I need to find a powder that is available and I can use with a powder measure. That will meter great and give me a pretty good MV variation. Any ideas?
Ill be using heavier bullets.
Ill be using heavier bullets.
- Thread starter daltexmex
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I'm using Ramshot Tac with the 80gr ELD with good results. Flows easily. Great groups at 200 yards. Sorry I don't have chrono info to share.
I use 8208 with 75 gr bthp. It was a bit more finicky to find a tight load compared to varget but now that I found one its right on par with any varget load. I wanted to like ramshot tac but I couldn’t ever get it to group under 1.5-1.25 moa. I did get much higher velocities out of tac though.
8208 will meter nicely out of my lee powder throw but I have to be very consistent in how I actuate the drop
8208 will meter nicely out of my lee powder throw but I have to be very consistent in how I actuate the drop
The local academy sports carries cfe 223 , seems to be working well so far.
Only a couple loadings into it with 55's
Only a couple loadings into it with 55's
My Howa barreled action build loves W748 with light 55 and 60 grain v-max bullets. I tried X-Terminator and Varget but couldn't get the tight groups I was getting from W748. I didn't like that the W748 is so sooty but it supposedly burns cooler, doesn't have a reputation for early throat erosion and meters well being a ball powder. I wouldn't recommend it for an AR.
AA2520 meters great, great velocity, with an 18" barrel I was able to push the 75gr hpbt to 2775 fps and the 69 to 2900+. Ill be testing out some 8208 in the next week or so with the 75,68 and 69 grainers, varget worked out ok never got that kind of velocity seemed to run out of case space.
I use Varget for all my .223 loads, for bullet weights from 50gr to 75gr.
I don't worry about metering because I use an automatic electronic powder dispenser (RCBS Chargemaster Lite), which is essentially a high/low speed trickler. So far, the weights are either on, or obviously not.
The measure is fast enough that it waits on me, and not the opposite.
Greg
I don't worry about metering because I use an automatic electronic powder dispenser (RCBS Chargemaster Lite), which is essentially a high/low speed trickler. So far, the weights are either on, or obviously not.
The measure is fast enough that it waits on me, and not the opposite.
Greg
I have had very good results with 8208, Lapua brass, and 75 A-max. 24" McGowen barrel.
I just did a powder weight test today with 8208. Was shooting in a 20mph wind and my target was moving a little back and forth. Had a flier here and there. Had to walk 100 yes’s through mud to set up the target. Would have preferred better conditions, but I just NEEDED to go shooting.
Shooting 75gr eld-m out of a bolt gun.
Shooting 75gr eld-m out of a bolt gun.
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for AA2520. I've had good results with it and both 69 & 75 grain projectiles. It meters very well for me.
I know sometimes the hodgdon data is conservative but for the 75 vld they list 22.7 as max and for the 77gr sierra they list 23.3. Did you have any problems loading up whats pictured?
Hodgdon Benchmark Ramshot xterminator and IMR 8208 all work well
Ya have all given me good ideas. Thank you.
I use RL15 in 7.62, it's fine but it meters like shit, especially out of a Dillon --if set for 41.8gr., I'm lucky to hit that number in one out of ten throws. With the straw-in-RCBS Chargemaster, it works well enough though, so it depends on how you're metering. If you're using a Dillon, you want the powder as fine as you can get it. I've been using H335 to load up bulk SS109 and it does well and meters very well out of the Dillon. Just crank 'em out as fast as you can operate the handle.
have used a lot of Varget but recently started using Ramshot TAC in some of my heavier loads. The nice thing is that Ramshot provides both 223 and 5.56 pressure load data, so you can load to whatever standard you want if you have the appropriate chambers. I also picked up some 2230 recently on a deal that was too good to pass up. Will try it with some 77gr bullets and see how it works.
8208 XBR is hands down the best powder I've used with 223 match ammo. Easy to work with, short cut extruded powder with low temp sensitivity.
I don't have much experience with TAC, but I've heard it is sensitive to temp changes. It yields excellent velocity for heavies though.
I don't have much experience with TAC, but I've heard it is sensitive to temp changes. It yields excellent velocity for heavies though.
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I have used ramshot for a while, but the FPS swings are really crazy.
CFE 223 and BL-C(2). 8208 XBR started giving me pressure signs at noticeably lower MVs than CFE 223.
I am with several others that have recommended CFE 223.
It meters very well in any powder measure and has been the best powder for me in a couple 223's, 20 Practical, and 6 BR. Plan to experiment with it in 224 Valkyrie soon as well.
I've tried 335, 8208, TAC, BL-C2, W748, Varget, etc and many work well, but I've stocked up on CFE 223 because it works better than the others in several of my rifles.
