I'm particularly interested in ammo that uses surplus 55 grain FMJ bullets. But I'm interested in hearing whatever you like.

I've loaded a truckload of 5.56 over the years but I never got very involved in loading for accuracy. I was mostly just interested in putting together something which would approximate military surplus 55 grain stuff.

Currently, I'm using a lot of Ramshot X-terminator because it's very close to H322 in burning rate and I bought a lot of it when it was cheap and widely available.

Anyway,....what works for you guys?

I just built a retro A1 and I’ve found it likes 27.0 gr. CFE223 with WSR in LC brass, I get right at 3000 with it, and it’s fairly accurate.

Old70

Bristoe, damn near anything beats milsurp.

Robert S. McNamara had a recipe, but then he was no stranger to stupid.

Stay away from ball powders is my suggestion.

Beats it for what?

26 grains of varget and 55 grain Sierra game kings is what I load for my AR. It is a stock DPMS with a 4x scope and it shoots a 3/4 to 1" 5 shot group at 100 yds. That should about cover it for hunting or anything else.

I've slain many, many prairie dogs with the .223, using this recipe.

50gr. V Max
26.0 Benchmark
Federal primers
FC cases (I don't like 'em, but the price was right).

It shoots good in most rifles with the 1-12" or 1-9" twist. It's not a max load, either, so you can use it in just about anything.

I was lookin' for one of these.
Thanks RS.

There have been advances since then.

You certain?

Rumor Central sez IMR3031 is good. I dunno, never loaded the round.

Robert McNamara the Duke of Edsel.

Now, back to.223 reloading. I’m taking notes.

Hornady 75 hpbt
26 gr Lever
CCI 400
RP case

DD

What do you have against ball powder?

I've burnt a fair amount of Tac behind 50 grain vmaxes. I bought an 8 of x terminator but I haven't tried it yet. I like the way Ramshot meters.

Bristo,
X-Terminator is one of my favorites for lighter .223/5.56 bullets. At about 60 grain bullets I switch to TAC, H4895, Varget, 8208 XBR, or other slower powders.
Here are some of my more accurate loads with X-Term. Most are near, at, or slightly over max loads. Work up safely.

AR, 16" barrel, 1:9 twist
50 gr. Nosler BT-Varmint - 26.3 gr. X-Term, Rem 7-1/2 primer, 2.255" OAL, 3,160 fps (This is over Western Powders SAAMI max, but under 5.56 Nato Max)
55 gr. Hornady FMJ or Soft Point - 25 gr. X-Term, Rem 7-1/2 primer, 2.23" OAL. 3,000 fps

AR 18" barrel, 1:8 twist"
55 gr. Hornady FMJ or Soft Point, 24.6 gr. X-Term, Rem 7-1/2, 2.20" OAL, 3,000 fps
69 gr, Sierra MK HPBT, 24.7 gr. X-Term, Rem 7-1/2, 2.255" OAL, 2,900 fps

I've got one Rem 700 that I load for accuracy, I shoot 55 gr NBT's with IMR4895 behind it. The AR's I just stress accuracy by volume. 😁

I’m old school. H335 under 50gr vmax. Load is in Hodgdon Annual Manual.

26.1 gr. CFE223
62 gr. Hornady soft point
No. 7 1/2 Remington small rifle bench rest primers

Ruger MPR 1:8" twist.

I use a lot of TAC,H-322,H-335 and have used IMR-3031 as well as IMR-4064.

For bullets under 55 grains i have used Benchmark.

It's almost hard not to find a powder that won't work in the 223/556.

From that statement it's a little hard to discern what your goal is not, but I'm sure you already know that 55 FMJ's are not going to be a super accurate load.

So given that's what you're loading, whatever powders you have on hand that are suitable to 5.56/223 will be fine.................not real likely today that you're going to find a lot of powder available.

Having said that, I really prefer IMR XBR-8208, AR-Comp or Varget; but CFE-223 works, as does H4895 & whole bunch of other powders.

MM

I’m old school too, but having said that, I’ve used a lot of different powders in loading 223/5.56. I like ball powders, mostly because they meter so easy. I’ve loaded up good accurate loads using W748 and H335.

Everyday run them thru the AR 55gr. ammo is loaded with whatever small rifle primer I grab off the bench and 25.5gr. of TAC. Mixed headstamp brass tumbled and trimmed!

Elk Country

If a guy had unlimited funds and was worried about looting rioters, I'd certainly go with 62 gr Tsx as fast as I could push them.

Nothing, except in my M16. It was one of the principal reason that -16’s were jamming in the early days of Nam. It fouled badly. It has also been my observation that ball powders in sporting guns tends to foul a bit more that stick powders. Do I use it? Sure, but I discriminate based on precision. Ball doesn’t win often.

For accuracy and reliability all the match shooters used to load 24.0 grains of Varget with either Sierra's 69 grain Match King or the 77 grain one. Bucks the wind better and whomps harder at longer ranges than any 55 grain. Assuming you have a free-floating front handguard, if those don't shoot sub-MOA, rebarrel your rifle.

