I think we need a new sticky for good 223 rem loads. I know a lot of us use em. I know this is the varmint section, but if some of you load these for deer or hogs I'd like to see those loads too. Pictures of group size and animals taken with this dandy little cartridge are also a plus. Thanks, BSA.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes, bear in mind i've only been loading for the 223 for a little less than a year now.
All loaded in R-P cases w/cci small rifle primers:

50 gr. hornady V-max 25.5 gr. H335 OAL= 2.225"
55 gr. hornady fmj w/c 25 gr. H335 OAL= 2.225"
53 gr. hornady hp match 24.5 gr. BLC2 OAL= 2.195"
53 gr. Sierra hp match 24 gr. BLC2 OAL= 2.222"

All loads listed give excellent accuracy in OP's rifle.
Let me know what you think.

I was in search of a all round load for my .223, and was suggested the 63gr sierra. I'm rather glad I gave it a try.

My favorite load:

63 gr. Sierra Semi-Point 26.5 gr. RL-15 CCI 400

Groups much under a inch in my rifle.

I really like this load, haven't shot anything with it yet but will not hesitate on anything in Oklahoma up to deer/hogs with this load.

What twist rate on your barrel? Mine is a 1 in 12". Wish it was more like 1 in 9 or 1 in 10.

40gr Vmax
28gr H335
Win Brass
CCI primer

60gr Vmax
23.5gr Varget
Win Brass
Rem 9 1/2

Benchmark, 10X, and Varget have all produced very good loads for me with bullets from 40 to 69 grains.

bsa1917hunter:

Mine is a 1-12" twist. Like you I wish mine was a little tighter but what I have is good. I'm shooting a Vanguard Varmint Special. I wanna try a load with the 65 gr Gamekings but the recommended twist is tighter than 1-12" maybe I'll buy a box and if my gun doesn't like them I could always trade them. More and more I keep thinking I'd like a fast twist 22-250.

24.3g IMR8208XBR with 52g Amax is OCW load in FIL's Rem 700 SPS. Very low SD in RP brass with Fed205 primers.

Sorry, I thought this was the Varmint Rifles section, not the Big Game/Combat section.

Most .223 varmint rifles will thrive with 50-gr bullets. Good for every pest from cockroaches to coyotes. (Well all right, they do over penetrate on cockroaches, LOL!)

Either of Ramshot's suggested loads using TAC or XTerminator work well, as will 27.0 W748, 24.0 H322, or 25.5 A2230. You wouldn't be displeased with book loads using Benchmark, RL10X, A2015, RL-15, 3031, 4198, 4895, BLC2 or a half dozen other powders, for that matter. I do find Varget to be a wee bit too slow for bullets of that weight, though.

Whole lot of good loads worked up for my three rifles in 223.
Best bullets:
Speer 50 gn TNT
Speer 52 gn HP
Speer 52 gn HPBT
Nosler 50 gn BT
Nolser 52 gn HPBT
Sierra 50 gn Blitz(Silver tip)
Berger 50 gn Varmint
Berger 50 gn Match
Berger 52 gn Varmint
Sierra 45 gn
Starke 45 gn
Starke 40 gn
Sierra 40 gn Blitz

Powders that work with bullets mentioned above:
TAC
IMR-4198
H-4895
H-335
H-322
RL-7
N-133

Primers:
Fed 205M
Rem 7 1/2
WSR

With the caveat that I much prefer W748 or TAC over H335, and like RL-10X over RL-7, I second Don's list wholeheartedly.

Check this site for some very good loads:

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

Always be check loads listed against a reloading manual.

At the range yesterday, I fired a couple of 5 shot groups from the bench at 100 yards out of my Weatherby Vanguard Varmint Special with:
Fiocchi once fired neck sized brass
Nosler 40 gr Ballistic Tip
Winchester Small Rifle Primers
26.5 gr Accurate 2015
Even in fairly gusting winds, they average just over .5 of an inch. While the 2015 doesn't flow through the powder measure like Ramshot TAC or Accurate 2200, it does give very good performance especially with lighter bullets.
I also load a lot of rounds with 26.0 gr of TAC and 50 gr bullets. Both my .223's have 1 in 12" twist barrels and seem happiest with the 40 and 50 gr bullets. The 55 gr aren't too bad and I have never tried anything heavier.

