.223 Powder for Dillon

[Olon]

Howdy,

I just started reloading this week. Started with .223. 55 gr. Bullet, 25 grains of varget. It seems my powder measure doesn't like the cylindrical varget. It throws +/- .5 grains, which I view as pretty bad. I know I have it all adjusted properly so I think metering has to be the issue.

Anyone have a spherical powder that they use for .223 loads? This is just general target shooting with my AR, nothing fancy. Or if you have a dillon 550, what powder works well for you?

Thanks for the input!

Olon

 

[cheygriz]

H335 was specifically formulated for the 5.56X45mm cartridge. I've used I've used a ton of it with great satisfaction.

AAC 2230 is also excellent.

Both of these meter perfectly through my Dillon 650 measure.

 

[JO JO]

TAC

 

[Bat Rastard]

Varget has ran better for me than that through my Dillon. +/- .2, but usually right on.
Are you using the small powder bar open wide? Or the large bar in tight?
I use the large bar.

 

[Olon]

Varget has ran better for me than that through my Dillon. +/- .2, but usually right on.
Are you using the small powder bar open wide? Or the large bar in tight?
I use the large bar.

I was using the large bar, though I do have a small one I could try to see if that works better for some reason. I figured the shorter draw would yield better precision.

 

[glc24]

I use H335 and CFE 223 in my Dillon 550B. I also use Benchmark, but I meter it through my Frankford Arsenal Platinum Powder Measure.

I'll check a H335 or CFE223 charge maybe every 15, and I'll check the Benchmark every 5 on my Chargemaster Lite.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I use H335 and it meters like water.

Other very good choices are TAC, CFE-223, AA2230, Power Pro 1200-R, RL-10x and probably a few more. TAC, CFE-223 and AA2230 are the best of the lot including H335. ( all IMO of course)

 

[jmorris]

748, TAC, xtermanator, cfe223 all work well with the Dillon measures.

 

[Galil5.56]

For your application - H335, AA2460, WW748, and TAC work fantastic for me in my 550B. Easy to duplicate M193 specs if wanted, and all have perfect load density. FWIW, I use CCI 450/CCI 41 primers almost exclusively, and like the results just fine.

 

[cheygriz]

I use Remington 7 1/2 magnum primers in .223. They're MilSpec.

 

[mjsdwash]

Cant speak to your dillon, but my Lee Perfect pours BLC2 and H335 to 0.10 grains everytime, and still does with over 20,000 through it. The dillon should do pretty good. . Edit to add, W748 too.

 

[Dudedog]

I have used TAC, H335, BLC2 and 8208XBR.
All feed well through my Lee measure.
I would say my favorite is TAC, then tie BLC(2)/H335 then 8208XBR.
Lots of people have great results with 8208 but I didn't but it was probably a case of not finding the right bullet powder combo and I didn't try a very many so I sure I could have found something better.

TAC
http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/sample_detail.php?powder_id=95
Varget
http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/sample_detail.php?powder_id=150
H335
http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/sample_detail.php?powder_id=148
BLC(2)
http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/sample_detail.php?powder_id=149

8208 XBR (meters ok but not as good as TAC, BLC(2) or H335
http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/sample_detail.php?powder_id=173

National Center for Forensic has lots of great pictures of powders.
You can't tell for sure how it will meter by a picture but
balls or small logs tend to feed better than cornflakes or big logs

PS
Cornflakes
http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/sample_detail.php?powder_id=174
Big logs
http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/sample_detail.php?powder_id=159
http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/sample_detail.php?powder_id=489

Neither are for .223 but I added them to sort of define cornflakes and big logs.

 

[Nature Boy]

I get Varget to meter well with .223 but you have to go slow and wait an extra beat at the bottom of the stroke to give the powder time to funnel into the case. You can also take some Flitz or similar polishing compound and polish the bottom of the powder hopper. That helped me.

I will also say that in my tests Varget worked better with heavier bullets (69g SMKs and larger). I had good results with Benchmark on the smaller pills

 

[otisrush]

I don't use a Dillon, but H335 in my RCBS powder measure is near perfection from a consistency of throw perspective.

 

[Blue68f100]

TAC is one of the finest ball powders I've ever used. It meters great in all my dispensers. I get excellent results in most every bullet weight I use in. One thing I will say if you use it in a auto dispenser like the RCBS 1500, expect specs of powder all around the dispenser.

 

[Chuck R.]

In my Dillon 550 I've used:

H335, metered great, but also leaked some.
AA2460, great all around
AA2230, very good all around
TAC, positively my favorite. No leaking, meters very well, great consistency.

