I am useing w-748 powder with good accuracy and it will cony at 3200 fps 26.5 gr. 40 v-max. I would like to get around 4000fps in my rifle. what powder will get me there

3800fps with 40s with 26g Benchmark in FILs 26 inch Model 700.

You MIGHT get there with the .223, and maybe some 30s or 35s, but I doubt you'd find the accuracy needed with those shorter, light bullets.

If you desperately need 4000fps, you're in need of a bigger case, like the .22/250. Then you can use the useful 40 grain weight, and not crowd high pressures, and hit your goal of 4000fps. The .22/250 can do 4000 easily, and can crowd 4300 with a caseful of Varget. I just don't think you can do 4000 safely within SAAMI specs, with a standard .223.

My 223AI barely makes 3800fps with moly'd 40's and 29.1gr of Benchmark...Didn't think 4" of barrel length would make that much of a difference.

Ain't gonna happen with a 40 grain bullet. you can get upwards of 3800.

I have a 223 with a 26" Hart with a Minimum SASMI spec chamber that will put all the bullets in the same hole at 4000 fps with the 40g Nosler.

I use IMI or Lapua brass
7 1/2 or BR-4 Primers
Vit N-133 powder.

My 26" 223 AI will shoot the 40g Noslers at 4200 with N-133, formed IMI brass and 7 1/2 primers.

N-133, Tough brass, and thick cup primers are the key, the minimum spec chamber with Zero freebore may help seal the gasses behind the bullet.

With N-133, I shoot the 50g Noslers at 3800-3850 fps into extremely tiny groups in the 223 AI....no brass issues yet.

"I would like to get around 4000fps in my rifle."

Bullseye?

I'd say you can get it there with the powder you are using, but not without exceeding SAAMI specs for the cartridge.

May I ask why 3,800 is not enough?

GS Custom HV 40g bullets with 28.5g (not 26g-misspoke earlier) of Benchmark shoots 3800 fps (3815 to be exact) in my FIL's 700SPS.

Your results may vary.

Thanks for the replys. I will try benchmark and see what speed I can get

I have found 3800 to be the practical limit for 40 grain VMax.

That said, as stated above, some extreme measures may get you a little further. Whether you are going into an accuracy node or leaving one is another thing.

The best load I found was with Accurate Data 2200, sadly no longer available.

HM

Awesome!!!
Who did the gunsmithing for you on the rifle with the minimum chamber?
Incidentally, those Nosler 50's shoot very well in several 223's and 222 Mag's I have.

Think you can look, look, and look and at the most you will find 27.3 grains of Benchmark to be max you can find for the 40 grain bullet. If you decided to work up to that much powder be very careful. I get a snug bolt with 27grains in the summer so I have chosen 26.5 at a little over 3600fps. Newest Hornady manual only gives 26.4 for a max load.

H335 might get you close to 3900 fps but you may need to use a 2 part epoxy to hold your primers in!
whelennut

Why on earth do you feel you need to get 4000 from a 223 and a 40 grain bullet?

The driving bands on the GS Custom bullets allow you to load to higher velocities. On their website, they have 3800fps as the velocity to load for with that bullet/powder combo.

Start less and work up applies to everything reloading.

Simply stating that 3800fps is obtainable with 40g bullets in the .223.

I have a 40X rebarrled by Hart Barrels with a 27" 1x14 twist barrel. I use IMI brass, CCI-450 primers, mollied 40 Nosler's and a good helping of WC-844 pull down powder. This breaks 4,000 FPS over my Oehler 35P at 10 ft.

Tom

Toms22: I have a couple of 223's that are shooting 40 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips and one of them I have checked on my Oehler chronograph at 3,363 F.P.S.! I have shot this load for years now and I am very pleased with it.
I would not even consider trying to crank those bullets from that Rifle (with its 25" Shilen barrel!) up to 4,000 F.P.S.!
The loading I am running in that 223 is extremely accurate and VERY lethal on all manner of Varmints.
I checked a couple of sources and safe maximum loads with 40 grain bullets seem to "top out" at 3,600 to 3,800 F.P.S.?
Yes faster means flatter and straighter but there is a limit (mandated by safety!), and 4,000 F.P.S. is a bit beyond the limit.
Best of luck with your 223.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I'm with VG on this one. Say I have a couple of friends with .223 AI's they get just under 4K with 40's. If you really want to go there with a .223 get a .223 WSSM.

which powder for .223 that will get 4000 fps?

The powder that is in a 22-250 case.

Behind a light boolit...
Ingwe

Yep.

Now, that thar is FUNNY.

And very true.

Steve

Every once in awhile I can come up with a good one

It was a good one...

Buy a .22/250.

Seems to be a lot of variation in FPS on this thread. My 223AI has a 22" tube, and shooting 40's I am getting around 3850 with 30grs of H335.

My thoughts also, seems a tight chamber can give you an extra 300 to 400fps because you can overload them. Very surprising since most of the time I only see around 30fps speed increase with .5 increase in powder with a 26" and 28" barrel. Without a custom chamber and without custom bullets the best accuracy loads with speed in our 223s is right around 3650fps with a 40 gr. Then again it could be my chrony. We are shooting them across a Chrony Alpha master and a Millennium and either one is within a few fps of the other. I have attained speeds up to 3700 with overloads but the accuracy wouldn't be there. I might also add I've never saw a Hart Barrel that wasn't a tack driver and while I've only seen a 1/2 dozen personally and got to shoot a couple should I chose to build a rifle it would be my first choice. If you added 4" to you barrel you would be doing close to 4000 with your's.

