I plan to rebarrel my 223 after the next Prairie Dog hunt and I want to explore some different powders. I've been really happy with the Hodgdon powders and currently use mostly BL-C2. The new barrel will have a 1 in 9 twist and I mostly shoot 50-55 grain plastic tip bullets. What are your favorite powders that will meter well through a powder measure? Thanks!

Benchmark. It’s my go-to with 50 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips.





P

My first .223 was a Ruger 77 Mk II RL. It's load was at max in the loading manual at the time and a fair bit over now. It was 27.5 grains of H335 under a 50 grain Hornady SX in WW brass. It was a mite hotter than I thought. A few years later I shot some in a Contender and it'd pop the action open on firing .. pretty exciting .. in a bad way. However, it is where my Ruger showed accuracy.

Tom

Nosler 40gr bt--27.3 Benchmark-Win case&primer--excellent & deadly load for coyotes and pds.

Benchmark and TAC, whichever shoots better. Benchmark works fine through a powder measure, but TAC works even better.

I use 27 gr of TAC with a 40 gr BT or V-Max now, but I have about 500 loaded up with 24.5 gr of H-322 that I need to use up. I shoot the 40 gr so it mimics the trajectory (out to about 300 yards) of my .22-250 with 50 gr bullets. My Savage .223 4x4 has a 1 in 9" twist and the 40 grainers shoot itty bitty groups from it. I used to use H-335 and got fine accuracy but had some temp sensitivity problems out in AZ summers. H-322 and TAC are temp insensitive. TAC meters like water through a measure.

My favorite is 25.5 of H 4895 under VM or BK 50s. Not super sporty, but excellent accuracy. If you don't have that, I'd look real hard at TAC, as I worked up a couple of loads for friends under 50s that beat my rifle. Meters great, shoots great, like H-335 but without the temperature tantrums. If I didn't have a fresh jug of H4895, I'd buy some TAC, honestly.

12 grains of Blue dot with a 35 grain VMax. I have a 1:9 20 inch barrel and I get inch groups out of it. 8 grains Blue Dot still is good accuracy and very quiet. A very good small varmint combination(s) that can be very quie and cheap. I neck size only and the brass lasts forever.

The above, or

25 grains H 322, or 26 grains of 2015 BR...

bullets from 40 to 60 grain...

53 VMax or Varmaggeddon are my favorite two...
followed by the 40 grainer...

Here's a few:

50gr Midway Nosler DogTowns (from Midway) with 28.5gr Bl(c)2 and CCI 450.

27.5gr TAC behind 52gr NCC with S&B primers

Benchmark behind 40gr Nosler Shots, FB HP.

25.5gr IMR-4895 behind 60gr NPT with CCI 200.

There are a few of my favorite things......

Yep. Got to love the way TAC flows like water through a measure. Girls and I loaded 700 rounds the other weekend. The last one weighted the same as the first. Never had the adjust the measure once.

Thanks for the replys everyone. I think I've tried about everything listed except TAC. I may pick up some to try. I've found it hard to pick a pet load in 223, everything seems to shoot good!

Agree with both these recommendations. However, I suggest you also try Ramshot Exterminator. It meters as well as TAC and for 50-55 grain bullets, Xterm produces as much velocity with slightly less powder, and groups nicely, too.

25.8 gr Benchmark with 50 gr V-max works for me.

Sierra #1390 (poor B.C. bullet)
26.6 - 26.8 grains of W748 (over .223 book max YYMV)
WSR primers
Federal Premium brass

This load is for a rifle with a 5.56 chamber, 24 inch barrel and shoots around 3100fps.

This is my Coyote load for 125 yards and less. It is so accurate i can't believe it. Every time i go to the range to verify it i keep thinking something will go wrong. Even when the brass is tired it shoots as good as i can hold. .04 - .06 5 shot groups without fliers. Ever!

W 748 is a long forgotten powder for the 223...
but decades ago, max load was listed at 30 grains with 50 to 53 grain bullets...

ya can't get enough W 748 in a 223 to exceed SAAMI pressure specs...

and it hasn't even been anything but accurate...

Good thread here with centuries of experience. Thanks to all.