RockyRaab - wait until they add a M203 underneath the HB...then we'll have a true hybrid. Wonder what the B/C of the 40mm projectile is.... Regards, Homesteader.

Have you seen TEXAS cockroaches?

26.5 grains of TAC under 50 grain NBT for 3300 fps from Rem ADL 22" barrell, Federal case , Federal 205M, goes into 6's.

25 gr. of X-Terminator with a 50 gr. V-Max has given me the best accuracy so far out of a Ruger Hawkeye. A little over 3200fps. Tac's better with the 60 gr. V-Max.

Just loaded up some 64 grain Federal fusion bullets for my ruger hawkeye .223 rem today. It has a 1 in 12" twist and I was surprised in the accuracy. Best group with hodgdon H335 powder was with 23 grains. Less than 1 (.90" average) moa with that load: Thinking this would make an excellent deer load in a pinch:

R-P Case
64 gr. federal fusion
23 gr. H335
cci 400 primer

I tried using a .223 for ground hogs in OH this year. At best it was disappointing as I had a miserable time with the long shots. My rifle has the 1:9 twist so I'm stuck with 50 gr or higher. I tried 40 gr and was disappointed. I'm not a fan of the fast twist rifles because I believe in using light frangible bullets so there are no richoches.

This rifle is going to be sold in favor of a .22-250 with a 1:14 twist.

26.6 gr Xterminator or TAC = 3400fps Dog-gone!

BSA are you sure your Hawkeye has a 1-12? The Ruger website shows it with a 1-9.

Taken with our 223 pet load.

223 Pet Load

Remington Case
Trim 1.750
Weight Sorted
Flash Hole Deburred
Remington 7 1/2 Primer
H4895 Powder
26.0 Grains
60 Grain Nosler Partition Bullet
2.30 OAL
MV 3170 at 10 feet from muzzle

We mainly shoot it in a Stevens 200 that is bone stock with the factory Simmons 3x9x40 that came in the package deal. 1/2 to 3/4 inch groups...

Good for predators too.

LBP, looks like an excellent load. Bet it works great on deer too. What kind of pelt damage do you get?? BSA.

Those stevens 200's are pretty amazing in the accuracy department, but the triggers stink. My friend has a 22-250 and it was shooting less than 1/2" groups the first time we took it out.

BSA you are correct sir, the trigger needs replacing. I hit the fox a little low so it opened the hide up a little low on the belly. On the little buck and doe my son and I took it was caliber size entrance and nickel size exit.

Check out the deer pics on page 2 that I posted.

You just made my day. I looked at the website and it looks like you are right. I was just going off of what the guy behind the counter told me when I bought it. I should of known better!!!! That's probably why it stabalizes the 64 gr. bullet so well. Great deer pics by the way too, shows you what the little .223 will do with the right bullet. Thanks for the info on the twist rate. Much appreciated, BSA.

No problem glad to help...They even make the 223 Hawkeye in Left Hand if your so afflicted...I am LOL

I am wondering what your rate of twist is in your 223, I can not get the 60 grain partitions to shoot better than two inches at best from my rem 700 with a VSSF barrel that shoots 1/2 " and better with 50 grain ballistic tips. It has a 1 in 14 twist. oops, I forgot to mention it is a 220 swift so speed is not the problem

40 gr. Ballistic Tips and X-Terminator has worked well for me. One Winchester I have doesn't seem to like much, but 10X and 55 V-Max is the best (not the fastest though).

Our Stevens 200 .223 is a 1-9 twist. I believe your Swift is a 1-14. That said it "should" shoot the Partition OK. Nosler designed that bullet for a 1-12 but the speed of the 22-250 & 220 should compensate for the slightly slow twist. Atleast thats what Nosler tells me.

