80 Grain Amax projectiles

bobeager · Post by **bobeager** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:33 am

Justin, see PM

RDavies · Post by **RDavies** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 12:41 pm

BarryT. I dont suppose you did very well at salesman school did you?

Chopper · Post by **Chopper** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 10:00 am

Does anyone know for sure that the Amax is softer and thinner in the jacket than SMKs ?, has anyone had feed back from Hornady ? just curious as ime going to give the new 123g 6.5 Amax projectile a run, ime wondering if the jacket material is softer overall ? if that is the case ?, its hard to find much testing reports on Amax projectiles , not long ago a team of us went to Corryong with three barrels in 223 and tested grouping with the Amax and SMKs at 1000yds and had no doubt that all barrels got the best groups with Amax , Chop.

timothi3197 · Post by **timothi3197** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 10:50 am

Chopper wrote:Does anyone know for sure that the Amax is softer and thinner in the jacket than SMKs ?, has anyone had feed back from Hornady ? just curious as ime going to give the new 123g 6.5 Amax projectile a run, ime wondering if the jacket material is softer overall ? if that is the case ?, its hard to find much testing reports on Amax projectiles , not long ago a team of us went to Corryong with three barrels in 223 and tested grouping with the Amax and SMKs at 1000yds and had no doubt that all barrels got the best groups with Amax , Chop.

I am no expert but after seeing bullet seater rings around the top of my AMAX 80 grainers and noticeable (just or I could be paranoid) deformation I had a hard look at the effect my bullet seater had on AMAX and SMK projectiles. The AMAX seem softer and easier deformed by the bullet seater or rough assembling and the SMK definately tougher. I spun a better angle on my bullet seater, made a looser mandrel to decrease neck tension so they seated easier and took more care with seating and have now lost the flyers I was getting. Perhaps they are a bit fragile?

But I am no great expert just a tinkerer.

I do believe Hornady now put out a special bullet seating insert for their AMAX projys.

johnk · Post by **johnk** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 12:29 pm

Hornadys have always had a reputation of needing more help when seating than Sierras going back maybe 40 years.

Somewhere on my PC I have shots of a guy who destroyed some 6 mm Amaxes by trying to seat them in the worst prepped cases i've ever seen. The roughness of the inside neck combined with dags hanging off the lip where he'd "chamfered" the cases was something to see. The case ripped lumps of metal off the projectile & ended up with more smeared on the wall of the neck, while he'd about driven the seating plunger through the jacket. Ever seen a stepped ogive?

Maybe we need to look at ensuring that our necks are clean & smooth & we've used a 17 degree chamfering tool professionally.

M12LRPV · Post by **M12LRPV** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 12:43 pm

johnk wrote:Maybe we need to look at ensuring that our necks are clean & smooth & we've used a 17 degree chamfering tool professionally.

With the amax's the force needed to push them into a compressed powder column is probably a bigger issue

johnk · Post by **johnk** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 1:22 pm

Use a longer drop tube?

Back a year or 50, my father had a friend who shot red deer with the .270 Winchester. He'd found that the 130 grain supers were about all that was needed for them (the silvertips were too hard) but he liked a bit of grunt with it. That wasn't easy using 4740, the only powder readily available then, but with a six foot drop tube, he just about got enough into the case.

Those were the days - oil damped scales that were adjusted against standard weights (no graduations then), Super Simplex presses & sizing dies you operated between the jaws of a bench vice. No wonder most used the .303 with Mexican reloads & saved the FMJs to use as sinkers.

timothi3197 · Post by **timothi3197** » Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:11 pm

M12LRPV wrote:
johnk wrote:Maybe we need to look at ensuring that our necks are clean & smooth & we've used a 17 degree chamfering tool professionally.

With the amax's the force needed to push them into a compressed powder column is probably a bigger issue

I also clean the necks with a wire brush in a drill, I went from 2208 to 2206H and had the throat reamed as well so I could seat the projectile out a bit further and when I tap the cases once I have filled them they are no longer a crushed load. I always chamfer the lips each time.

To confirm the neck tension issue I tried it with empty cases.

It is easier to just load SMK's really.

But then I am just a hacker.

saum2 · Post by **saum2** » Wed Dec 01, 2010 3:30 pm

Hi every .223 user,
It's been quiet on the A-max .224 prodgy for a while, I'm starting mine up again so what is everyone doing? is the chamber throat or weighing the prodgies in batches that's making them work, or is the newer batches better. I have a small supply of 2206 left from my last effort so I'll use that first. And what about coating them in the black stuff. what's best?
I'd appreciate your thoughts.
cheers
Geoff

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 8:38 pm

I still have a bit of 2206 left myself and shoot fullbore with 223 and 80 gn bullets ,i normally use 2208 but i may as well get into the 2206 any loads for 80 grn >=??. :?:

saum2 · Post by **saum2** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 10:45 pm

Paul,
I used 80Gn Sierras (moly) with 24.4 gns 06 in Lapua cases with a Maddco 1-8 twist barrel, and it shot very well. I haven't had the same groups with the A-Max, older batch tho if that makes a difference.
Geoff

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:41 pm

Thanks for that i will give it a go ,when the range dries out !!! :shock: