H4895 Reduced load AR 15

[ewlyon]

Hi all,
I'm wondering of any of you have tried reduced loads of H4895 in a 223 AR and what results you got accuracy and function wise.
I have my AR set up with an 18" barrel, mid length gas system, and a JP adjustable gas block. It is tuned to just barely run with bulk pack remington. I tested some loads this week with H4895 and some 55gr fmjs but didn't get the accuracy I am used to so have decided to use them as cheap plinking bullets.
To that end I worked up a few test rounds down to 21gr of h4895 (which has a start charge of 25gr per the hodgdon data). I was surprised to see that even at 21gr the gun cycled and locked back on an empty mag.
Next chance I get I am going to test some more rounds with lower charge down to the allowable 60% of max. But before I do that I want to know if any of you have tried this before and what results you got.

 

[GooseGestapo]

H4895 is ideal for reduced loads down to 60% of max charge.
H4895 is a relatively slow powder in the .223 and as such has a generous gas volumn as you have discovered.
The accuracy issues you noted will be due to the FMJ bullets. Most on the market are bargain bullets intended for blasting, not match grade ammo. H4895 is s favorite of match shooters. It gives me the best accuracy and highest velocities with the 80gr Sierra MK from my RRA match AR.
H4895 is one of those powders I only buy in 8lb kegs.

 

[carbine85]

I use IMR4895 so my feed back isn't exactly what you are looking, however I have used the IMR powder down to 22 grains reliably with 55 & 62 grain bullets. My best loads come from 23 - 24.5 grains of powder. With 69 grain bullets I typically use 22.5 to 23 grains of powder.

 

[Berger.Fan222]

H4895 is the best bet to cycle with reduced loads. How low you can go depends on the rifle.

If you want accuracy, you need a better bullet than FMJ. The 55 VMAX is accurate and inexpensive. There are a lot of good match bullets also. Pick one suitable for your twist rate.

 

[ewlyon]

Thanks for the replies. I have gotten good accuracy from hornady soft points so will be using those for my main loads from now on but I figure I might as well use the rest of the fmjs as cheap plinking ammo with reduced charges.