I have been also told that the speed of the 220 swift should make up for the slower twist, but it does not seem to work out that way. Even the long 55 grain plastic tipped bullets will not shoot as well as the 50 grain. To be fair to Nosler the 60 grain partitions that I have were obtained by me when they first came out,with the results on the targets showing the bullets to be unstable at 100 yards I gave up on them. Perhaps the newer ones are better.

Good to see you back Rocky.
Hope all is good.
25.8 grs. Benchmark, 52-53 gr. any flavor gets 3400. Kinda accurate too.

I couldn't get them to shoot either until I tried them with IMR4895.

My load looks alot like LBP's.

24 grains varget in a nosler case. Federal 205 primer with a 55 grain game king is my go to load in my boat paddle model 77.

I don't think he's back Swifty. You just bumped a 5 year old thread.

I have used a lot of H4895 in my .223's.. I used it with 50 through 64 gr. WW.. The 64 grain is my turkey load.. I have shot some deer with it and 55 grain Horn. It has shot Varget, 2230, and H4895.. Right now I have a bunch of 40 gr. Vmax loaded, but I don't have the powder date with me.. Fun gun..

I should note my .223 is a custom barrel in 1-14 twist.. If I were putting a new barrel on tomorrow, 1-12 us as tight as I would go..

Remington case. CC'i primer. Any 50 grainer. 25.5 grains benchmark.

FC Case
75gr Amax Match
23.1 TAC
Rem 7 1/5
2.270 COAL

Not the fastest, but pretty accurate. 4 shots at 100yd.

I actually have a question as well if you don't mind? I just loaded up some 40gr varmageddons behind 22 grains of imr 4198. When it came time to seat the bullets I realized there was no way I could seat the bullets to the recommended 2.260 because they would fall out. I settled for 2.150" oal. Which has the base of my bullet about 3/4 way down the neck. Is this acceptable? I have not shot any of them yet, I'm sure the accuracy will suffer being seated that far of the lands, that and fact my rifle is a 1/9 twist. But these bullets were $20 for 250 of them and really wanted more velocity than the 55-60 grainers. Is it a good idea to keep them seated down in the neck a ways or should I try seating them out further?

You guys are the lucky ones you can't even find a .223 with a 1 in 12 twist anymore. I would love to get that extra velocity using 50-52 grain bullets and still get clover leaf groups. If I was gonna hunt moose I'd take my 7mm08 I buy a .223 as a varmint rifle and have no desire for bullets over 55 grains. Lol

What???

The world is full of 1 in 12 twist .223s....

And believe it or not you can shoot 50-52 grain bullets in a 1 in 9..or even a 1 in 8 twist!


And they will shoot bug holes...


Wonders never cease...

Wow talk about an old thread. This thing started 10 years ago and keeps coming back.

ingwe is right about spinning small bullets fast - they sharpenlize even more !!

I didn’t notice anyone mention varget powder for the 223, many of the high power shooters use it, you can basically fill the case (it’s close) and be good with Varget.

My favorite fun load is 12 grains of Blue Dot pushing a 35 grain VMax. Not too loud, accurate in my 20 inch 9 twist LTR barreled 700, about 3200 FPS IIRC and it just vaporizes small varmints. Down at 8 grains it's 22 LR quiet and still accurate. For deer, 28 gr BLC-2 and a 53 gr TSX.

hmmm...don't have that much experience with the 223 as I grew up shooting a 222. Having said that I made up 500 .223 loads for some friends with a mix of 50 grain projectiles.

25.5 grains benchmark
Remington case
cci primer
50 grain vmax, ballistic tip, and ballistic tip lead free.

both 223s that I tried this load in went sub moa including my 8 twist ar 15

I'm glad to hear that the 223rem isn't a fussy cartridge to reload. It will be me first rifle cartridge that I reload for! Any tips or suggestions? Will be using once fired lake city brass.