I can hit 4000 with my 22-250AI, so I never really cared what my 223AI was doing. That being said, I still cannot hit the magical 4k with my 204...It too is running around 3850-3900 with 35's and a 24" tube. Coyotes don't seem to care though.

my .223 AI rifles have 1-8" twist (22.5" Brux) and 1-7" (22" Hart). my interests lie more with getting 2850-2950 fps with the 75 grain A-Max. easy enough to do in my AO, but this gets me to 1K at mach 1.125 and 34 moa.

dont' get me wrong, the fast twist and the 55 grain V-Max (case forming load) shoots MOA at 500 meters, and the fast twist aids in making varmint confetti, but hinders velocity somewhat. i let the rifle tell me where maximum is, and i work with that. if that is less than some others get, so be it. the LRF has reduced the need for max velocity IMO.

Got just over 3800 out of a Rem 700 with a 26 inch tube that I used to own, 40 gr V-Max using AA2460, very, very accurate as well.

I get 3900 and change out of a 22" 223AI with 40 gr. NBT's.

Using the new Nosler 35 grain lead free might gain a few more fps.

Good one!

no one mentioned the 30 grain HP Bergers.. they are as long as a Nosler 40 grain BT... they can be run at 4000 fps...

I have hit 4000 fps consistently with a 40 grain bullet using RL 7.
It had good accuracy also... but most of my needs don't require that MV...

heck I run most of my 22.250s at the upper ends of what most people run their 223s....

I like stretching out barrel life more than getting MACH 10 velocities...

Seafire: I also live by the credo - don't burn out your barrels!
But consistent 4,000 F.P.S. shooting from a 223 case ain't gonna achieve that.
I also get great accuracy and lethality on Varmints with bullets at much lower velocitites.
Most of my 220 Swifts are "pokin" along at 22-250 velocities as well.
Save the steel!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
P.S.: At the just concluded Missoula, Montana Gunshow I saw several sets of 223 WSSM dies for sale!
One set I nearly bought was a new set of Redding dies in 223 WSSM with an "asking price" of $20.00!
Another set of RCBS dies appeared to be new/as new and had an asking price of $15.00!!!
I don't have, nor do I want a 223 WSSM, but I was tempted to buy those dies anyway.

My experience has been that the lighter weight is offset by the longer bearing surface. I reach the about the same velocity and pressure with 36g Varmint Grenades as I do with 40g V-maxes. Perhaps the Nosler will yield different results.

The whole idea is ludicrous. Absurdly dangerous, to boot.

If it could be done safely, every ammo maker would be doing it already.

I have noticed bargain basement prices on WSSM die sets and brass locally also..... for anyone who has them, seems like they had better stock up now... won't be around long...

I never warmed up to the concept of the WSSM either...

played with the idea of necking a 25 WSSM to 6.5 mm... but after checking out powder capacity found out that it holds no more than a 260 Rem held... so why bother?????

The 270 WSM, on the other hand, is kind of a neat .264" cartridge.

dont bother. if you want more velocity go to a .22-250 or down to a .204, the .204 will easily top 4 grand with 40 gr bullets, and the 40 grain .204 bullets have higher B.C.'s. you are doing something with this cartrige that it wasnt intended to do, this means more wear and tear, and a potentially unsafe situation. at a very MINIMUM have your chamber Akley Improved.

Benchmark is slow, you will never get there.

N133 with a thick cup primer in Lapua brass is the key...accuracy is astounding to say the least.

I wanted to add this comment, there is a world of difference between a factory chamber and a custom Minimum SAAMI Match chamber with minimum throat and freebore. Even 40x Chambers are huge as a general rule of thumb.

We have seen super velocities and accuracies cut from Minimum spec chambers in Varmint and big game caliber, even when Stainless factory barrels were re-chambered when new.

Shooting the 40's at 4000 is no big deal, but it does take specific things to accomplish it, minimum chamber, little longer barrel length, tough brass such as IMI or Lapua, N133, and tough cup primer, 1-14 twist barrel.

4200 out of the 223 AI with the same data above again is no big deal.

N133 is magic in speed in conjunction with extreme accuracy, usually 150 fps faster than benchmark.

These stats are usually contemplated by a guy that is considering converting to a 204 when he already has all the "stuff" for a 223.

Yeah.Yeah.

Really? I think VV list one load at or near 4k with a 39/40gr pill, and that is the exception.

I'd rather run a 22-250; even get risky with a 225 Winny or 22 Zipper/Wasp.

What, by chance, is a "thick cup primer"? IME its a Rem. 7.5 or mil-spec CCI. Benchmark is too slow?

The AI 223 and 222 Mag will run close enough without magic primers, powder, cases and custom chambers for the latter. Better yet, magical pressure limits are not really needed either. Benchmark and slower fuel at above SAAMI spec is too slow?

Running 4,200 from a 223 begs for a larger case, and they're out there.

Am waiting to see recommended loads for 50 grainers at 3,850 from the std. 223 case now...the 22-250 is obsolete.

so my .223 beats the nieghbors .220 wow is my .223 faster than my hunting budies .22-250 AI? who'da thunk? You know what I think there's lots dreams in this world and dreamers not a few.

From a standard 223 you will be hard pressed to do this SAFELY. With H335 and a 40gr bt with a 26" tube I did get 4040 fps from my 223 Ackley.

There are alternatives.....

Just built a 22/204 AI/223 AI Long/222 Mag AI specifically to shoot 80 gr AMax's. 3100 with 80 gr bullets is right at the edge of pressure. Believe 40's would go a touch over 4K.

And I'd be very interested in your findings once you get it running.....Hopefully the 222 Mag AI?

I can believe that a I run 40's at 3900+ out of a 22" 223AI.
Having run the 223AI to both primer piercing and once case separating pressures I have no illusions that my pressures are not close to the edge nor the velocities many other post.

Yup that sounds about right