My other .223/5.56 powders are extruded, so I use one of my Harrell's and trickle.

 

[Demi-human]

I have found TAC to do very well with lighter bullets in my Two Twenty Threes, though the container suggests it for heavy ones.

I thoroughly enjoy CFE Two Twenty Three with heavier bullets in all of my rifles for which it is proper. Excellent accuracy, high velocity and the copper fouling is nonexistent. I recommend it for new barrels. Indeed, all of my AR barrels come sparkling clean with no green patches. (Save one. The Bushmaster uses H One-Ten and there is a very visible copper patina on the muzzle brake. And a peppering of purple spots on my shoulder...)

Both these powders are spherical, they bounce! Lay them into the pan, don't drop them in. (Or whatever one must do to be gentle with a progressive press, I don't one yet.) There are three to six spheres and a flake of bisthmus, per two hundreths of a grain of CFE.

I could suggest more had I not had such success with these. I would like to try Exterminator next. Varget was not great in my Valkyrie. I didn't mind the cutting in the dispenser. The kernels are easy to pick with tweezers for precise measuring. But the crushing in the case and resulting Base to Ogive measurement variations preclude me from trying it out more. I will need to use it up eventually.

Welcome to handloading! I hope you have many good years of doing it!
Now that you've tasted fine wine, it'll be hard to go back to factory made beer...

 

[Laphroaig]

I'm loading some .223 with Varget on my 550 now before I switch over to large primers. I measured a bunch of charges. Most were +/- 0.2 grains, but I had one +0.4 in the 25 or so that I measured. My ammo shoots well, so I don't sweat it too much. I use a lot of Varget and get similar results no matter what measure I use to throw it.

I'm using the large powder bar in the Dillon.

 

[LD-Ordie]

I'm loading 21gr of IMR 3031 under a 62gr FMJ thru my Dillon 550B. I check my weight every 50 rnds or so when I'm loading a bunch with a RCBS M1000 scale. Meters just fine with no noticeable difference. So just a FWI, my main 223 I shoot is a Ruger mini 14. I like the 3031 since it also works well in my 30/30 loads

 

[Olon]

I'm loading 21gr of IMR 3031 under a 62gr FMJ thru my Dillon 550B. I check my weight every 50 rnds or so when I'm loading a bunch with a RCBS M1000 scale. Meters just fine with no noticeable difference. So just a FWI, my main 223 I shoot is a Ruger mini 14. I like the 3031 since it also works well in my 30/30 loads

Yeah I'd like to find one that will work decently for my 270 but that may be asking too much. May have to see what my manual has for 3031.

 

[cfullgraf]

Lots of good information and suggestions already posted. More powders listed than I use.

Powders that I use that should meter well in a Dillon powder measure.

I like Accurate 2230 in my 55 grain 223 Remington loads but have used W748.

I use CFE223 in my 204 Ruger loads. It should work well in 223 Remington. One of my 204 Rugers is an AR-15.

When I was shooting Service Rifle competition, I used Varget in my target 223 Remington ammunition. I'd put up with the metering problems with Varget to get the most accurate ammunition. But, I'll admit that I did not use a Dillon powder measure for these loads. You do what you need to do.

 

[Laphroaig]

When I was shooting Service Rifle competition, I used Varget in my target 223 Remington ammunition. I'd put up with the metering problems with Varget to get the most accurate ammunition. But, I'll admit that I did not use a Dillon powder measure for these loads. You do what you need to do.

That's kind of my philosophy also. I do load my long range ammo single stage with heavier bullets and RL15. Not because I think RL15 is better, but because I have a 5# jug that I want to use up before I die. It works well also.

 

[bluetopper]

I don't like using Varget in 223 either, it seems my cases are not big enough to hold a listed max charge in them plus powder spills all over the place when my Hornady LNL indexes. Through years of experimenting I've settled upon two great and versatile powders to use in all the rifle calibers I reload. BLC2 and 4320 and both it seems are readily available wherever powder is sold. 4320 is a stick powder but it is finely granulated and meters very well and consistently and has no trouble going in 223 or 22-250 brass and it performs fantastic.

 

[bihj]

H335 on a Dillon 550. No problems.

 

[rbernie]

For all of my pistol and intermediate rifle chamberings (5.56 / 223, 6.8SPC, 7.62x39, 300AAC), I use the Lee AutoDisk Pro with Double Disk kit on a powder-thru die. This setup meters both ball and stick powders equally well, and stays with the tool head to make chambering swaps easier.

I use a lot of Varget and H4895 for 223 (I prefer the temperature insensitivity of many modern stick powders). Why swap powders when you can use a better powder drop?