Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles CFE 223

Is CFE 223 best with heavier bullets in the 223?
Or will it work as well with 50 gr V-Max's?

I use it with 62 grainers. It works well!

Should be better than fine with 50 grainers!

CFE223 is quite slow burning, works best with 70gr or heavier

Talking to Mule Deer, he says it is a good powder for the 204 Ruger. No heavy bullets in that...

I use it for 40, 50, 52, and 55 grain bullets in .223. Works just fine.

Thanks to all you fine fellows.
When I couldn't source H335, that was the replacement at hand.
Bought for my 204, 223's, and hopefully for my 17 Rem. (Need to check that one out)
My reading led me to believe CFE 223 was best, in the 223, with the heavier bullets.

Roger that - I use 32 gr V-Max on PD's, and Nosler 40 BT's on coyotes, and the occasional bobcat.
Might use the Nosler on a grey fox, if one comes in (rare event) - the Win 36 gr I shot the last one with demolished it - at 18 FEET!
Damn it!

It'll work fine with the 50 gr. VMAX.

fantastic groups with 53 VMAX at Hodgdons max load. WW brass, CCI 450. Seated 2.300 coal. Remington 78.

I Use it in .22-250 with 50 gr vmax and 50 gr blitzking nice groups, this load around 3800.

Forgot I've got some .223 55 gr nosler ballistic tips, forget chrono reading but maybe 50 coyotes down with them.

Don't overlook it for other,larger, cartridges too. Works nicely in .30-30, .303 Savage, .250-3000 in my experience.

It is the powder for speed and accuracy in the 17Rem. All I use in mine anymore.

Thanks, Kid.

It’s my preferred powder for the 50gr. Ballistic tip in my Zastava. Only load it shoots really well.

Old70

They should change the name to CFE308, because it works a lot better in that cartridge than it does for the 223 remington, from everything I've seen.

Haha! Yep, or maybe CFE-fast-to-medium-burning-good-for-what-ails-you.

I love the price, and it has decoppering agents. Which is cool, I guess??? But I feel like I pull my hair out sometimes with load development for 223's. Mainly AR's. I was testing some loads the other day in the girlfriends new AR15, and boy was that not fruitful!!!! I believe I was trying 50gr v-max bullets, since I have a bunch on hand. Then I tried some 53gr v-max, since I have almost 3,000 of those. Nothing looked good. Some fliers, when that rifle shoots factory 68's pretty well. Back to the drawing board. Just trying to avoid using my AR Comp in her rifle!!!!! Using CFE223 is like rolling the dice.

CFE223 has done very well with 55 gr bullets in a 223 and 50 gr bullets in a 222 magnum. Lower loads gave pretty smoked-up cases but that tendency decreased as charges approached upper loads.

One of the better powders for 6ARC also.