Same powder for 204 & 223?

[BoilerUP]

Yeah I know, every rifle is different...but:

I've had good luck with Varget in my 26" 9 twist 223 barrel using the 75 Hornady HPBT, printing 5-shot groups in the 4s. I've got some 52gr A-Max to work up loads for next, and will be trying Varget first.

I'm also getting ready to start reloading 204, likely with the 32 V-Max or 39 Blitzking.

Google shows me many 204 shooters like Varget too, but I'm curious...if that doesn't provide suitable results for me, are there other powders out there that I could utilize in both the 204 and 223 (40-55gr class bullets)?

H335?
BLC-2?
Benchmark?
R-10x?
H4895?
All the above?
Other?

Just looking for others' experiences so I might narrow down my load development possibilities...thanks

 

[Seawalker]

Re: Same powder for 204 & 223?

All of those powders you listed can shoot well in either rifle. You didn' list IMR 8208 XBR which is a little better in 204 for velocity than it is in 223. Since 223 has such a wide variety of bullet weights, it would be difficult to have just one powder that would be perfect for each bullet. Of course that makes it less possible when adding the 204.

If I had to pick one for both calibers and all bullet weights it would be Benchmark. Another good all around powder is TAC but it might not be the best in either caliber from light to heavy loads.

 

[BoilerUP]

Re: Same powder for 204 & 223?

I'd be quite content with something that provided good accuracy with 39/40gr bullets in the 204 and 50-55gr bullets in the 223, as I can live with a little less velocity. It wouldn't bother me too much to keep Varget for heavier 223 loads.

 

[BCP]

Re: Same powder for 204 & 223?

Varget should work fine although it's slow for the lighter bullets in 204. I would think H335 would be the ticket for what you are doing.

 

[BCP]

Re: Same powder for 204 & 223?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BoilerUP</div><div class="ubbcode-body">39/40gr bullets in the 204 and 50-55gr bullets in the 223</div></div>

25.1 varget for 40's in 204, 26 for 52's in 223 (I think lemme check load stuff will update if I'm off).

 

[Seawalker]

Re: Same powder for 204 & 223?

It takes me 28+g of Varget to get above 3,600 fps with either a 39 bk or 40 vm in 204. Accuracy is fine, but there is a lot of bridging in a powder funnel trying to get Varget in the 20 cal case mouth. As a comparison 27g of 8208 or 26.5 of H335 gets me above 3,700 with the same bullets. Reloader 10x can get there with 24.7g in my 204.