I need some help on 223 reloading!

I am new to reloading. Is the 60gr Hornady V-Max good in a 16" barrel with a 1:9 twist? If so what powder and primer combo should I use for 300yd precision shooting? Does anyone have any tips or suggestions?

I can't help you with the V-Max.

But I tested a 60 gr Nosler Partion load out of a 16" DPMS.

I used 25.0 grains of Reloder 15 for 2700 FPS, but it was very accurate.

Slower than I would have liked, but accurate even with the Partions.

Jimmy K

What is the twist rate of your rifle? If it is 1/9" or faster, it will be fine. I have shot the Vmax bullet and it a good quaility bullet. I like H335 for powder.

The bullet weight is no problem. I also use H335. I have not loaded the vmax but as I recall the vmax bullet is tall and has to be seated deeper in the case. Someone may know more about this than me.

I use H335 for my .223 loads and since I load for a bolt action rifle primer types aren't too critical. If you're loading for an AR or another semi-auto you might want to use CCI #41 NATO primers to insure you don't get any slam-fires but they aren't always necessary. I use standard CCI SR primers mostly and I've used Winchester SRP on occasion too, both work well.

There's a new IMR powder available that's supposed to produce tack-driver ammo. It's IMR 8208 XBR (http://www.imrpowder.com/rifle.html). From everything I've read it will work very well in the .223. Varget is also reported to be a good powder in the .223 when using heavier bullets but I haven't tried it yet.

when is the IMR8208 XBR powder going to be available? It sounds like good powder.

what powder and primer combo should I use for 300yd precision shooting?
Gee, sometimes I wish it were that simple. But then, I would have missed out on decades of shooting fun.

The best purpose of reloading is to experiment with different combinations until you and your rifle and your ammo achieve accuracy together.

This very Reloading forum is chock full of shared info on accuracy loads for 223, more than can possibly fit in this one thread. Go spend a couple hours searching around. Lots and lots of good stuff on this forum, friend!

Also, look at resources like Hornady manual, Nosler online guide, Lyman book, etc etc. They often note the 'accuracy loads' that they find during testing for their reloading data.

You can try fishing the entire lake. But ain’t it better to get a local to show you the sweet spots that are proven to hold fish? Powder selection is kinda like that. Lots of powders will propel a bullet out the barrel. You can try them all. Some have more potential to be a “sweet spot“.

With 60 grain bullets and a 16" barrel I recommend you first try powders in the speed range of 4895, 748, and N135. A hair slower, or a hair faster, will likely be okay. However, stray too far either way, fast or slow, and you'll get out of the zone.

i run 60 grain hornadys thru my 9-twist using h-322 and cci small rifle primers.

I will add another for H335.

Here's another vote for H335. I use 23g. when loading a 60g Nosler.

Historian
__________
I don't care who you vote for as long as it's not an incumbent.

I've loaded the 60 gr. V-Max with 24.1 gr. of H335 and gotten excellent results in my AR. It's also a 1:9 twist, but I've got a 20" barrel. It should work fine for you.

Have plans to try a combo of 60 V-Max & VV 135 in several rifles, (16" to 22" bbls, all 1-9) if & when the snow melts enough to see the backstop.
If that combo stands out, I'll let you know.
I can tell you this: H335 & 60 V- Max have worked well in one 16" & one 18" bbl. Both 1-9.
If my VV135 & 55gr (V-Max, Blitzking, Ballistic Tip ) experiments are any indication, you should be hearing back from me.

In my 16" .223 AR I run a 52 gr Hornady AMAX with 25.8 grains of Benchmark (I'll actually have to check my notes later to verify that charge weight) and it shoots very well. I have played around with H322, H335, IMR 4895 and found benchmark to be the best for me. A load I really like is a 40 grain Nosler BT with (27?) grains of H335. I really don't mess with any of my .223's much anymore so my memory is a bit rusty on the charges.

On a chronograph my 16" AR with the 52 gr. bullet is only getting 2900 fps which is why I didn't want to go with a heavier bullet and reduce the velocity even further. BC of the 52 gr AMAX and 60 gr. VMAX is marginal considering the velocity difference you will encounter in a 16" barrel.