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Old June 24, 2009, 05:44 PM   #1
SwampYankee
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Should I order H335, 2460 or Varget?

I reload only 2 rifle calibers: .223 and .303. Someday I plan to get into .308 but no time soon.

I am low on powder and have been using H4895 for both but I'm not thrilled.

I really like Varget for .223 but have not tried it for .303.

I really like 2460 for .303 but have not tried it for .223.

I have heard that H335 is a very good powder for .303 and excellent for .223.

Given these three powders, which is best for these 2 calibers? I am leaning towards H335. I can only buy 1 powder because this will be a backorder and I know that only one powder will be in at a time and I don't want to pay 2 hazmat fees.
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Old June 25, 2009, 04:19 AM   #2
moose fat
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Varget

I have been using Varget in my Bushmaster for a couple of years it works good and I just like it. I tried IMR4064 and it worked very well but I settled on Varget (w/65 gr SGK). I have heard that H335 is an excellent powder for .223.

I have just begun working up loads for my No5 using Varget and it is working very good too. I tried H4895 and my rifle and brass didn't like it, 3-4 moa at 100 paces. The chamber is on the large side and I started seeng a slight bulge with a medium load. With a medium load of Varget my groups shrank in half and no bulge. I will try it in my other Enfields. I have settled on 180 gr Sierra Pro Hunters.

I set all my rifles up for hunting.

Last edited by moose fat; June 25, 2009 at 04:27 AM. Reason: bullet wts. are helpful to know
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Old June 25, 2009, 05:57 AM   #3
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Is your 223 a bolt? H4895 should be pretty good, hard to get right now though. Varget would probably be O.K.. I don't know much about 303 reloading. I did buy 8lbs of Ramshot TAC recently, mostly for 223's, & 204, & standing by for the 308. 335 is O.K., but there are cleaner & less temp sensitive powders available.
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Old June 25, 2009, 06:52 AM   #4
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The .223 is a Stag/DMPS/FN parts AR. It's got a 1:12 twist out of a 20 inch barrel. I shoot exclusively 55 grain bullets.

The .303 are obviously Enfields and I find the .312 diameter 174 gr bullets are most accurate.

I just wonder how well Varget does in an Enfield?
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Old June 25, 2009, 03:56 PM   #5
James R. Burke
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My Nosler manual shows H-335 most accurate with the 55 grain bullet. I dont have any info on the .303. Varget will work with the .223 and the .308 when you get one.
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Old June 25, 2009, 07:10 PM   #6
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Varget is great for the .223 and .308. Not sure how it will work in the .303.
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Old June 26, 2009, 07:43 AM   #7
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Varget, Varget, and Varget.
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Old June 26, 2009, 01:07 PM   #8
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AA2460 works very well in .223. 23.8 under a 69SMK w/ any primer or case will keep 'em flying sub-moa. Meters nice, too.
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Old June 26, 2009, 05:41 PM   #9
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My first choice would be Varget and I've used all the powders mentioned. My second choice would be Varget followed closely by Varget.
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Old June 27, 2009, 02:45 PM   #10
James R. Burke
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Like I said prior my Nosler manual shows the best powder with the .223 55grain to be H-335. I have no info on the .303 but done alittle research, and some folks are saying the H-335 works great in it. So you probably have it figured correct. I am not 100% sure but I believe the Varget will work in all three. I use Varget with my 30-06 with a Hornady 110V-Max, and it works great. But that caliber is not much use to you.

Last edited by James R. Burke; June 27, 2009 at 02:59 PM. Reason: Add:
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Old June 27, 2009, 05:10 PM   #11
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Varget is more flexible as far as calibers and is not temperature sensitive. I've never had better luck with H335 than Varget in anything. Several chamberings I load for Varget has given best results over several other powders tested.
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Old June 27, 2009, 06:50 PM   #12
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I like Win 748 for my 223, also works well with the 303. It's ball powder and meters very well in most powder dumps. No need to weigh each round.
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Old June 27, 2009, 11:54 PM   #13
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And another one for Varget.
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Old June 28, 2009, 01:13 AM   #14
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I would vote for Varget, too, if you were shooting .224 bullets a little heavier; say 62 grains and up. I've had good luck with it shooting the 77 grain Sierra MatchKings, but your 12" twist can't stabilize them. Varget is a little slow for 55's. It has to be compressed just to get above starting load pressures in .223 with the 55 grain bullets. The ballistic efficiency is only around 21%. I understand that IMR 4198 was the powder Stoner designed the AR action to work with. It is faster and produces excellent accuracy and good ballistic efficiency in the AR, so you aren't throwing a lot of unburned powder out of the muzzle.

Varget should be fine in the .303. I don't know what bullet weight you intend to use in it? 748 does better with the 55's in the .223 than Varget, but is still a little slow and probably will work out better in the .303. Expect to use magnum primers with it, either way. I did a little looking for a compromise powder that favored the .223 rather than the .303. If you are using 150 grain bullets in the .303, it looks to me like Reloader 10X might work out for both. It is a little slower than IMR4198, but still does respectably on ballistic efficiency in both rounds.
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Old June 28, 2009, 08:58 PM   #15
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I like both powders but if you're looking for caliber versatility I'd go with Varget. Between Varget & H335, in .223/5.56 cal I've had better accuracy using H335 probably because it meters better. Varget is an extreme powder that will do well in temperature variations. You won't go wrong with either.
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