It meters very well in any powder measure and has been the best powder for me in a couple 223's, 20 Practical, and 6 BR. Plan to experiment with it in 224 Valkyrie soon as well.
I've tried 335, 8208, TAC, BL-C2, W748, Varget, etc and many work well, but I've stocked up on CFE 223 because it works better than the others in several of my rifles.
I run 26.5gr BLC2 with 77SMKs and 27.2gr with 69SMKs and 28.5gr for 50 Blitzkings for 3030fps and 3090fps and 3440fps respectively in my 24" bolt gun. At $155/8lb it's hard to beat. Meters like water through a Uniflow. I cleaned my rifle the other day since I was cleaning other guns and in two patches it was clean. No copper or carbon evident despite several hundred rounds between cleanings. BLC2 seems to give me very consistent velocities however it is temperature sensitive.
I've been using TAC for 308 precision loads for several years. My zeroes track exactly to what JBM predicts they should be from summer to winter in Ohio.
I find the temperature sensitivity claims to be a myth with Ramshot TAC.
It meters like water, has demonstrated excellent temperature stability to me, and provides easy to find accuracy.
It works just as well for 223, particularly with heavy projectiles.
BL-C(2) meters stupidly well from my Lee Perfect Powder measure to +/- 0.1 grain. Definitely just fine for my plinking/fodder load:
26.5g of BLC(2) under a Hornady 62g HPBT w/cannulure bullet. CCI Small Rifle Primer. Mixed brass. Seat to cannulure, crimp in LEE Factory Crimp die. Runs at about 2850-ish out of my mid-length 16" Faxon 1:8 pencil barrel. Cycles fine and dandy, hits whatever I point at, in general. Definitely not at match load, but it works well for me.
I've never even really tested it's accuracy potential from a rest/prone position. With the pencil barrel it does 1" into paper from a wobbly table at 50 yards. Good enough to be fun and reasonably accurate for Up Drills, Reloads, and malfunction drill practice.
26.5g of BLC(2) under a Hornady 62g HPBT w/cannulure bullet. CCI Small Rifle Primer. Mixed brass. Seat to cannulure, crimp in LEE Factory Crimp die. Runs at about 2850-ish out of my mid-length 16" Faxon 1:8 pencil barrel. Cycles fine and dandy, hits whatever I point at, in general. Definitely not at match load, but it works well for me.
I've never even really tested it's accuracy potential from a rest/prone position. With the pencil barrel it does 1" into paper from a wobbly table at 50 yards. Good enough to be fun and reasonably accurate for Up Drills, Reloads, and malfunction drill practice.
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CFE223 for 55gr bullets is awesome, but I could never get it to group for shit with heavies.
8208 has been the best so far (for me) with heavies. 24.5grs under a 75gr ELDM is a warm, but nice and accurate load.
8208 has been the best so far (for me) with heavies. 24.5grs under a 75gr ELDM is a warm, but nice and accurate load.
Blc2 for metering characteristics use in my gas gun varget fir bolt
8208xbr is the stuff for me. 23.6 grains with a 77 Nosler CC in LC brass is the magic combination in my Seekins 223 Wylde barrel.
Ramshot TAC has been my favorite. I have noticed a little variation when not loading heavies hot. For some reason, finding low charge weights that work well with TAC is always a problem for me and I find all the issues described here. When loading in the upper range, it always seems to smooth out and work really really well.
CFE223 ismy other go to when I am loading lighter pills.
I have recently started using 8208 and I am very impressed. MV swings from summer to winter were wonderfully low.
When I started to roll my own, H335 and W748 were the top choices. Then came Varget. Once I started using it in 308 also, I pretty much stopped using the ball powders. H4895 w/ 60gr. Hornady sp's is a cheap and accurate load also. IMR 8208 is good as well.
8208
W748
CFE223
Xterminator
These are my favorite 223 powders.
W748
CFE223
Xterminator
These are my favorite 223 powders.
I'm using ~25gr. H335 to load up 62gr. M855 copies. Fine powder, it meters well through the Dillon dispensers so I can crank out thousands of those fuckers fast. I wanna say it's dirtier in the action than some others, but could just be the can making it look worse.
It's been a good powder though and pretty consistent loads. After burning through ten pounds I switched to 8lb. jugs so I guess I'm committed.
It's been a good powder though and pretty consistent loads. After burning through ten pounds I switched to 8lb. jugs so I guess I'm committed.
I have the exact same experience with TAC and lighter loads. It also runs dirty as hell lighter but when running hot and heavy it’s really clean.
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