KansasSasquatch
Member
I know .223 isnt what some people would consider being a suitable white-tail cartridge, but it is legal in my state. All that aside, I'm looking to work up a load for my wife to use. Last year I wanted to work up a reduced .30-06 load for her but I didnt have much luck with that, didnt matter anyways because we found out just before rifle season that baby #2 is on the way and we didnt want her out in the cold hunting. So now, I'm looking ahead for next year.
The rifle to be used is a Savage Edge (Axis) w/ Rifle Basix trigger and Nikon 3-9x40 scope. Generally speaking all shots will be within 125 yards. So far this rifle has proven 3/4 MOA accurate with 55gr V-Max loaded with CFE-223. But the Partitions are new to me. Anyone have experience with these bullets? Which powder(s) have made for a good combo? I understand that every rifle is different, just looking for a starting point without burning through several boxes of premium bullets.
If it helps the rifle powders I have on hand are CFE-223, H4895, TAC, Benchmark, Varget, H380, H414, and IMR4350. I know there isnt data in my manuals nor on Hodgdon's website for the last 3 powders. I have much more CFE-223 than anything else but it seems to be somewhat picky in my experience. H4895 gives the highest velocity, in my manuals, but I havent used it much, and only in .30 cartridges. TAC, well I havent had time to experiment with it since buying it. Benchmark and Varget...... I love them both. They've proven very accurate for me in .223. It doesnt seem to matter what bullet I'm using, just use a charge weight in the published ranges and BANG! MOA accuracy in .223, not that I would do that though. So my gut tells me to use Varget or Benchmark. The published load velocities arent substantially different enough for me to be concerned about. I'm leaning more towards Benchmark as it doesnt require a compressed charge to MAX out at 24.6gr while Varget at 27.0gr STUFFS a .223 casing. In fact, I dont believe I've ever been able to get more than 26.7gr of Varget in a .223 trimmed to 1.750".
So, what do yall think if you've read this far and have experience with these Partitions? Does it seem like Benchmark would be the powder to start with? Or do you have better suggestions? I'm all ears....or eyes I guess.
The rifle to be used is a Savage Edge (Axis) w/ Rifle Basix trigger and Nikon 3-9x40 scope. Generally speaking all shots will be within 125 yards. So far this rifle has proven 3/4 MOA accurate with 55gr V-Max loaded with CFE-223. But the Partitions are new to me. Anyone have experience with these bullets? Which powder(s) have made for a good combo? I understand that every rifle is different, just looking for a starting point without burning through several boxes of premium bullets.
If it helps the rifle powders I have on hand are CFE-223, H4895, TAC, Benchmark, Varget, H380, H414, and IMR4350. I know there isnt data in my manuals nor on Hodgdon's website for the last 3 powders. I have much more CFE-223 than anything else but it seems to be somewhat picky in my experience. H4895 gives the highest velocity, in my manuals, but I havent used it much, and only in .30 cartridges. TAC, well I havent had time to experiment with it since buying it. Benchmark and Varget...... I love them both. They've proven very accurate for me in .223. It doesnt seem to matter what bullet I'm using, just use a charge weight in the published ranges and BANG! MOA accuracy in .223, not that I would do that though. So my gut tells me to use Varget or Benchmark. The published load velocities arent substantially different enough for me to be concerned about. I'm leaning more towards Benchmark as it doesnt require a compressed charge to MAX out at 24.6gr while Varget at 27.0gr STUFFS a .223 casing. In fact, I dont believe I've ever been able to get more than 26.7gr of Varget in a .223 trimmed to 1.750".
So, what do yall think if you've read this far and have experience with these Partitions? Does it seem like Benchmark would be the powder to start with? Or do you have better suggestions? I'm all ears....or eyes I guess.