527 Carbine in 223 what accuracy should I expect?

[P01monster]

I shot my 527 Carbine for the first time yesterday using cheap Herters 55 gr ammo and the accuracy wasn't quit what I expected and the bolt was very heavy to close and open with this ammo.

I put a Weaver K6 on it and 25 yd sight made a very tight group but at 100 yds it wasn't so impressive at about 3".  I know it's cheap ammo but I expected to see something like 1.5".  This same cheap ammo from my Mossberg MVP makes 5-shot groups into one hole so I can't blame the ammo. 

What accuracy should I expect from the cheap ammo and has anyone tried shooting the Federal Premium ammo with Barnes 55 gr TSX bullets? 

Thanks,

[buddy.223]

never saw a .223 527 that shot steel cased ammo well, i now load all my own ammo and have found that the 40-50g heads are the most accurate in the 1-12 twists, try some premium factory ammo in those weights and you should  easily be shooting sub 1" at 100  2" at 200.

[P01monster]

I have a stash of Federal Premium loaded with 55 gr TSX bullets that I save for hunting.  I'll try 3 but I hate to waste them testing accuracy. 

I really love with size and weight of the 527 Carbine but it's been a frustrating gun so far.  CZ if you are listening, change the rifling to 1:8, use the flush bottom metal, include both a 3-round and a 5-round mag and modify the bolt handle to allow use of the Warne medium height rings!  I did all this to mine and the last thing I would have loved is a faster twist in the barrel. 

[viking499]

I just picked up a used carbine from a guy that was reloading for it.  He was using H335 and 53 grain sierras.  3 shots at a 100 covered with a dime.  I found the sierras, just no 335 to be found.

I am going to play around with it this summer.  Love the feel and handling of it.  We will see how it does.  As of now, it has a room in the stable, but summer will tell........

[P01monster]

Thanks for the reply.

I have high expectations for this rifle and I feel that I don't have many choices at this point.  We have a lot of new gun laws coming here in California one of them being registration of all newly purchased long guns after Dec 31, 2013.  So I expect another rush on gun sales over next several months and there is hardly a good selection to choose from.

Needless to say I'm doing what I can to find a few great rifles now to avoid registration and potentialy high prices. 

I'd love to hear how yours shoots with the heavier bullets.

Thanks,

[viking499]

I also have some 55 grain Hornady SP's I am going to try to work up a load for.  I hope they work good since I have about 500 of them.  Not planning on shooting over 55 grainers with this rifle.  If planning on going heavier, I will get the 243 out.  I use it for anything from 55-100 grain loads.   The 204 loves to eat 32 grain pills.

My main goal with this rifle is to see if it fills a space between my 204 and 243, or to find out if there is no need to try to fill that space.......

At one time, it would make its own space due to the price of cheap shooting.  With today's component prices, it might be hard to justify another round if it doesn't have some specific characteristics over my 204 and 243.  I am not one to have a ton of different calibers.

[P01monster]

223/5.56 is my only centerfire rifle caliber.  I don't hunt often enough to justify a dedicated caliber and rifle but I hope to get this rifle set up so i can work for this.  The deer hear are small and that 55 gr tsx seems to work well in my 1:7 and 1:9 rifles.

I hope to get to the range again soon to test more ammo.

[Riptide439]

My .223 Carbine is also a bit stiff when loading but it does produce 1" group at 100 yards with my Hawke scope.
Love that little gun. 

[P01monster]

Hi guys, I shot my 527 carbine again and I feel more confident with it.  I greased up the bolt instead of using oil and it was much much nicer to operate. 

I'm getting approx. 1" groups with both regular brass ammo and the cheaper steel case ammo.  It seems to open up after repeated shots which is to be expected.

To finish off my range session I tried two 3-shot groups with my hunting ammo Federal Premium Barnes 55gr TSX.  With both groups the first two shots were about 0.75" apart then the third shots opened it up to a 1.5"-1.75" groups.  I let the barrel cool between shooting the groups.  I guess this is acceptable accuracy and I know to limit my distance to 150 yards. 

My next test will be to check repeatability of the QD mounts.   

Cheers,

[Riptide439]

Very Nice!
Great rifle isn't it!

[P01monster]

It sure is but I was a pita to set it up the way I wanted.  I didn't even take a picture but this is what I did,

- flush bottom metal
- 3 round flush mag
- custom single shot adapter
- Warne QD medium rings
- fixed the screw key in the bottom of the rear ring...head was too tall and prevented proper seating of the ring
- first scope was too long so I had to teturn it
- settled on Weaver K6 - fits perfectly!
- modified bolt to clear the scope

All in I spent far more than it's worth to any "normal" person.  It's light weight, short yet it has a full size stock which feels very good to me. 

After owning many many rifles the physical characteristic I like the most is light weight.  Like you said, this is a great rifle!