Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Good .223 loads

Not yet. I have loaded some to do a work up but haven't gotten to the bench. See Texas photog's post regarding them.

My Ruger have NO issues with accuracy with 1 in 12 twists...

The bullets I use each year, and I shoot a lot during varmint season....

40 grainers, V Max or Varmaggeddons from Nosler.

50 grainers.. V Max, Varmaggeddons, Speer TNT...

53 grainers.. V Max, Varmaggeddons

52 Grainers... Speer HPs...Not the Target one.. the Varmint one..

I don't have issues with the 55 grainers, but usually don't need to use them when the others do so well..

most of my shooting is done with Blue Dot, Unique, Alliant Steel, 4198, RL 7. within the 223s which see the most volume shooting...

but I also drag out 22.250s on occasion....

Thanks Hanco, sorry for the slow reply. Those pictures were several years ago. The older boy is 21 now and a father, the younger one turns 18 in a couple days and graduates high school in a couple weeks. Time really flies!

They both hunt deer with their own .223’s now though in keeping with the thread.

Just came in last night at dark-thirty putting up the last of the 64gr nosler bondeds in LC brass, it and the 62gr bear claw both leave Wifes 16" AR house guns at 2750 fps with 25gr power pro varmint powder, wsr primers and both seated at the top of crimp groove.

Great little SD loads that would do pretty good duty for two or four legged vermin, 2750 may not sound like much, if we think of something traveling near 9 football fields in one second running into something traveling no fps, it's going to make an impression, with 20-22 inch barreled bolt rifles it may be in excess of 3100 fps for a little flatter trajectory, both bullets/loads land in a silver dollar circle at 50 yards through leupold delta point and eo-tech 556 sights, i cant see to shoot any better with those fuzzy bassturds, they both excel with both eyes open short range shooting.

Sounds pretty good gunner. Those bearclaws are great bullets. I'm still slinging one of my favorite loads in my AR's. This load also worked very well in my bolt guns. My buddy just sent me a video of his young boy shooting the bolt action Savage I sold him with the ammo I loaded for him. Its funny how this load just works. Here is how it does in one of my AR's with a barrel I got from another buddy. First round tests show it to be a great shooting barrel, and of course good load:

100 yard first group:


400 yards:


Its not my AR comp load, but it performs quite well. I don't know if I posted this load in my OP, but it's a great one I've been using since I started using and loading for AR's. Here's a rendition of it with R-P brass and CCI BR4 match grade primers:


I just scrolled through the 12 years of posts and loads. Look like some good ones. I want to thank everyone for contributing. For those looking for a good load for your 223, you might find it in this thread.

I bought a 1/12 twist Remington ADL about 5 years ago. I just started trying some different loads. It has pretty much lived in the gun locker for the last 5 years. I have found the Speer 52 grain HP's seem to shoot the best between 2800 and 2900 fps. 2 loads I really like are 24.4 3031 and 24.6 AA2460 shooting the 52 grain Speers. I have tried some 60 grain Noslers with various powders and the best I can do is 3" so they are out. 55 grain soft point Hornady's are showing some promise with AA2460 but the 52 grain Speers are the winner so far. I just upgraded my scope so I will try some 50 grain soft points I just picked up. Great post.

kwg

Try some 63 gr Sierras they’re accurate in every 22 cf I’ve tried them in.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THIS


If you want a heavier bullet for deer or hogs and such I have had consistently good luck with this bullet, and it shoots fine in your basic 1 in 12 twist, at any altitude. Accuracy and performance on game are both consistently good. The only Sierra bullet that I truly like.

I have reloaded for a couple of 1-12 twist Remington's, and I like a 50 grain VMax. I've also gotten some pretty good results with the 52 grain Speer HP as well. I like BLC-2, W748, and H335 powders, with a Remington 7 1/2 primer.

