

[warwickben]

As we speak, I'm writing an article on this subject for the GOAL newspaper. Not re-assembling rounds, but rather on why factory ammo is less accurate than hand-loaded ammo. The reason is the bullets.

I think I can save you some time, and allow you to get some decent results. You want to sort rather than remanufacture. All you'll need is a bullet comparator (I used the Hornady) and a dial (or digital) caliper. Here's what you do:

Install the appropriate (22 cal) bushing in the comparator, and measure the OAL (with the comparator) of a bunch of your cartridges and sort them by length.

You should find groups of them that are the same length. Within those groups, measure the straight case head-to-bullet tip OAL and sort again. Shoot groups with the sorted cartridges. I think you'll be impressed with your new-found precision.

Little different question .

Iraqvet on YouTube talked about in one video how he takes surplus 54r and just runs it through a factory resizing die. Says it makes the groupings smaller .

Is This just because it makes each round fit the chamber the same?
Granted it would never be match grade since load and bullets on surplus is all over the place .

 

[EddieCoyle]

Little different question .

Iraqvet on YouTube talked about in one video how he takes surplus 54r and just runs it through a factory resizing die. Says it makes the groupings smaller .

Is This just because it makes each round fit the chamber the same?
Granted it would never be match grade since load and bullets on surplus is all over the place .

You can't run a finished round through a sizing die.

Without knowing exactly what he's doing, I wouldn't want to try to guess if or why it might help.

 

[Mark from MA]

Is he talking about a factory crimp die? I think those only size pistol rounds not rifle. But i may be mistaken.


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[55_grain]

Several years ago, I tried this on some milsurp .308.
Pulled them all with a collet puller
Individually weighed the powder out 10 or 12 of them (I forget the extreme powder spread, but it was a bunch), and trickled them all out so they were the exactly the same powder charge.

Didn't make a bit of difference at the range.

Now "Mexican Match" where you pull the crappy mil FMJ and put in a equal-or-lesser weight quality projectile, is a different story.

55_grain