Yeah, to load up on Brass... contact John @ Brassman...
https://brassmanbrass.com/

John's got about any brand of 223, (once fired) you could desire..
real good pricing, fast shipment... in about any quantity you might desire also.

223s are finicky, especially if you are shooting a bolt action...

as I've said for a long time... its harder to find a bad load for a 223,
than it is to find one that is a lot better than all the others...

its a pretty non finicky cartridge.

all cartridges so be so non picky..

Two of my favorites is 23.2 of RL10x with a 55 grain Hornady soft point and 24 grains of AA2015 with the same Hornady soft point. They are even accurate in my skinny barrel Mini 14.

kwg

I have to pass this one on.

I have a 70HV that has frustrated me for several years. I kept trying to use 50-grain V-Maxs and Benchmark because that combination had worked very well for me in other .223s. I was getting to the point that I was thinking of replacing it with another rifle and let someone else figure it out. As a last resort, I decided to try a new-to-me combination: 50-grain Ballistic Tips and X-Terminator. The first trial loads showed promise, and it looked as though 25.6 grains had the most potential so I loaded up 50 and went to the range. I had three different seating depths, and all three shot well. I was 15, 20, and 25 thousandths off the lands. The 0.015" loads seemed to be the best and that's what I'm going with. I haven't chronographed the load, but I'm guessing it's going to clock around 3350 out of my 26-inch barrel. Images of my groups and a more detailed description can be found in the AR and Tactical Rifles forum, "24HC MOA All Day Long" thread, posted on April 26, 2020. I'd supply the link to the thread but I'm using my phone to post this, and I find such maneuvers to be a supreme PITA!

I have tweaked this load and bullet. I now use 23.4 of RL10x in gas guns and 23.2 in bolt actions. My next challenge is the AA2015. Same 55 grain Hornady but I will probably go down to a similar load with the AA2015. Others have mentioned the 63 grain SMP. I have loaded some with 24 grains of AA2460 for my bolt guns and 24.6 for the gas guns. They were already accurate but now that I have some time due to the social distancing it's time to play with this bullet and load. I typically use my Mini14 to test my loads. If I can make them shoot in that gun they will shoot well in anything.

kwg

Andrew,

I have found in ALL of my 223s ( and I have a couple )that Benchmark, H 322 and a couple more in that burn rate range.. seem to
shoot tighter groups when they are run hotter...With 50 grainers and Benchmark, the tightest groups I get are running 27 grains of Benchmark.... with 53, 55 and 60 grainers, I am running 265. grains of Benchmark... with 40 grainers, I run 28 grains of Benchmark...pressures ( at least at the reload bench) don't seem to think the pressures are too high...when I resize the brass...

H 322, is another good powder.. I also run that one with 27 grains with 50 grainers on down.. and 26.5 with over 50 grainers.. up to 60 grain bullets...my 223s are ALL bolt actions...

Even tho this thread is ANCIENT... browsed thru and didn't see this one for me, on a powder I'm well known advocate of..

223... 14 grains of Blue Dot...40 to 55 grain bullets, small rifle primers... no fillers...

work up in your rifles if you try any of them... with 52, 53 and 55 grain bullets if shooting in temps in the 90s or above..
back your max load off, half a grain to 13.5....

don't exceed these max loads listed here...

10 grains of Unique, and a small rifle primer and 40 to 50 grain bullet, makes the 223 be a hot 223 mag or up to a 22K Hornet
equivalent....

My favorite load:

50 grain Nosler BT or BT varmint
Rem 7-1/2
25.0 grains IMR 3031
Starline brass

This is for my CZ 527 American with a 1/12 twist. My AR with 1/9 loves the 75 gr. Speer Gold Dot.



I've shot smaller 10 shot groups with this load, but don't have any pics of it.

