As winter weather stayed with us well into spring, my wife and I have been playing catch-up with home projects and maintenance. Our home is built on a flat on a steep hillside atop lots of granite ledge. So much ledge in fact that a substantial amount of blasting was required to accommodate a full basement. As a result, the house stays put, but the yard is a bit more… dynamic.
This year, the house/yard personality differences became more pronounced when the sandy loam under the topsoil adjacent to the long run of our porch shifted and rose, creating a downward grade from crest to house drip line. Subsequently, top soil will be removed and set aside, then loam will be removed to form a proper grade before the topsoil is placed. The lawn will need to be restored and drainage gravel and footings need to be excavated to assure drainage and stability under granite steps. Why am I whining? I’m not. I wanted to make the point that people who associate with firearms by choice are often independent by nature and like to control their environment.
There is factory ammunition; some low cost, some costly, sometimes configured with the components desired, more often not, sometimes accurate, sometimes not. Handloading permits an optimal selection of components, tuned to a particular rifle and, typically, at a lower cost than factory ammo of a similar type.
Handloading for the Bushmaster…
The bullets indicated on the table were selected because they are the best bullets in the world and the only ones that should ever be used in an AR15. Nah, of course not and that is the beauty of handloading. These are all good bullets, but others could have been selected, and if you are willing to spend some time on load development they would probably shoot as well or better.
The Bushmaster Minimalist SD’s 8″ twist could handle bullets crowding 80 grains, however, the 16″ barrel takes the edge off muzzle velocity and reduces point blank range considerably over a 20″ to 24″ barrel. Compensating for lobbing trajectory when shooting at fixed targets is not a big deal, especially when the rifle can be dialed in for a specific circumstance. Hunting where shooting distances are not known a topography varies can be challenging. My guess is that the Minimalist with its short, lightweight barrel is intended for self defense as well as small to medium size game or varmints.
All of the bullets listed on the table, with the exception of the Barnes TAC-X BT are varmint bullets with thin jacket construction and made to blow up small mammals. The Barnes bullet features controlled expansion and is listed by the manufacturer for use on antelope, deer and similar mass animals. Hornady’s GMX product, even at 50 grains, would offer performance similar to the Barnes bullet. Nosler’s Bonded Performance 64 grain would also work for medium game, but the B.C. is less than exciting, so the E-Tip 55 grain or 60 grain Partition might be better choices.
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Warning: Bullet selections are specific, and loads are not valid with substitutions of different bullets of the same weight. Variations in bullet material and length will alter net case capacity, pressure and velocity results. Primer selection is specific and primer types are not interchangeable. These data represents maximum loads in our firearms and test equipment and may easily be excessive in other applications. All loads should be reduced by 3%, and developed following safe handloading practices as represented in established reloading manuals produced by component manufacturers. Presentation of these loads does not constitute a solicitation for their use, nor a recommendation.
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For the sake of context, the Barnes / CFE-223 load has a 277 yard point blank range with the bullet not rising or falling more than 3″. In this part of the world, that is a day of hunting where little thought has to be given to trajectory. In fact, virtually all of the above shoots as flat so the choice is mostly bullet construction. Everything above functioned reliably in all respects.
Lasting impressions
The last firearm that left a lasting impression on me was a .500 Jeffery with maximum handloads. So I will list this little .223 Rem as memorable. For folks who like to have a small bore centerfire rifle around as a utility firearm, this one would be tough to beat. It is light, fast handling, reliable and accurate. For a light rifle it is a steady rifle. A lot of it has to do with the short barrel and contour of the handguard bottom and the butt pad.
The Minimalist was shot with scope and metallic sights and it was shot suppressed and unsuppressed. Performance, velocity and accuracy, as a practical matter was the same. The Bushmaster Minimalist SD put a smile on my face when I pulled it out of the box and it was still there when I put it up.
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