Favorite .223/M2 Ball powders

[Khornet]

Getting ready to load for my new AR. I'd love to have one powder for M1 and AR if possible. Any recs?

If you use W748 in .223, do you still need a magnum primer as you do in M2 Ball?

Gonna be 150 gr FMJ for the M1, and 55 gr FMJ for the AR.

 

[Swampy]

Khornet,

I've found that the basic 4895 used for M2 also works very well in .223.

Same goes for milsurp WC-846 and Reloder-15.

Just my results.

Best to all,
Swampy

Garands forever

 

[Coltdriver]

I don't know from experience anything about the m1, but 4895 is recommended in Lymans 48th for .223 and I understand it was used extensively in wwII for the 30 06 rounds used by the military. Might be a match.

 

[Khornet]

Excellent

4895 it is. Now, one powder for .45 ACP and .40 S$W?

 

[oscar]

I like 748 in my AR and I use a regular primer.

 

[einnor1040]

I use 748 in my mini 14 with a regular primer.

 

[Poodleshooter]

I'd like to use my surplus keg of 4895, but since my dad has it now to settle a debt, I'm forced to use WC-846. I use it for .223, .308, 30/30 & 30/06 currently. I'm using M47 boattails instead of M2 FMJ in the 30/06 in an effort to take up some of the empty space in the 30/06 case.
I'd recommed either Universal Clays,Unique or AA#5 for the .45 and .40.

 

[Mr. Chitlin]

748 and WSR in my AR's. No problems in many K's of rounds.

 

[Blackcloud6]

I've used IMR 4895 in both .30-06 and .223 ( and .308 also). Works great . 4895 is the correct milspec powder for the .30-06 M2 ball.

However, as the 4895 is becoming more expensive, I'm switching to WC 844 for .223 and WCC 846 for .308 and will use 4895 exclusively for .30-06

 

[fnbrowning]

Reloder-15 aficionados

Gee, when we love a powder . . . . .

Reloder-15 is a good powder. It's tightened up the groups with my AR10. But I'm shooting a 175 grain bullet. That does not mean that it's gonna be a good powder for a 125 grain bullet.

In the same way, Reloder-15 may work well for 75gr & up in .223, but it is too slow a powder for 55 grain.

Check your burn rates and loading densities before you toss out a suggestion. Just because you love a powder, does not mean you should be recommending it for the next guy.

 

[NavajoNPaleFace]

I've found my 1903A3s like IMR4350 and even at high end loads it's a milder recoil than, say, Hodgdon H414.

Since I haven't used a wide variety I might give the 4895 a try next go 'round.

BTW, can I assume 4895 is also an IMR powder?

 

[Khornet]

Navajo,

Hodgdon and IMR both make a 4895. They are not identical, but quite similar. You can use either, but if your recipe calls for one and you use the other you should "work up" to the specified charge rather than assuming you can just use the same charge. In my experience, I've always wound up at the same charge wheter it's IMR or Hodgdon. This is in .30-'06 M2 Ball only, however.

 

[g56]

FYI
Hodgdon Powder Company announces the asset purchase of IMR Powder Company Inc.
IMR has been the mainstay of numerous handloaders for many years. The IMR brand product names remain and are now supplied by Hodgdon. “IMR is manufactured in the same plant with exacting performance criteria and quality assurance standards that Hodgdon users have come to expect,†said Tom Shepherd, President of Hodgdon.

Hodgdon has no plans to consolidate the lines from either company. We feel that they both have unique (excuse the wording) features and advantages. We will continue to supply the IMR products unchanged from their current manufacturing plant. We look forward to doing more aggressive marketing and updating some of the IMR data etc. We hope that you will continue to use our products and appreciate the business that you have given us in the past.

We are currently out of printed IMR data manuals. In the mean time you can get the data at the following link: http://www.imrpowder.com/safe.html

http://www.hodgdon.com/news/imr.php

 

[Khornet]

A rough test

55 gr Win. FMJ, 748 25.0 gr, WSR primer, LC brass unprepped except to correct case length and decrimp primer pocket. Fired from an arm rest at 80 yds, this groups about half the size of Federal XM193 and functions fine. I really like to fire careful groups from a sandbag or refle rest at 100 yd but one has to take what one can get, and it's freezing outside here in NH.