52, 53, 55, 69 grain, FMJ, HP, BT etc .223, what's your most accurate powder/bullet combination??

[Toprudder]

20" Wylde chamber AR, 1:8 twist.

So far, my best has been Varget and Hornady 55sp bullets, just a tad over 0.5" 5 shot groups @ 100 yards.

My best results with longer range bullets has been Varget and Hornday 75bthp. Getting about 0.7" @ 100. I've shot these out to 300 yards with great results, but so far I've only used steel targets so I don't know the exact group size at that distance.

FWIW, the best factory ammo I have found for that gun is Winchester black box 77gn Match, just under 0.8" @ 100.

I only use my Chargemaster to drop the Varget powder. For plinking loads, I wanted to find a ball powder that meters well in my powder measures, so I have just started working up loads for my 16" AR carbine (1:8, not free-floated) and had terrible results with Xtreme 55gn fmj, with 3 different powders (H335, H322, TAC). Somewhere between 1.5" to 2.0" groups @ 50 yards. I went back to the 55sp bullets, with H335, and cut those numbers in half. Guess that gun does not like the Xtreme bullets. Since I can get the 55sp for 8.5 cents each in quantity, I'll just stick with those.

 

[kerreckt]

The very best load for my bolt rifle is 20gr. IMR4198 and 52gr HPBT Sierra #1410. It shoots well in every bolt rifle, I have tried. Easily do 5 shot groups no bigger than a nickel at 100yds. I have never found a bolt rifle that does not to like it. These are usually 1/10-1/14 twist barrels.

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

My 1/9 twist 16" barrel shoots 55g hornady ok with 26.5 gr of CFE 223 I can put a Quarter over a 5 shot group most times But I'm still searching
tried 69gr SMK with Varget not so good going to try some other powders with the 69 gr SMK BenchMark also picked up some others bullets in
52 gr and 60 and 68 gr

also this is with a crappy trigger

 

[sellersm]

I'm using 25gr H335 with 55gr Hornady FMJ for all 3 of my ARs, one of which is 16" .223 Wylde. For general range shooting/practice, they work great as they're accurate enough to know that it's NOT the ammunition if we miss the target! When I'm done with this batch of H335 I'll switch to WC-844 or AA2230.

About to work up something for a bunch of 62gr Hornady FMJ...

 

[Hardtarget]

Interesting info here. I've been using Tac and H-335 for a while. Now I'm sure I need to try several other powders to see if I've "settled" too soon. Just may be a better choice and I just haven't gotten there...yet.!

Mark

 

[cactus02]

Rem 40x 52 smk 25.0 IMR 3031 .3 all day long . The gun is way better than I am.
cheapo AR with Wilde chamber first load at 100 yds 23.5 8208 and 69 sierra mk into .55
The reason to use 3031 is the Sierra manual (old) stated that 3031 was the powder used in accuracy testing rifle bullets
all the way up to 308 with 168 Mks.

 

[RussellC]

Interesting info here. I've been using Tac and H-335 for a while. Now I'm sure I need to try several other powders to see if I've "settled" too soon. Just may be a better choice and I just haven't gotten there...yet.!

Mark

I have come to the same expensive conclusion!

Russellc

 

[RussellC]

Rem 40x 52 smk 25.0 IMR 3031 .3 all day long . The gun is way better than I am.
cheapo AR with Wilde chamber first load at 100 yds 23.5 8208 and 69 sierra mk into .55
The reason to use 3031 is the Sierra manual (old) stated that 3031 was the powder used in accuracy testing rifle bullets
all the way up to 308 with 168 Mks.

Thanks for that! Well sort of, now I will have to try this combo as well, that's 4 powders from this thread now!

Russellc

 

[RussellC]

My 1/9 twist 16" barrel shoots 55g hornady ok with 26.5 gr of CFE 223 I can put a Quarter over a 5 shot group most times But I'm still searching
tried 69gr SMK with Varget not so good going to try some other powders with the 69 gr SMK BenchMark also picked up some others bullets in
52 gr and 60 and 68 gr

also this is with a crappy trigger

That does make a difference, I finally broke down and tried a couple of the Gs2 triggers, priced cheap right now at DPMS, 109.00....ends up 126 with tax and ship. Normal price is 165 else where. Slightly cheaper version of the SSA 240 dollar job.

Russellc

 

[cougar1717]

These have worked well through 1/8 or 1/9 barrels
50gr NBT + Benchmark or 10x
55gr Vmax + Benchmark or 10x
65gr SGK + TAC
69gr HPBT + TAC

IMR 3031 is also good for lighter bullets but IME, it attains the best performance on the lower end of the data. The big kernel size vs a 223 case mouth made me prefer the other powders.
I see that other people got TAC to work with lighter bullets, which is great and probably worth a try. I could never get that combo to perform.
If all else fails, try H335 + any 55gr bullet.

 

[hdwhit]

Bart B. wrote:
Rarely do ball powders shoot bullets more accurate than stick powders.

That's what I have heard.

That's why I am very proud (justifiably so, I think) to have been able to get a WW748 load that is interchangable with two IMR loads.

 

[Walkalong]

Ball powder can shoot very well at close range (100/200 yards.). TAC was tried in Benchrest, and while it could shoot some tiny groups in 6PPC, it was sensitive to humidity (We all loaded a small number of highly prepped cases repeatedly over the weekend.) and it would bite you in the derriere on occasion, ruining a group and raising your aggregate. It will take the best guns and shooters to prove ball or stick powder is better at close range. That said, historically Benchrest shooters have used stick powders, and stick powders are still by far the favorite. Not even sure if anyone at all is using ball powder in registered matches these days.

 

[spitballer]

stick powders are still by far the favorite...

...worth noting, thx. It had been mentioned before but I'd forgotten. May be related to a more evenly distributed charge when using stick powders?