Like Ingwe, I find the same results, and the other bullet I like as much is the 70 gr SMP Speer. With 29 grains of H 380, and a small rifle primer MV is around 2900 fps out of my 24 inch barreled bolt actions. If I have to use a 223 for game hunting, this is the load I grab. Even if an old thread...

and it was over at midnight... but happy Birthday Tom.

The Sierra 77gr TMK is a deer killer/ shot 4 deer last year with them/ it was a bang and flop/ use to use the Sierra 65gr Gameking but now going to the 77gr TMK/ time to sell off my supply of the 65grs

I loaded up some 52 grain Speer HP varmint bullets over 23.2 grains of AA2015. I didn't make it to the 100 yard range but at 50 I had one hole groups. I tested 2 other powders with this bullet and this one came out the best of the 3. I did this just today. I'm going to load some more and try this again at the 100 yard range hopefully on Thursday. I'm estimating 2750 to 2800 fps out of my 22" Remington model 700 with a 12" twist.

kwg

Here's a couple of loads that my 223's like. NOTE _ the 78 is almost worn out. I can't believe it still shoots OK:

223 Remington Seven, 40 grain Nosler BT, 7 ½ BR, 22.3 grains TAC, 0.44 MOA
223 Remington Seven, 55 grain Rem HP, WSR, 26.5 grains H335, .5 MOA

223 Remington Sport 78, 55 grain Nosler BT, 7 ½ BR, 26 grains H335, 0.47 MOA
223 Remington Sport 78, 55 grain Rem HP, 7 ½ BR, 26.5 Grains H335, 0.49 MOA

I used to use benchmark with 50g vmax for an all around varmint load. As I've moved more towards heavier bullets over the last 15 years I've switched to 8208xbr. I really like 8208xbr because it meters just like the benchmark I was used to but us a bit slower burning so it works a bit better with heavier bullets.

If there was a powder also made by adi with the same grain size but a bit slower I'd try it too. It seems like 8208xbr is as slow as I can find with the tiny extruded grain size. As you go to h4895 and varget the granules get bigger and they don't meter quite as well.

I've tried to narrow down my main 223 loads a bit and mostly load 75g Hornady bthp over 8208xbr or sometimes tac because I have a bunch to burn. For my lighter varmint weight bullets that work in all 223s I've gone to the 53g vmax over 8208xbr. The 53g has a bit better bc than the 50s.

I experimented with several powders and bullets in a very accurate old 788 223 I used to have around about 1999. I really liked h322 but it was a bit on the fast burning side so that led me to benchmark. My old benchmark load with 50g Vmaxes always shot amazing in that 788 and later in my first ar a rra predator pursuit. They also shot the 50g Sierra blitzing green tipped bullets about the same but the vmax were cheaper. I was happy when I started going to heavier bullets and found 8208xbr is basically a slower version of benchmark and h322.

I have a few thousand berger 52g varmint flat based bullets in my basement that I dug out while rearranging the bullet shelves. I was thinking earlier tonight I should get around to loading them and try them over benchmark and 8208xbr. I think I could probably get those to really shoot. Either that or I need to just sell them. I just don't use the lighter stuff much anymore.

Bb

I’ve found that 23.5gr of 8208xbr behind a 75gr ELD gives 2925fps in a 24” barrel and shoots great in all the bolt guns I’ve tried!
I load them long 2.470” OAL you have to use Accurate mags with the front plastic notched to allow for the length.
Have shot steel out to 1200yds with it, the bc on the 75’s really transforms the 223 into a great trainer and cheap steel ringer. The 88elds retail more energy at distance but the 75’s are a little cheaper and more explosive on varmint if you go that route.
Plus an 8 twist works for the 75’s you’ll need a 1:7 for the 88’s.

Loaded several hundred Sierra 63gr SP's over 27 gr of CFE223 at a MV of 2785... not bad out of a little 16" Ranch barrel printing 1/2-3/4. Just deer/hog loads.