After reading through some of this I don't care to walk from the you use as long as somebody sticks a slug and Joe Bob's head

I have shot many 223 bullets down range in prairie dog towns . We desire the best accuracy we can get. I started with 335 but went looking for something else because

It was so dirty. I have shot several 8# jugs of Accurate 2230 and am very happy with it. If memory serves me Ithink 24 to 25 grains under a 50 or 55 gr bullet was the best.

It worked in all of the rifles I have had .( Cooper, savage, Herters, Remington )

I start with Ramshot TAC for anything in that caliber range (I use it in my .17 Fireballs, .204 Rugers, .223s, and 22-250s.).

Meters like water, cheap, clean, and consistent.

A few examples, 100 yard groups, Rock River Arms (20 inch full bull bbl) in .223 Wylde. Pretty typical results (sub .5") from this rifle if I do my part.

I got some very nice groups with accurate 2015 and 60 grain hornadys but you had to trickle the charges because it metered like schidt. 2230 works well also. I kind of lost interest in those two for the small bores when I got my 204. Had trouble getting them into the case.

223
H335
55 grain FMJ
25 grains actual
COL - 2.23
Case length - 1.76

Shoots great in most any weapon.

Western powders Reloading data for Ramshot X-terminator and Accurate 2230 is identical, they have been the same powder since 2005 when Ramshot acquired Accurate.

From Western Powders website:
A2230 Data matches Ramshot X-Terminator
I’ve noticed on the updated data for the 7.62×39 (5.0.1) that the powder charges for Ramshot X-Terminator and Accurate 2230 are exactly the same, all entries are exactly the same. Is this correct data for these two powders?

In this case, it is correct. Ramshot X-Terminator and Accurate 2230 are the same powder used by both powder lines.
The Lab

To each his own, but X-Terminator is just a tad too fast for my liking.

I prefer TAC, it's just a *bit* slower and more forgiving.

I went through an X-Term/TAC eval period a number of years ago. I saw a lower ES and ED with TAC, but it could just be my rifles.

Use what shoots straight!!

55 grn Hornady FMJBT over 24/25 grns of WC844 in LC brass

Set off with a CCI SRP

Benchmark is this shiznizzle. My load is a bit hotter, very consistent 3365 FPS from a 20” barrel

My garden variety load is a surplus 55 grain FMJ over 24.5 grains of Ramshot X-Terminator with an OAL of 2.245".

Not because it's proven to be superlative. Just that it's somewhere in the ballpark of the old 55 grain military load and X-Terminator meters very well out of a powder measure.

I'm very meticulous about my handloads as far as making sure that they're constructed properly,....primer pockets are scratched out,...brass tumbled until it shines,..and of course, I use propellants that are appropriate to the chambering. But I don't dig for the Nth degree of accuracy for ammo that's to be fired from a pencil barrel AR-15 in a defense situation.

"Minute of muhfuggah" is plenty good enough,...and a 55 grain FMJ pushed to mach 2.7 with Ramshot X-Terminator seems as if it would fill that role without any problem.

80 grainers out of 1:9 barrels going real slow so they tumble like a gymnast sounds kinda cool. 😂😂

Here's a few things I've found to work behind 50-55gr Nosler .224 bullets in the 5.56 or Wylde chambers. Hornady bullets typically have greater bearing surface at the same weight, so reduce loads, and work up accroding

28.5gr BLC-2
27.5gr H335
27.5gr TAC.

Most any brass except Federal.

CCI-450 or, when you can get them, S&B small rifle primers.
OAL, GI magazine length.

Good statistic on bearing surface to file away for later...

Thanks A.S.

I encountered the bearing surface situation with the first .243 load I ever constructed. I used the Hornady 100 grain round nose bullet and H4350. Just to be prudent, I usually start out a good bump below maximum and work my way up.

I didn't have any data for the 100 grain Hornady round nose, so I used load data for a 100 grain spitzer and backed down to 4 grains below maximum. The 100 grain Hornady round nose (now discontinued) was almost *all* bearing surface.

At 4 grains below maximum for 100 grain spitzers in the .243 with H4350, I was getting very flattened primers with the 100 grain round nose bullet.

I knew that the bearing surface of a bullet would affect pressures. Common sense should tell you that. But I was surprised that backing off what amounted to 10% below the maximum data for spitzers still wasn't enough to allow for the additional bearing surface of the 100 grain round nose bullet.

I'm not surprised that Hornady removed it from their offerings.

I had good luck with a load of 26.0 grains of Varget and 55 grain NBT's that load would consistently shoot .3' and .4's out of an older heavy barrel Savage rifle. After I sold the rifle, gave 200 rounds of loaded ammo to a friend in PA who said the load was very accurate in his Contender, as well...

Never did run it through a chrono,but it has been a very even, consistent load in terms of accuracy. Shoots the same group every time