Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Sticky for 223 loads

With all the requests about "good" 223 Rem loads maybe we can get a sticky going.
I'll start with a couple of favorites and the standard disclaimer of work up loads in your rifle and cross check with published data in case of typos.

40 grain Sierra BlitzKing 26.9 grains of Benchmark and CCI BR primers. Lapua brass.

55 grain BlitzKing 26.0 grains of H4895, CCI BR primers and Lapua brass.

Both of the above loads shoot very well in my 700 VLS 1-12 twist.

Ernie

My favorite .223 load is

69 gr Nosler HPBT Custom Competition 25.8 grs Varget and Wolf SRM primer using Winchester brass.


Shoots incredibly well in 1:9 twist ARs when loaded to mag length

Sierra 52 MK, 24.8grs Benchmark, CCI BR primer. Consistently tiny groups out to 300 yrds.

Swifty

Sierra 52 MK, 25.0 H335, CCI-450 loaded to mag length. Shoots knots in a NM AR.

All time favorite load for various 223's:

27.5g of Win 748 with a 50g Bullet= 3450 fps

26.5g of Win 748 with a 55g bullet at 3150 fps

Here is a site that has a lot of good loading, listed by various shooters:

http://www.centerfirecentral.com/rifledata.html

28.0 gr TAC 40 gr Horn VMax, CCI 450 primer, 3600 fps
26.0 gr TAC 52 gr Sierra HPBT, CCI 450, 3450 fps

26.5 gr Benchmark, 52 Sierra HPBT, CCI 450, 3435 fps
27.3 gr Benchmark, 40 gr VMax, CCI 450, 3660 fps

27.5 gr X-terminator, 40 gr Vmax, CCI 450
25.5 gr X-terminator, 52 gr Sierra HPBT, CCI 450

All 6 loads very accurate in my Cooper, 5 shot groups are right at .5" or better when I do my part.

25.5-26.0 gr H-4895 behind a 63 gr Sierra SMP, great from varmints to deer...

EWY: I currently own and am reloading for eleven Varmint guns in caliber 223 Remington.
I use them for many different types of Varmints and Varminting.
But I think my all time all around favorite loading consists of:

Federal 223 brass
Federal 205M (match) primers
Sierra 50 grain Blitz bullets
26.5 grains of H 4895 powder

I have recommended this loading to dozens of new 223 shooters and virtually all of them got top of the line accuracy and excellent lethality on all manner of Varmints.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I guess this isn't the spot to mention my Blue Dot or SR 4759 loads, is it?

I think it to be the perfect spot. low recoil, moderate speed and economical. go for it.

53 Vmax 25.5 H335

I really like the idea, but I think it's been tried before......I'm all ears on the 223 loads as I haven't found a good one yet. I just don't put enough time into the little guy as I should I guess . My friend LBP will dis-own me but I much prefer the big guns. Kinda like he much prefers bigger women .

Fixed.

So many powders and loads work for the .223, it's almost a "dartboard" cartridge to me. Pin up the .223 load page from any load manual, toss a dart, and go to town.

That being said, I've been using a lot of TAC for 50's up to 70's, as it throws nice, and is clean, clean, clean..

Hey, theres nothing wrong with the little 223 and a marbled girl...

Caution: Hodgdon Manual #27 shows a max load of 25.5 grains of H 4895 with a 63 gr. Sierra bullet; 26.0 grains with a 63 grain bullet appears is past the maximum per the Hodgdon manual....

Thanks to poster EFW for encouraging me to review LBP's original post, and editing my original post using Hodgdon's load data.

My original comments are deleted.

He said H4895, not IMR, and he said Federal, what case is yours that is "filled up"?

Isn't there some group of kids having fun breaking some rules that you could go bust instead of contributing nothing around here except condescension and stupidity?

Ignore: on.

efw:

I read that wrong and my apology; the powder asked about and responded to by other poster was H 4895, and NOT IMR 4895.

Please note I did not say the case was "filled up" with IMR 4895, but that it was past the bottom of the neck i.e. nearing the full point (in my opinion). The case in question (mine) was a Winchester.

26.5 grs. Varget
55 gr. Sierra
Winchester brass and CCI 400 primer.

24.5 to 25 grs. Varget
69 gr. Sierra Match King
Winchester brass and CCI BR4 primers or CCI 400s.

The 69 SMK load is the most accurate bullet from my Winchester 70 Stealth Varmint. The 53 gr. Sierra with 26.5 grs. Varget is nearly as good.

26 grs. 748 or Varget
60 gr. Hornady V-Max
Winchester brass and CCI 400 primers. Deadly accurate from a Colt AR15 varmint rifle.