Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Could not find any of my standard, preffered powders for 223 today, so....

I re filled all of my empty cases with the last of my stash (250 or so) of Barnes Varmint Grenade 36gr bullets and a brand new powder, CFE223. Supposedly, this powder removes copper fouling as it is fired through one's barrel. I am very curious as to HOW it does that, and if it really does, but the specs on it gave some great velocities, too. My load of 28.5gr of this juice should give around 3750-3800fps from my 26 inch #5 contour, 1 in 14 twist Lilja barrel. I am going to re-empty a few of these cases with Seafire over a freshly planted alfalfa field tomorrow. I am anxious to shoot it/them on paper, too and see what kind of accuracy I get. I loaded them to the same OAL as my previous load (stuffed with Surplus and long out of print AA Data 2200) hoping the zero is the same, but will for sure check it first thing in the AM. Accuracy with this stuff might be a bit better, we shall soon see, I guess. Even if not the cats meow, I needed AMMO! NOW! So bought a LB and loaded it up.

Anyone had any experience with this gunpowder? Thoughts/experiences? Thanks in advance,

MARK

I switched to CFE223 this season for my 222 Mag and the Swift. I moved away from H335 and H380. I load to moderate velocities and so far so good - clean barrels (still get powder fouling but no copper) and excellent accuracy in the 222. The Swift is in need of a new tube, it's at the point where accuracy is beginning to fade so it is hard to say if it is better or worse. I like the idea of reducing from 2 to 1 powders for my high volume rounds. I have 8#s on back order - midsouth shooters supply has it listed for $141/8#.

BTW, the Hodgdon literature incorrectly describes CFE223 as a spherical powder but what I have received is flatten ball - like H335. I have sent Hodgdon an email about this but never heard anything back - I dislike errors in marketing literature.

Boise,

That is a very helpful treatise! Much thanks back at ya. And, I really love your Signature line! So fitting for this sometimes nuthouse we call the 'fire

I am reclaiming a 220 Swift that I sold to another member, I am thinking that with the 69-75gr bullets I am going to run (1 in 8 twist bbl) that the CFE 223 will be too fast of a powder. But I think that I am going to like it just fine in my 223 and later 222 handloads. I still have several hundred 222 loads pushed by the last of my surplus AA Data 2200 gunpowder. Talk about a perfect load... 222 Rem, 22.2 grains of 2200 powder and an OAL of 2.22 inches! BR-4 primers, as always, with my old favorite from decades ago Moly Coated 50gr TNT's. Good pill for ground squirrels, Rockchucks and coyotes all three. Plus the occassional Badger. Nice to have one do it all rifle load for my old Riihimaki. While a VERY old school long time favorite bullet, and the BC of a rock, it is still a great old bullet for moderate range varmint shooting and is just DEVASTATING upon impact. With the Moly I have run thousands of rounds down the tube of my Riihimaki with no real cleaning in years and it still makes holes touching cloverleaf groups at 100 yards and is a devastating killer out to 200 yards or so on about anything from gophers to coyotes.

There is another lb. of CFE223 at the store I bought the one I have from, I had better go snag it today and have it on hand.

Mark, did you look at the burn rate for CFE223? It lands between Varget and H380, I would think you would be able to make it work with your Swift and heavy bullets but then I've never tried it. I shoot the 53 gr. Vmax in my Swift - speed kills!

Never seen another bullet out perform the Vmax when it comes to pelt destruction. Used a LOT of Nosler ballistic tips and Hornady SX but they don't provide the same level of.... entertainment.

I'm sick, I enjoy cleaning my guns. Polishing the furniture of my Vixen makes me happy. And one here has to clean his rifle after every shoot just to get rid of all the dust blown into the action. We walk and shoot mainly from the prone so dirt is always an issue. Bore cleaning doesn't happen that often.

CFE-223 is the canister grade version of the powder loaded in the current military issued M855 version 5.56 ammo. The anti coppering agent is because of the high copper content of the current lead free greenie inspired bullets. It's some kind of tin or bismuth coating that combines with the copper in the gaseous state and keeps it from adhering to the barrel. It's not new technology, it's been around in various applications for a long time.

I use it in my 22-250. It gives better velocity at mid range pressures than anything else I've found with a 55 gr bullet.

