.223 load for AR-15 M-4 barrel?

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

solidshooter

Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Messages
1
Hey guys,


I need an affordable, clean burning, accurate, load for my Bushmaster 1:9 16" M4 barrel. 55 grain bullets preferred unless you can give a good reason to go with a different weight.

If you've done some experimenting on ideal powders for the AR-15 system, that would be interesting to know as well.

Feed me some knowledge. :D
 
Pick a load from a manual with H335 or W748 and don't look back. Those bulk 55's are not going to shoot one hole groups, but they will be great for plinking.

4198, along with several others, will work just fine too. The ones I mentioned are proven and two of the most widely used, for good reason.

Welcome to THR
 
walkalone is right, his choice of powders are better than IMR 4198 I use IMR 4198 because the load with a 55gr FMJBT uses the least amount of powder. More bang for the buck$. With high volume use in a M16 a few pennys add up. A pound of IMR 4198 will load 372 rounds. H335 will load 304 rounds when used with starting loads. Savings is around $12 per 1000 rounds. And since the 55gr fmjbt is not really very accurate, its just blasting ammo.
 
I've loaded 55gr FMJs with RL7, H335, and X-Terminator. I've settled on 23.5gr of H335 as my plinking round.

TAC and 748 are also popular.
 
I'd say win 748 ,Win 55grain FMJBT bulk give a try ,cheap and Ive shot a 464 out of 500 in High Power matches.
 
For practice I use 25.5 grains of IMR/H4895, or 25.0 grains Benchmark (my favorite) with generic 55 fmj bullets.
Those loads shoot the same trajectory as Nosler Competition 52g HPBT at 300 yards using 25.2g Benchmark, but the Noslers produce 1/3 the group size (about 5 to 5.5 inches prone without a bipod or sandbag).

And surprise, surprise, surprise from the Alliant manual: 14.1 grains Alliant 2400 for short range plinking those 55fmj.
Talk about cheap shooting. Chronos 2750fps. Knocks holes in targets. Not very accurate beyond 100 yards. Make sure your gas system is nice and tight and the bolt carrier group is clean and lubricated, because that powder just doesn't make much gas to operate the bolt. It operates one of my 16" carbines, but not the other.
 
reloader223 said:
I'd say win 748 ,Win 55grain FMJBT bulk give a try ,cheap
Click to expand...
748 Seems to work better with heavier bullets, like 60gr. V-max. I use it but I don't like the acrid smell!

From what I've read on the internet :rolleyes: H335 is the closest you're going to find the the original M193 loading. And it meters nice.

ants said:
And surprise, surprise, surprise from the Alliant manual: 14.1 grains Alliant 2400 for short range plinking those 55fmj.
Talk about cheap shooting. Chronos 2750fps. Knocks holes in targets. Not very accurate beyond 100 yards. Make sure your gas system is nice and tight and the bolt carrier group is clean and lubricated, because that powder just doesn't make much gas to operate the bolt. It operates one of my 16" carbines, but not the other.
Click to expand...
This would not cycle my 20" 1:9 that was clean and broken in. It was a waste of 2400. From Hodgdon comes a fun plinking load: 3.1gr. Titegroup or 3.2gr. Clays. @1050fps. No, it wont cycle.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top