Thanks for the ideas everyone. My current loading is with BL-C2 and I sometimes get pressure signs when shooting in the Texas and Oklahoma sun from a load that is safe here in Arkansas. It meters well and is very accurate although velocity is a little lower than most. It works well enough that its hard to get away from.

TAC for me, too. 27.5 gr with 40 gr tipped bullets (V-MAX, Varmageddon, Ballistic Tips, whatever is on sale), Haven't noticed any huge difference with primers (S&B, Wolf 223, CCI-400, RP 7 1/2, Win, Federal). Also like TAC with 50 gr Tipped bullets and Hornady SX, 26.0 gr. 24.5 gr with Hornady 62 gr HPBT'S, as well as 24.0 gr with Nosler 69 gr Custom Competition. The over 60 gr bullets are for faster twist barrels, while the lighter bullets like the 1 in 12" bolt guns.

Exterminator is great, but TAC is a bit more versatile, working in my .358 Win and other calibers. If I recall correctly, Exterminator is better in some ways than TAC for the 50 gr and under bullets in particular.

I have found that WSR primers and TAC are the best combo. I switched primers from Rem 7.5's to WSR one time tuning a load and noted a 45fps speed increase in addition to a reduction in extreme spread from 60fps to 17-21fps.

It was kind of like getting laid and losing a bunch of weight.

I found the Winchester primers to be better with a couple of types of powders too. Just not night and day better like TAC.

Disclaimer: I have not tried every primer, powder and case fill volume combo. Far far far from what the industry has to offer as a matter of fact.

I have also found that powder burn rate vs bullet weight vs gas system length can have a serious effect on what people call clean burning powder or not. 1 could use a carbine length gas system shooting light bullets and report to the world that TAC is dirty and gets the bolt carrier and receiver all gummed up in 40 rounds. The other fella could have a MK12 with a rifle length system and shoot 77's and say it burns clean as ever.

As far as barrels fouling and dirty powders.... I believe the smoothness/quality of the barrel due to lack of places for fouling to hide is the cause of that more than powder type.

This stuff all matters. If your barrel is fouled when you go to try a new powder your test will be skewed.

When you clean the barrel down to bare metal it can take between 5 - 20 rounds to get "seasoned" again. If you do your test in this window your tests will be skewed again. Good smooth newer barrels take just a few rounds.

Crap barrels can take 20 rounds to season and then another 15 and they are fouled.

Good barrels with high round counts need more also to fill in the rough spots with copper

Blah Blah Blah.

I've grown fond of RL-7 with a 40g NBT for most if not all of my .223 varmint/hunting apps lately. Some guy with the initials of Seafire has done some great testing with this combo.

The AR-15 rounds are usually 50-55g with a host of good powders available as has been mentioned above.

I must write these down when I get home.. Due for a resupply on .223 powder..

This ^^

X-Terminator for 55 gr. and under for best velocities and accuracy. TAC for 60 gr. and above. Both meter like water, great powders.

As somebody mentioned TAC is nice and versatile, but I find CFE223 even more so....

I keep trying different powders and finding they all work well. Oh the Horror!

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that the .223 should be added to JB's comment on the .308: It will shoot well loaded with double-base horse manure.






Latest is 8208 XBR with 40 gr.

I've always said.. its harder to find a powder that isn't accurate in the 223, then it is to find one that
seems to be better than all the rest....

just about anything one tries will work well in a 223, for accuracy...

if it doesn't.. its not the powder, or the round.. you'd better be checking out what's wrong with your barrel.

...or yourself.

I know it's not the fastest and I know it's not the most explosive on PD's, but I use 24.9 grs. Varget with a 63 gr Sierra SMP. It's accurate in my RAR Preditor 223 and PD's have died from this combination.

ya know that's a good deer load for the 223 Randy.....

24 grains of H 322, and a Speer 70 gr SMP is even better....

Bigger stuff than PDs have died from the Sierra 63SMP....hint....

Gee Tom,

those are some big ugly and hairy prairie dogs....

that spotted one kinda resembles Hillary a lot...

that's a pretty rifle. What caliber is it?

Seafire,

If you would be so kind?

What velocity did you get with that combo at what temp and altitude? And how long was the barrel?

I have a bunch of 70gr Speers that are on deck right now. I have been pulling my hair out deciding which powder to try first.

Thanks!

