How well does this powder perform in this cartridge, in terms of velocity and accuracy, with 50 & 55 grain bullets? Other than the fact this powder is not "powder-measure friendly," would it be a viable choice for this application?

Thanks for any input you might have,
M Bell

Lots of powders shoot well in a .223. Just the fact that 3031 meters horribly is reason enough to use something else. There's plenty to choose from.

Ackman,

I know all this, but I have somehow acquired three or four pounds of it, and would like to use it for this purpose if it works. With the price of powder being what it is, I don't mind the weighing if the powder performs well in this application. I have a lot more time than money these days!

Thanks,
M Bell

The first centerfire cartridge I loaded was a 223 with 50gr Hornady and IMR3031.

I don't use it now because it meters like Lincoln logs but it will certainly work.

A friend used to swear by IMR-3031 in .223 for accuracy.

SH & CH,

I'm glad to read these positive comments! Thanks.

.

3031 works well in my 223's. I would use it except that I have others, Benchmark, Reloder 7, and Tac to name three that are cleaner and meter better.

.

I use it sometimes as I have a 20 lb keg.
I think I settled on 24.5-25.0 grains with a 55 grain bullet.
Soft point or FMJ bullet it made no difference.As far as metering goes,once you get the feel of them logs getting cut you can load cases pretty fast.Had the handle of the measure pop out of my hands many times.

I like 3031 so much I have switched to its better metering (and less bulky) cousin, Benchmark, in stuff where 3031 was forced into

+1
I used it because it was available during the Obama powder/primer scare.
It went bang

WEll I load differently than other do it seems..
Lee Dippers, powder Trickler, 505 scale... one cartridge at a time..

I just pour 3031 down the funnel slowly.. I am in no rush..

I have found it to be HIGHLY accurate... it is also a great 22.250 powder also..

guess I like traditional stuff that has been around a long time and is tried and proven..

My least accurate 223, had its groups tighten up dramatically with 3031...

for round numbers, I use it with a charge of 25 grains, with a 40 to 60 grain bullet...

Been loading the 223 since 1969 and still my goto load is 25gr 3031 under a 50gr bullet, used to be Herters bullets now NBT's.

Erich

I don't own a 223 but about 12 yrs. ago I was doing a lot of loading for my buddies Mod. 70 in 223 using his dies. Did a few good loads with IMR-3031. Checked my reloading notes and it was mostly 52,53, & 55 gr. bullets and the 3031 loads ranged from 23.6 to 24.6 gr. and IIRC most were pretty good. As was previously mentioned the stuff won't meter too well but that's OK, as I was after quality, not quantity so it was all hand measured. There were other powders I feel were better but 3031 still works good, even though I'm not that experienced when it comes to 223's. (my buddy liked it ,though).

To All,

I really appreciate the good information I recieved in response to my question! This sharing of information is one of the good (best?) reasons for belonging to this forum.

Thanks for your helpfulness,
M Bell

Very consistant 2900fps out of a 14 1/2 barrel with a 55.
This powder has and will be around for a long time even if it's just to remind us what a pita reloading stick use to be before the extreme line took over.

Yeah, it might be a PITA to measure, but besides my buddies 223, I've used it in the 22-250, and it's my standardized powder for the 30-30 with 170 gr. bullets. It's also used in my pet 150 gr. bullet load for the 8x57 Mauser. If you browse through a few reloading manuals it shows up in a lot of different places. So it probably will be around for a long time to come. It's one of the old classics.