Great info, thanks.

Just came back from a short varmint Safari with a couple of other members here. The new to me powder loads only hit 1/2 inch to the left compared to my old loads so it was an easy and quick scope adjustment to make them we lowered the BOOM on some rodents.

BOISE, 6mm Remington watched me "Launch" a ground squirrel with one of my Sako rifles and immediately had to know what sent that gopher almost onto a low orbit. I told him it was the meak and mild 222, but with a Speer TNT 50gr HP bullet. Man those things are NASTY on critters! I love em, and am hoarding them big time in fear that they might go off of the market someday. As I said before, not much for BC and everyone seems to be nuts for bullets shaped like sewing needles, but I am still into explosions and terminal performance. My lightweight 222 is not a long rage shooter, anyway. It and the TNT's are a perfect match for one another.

I've use a lot of TNT's in my 223s, great bullet

From the Hodgen web site. Seems that they have CFE in two different powders, one for rifles and one for pistols.


The technology developed for the U.S. Military that greatly deters copper fouling is now available in CFE�223 for your reloads!

Introduced in January 2012, this versatile spherical rifle propellant incorporates in its formula CFE, Copper Fouling Eraser. This ingredient, originally used in military propellant, greatly deters copper fouling. It contributes to longer periods of top accuracy with less barrel cleaning time. Being a spherical powder, metering is superbly accurate. CFE 223 yields top velocities in many cartridges such as the 204 Ruger, 223 Remington/5.56mm NATO, 22-250 Remington and the 308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO, plus many, many more. Match, Varmint and AR shooters will love this one!

Cartridge List
17 Remington
204 Ruger
222 Remington
223 Remington
22 PPC
22-250 Remington
6mm PPC
6mm BR
243 Winchester
25-35 Winchester
250 Savage
257 Roberts
25WSSM
6.5mm BR
6.5mm Creedmoor
260 Remington
6.5mm Swedish Mauser
270 Winchester
7mm-08 Remington
30-30 Winchester
308 Winchester
8X57mm Mauser
338 Federal
375 Ruger
375 H&H
243 WSSM
223 WSSM

Very good information here.. Thanks for sharing it.. I have quite a bunch of older powders on hand, but have not tried many of the newer ones due to the supply I have.. This morn, I tried AA2230 in my .223.. Accuracy was excellent.. But with the information on CFE223, I may have to look into it.. For several years maybe five even, I haven't done much load testing.. Mostly shooting the old loads developed years ago.. Have been missing out on some pleasant time at the shooting bench... Have a new rifle or so to work up loads for, plus these new powders in my older rifles, now I have projects to keep me occupied during the slow hunting times.. thanks..

good info now I just need to find out where to buy it????

In my little .223 Remington rifles (12 pounds light)I use Alliant Reloader 10x with either the 36 grain Varmint Grenade or Nosler's 40 grain BT Lead Free bullet. The Nosler 40 grain shoots well in my homemade Savages with a Precision Target Actions. Below is a 10 shot group at 100 yards, barrel is a 1:9" twist:



Primer selection is critical in the .223 Remington with Reloader 10x the group above opened up as shown with 205 Federal Match primers



I find that Reloader 10x also works just as well in the .204 Ruger with Barnes 26 grain Varmint Grenades or Nosler's 32 grain BT Lead Free. My Shilen barrel shoots .25" at 4,110 fps with the 26 grain Varmint Grenade.

Another powder to consider is Accurate LT-32 a reintroduction of the old Thunderbird powder much acclaimed by benchrest shooters. I am still working up loads for it but early results show good accuracy in my homemade AR-15 bolt actions(no gas system)with the .204 Ruger and Hornady 24 grain NTX lead Free bullets. The rifle has a custom made 24" Hart barrel with no gas port 1:9" twist. There is no reason to believe that the 26 grain Varmint Grenade wouldn't do as well. I blew the groups apart myself, which resulted in swapping in an AR-15 Gold Trigger:



These powders, and a ball powder similar to Reloader 10x, Alliant Power Pro 1200R (always use loading data specific to the powder selected), may be available, or can be placed on back order at http://www.brunoshooters.com/ however expect to pay for it.

Very nice shooting WranglerJohn!