I guess that I probably have too many 223's and I use many of the powders mentioned above, Benchmark, TAC,Varget, 8208XBR etc. But I had a Quest a couple years ago to see if I could make my favorite 223 shoot as good as my favorite 222. after many trips to the range and even loading at the range my favorite combo is 50gr Blitzkings pushed along by a 205 and N133

Actually AK....

I've taken multiple blacktail with that bullet here in Oregon.. each one a bang flop with good bullet placement.

I've used two loads... 24 grains of H 322, or 28 grains of H 380...

MV for either was a hair over 2900 fps.(IIRC), with the 1200 to 2000 ft altitude range.

The barrel was 22 inches, 1 in 12 twist.. Model 70 Featherweight

.223

Odd you mention Hillary...that pig knew her and had some dirt on her..

The pig reportedly committed suicide by shooting itself in the head from 100 yards....

AA2230. Load similar to Benchmark up to 26 with a 55 grn V Max.

kwg

around the house

12/Bluedot & 53 V max

Thx Seafire

my pleasure, that's what we are here for...

I'm thinking since this is a thread about pet loads for the .223....that its a .223....

I've burned a good bit of AA 2460 in 223 with 52 grain bullets with good results. It's a ball powder.

748. Or surplus 846. Kinda in between blc2 and 748

I've always thought that BLC 2 and W 748 were pretty much the same powder....

sure seemed like it at the reload bench and when shot over a chrony from a 223...

BLC 2 works well in my Ranch Rifle.

DF

I've found 26.5 grains of Benchmark and 27.0 grains of TAC to be outstanding for pushing the 50-grain V-Max. I'm sure there are lots of powders that work really well, but these are the two I'm using these days.

There are more loads here than I can likely try out...

My most accurate 223 load is a 50 grain VMax and 27.5 grains of 846. I've had no problems shooting it in my Model 7 Predator, but a Howa would sometimes exhibit pressure signs with it. I've killed a bunch of coyotes with this load, out to 450 yards.

27.5 of 844 and 28.5 of 846, with magnum primers and any Nosler 50-55gr bullets been another staple of mine.

Much as I like to reload, I like to shoot too. Where varmints, PDs in particular, are concerned, I generally opt for Fiocchi .223 loaded with the 50gr V-Max. They're cheap enough about $0.33/rnd, and I can spend more time reloading other calibers that I deem more worthy of the effort and results reloading offers.

Ive been getting super duper accuracy out of 55 gr NBTs and 25.5 gr. of IMR4895..


Theres a TON of good .223 loads out there...

I always maintained, its harder to find a 223 that out shoots all the others... than it is to find one that
doesn't shoot well in a 223. if one doesn't... its the rifle barrel, not the load....

Trail Boss proved that a 223 with oatmeal and a small rifle primer would shoot well in one..

That made me laugh.

DF, that is remarkable. Did you just luck into a Ranch Rifle that shoots like that or was it one of those blood, sweat, tears, and cash endeavors?

FWIW I found the ranch rifles all shoot reasonable well to excellent with heavy bullets ( 65 grains + )

I just loaded some new loads for an extended trip to the Montana dog towns. It seems that for both of my 223s a load of 26.0 of 2230 has always worked very well.

I have also used H335, 748 ,BLC ,4895, and others that I have forgotten. The 2230 or 2200 work as well or better than most.

I have a handful of different .223, including a couple of bolts, an AR and a Mini 14. I have several thousand rounds of brass, and several different types of 55 grain bullets, either soft points or ballastic tips. I would like to load several thousand rounds that will shoot decent in all of them...sounds like a dream. Any suggestions for a general purpose, 55 grain bullet for multiple guns? Sounds like Exterminator, Tac or IMR 4895.

Hey if Ingwe shoots it, ya know its gonna work...

I use 24.0 grains of IMR4895 and a 55 Gr. Hornady Soft Point as a " Universal" load.....shoots acceptably well in everything Ive tried, including ARs and Mini-14s

I use small base dies.....

Thank you much. I am using small base dies right now and getting a few hundred ready to go. I will give it a try

Pharmseller, What twist is "Blue Lightning"? Thanks.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. It looks like I may have tried everything really suitable except a few. It looks like I need to buy a bottle of Terminator, Tac and 2230 to try out.. I agree, its rather hard to find a bad 223 load. Thanks for sharing your loads.

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