20 VarTarg Rem 700 SS Light Varmint Action (Originally 221 FireBall)

The 20 VarTarg targets above can be enlarged by clicking on them, click outside pic to return.

20 VarTarg

My 20 VarTarg

In the making of the 20 VarTarg pic of the cases below they are as follows:

Left to right,

Standard 223 Rem, long-neck almost 221 FireBall, cut-off long-neck almost 221 FireBall, trimmed chamfered and de-burred almost 221 FireBall, sized finished 20 VarTarg ready to fire form.

 The 20 VarTarg is a wildcat of the 221 Rem FireBall necked down to 20 Cal. In my case I made them from the 223 Rem.

I wrote an article on how I make 20 VarTarg from standard 223 Rem for Varmint Hunter Magazine, #90, page 139.

Making

20 VarTarg

From the 223 Rem parent case

To start my 20 VarTarg project I purchased 1,000 once fired 223 Rem Winchester cases.  I did this on purpose.  Winchester cases are suppose to be the thinnest cases of the many manufactures that produce the 223 Rem case, a lot of shooters don’t like them for that reason.  I started with 500 of the Winchester 223 Rem cases.  I always Small Base size any 223 brass I use for a project.  That way the brass starts out nice and even.

 Before small base sizing my brass I annealed it all making sure I put the flame of my torch more on the shoulder to soften them for forming.  I set my torch for about a one inch long internal flame, with the external flame being around two and a half inches.  I spin the case in my drill about 1/16 of an inch off of the internal portion of the flame.  Right where the shoulder meets the body of the case.  With the Winchester cases I used a 5 count, one thousand one, one thousand two, and so on.  I used the 5 count determined by trial and error.  On the 5 count the case starts turning blue under the flame, annealing is done.  I drop the case in a pie pan to air cool.  I’ve used this method for many years.  I don’t remember the last split neck I’ve had.  Where you put the flame on the case and the manufacture of the case, changes the count.  That’s where the trial and error comes in.  look for the case to just turn blue under the flame.  On the ECONOMICAL 20 PRACTICAL and the 6 X 45 projects the count was 8.  For both of those I held the flame at the mouth of the case, not at the shoulder.  It took a couple more seconds to reach the blue case condition.

After Small Base sizing the brass goes into the tumbler to get the sizing lube off.  I found the sizing lube is too thick to form brass.  I messed up several pieces of brass before I figured that out.  Instead I started using Imperial Sizing die Wax to do that job.  Very little Imperial Sizing die Wax is needed.  Rub the case between the first two fingers and thumb to put the wax on the neck/shoulder area.  When you think you rubbed all the wax off, it’s about right.  Because the case was already Small Base sized we’re not doing much actual sizing, just a forming of the shoulder.

Using my Wilson case gage for the 221 FireBall, I set the die up to leave the case a little long, just a little.  I do this so I’ll be able to adjust the final case head space (20 VarTarg) to the completed rifle when it’s finished at a later date.

I formed them to 221 FireBall using my standard Redding sizer die with the decaping assembly removed.  This produces what I call a “Long Neck”.  This doesn’t give you a true 221 FireBall case because the decaping assemble is remove therefore the expander ball doesn’t expand the brass neck out to the standard .245 OD (Outside Diameter) of the 22 calibers.  What you have is a “Long Neck” almost 221 FireBall with an OD of around .243 or so.

I cut the cases off using a Mini Chop Saw from Harbor Fright.  On one of the forums I visit, someone said “my friend uses a Mini Chop Saw from Harbor Freight Tools”.  Off to Harbor Freight I went and sure enough they had one left.  I rigged up a L-bracket and bolt to make a adjustable case stop so all the cases can be cut to the same length, 1.400 inches.

Next I used my Hornady Power Case Prep Center to chamfer, deburr, and clean the primer pocket.

Once I got the almost 221 Fireballs’ prepped, I used a Redding 20 VarTarg sizer die to finish forming them.  Again, no forming die, cost.  I used Imperial Sizing die Wax because I have to push the shoulder down some to get the 30 degree shoulder and size the neck to 20 caliber with an OD less than .232 (diameter of the neck chamber of the 20 VarTarg).  When I did this I found my OD was .234, too big for the neck chamber of the 20 VarTarg rifle.  When I made up a dummy round by seating a bullet (no primer or powder), the OD was .236, WAY TO BIG FOR THE CHAMBER.  If you could chamber a loaded round the results would be a pinched very tight chambered round.  If shot the pressure would be sky high, and dangerous.

Back to my Hornady Power Case Prep Center to trim the cases to 1.395 lengths, chamfer, and deburr so I can turn the necks.

Using my Forster Outside neck turner, I turned the necks of the cases .234 OD to .229 OD.  I made up another dummy round and found the OD at the neck to be .230, just right, I thought, more about this later, 2 thousands clearance.

Now using my completed rifle, I tried chambering the dummy round.  The first dummy round didn’t chamber, to long (shoulder not pushed down enough), just a little.  Back to my sizer die, adjusted it down a little.  Made another dummy round and tried chambering again, almost but not quite there.  I want the bolt to just close completely with a little pressure.  Again back to the sizer die, adjusted it down a little.  I made another dummy round and the bolt closed with just a little pressure, just right.  The ram on my press with the shell holder installed, was just touching the base of the die.  I plan to use this set-up to load all of the brass for fire forming.  After the brass is once fired I’ll back-off the sizer die a little to just form the fired brass enough to re-chamber and not push the shoulder down changing the headspace.

Next I loaded up several different loads to fire form and check my procedures in the producing of 20 VarTarg.  Problems cropped up after I checked the fired cases.  When I size any brass and fire it I want a new bullet to just slip into the mouth of the fired case.  That tells me my case has enough room to expand and release the bullet in the chamber and shrink down a thousand or two.  With the first firing the bullet wouldn’t easily slip into the case, even though the OD was .231 to .232.

With the fired cases I can use my Forster inside neck reamer.  The “Forster inside neck reamer is ground .0025” – .003 larger than maximum bullet diameter.  Any neck reaming is done after a case has been fired with a full load and before the neck or full length sizing operation.  I couldn’t use the inside neck reamer before on the formed brass because I would have taken out to much brass from the neck.  When I sized them the next time I wouldn’t have had enough grip on the bullet to keep it in position.

If I would have used a forming die and reamer for the 20 VarTarg I would have been able to ream the neck while each case was in the forming die, maybe saving some time.

Out to the range again to fire the inside neck reamed brass again to check my work.  This time they were right, OD was .231 to .232 and a bullet just slid into the case mouth.  From now on I’ll not only have to outside turn, but inside neck ream as well because of my method of forming.

Now I’m ready to load and shoot ground squirrels or prairie dogs to my hearts content.

Is this process easy, NO!!  It takes time!  I did waste several pieces of 223 Rem brass experimenting making the 20 VarTarg.  Too make brasses from scratch is time consuming.  With the price and non availability of 221 Fireball or 17 Fireball brasses, it can be done.  I already had the equipment to do most of this project.  I did pick-up my 20 VarTarg die set from Redding, I just had to take the time.  I’m sure I’ll enjoy the 20 VarTarg with the 1,000 pieces of brass for many years to come.