.223 load opinion....

[SSN Vet]

I've shot up several hundred of the following load...

WSRP
Once fired brass trimmed (Rem, Fiocci, and Win)
Win 55gr FMJBT (which vary in length +/- .004")
24.1 gr of H335

This has been a reliable cycling and soft shooting load in my 16" AR.

I want to bump up the charge and am seeing quite a discrepancy in what is considered a max. load for this powder bullet combo.

Lee lists 25.3 gr as max in MRII.
Hodgdon lists 26 gr. on their web site.

So I set up my Auto-Disk with double stacked .88 cc disks and am throwing a very consistant 25.5 gr.

Question....is this

a) Hot
b) fiesty but well within reason
c) overloaded.

I seat to 2.210" to 2.260" and can still hear the powder shaking, so it's not compressed.

thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[ftierson]

H335 is the worst powder that I can think of to ask this question about...

Old lots of H335 used a load around 26.0-26.3 grains to duplicate US M193 Ball...

However, current lots of H335 are appreciably faster, with many manuals now showing a max load (for the M193) of 23.2 gr (for example, Hornady #6)...

If using H335, I would recommend using a chronograph to load to US M193 velocities, at the same time watching where your AR-15 is throwing the empties (load so that it's throwing them about the same place as military ammo, thereby indicating that the port pressure is about the same as military ammo).

Twenty years ago, H335 was listed as being somewhat slower than BL-C2. Currently, the two are reversed...

H335 is my favorite powder for the .223 Rem., but you need to be a little careful when approaching the top end. Then again, I'm still using H335 that I purchased nearly 20 years ago and which loads to about 26.0 gr for the M193. If you used this load with current batches of H335, you could get yourself into trouble pretty quickly...

Stay safe...

Forrest

 

[SSN Vet]

well upon further review....

Hodgdon does list 25.3 gr as the max.

Ooooops!

I loaded 11 rounds .2 gr over max.

I re-set my disks to the next lowest incriment and loaded another 10 at 24.8 gr.

I'll shoot these and see if I have any signs of getting close to overpressure conditions.

If things look good, maybe I'll try one of the 25.5 gr loads and see how it looks.

 

[Canuck-IL]

At an OAL of 2.215, I shot 100 24.5 H335s under Hornady 55FMJBTs last week...no obvious case pressure signs. With a 14.5" barrel, ejection struck me as a bit far but I've not tried milspec rounds as a comparator from this gun. Most were setting down about 8 feet away. I might be spoiled by the pistols that lay it all down on the bench beside me.

Accuracy seemed better than with the 24 and 24.2 loads.
/Bryan

 

[rg1]

Recent test of H335 in a Colt 20" 1/7 showed:
RP case- RP 7 1/2 primer-Hornady 55fmj-col 2.220"
24gains-2975fps
24.5-3080
25.3-3162
WCC case 25.3-3200fps
-----------------------
24.5 grains---RP and WCC case--Win 55fmj col 2.250"---2985fps
----------------------------
62gr fmj M855---RP case--RP 7 1/2--col 2.255"
24 gr--2949fps
24.6--3040fps
-----------------------------------------------
Hornady's 55gr Spire Point showed almost identical results as their 55fmj loads above.

 

[rg1]

Sorry, duplicate post, didn't post on 1st click so I did it again.

 

[17Chap]

My most recent figures:

25.1 H335
Mixed brass
WSR
55 grn FMJBT
RRA 16" Barrel

Ave 2914

YMMV

Chap

 

[04JRB]

Recent best load for .223

caution: HORNADY LISTS THIS OVER MAX
I havent seen any signs of overpressure, but YMMV.

24.5gr H335
Winchester Brass
CCI 400 primer
55gr V-max
1:9 Heavy barrel BA rifle

 

[chas100]

I use 34.5 grs 4064 with a Berger Match HP in my 22-250. Also Varget does a very nice job. 4064 is to slow of a burner in 223. My 223 load is 22.5 grs H-322 55 gr Berger match HP. I just tried 4 different loads last weekend and this is it for my gun. Savage 10 Predator 1-9 twist. 5 shot groups, 4 in a dime size every time.

 

[SSN Vet]

I got out to the range yesterday and did some testing.

I'm shooting these loads with standard A2 sights on a 16" AR with the magazine resting on a sand bag on the bench, so I can never really say for sure whether the results are due to a variation in the load or a variation in me......

I fired 10 rounds at each target at both 50 and 100 yds....

55 gr. Win FMJBT, WSRP, once fired rem brass, full length sized and trimmed, H335 powder, seated at 2.20" +/- .005" (the bullets varied in length quite a bit)

loads tested....

24.1 gr (been shooting this for a while)

24.8 gr

25.5 gr (.2 over the published max. of 25.3)

best groups were with the 24.8 gr load.

the 25.5 gr. load showed no overpressure signs, but groups opened up.

So I've managed to prove to myself what you guys already knew...

25 gr H335 (+/-) behind a 55 gr FMJBT is a winner.

I'm going to need to swith over to a smaller rear sight apeture before I get into working up loads for my 69 gr. Sierra's. Shooting these at 50 yds seems like a waste imo, and at 100 yds, it's like centering a piece of notebook paper in the kitchen window (knowing there's a target printed on that paper, but not being able to see it.)

I guess my eyesight is starting to reveal my age