I've been reloading 223's since about 1968. Still have my original 223 (along with a few more). Varget just don't get it done with 55 gr or lighter bullets. But it is my go-to load for heavier bullets. My other go-to powder is 2015 for lighter bullets. Like others have said the 223 is very reloader friendly. I've had good results with 335, 3031, and numerous other powders. Back in the early 70's, I had a friend who had access to "lots" of GI 5.62 ammo. When we got ready to go prairie dog shooting, he would bring by about a thousand rounds. I would spend a couple of nights pulling those FMJ bullets and reseating Sierra 50 gr SX's on top of the military powder and primers. Hey when you're young and broke, you do what you gotta do....LOL (AND they shot minute of prairie dog and coyote...lots of hits out to 300 yards.)

Geez, this is an old thread. My latest 223 endeavor consisted of shooting 3 ar's and 1 savage predator bolt action to try and dial in 1 good load for the lot of them... One interesting thing that you guys might like is the 1 in 9 twist barrel on the 22 savage predator, stabilized the heavy 77gr Sierra TMK bullet very well. Actually surprisingly well. .... Check out these holes. Nice and round with no signs of tumbling:


That's 10 shots, as what is per usual with my varmint rifle testing.... Here are my 223 rem rifles from that day's outing:


And the loaded ammo:

What’s that load BSA? I use a lot of LVR and the 77 TMKs. Also what did you record for speed with that load? Nice shooting man!

RockyRaab: I have been using H 335 in 223 Remington Varmint Rifles for several decades now and I find it to consistently produce good to great accuracy in a multitude of my Rifles in caliber 223.
For instance (from my loading log) the most accurate (smallest) group I have ever produced (5 shots at 100 yards) with an all factory stock Varmint Rifle - I made using H 335 powder.
Information/particulars on that Rifle/loading: Remington XR-100 in 223 with Leupold 8.5x25 scope shooting 52 grain Berger bullets in LaPua cases using Federal 205 Match primers and the aforementioned H 335 Powder = group size .121"!
Example #2: Remington Model 700 PSS (Police Sniper Special) in 223 with Leupold 6.5x20 scope shooting Sierra 50 gr. Blitz (not Blitz-King!) bullets in Federal cases using Federal 205 Match primers and the aforementioned H 335 powder.
The average of the last THREE sight-in verification groups (each 5 shots at 100 yards - each fired in different years) is .292"!
Again checking through my loading log I simply can not find a load work up for any 223 Remington Rifle I have owned and tested where H 335 powder "shot poorly" - that is saying something because I still have in my possession 16 (sixteen) Varmint Rifles and pistols in caliber 223 Remington.
For accuracy intentions please try H 335 and Berger 52 grain bullets along with the wonderful and affordable Sierra 50 grain Blitz bullets.
Long live the wonderful 223 Remington cartridge.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Thanks buddy. That load runs around 2690 fps avg with 22.3gr of ar comp. Not a screamer, but pretty consistent. I want to shoot some steel at at least 400 yards with that load, just to be sure its stabilizing. But looking at the 100 yard target, im thinking it will be just fine. Have you found the 77TMK to be oal sensitive? I dont know if i should play around with seating depth, or just run it at ar mag length and call it good?

I have found those 77 TMK's will seem to shoot well if you could stuff horse manure under them and get them down the barrel. They are easy and have been in a few rifles. I like them so much I have gone to buying them in bricks of 500 since I tend to use them if they shoot in a given 22 centerfire. I run mine at 2.260 in HK steel magazines like the way they work.

77 gr TMK and XBR 8208 were made for each other. In AR or bolt actions, from 2.255 to 2.32". It seems to like to be run warm.

Is there a factory-like 223 magazine for longer OAL, more then 2.25?

I was lucky to snag a Browning Low Wall .223 a few months ago pre-Covid. Truly mint condition (I swear unfired), and with 1-12" twist. Topped with a basic Leupold 3-9, it rose to Most Favored Status after the first couple range sessions before I got snared by the "lockdown" here in my neck of the woods. On a whim I tried the 40 grain Berger (flat base varmint, tangent ogive, hollowpoint), 28 grains CFE-223, Lapua brass/CCI SR primers. Instead of the 3/4 - 1 MOA returned by other 50-53 grain loads built with Sierras, this load returns a consistent 1/2-5/8 MOA on demand. (Loading of cartridges for this gun is done with LE Wilson dies which admittedly may contribute to the sterling accuracy of this straight-out-of-the-box single shot.)

