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Old December 8, 2005, 04:03 PM   #1
Clayfish
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Best powder for .223

I was wondering which powder you guys use for the .223. I just started loading for this round. The gun shop recomended reloader 15 so I got that to start. So what do you guys use?
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Old December 8, 2005, 04:42 PM   #2
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I have had good results with

Reloder 7. Reloder 15 sounds way too slow, unless perhaps you are using 79 - 82 grain bullets.

I generally use Accurate 2230 and 2520 for 55 and 62 grain bullets respectively. I thought that 2460, being in the middle, would do the work of both; it does the work of neither. Sounds great in theory; in practice, it failed.

NOTE: You can get 2230C (Commercial) in bulk - 8# bottles. It supposedly burns just a tad slower, making all 2230 data applicable.
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Old December 8, 2005, 04:47 PM   #3
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Yeah these are 75 gr hornady A-max. Alliant recomends it for this bullet.
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Old December 8, 2005, 06:20 PM   #4
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I use R-15 with Rem 7 1/2 primers loading 69 to 80 gr. SMK's.
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Old December 8, 2005, 06:34 PM   #5
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Your rifle will tell you what works.

For 223 target loads with heavy bullets Reloader 15 is an excellent powder as is Varget. Experiment with the charge as you may find the hottest load is far from the most accurate.

Take Care
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Old December 8, 2005, 06:44 PM   #6
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Best groups I've had with a 45gr Sierra came from H335. That's my favorite.
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Old December 8, 2005, 08:51 PM   #7
Bob - S.C.
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Clayfish, your rifle will tell you what powder/bullet combination it likes best. I spent several months trying different powders recomended by bullet mfg. and found that my 3 AR's liked H322 best with Nosler .55 grain ballistic tip bullets. I am sure folks reading this forum can give you more information on why, but that has been my experience. Oddly, I found that a very light load was the most accurate out to 250 meters. Again, not sure why, but using 21.5 grains of H322, with a C.O.L. of 2.260 I have pretty consistantly gotten 1/4" groups at 100 meters with my Olympic Arms 16" bull barrel AR15-A3. I have no complaints about that! You can spend a lot of $$$ and time to determine which powder/bullet combination fits your rifle, but in the long run, it can be worth the effort. Good Luck!
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Old December 8, 2005, 09:03 PM   #8
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For the 75 grain I have had excellent results with both Varget and WW 748. The Varget is less temperature sensitive, and would be the choice if you shoot varmints with this load in cold weather. It just doesn't meter as well.

If you use the 748 or any other ball powder, get one of the drill tools for deburring the flashholes inside the case. They are cataloged under Case Prep most places. For $12 or so it is worthwhile, and you can chuck the hand units into your drill press (slowest speed only, if you value your fingers) and go to town. Ball is harder to light and needs a consistent start for best accuracy. Firing 2520 and 168 gr. MK's in my M1A, I cut bench group sizes 40% by adding this step (1.25" down to 0.75" for 10 shots at 100 yards, optical sight).

Nick
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Old December 14, 2005, 10:12 AM   #9
MADISON
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Best powder for .223?

My Ruger MK-II has a 1 in 12 twist so, I use a 55 grain bullet.
Winchester 748...26.5 to 27.5 grains works well for us.
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Old December 15, 2005, 01:04 AM   #10
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For me with 50-55gr bullets, 748 has been good and RL10x has been outstanding.
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Old December 15, 2005, 02:11 PM   #11
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If weighing charges is not an issue, nothing beats Varget!
No temperature sensitivity! It works great across the
bullet wt spectrum of the 223!

TAC runs like water through a powder measure, and it seems to fairly temperature insensitive, but no where near Varget.

N133 for lt. wt bullets is pretty good deal!

Benchmark is not a bad choice.

748 is very temperature sensitive, and I think it is worth staying away from if you are loading for PD hunting!
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Old December 15, 2005, 04:13 PM   #12
G56
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I like H335 or AA2230 for 223, but I don't have any real experience with heavy bullets, I've been shooting 55 gr bullets using AA2230C with excellent results, see photo below:

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Old December 18, 2005, 12:44 AM   #13
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I've switched to Varget for most .223 loading but still use IMR-4198 for 52-grain Sierra HP match bullets. H335 and Win. 748 are good choices.
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Old December 18, 2005, 09:48 AM   #14
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G56 - that is one impressive group! What kind of rifle did you use to fire that exceptional taget?

Concerning Varget - how does it meter through the powder dispenser? I have used 748 with good results , have also thought of trying Varget.
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Old December 18, 2005, 11:29 AM   #15
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Varget does not meter quite as well as 748 but it's not too bad. It is a "short" extruded powder.
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Old November 10, 2011, 12:43 AM   #16
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i havent tried varget (AR2208) but use AR2206H and that meters well in my Lee powder dispenser. usually on the mark but sometimes .1 grain over or under.

If you want supreme accuracy you'll need to pour powder by hand, otherwise this is fine.

AR2206H is BRILLIANT in my 223 and 22-250. I've also got Benchmark 2 and that's pretty crap - everything else held constant it opens my .25 inch groups to 1 inch groups. Then again i haven't done a full load development for BM2 yet so it might be better with different components.

I'm keen to get my hands on Reloader 15 as ive heard good things
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Old November 10, 2011, 04:30 AM   #17
Mike38
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When I started reloading for .223, a guy I used to work with let me try 5 or 6 different powders, and I tried 3 or 4 of my own. The best I found for my rifle is IMR-3031. It works great in all bullet weights from 40 to 62. Now your rifle may hate 3031, but I believe it’s worth a try. If you try it and it doesn’t work for you, feel free to send what’s left to me.
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Old November 10, 2011, 10:53 AM   #18
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H335 was always my favorite until I tried Ramshot Tac.
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Old November 10, 2011, 11:48 AM   #19
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Bang 11.jpg

I think 748.
I do use both H & I 4895 for heaver bullets.

OSOK
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Old November 10, 2011, 11:52 AM   #20
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H335 for Hornady 55gr SPand BLC-2 for Hornady 55 gr FMJ or V-Max.

It just works for my ARs and Rem 700.
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Old November 10, 2011, 12:10 PM   #21
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H4895, of course.

Best for me because it has given exemplary service in this cartridge and every other rifle round I load. Best for you? You'll only know if you give it a try.
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Old November 10, 2011, 12:25 PM   #22
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This thread is 6 years OLD!!!
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Old November 10, 2011, 10:41 PM   #23
davery25
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yeah it is, but this question has been asked 58,000 times in this forum and on others in between. the answers always going to be the same - 'each rifle is different so try it all'. Held true then, holds true now.
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Old November 11, 2011, 07:37 AM   #24
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See...

http://thefiringline.com/forums/show...57&postcount=1

(Obviously) I'd recommend AA2520 for those heavier 75-77grainers.
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Old November 11, 2011, 05:13 PM   #25
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Quote:
This thread is 6 years OLD!!!
Quote:
yeah it is, but this question has been asked 58,000 times in this forum and on others in between.
58,001... dragging this back up saved me the trouble...
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