Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Pet Loads for 223

I plan to rebarrel my 223 after the next Prairie Dog hunt and I want to explore some different powders. I've been really happy with the Hodgdon powders and currently use mostly BL-C2. The new barrel will have a 1 in 9 twist and I mostly shoot 50-55 grain plastic tip bullets. What are your favorite powders that will meter well through a powder measure? Thanks!

Benchmark. It’s my go-to with 50 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips.





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My first .223 was a Ruger 77 Mk II RL. It's load was at max in the loading manual at the time and a fair bit over now. It was 27.5 grains of H335 under a 50 grain Hornady SX in WW brass. It was a mite hotter than I thought. A few years later I shot some in a Contender and it'd pop the action open on firing .. pretty exciting .. in a bad way. However, it is where my Ruger showed accuracy.

Tom

Nosler 40gr bt--27.3 Benchmark-Win case&primer--excellent & deadly load for coyotes and pds.

Benchmark and TAC, whichever shoots better. Benchmark works fine through a powder measure, but TAC works even better.

I use 27 gr of TAC with a 40 gr BT or V-Max now, but I have about 500 loaded up with 24.5 gr of H-322 that I need to use up. I shoot the 40 gr so it mimics the trajectory (out to about 300 yards) of my .22-250 with 50 gr bullets. My Savage .223 4x4 has a 1 in 9" twist and the 40 grainers shoot itty bitty groups from it. I used to use H-335 and got fine accuracy but had some temp sensitivity problems out in AZ summers. H-322 and TAC are temp insensitive. TAC meters like water through a measure.

My favorite is 25.5 of H 4895 under VM or BK 50s. Not super sporty, but excellent accuracy. If you don't have that, I'd look real hard at TAC, as I worked up a couple of loads for friends under 50s that beat my rifle. Meters great, shoots great, like H-335 but without the temperature tantrums. If I didn't have a fresh jug of H4895, I'd buy some TAC, honestly.

12 grains of Blue dot with a 35 grain VMax. I have a 1:9 20 inch barrel and I get inch groups out of it. 8 grains Blue Dot still is good accuracy and very quiet. A very good small varmint combination(s) that can be very quie and cheap. I neck size only and the brass lasts forever.

The above, or

25 grains H 322, or 26 grains of 2015 BR...

bullets from 40 to 60 grain...

53 VMax or Varmaggeddon are my favorite two...
followed by the 40 grainer...

Here's a few:

50gr Midway Nosler DogTowns (from Midway) with 28.5gr Bl(c)2 and CCI 450.

27.5gr TAC behind 52gr NCC with S&B primers

Benchmark behind 40gr Nosler Shots, FB HP.

25.5gr IMR-4895 behind 60gr NPT with CCI 200.

There are a few of my favorite things......

Yep. Got to love the way TAC flows like water through a measure. Girls and I loaded 700 rounds the other weekend. The last one weighted the same as the first. Never had the adjust the measure once.

Thanks for the replys everyone. I think I've tried about everything listed except TAC. I may pick up some to try. I've found it hard to pick a pet load in 223, everything seems to shoot good!

Agree with both these recommendations. However, I suggest you also try Ramshot Exterminator. It meters as well as TAC and for 50-55 grain bullets, Xterm produces as much velocity with slightly less powder, and groups nicely, too.

25.8 gr Benchmark with 50 gr V-max works for me.

Sierra #1390 (poor B.C. bullet)
26.6 - 26.8 grains of W748 (over .223 book max YYMV)
WSR primers
Federal Premium brass

This load is for a rifle with a 5.56 chamber, 24 inch barrel and shoots around 3100fps.

This is my Coyote load for 125 yards and less. It is so accurate i can't believe it. Every time i go to the range to verify it i keep thinking something will go wrong. Even when the brass is tired it shoots as good as i can hold. .04 - .06 5 shot groups without fliers. Ever!

W 748 is a long forgotten powder for the 223...
but decades ago, max load was listed at 30 grains with 50 to 53 grain bullets...

ya can't get enough W 748 in a 223 to exceed SAAMI pressure specs...

and it hasn't even been anything but accurate...

Good thread here with centuries of experience. Thanks to all.

Thanks for the ideas everyone. My current loading is with BL-C2 and I sometimes get pressure signs when shooting in the Texas and Oklahoma sun from a load that is safe here in Arkansas. It meters well and is very accurate although velocity is a little lower than most. It works well enough that its hard to get away from.

TAC for me, too. 27.5 gr with 40 gr tipped bullets (V-MAX, Varmageddon, Ballistic Tips, whatever is on sale), Haven't noticed any huge difference with primers (S&B, Wolf 223, CCI-400, RP 7 1/2, Win, Federal). Also like TAC with 50 gr Tipped bullets and Hornady SX, 26.0 gr. 24.5 gr with Hornady 62 gr HPBT'S, as well as 24.0 gr with Nosler 69 gr Custom Competition. The over 60 gr bullets are for faster twist barrels, while the lighter bullets like the 1 in 12" bolt guns.

Exterminator is great, but TAC is a bit more versatile, working in my .358 Win and other calibers. If I recall correctly, Exterminator is better in some ways than TAC for the 50 gr and under bullets in particular.