Velocity is right at 3500fps. I like shooting the rifle and this load so much that I have to control myself.

Sounds like you have a keeper gnoahhh. I'm a big fan of the Browning Low Wall and will own another one some day.

ASC stainless and c-products stainless both allow longer seating 2.3" +/-

Just starting loading for my Mossberg MVP and looking good.

Nice little 3 shot group. Keep them all looking like that and you'll know for sure that you have something. I'd also shoot 10 shots, to confirm the load, once you think you are getting close...

Down here you'll see groups like that, that the local Methhead shoot a 3 shot group like that at 10 yds with a scope and then claim its a ten shot group at 100 yds... when someone claims that no big deal, the next time they'll claim that they shot it at 200 yds..

I've seen guys at the range showing everyone a group like that and claim they shot it with their SKS or AK and claim it to be 10 shots at 100 to 150 yds....

don't know who they are trying to impress, but somehow enough of them seem to feel the need...

but Boomer.. nice group...

If boomer says he shot it at a 100 yards, i have no reason to doubt it. We see a lot of funny chidt at the range. No doubt about that at all. I could tell you stories. Even when we are shooting competition, we have had some funny chidt happen with new club members. One incident i remember very clearly was when we were shooting a centerfire shoot and a couple new members were there getting sighted in. They asked if they could shoot while we were having our shoot and being nice guys, we said sure, until the mo fos started shooting my competition target:


Those guys with their AR's damn near got kicked out. Along with their negligent discharge that landed 3 feet in front of the benches!!!! Then a couple weeks ago, I was shooting my AR15 with irons sights. There was a new member there with her boyfriend. They were both very nice people. Glad to meet them. They had questions about our club and I talked to them for a while. A couple of my friends were also there. What was funny about the new people was the girlfriend was giving the boyfriend schidt about me out shooting him with my irons sights. This younger guy (in his late 20's very early 30's) seemed offended, as he was a marine and "he knew how to shoot". His rifle just wasn't cooperating. He made the comment that if his "sniper" buddy was there, he would give me a run for my money. I didn't realize the girlfriend had been giving him chit about his shooting until about 20 minutes and a few targets in. They were 2 benches to my left. Had one of my friends between us at the other bench. Anyway, I was pretty focused on making good hits on the x ring with irons, but when I realized what the grilfriend and boyfriend were saying, I had to get a good laugh out of it. I told my buddy I hope his AR shot as well as mine did. He's a retired airborne ranger. I don't think those guys did as much shooting as other branches of the military do. As for guys shooting 10 yards and saying they shot at 100 yards, I don't know if guys do that at my club because we set up targets at 100 yards on our range. If they are wanting to shoot 10 yards, then maybe they can go to the pistol range. I figure if a guy has to lie about his shooting abilities and do something shady like you are suggesting, he will suffer from karma in the worst way imaginable... Oh, heres a target from that day when I was shooting my AR15 with irons:

Since this is my thread and that is a 223 rem load, I'll share that data with you guys. I've been using this particular load for quite some time now. I guess since I started shooting AR's, which hasn't really been too long. For some reason, this Noveske really likes these 69gr sierra match kings. Here's one of the first groups I shot with this rifle, back when It was wearing a scope:


The thing I really like abou this load is it has proven itself in a few different rifles. Even a couple bolt actions. Here are a couple more AR's that love it:



And then recently with the same exact load:



So for this thread, it seems fitting that I show off that load. Its a good one. It has proven itself to be very consistent shooting in at least 5 different rifles...

Nice group. What load are you running in the MVP?

This was a 55gr Hornady V-Max with H335 and BR4 primers.

Thats a good combo.

BSA, I wasn't suggesting Boomer was an exaggerator...I was more talking about some of the local clowns you see on our local range, which is one of the nicest on the entire west coast...

