Favorite powder for .223 and 69 MatchKings?

[YodaVader]

I just started loading the heavier 69 grain bullets not too long ago for the 223. The rifles are a 1 in 9" Rem 700 LTR and a recently aquired Savage 12BVSS.

The two powders that gave the best results so far in the 700 were H322 and Varget. In the 12BVSS Varget has done well. Unfortunatley Varget does not meter well in my old Hornady powder measure!

What other powders have some of you had success with? , especially with the 69 MatchKing. Thanks for any recommendations.

 

[RecoilRob]

H-335 is THE powder for .223 IMO. Similar burning speed as Varget but meters wonderfully. Works well in .308 also.

 

[P0832177]

I suggest Varget, but as you have encountered Varget is not consistent in powder measures. I would suggest that you get into a consistent rhythm in measure operation. Then set the charge to be lower by a few tenths, and then trickle up.

Now, I think that Ramshot TAC is an excellent choice, internet rumor suggests that Black Hills uses a non-canister grade of TAC for their 223 ammo line up. It measures like water! Works great from 55 to 80gr bullets.
VVN135, VVN140, and VVN540 are possible alternatives, too!

 

[YodaVader]

I would suggest that you get into a consistent rhythm in measure operation. Then set the charge to be lower by a few tenths, and then trickle up.

Yep that is what I just finished doing! Time consuming but the results at the range are sometimes worth the hassle!

 

[trickyasafox]

i use IMR-4895. a lot of the shooters by me prefer h-4895 though.

imr 4895+69 gr sierra hpbt is my long range 223 load in my bushmaster nm


that being said, im a very mediocre shooter, so others can help more than me

 

[tikkat3]

H335 does it for me.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Varget us THE way to go for .223 and heavy bullets, IMO. Unless you have a ready supply of H4895 or maybe RL-15...

The load is easy, actually. I know of many an AR-15 shooter using 24.5gr of Varget and a 69gr MatchKing with a CCI BR4 primer.

Also popular are 77gr Matchkings and 75gr Hornadys. I like Nosler Custom Competitions myself and have had great success using them.

As for metering consistency, get yourself a LEE Perfect powder measure, set it so it is averaging close to the desired charge and just go for it. Forget trickling and all that stuff, unless you really have lots of time to burn. (I don't even weigh and trickle for my 600-yard AR-15 loads with the 80gr Noslers, and they're still good enough to shoot MOA at that range as long as I watch the wind and mirage. )

And the bonus it that I have found Varget very forgiving of temperature variations and forgetful ammo storage choices (ie: leaving it in my trunk before after-work practice ).

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[LongShotsin10]

223 powder

W844 or 2230 is my fav for 223 rem loads with either 68 or 69 grain pills.
You can get w844 pull down powder from Jeff Bartlett's place www.gibrass.com.
Meters well in the Hornaday L_A_L AP but not in the Lyman 1200 dispenser.

 

[rbernie]

I prefer Varget over Re15 and other in 223. To get it metered properly, I use a knocker (one tap on the base of the arm of my Lee Perfect measure; 'one tap only, Vasily') when filling the metering cavity, and I cut the tabs off the body so that I can overcenter the cavity at the top and the bottom of each stroke to make sure of a clean fill and dump.

 

[redloki]

I use Reloder15 under my 69 smk's. Varget is a great .223 powder as well and you can not go wrong with either. You can get a little more velocity from the RL
15 than the Varget, as mentioned RL15 is an extruded powder and doesn't meter the greatest with some dispensers.

 

[dmftoy1]

H335 for me . .just ordered another 8lb jug. I've shot some pretty amazing groups with H335 and Matchkings .. .and I'm not a very good shot so that tells you how good the combination is.

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

I used 2015BR back in the day when I loaded for the .223 with 69gr matchkings.

 

[lycanthrope]

24.5 gr of Varget. CCI 400 primers. Shoots under 1 MOA in everything I own.

 

[mc223]

You might try some Hodgdon Benchmark. Meters very well. work up cautiously.