Just an example of the methheads and trailer trash down this way...

I went over to the range this afternoon, went up and looked at the crowds on all three ranges...

I figured it was easier and safer to just come back tomorrow morning,,

with this CV crap, they have only been open on the weekend, and the crowds have been large
and not many of them being overly safe.. as a military medic, who has done a lot of range medical support, the more ARs you have with users were never military trained for safe firearm handling, the bigger chance you have for problems to happen...

I totally agree buddy. I see a lot of that chidt out in the national forest pits. My clubs range is for members only, so a lot of that kind of bs is kept to a minimum. The locked gate keeps a lot of the honest people out, but we occasionally get people sneaking in and causing havoc. One of my biggest pet peeves is to be out in the nf or blm pits and have a car load of meth heads roll up and start unloading all their ar's. Generally those people are doing mag dumps and not focused on shooting any kind of target/group, except for an old tv they brought out to shoot at. Thanks for clarifying.

Pretty much my same load - 26.5 grains of TAC with a 50 grain VMax, with Tulammo SRM primers for 3300 fps in a 26" barrel.

Those are some nice patterns.............

I shoot 27.5 gr behind 52-55gr bullets out of 5.56 chambers.

Typically Rem brass and they prefer S&B primer over the CCI 450's.

Great thread guys! Thanks for sharing some very useful information. I’ve owned dozens throughout the years and just couldn’t justify it at the time. I’ve always liked the rifle since, as a child in the ‘70’s, I grew up with it so to speak. A few years back I decided that I wanted a few AR’s, mostly for the practical applications that the AR platform was designed for but also because it holds a nostalgic place in my heart. I’ve been shooting 77 TMK’s from my 11.5” 1-7. I had read that the heavier bullets have a longer “dwell” thereby getting better velocity than the lighter bullets, all that notwithstanding the twist rate and stabilization requirements. I’ll be getting back surgery this fall and plan on using reloading as a way to stay busy and productive so I’ll actually test that theory during my recovery. In the meantime I just got my BCA upper in 7.62x39 and I’m blown away at the potential accuracy I’m seeing with Wolf HP and FMJ. I am having the usual light primer strikes on the Wolf FMJ but not with the Wolf HP. I had read that BCA uses the extended firing pin in their 7.62x39 BCG’s but it ain’t working. I emailed them yesterday and I’m waiting for their response. They processed and shipped my order in less than 24 hours and 6 days later it arrived. It was well put together with everything tight. I threw a cheap Truglo red dot and after 3 or 4 rounds I was shooting 3 shot triangular shaped groups that were right at or slightly under 1”. I’ll be putting a better optic on it but so far I’m extremely impressed by BCA. We’ll see how they advise me to proceed on the firing pin deal but that’s small potatoes compared to the quality, price and customer service....thus far.

I was so pleased with BCA that I ordered a 20” .308 upper from them two days ago and it shipped yesterday. They suddenly had the 7.62x39 upper in stock so I bought it. The next day they were sold out. When I saw they had the 20” .308 upper in stock I jumped on it. Later that day it showed they were sold out. They’re selling them as fast as they can produce them.

PS.....the 7.62x39 has the side charging handle like its arch nemesis the AK47 😁 and I’m pleased with my choice for that caliber. It’s the enemy’s cartridge, in an American designed and American built rifle that retains the side charging handle of its nemesis. I asked BCA what their bore diameter was and it’s .311 so that makes buying cases of cheap ammo a no brainer.

1:12 should handle a 63 gr bullet fine

Just picked up some 55 grain Sierra Blitzkings and Vihtovouri N135 for my Rock River Arms AR and S&W Sport. Both have a 1 in 9 twist. Looking for some suggestions for this powder/bullet combo if anyone has used it?

Thanks.

The Sierra 55gr BK's are one of my most favorite bullets EVER........But I use Vihtavuori N133 ................

75 grain ELDM
25 grains Varget
CCI400
1.915” bto
2934 mv

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/15196667/1

Four rifles, all Tikkas, all 1-8”, around half an inch at 100.



P

You got that right. 40 to 50 grain bullets, usually Vmax or Ballistic Tips, have accounted for close to 98% of the critters that I have taken with my various .224 bore guns in my life. The other 2 or 3% being taken by 52 or 53 grain bullets.

For deer and pig hunting with a 1:8 twist 223rem which tipped barnes bullet weight you you guys go with: 55 gr ttsx or 62 gr ttsx? To be legal, need to make 1200 ft-lb energy at muzzle. The 62gr ttsx should reach that around 2950 fps which was why I was thinking of leaning that way, but open to hearing your thoughts and recommendations. Thanks for the feedback!

I lean more to the 62 grain TTSX over the 55 but only because the added weight it gives me a little more confidence in it doing the job quickly.

Ask Ingwe about the 55 grainers in a 223 as he has lots of experience with them.

Sig, have you used those 62's in a 1-9 down here in the flatlands? Barnes recommends that as minimum twist rate, but I wonder...

I’ve had great luck with 52 grain bergers
26 grains of Bench mark. Getting 1/4” groups at 100 yards.

60 grain V-Max
18 inch DPMS barrel with rifle length gas system
LC Nato brass fired a few times
Fed AR Match primers
23.5 - 23.9 grains of AA2015 will give you roughly 2900 fps on a 60° day

Expect accuracy to take your breath away.

I was getting .7's - 1.2's with all the other popular powders that are talked about and dreamed about. Was fairly satisfied. I have no idea why.... But i gave AA2015 a try. 1/2" groups growing in a linear fashion. At 24.0+ groups open to an inch or so.

I went back for a full repeat with identical results. Then i wen't back again for a 3rd time with the " new load". yes! Repeatable

Virgin Classic stock and it shoots so good I might leave it alone. My Savage liked this load as well.

75 gr Speer GD
LC brass
CCI BR-4
25 grs H-4895
2.35 oal
2925 FPS from my 22” NULA

Years ago I bought 4-5 8# kegs of 2230c. I’d hate to guess how many pdogs I’ve shot with that powder and 50gr vmax’s! I’m down to my last keg.

TAC and 40gr vmax or BT is great.

H322 and 55BT or vmax

H322 and 50TNT’s shoot great in any 223 I’ve ever tried them in.

I'll use them in my 8" twist Tikka and will try them in a 9" twist X-Bolt in 22-250.

They work great out of a 1-9 Kimber 223.

Both the 55's and 62's dig plenty deep enough for deer.

for volume shooting in the sage rats field...223

this season... 13.5 grains of Alliant Steel Shotgun powder.. with a 40 grain ballistic tip

3250 fps...

Fine looking young men there!!!!

I use 26 grains of CFE 223 with a 62 grain Bear Claw. They kill cshit out of pigs. Chilinstructer sold me that junkie Ruger. It will only shoot 3/4 groups, should give give it away😎. Not

I'm having great luck with both 10.5 and 12.5.
12.5 is 3050

so many sage rats and so little time....:)

Not .223 so please forgive me. The Low-Walls built by Miroku are amazingly accurate. I have three in .22 cal, one by U.S Repeating Arms and two by Winchester, Out of the box the one I shoot the most often will out shoot my worked over Ruger 77/22 with ease, and I haven't even gotten to the ammo brand comparison yet~!

I've struggled with accuracy from my Ruger 77 MKII for well over a year. All I've done to the rifle itself is bed the action and install a Timney trigger. I found out not too long ago that it has a 1:12 twist rate in the barrel which doesn't do well in bullets from 55gr up. I was eventually able to get the 55 grainers under 1 MOA, but would really be happier with 1/2 MOA. I'm not a fan of lite bullets, but before I go out half cocked and re barrel the rifle, I'm going to try some 52gr and 53gr pills. 1/2 moa would do the trick because I realize the placement of the shot is just as if not more important than the weight of the bullet.
Do you think I'm on the right track, or am I just wasting time, powder, and bullets~?

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.