Powder for 223 Rem. Question

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Randy1911

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I recently started loading for the 223 Rem. I have been using H4895 and Varget. The problem is that any load that is slightly more than the starting load is a compressed load. Trying load a compressed load on a progressive just doesn't work. I am wanting to switch to a powder that is not compressed. I have norrowed my choice to two powder, H335 or W748. Which of the two would be a better choice.
 
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I'd pick H335 for 55 grain or less and would go with Win 748 for greater than 55 grain bullets. But Win 748 wouldn't be my 1st choice for heavy .223 bullets. For them I'd stay with Varget or go to Reloder 15. That's for loading for an AR-15. There may be better choices for bolt rifles? H335 gives velocities that are realistic for published data while 748 often does not in my experience.
 
Thanks Guys. I will go and see if I can find some H335. Nobody in my area sells AA powders. I am loading 55 gr. bullets.
 
I been getting good results with Reoder 10X with 55 gr sp & fmj. I have some TAC just been too cold to try it out.
Reloder 15 works good for a 60 grs Nosler partion deer load I've worked up.

Jimmy K
 
i agree with jimkirk. reloader 10 for all the way to 75 gr bullets and you can use it in light 308 loads to if you have one and your interested in multi purpose powder.
 
H335 or W748. Which of the two would be a better choice
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Those are both good choices. They are two of the most popular powders for .223. You can't go wrong with either.
 
I would just mail order some Ramshot TAC for 55 & over and them some 'Exterminator' for any 50 grn bullets. The TAC would also be fine for both weights.
 
I guess that since I load with a RCBS Rock Chucker I have not had problems loading compressed loads. I have loaded more than 1,000 rounds using Varget with both 77 and 80gr bullets. I feel the Varget is a great powder with tempeture no affecting it very much.
 
I'd suggest you pick a ball powder like H335 or WW748 for use in a progressive press anyway.

For no other reason then it flows through a powder measure & .223 case necks like water making powder bridging / charging errors almost impossible.

Stick powder is much more likely to hang up and cause a light load in one case and an overload in the next.

rc
 
I have settled on a charge of 25 gr of 335 for all my 223.
This works in all my brass and all my guns with 50-55 gr bullets to my satisfaction.
I recently fired 1.5" 5 shot groups from a H bar with irons and a dime sized group from a savage with a scope. The load is at the high level in some books so be sure to start a little lower. Of all 7 223 I have this load will go under MOA with the bolts and Contender and 3" being the worst in an AR.
FWIW all my 223 are loaded on a Dillon 550 and as RC says 335 will flow very well.
 
I am loading a 60g VMax over 23g of H335 and getting very good results. My rifle is a Bushmaster Varminter.

Historian

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of a common enemy." Samuel Adams
 
I load 26.0 of Varget for my AR on a Dillon 550. Not compressed. I can't see how you'd be compressing with starting loads, unless your OAL is really short.

That said, ball powders leave a lot more room. H335 or AA2230 should be fine, as would Reloder. I use Varget because I've had such good success and I weigh each charge anyway.
 
"H335 or W748. Which of the two would be a better choice"

Both work vary well I lean toward H335 and Benchmark for 40 to 55 grn bullets and Varget for 60 to 70 grn bullets in 20 to 24 inch BBLs.
 
I stopped today and picked up a pound of H335. He also had some Win SR primers so I picked up 1K of them also. I was having a lot of trouble seating primers in my Mil-Surplus brass. I tried the Lyman reamer and that was a joke, so I splurged and got a Dillon Super Swage 600. I still had problems. When I got home I tried some of the Winchester primers and they went in smooth as silk. The ones that gave me fits was the CCI #41 Military primers. My priming system didn't like them and they were hard to seat. Live and learn.:cool:

As far as the Varget goes, I was loading 25.5 grs. and it was within 1/8" of the top of the case. Start was 25.0 and max was 27.8 grs. I don't know how you were supposed to get that much powder in the case. The bullet was a Hornady 55 gr. V-Max.
 
Something is wrong with this picture. If you are within 1/8" of the top of the case, that sounds to me like way too much powder. Understand that I'm just guessing because I have never used Varget but I have been loading .223 for a good while and have never seen a case that full even on the upper end of acceptable powder weight. JMO.

Historian
 
I just loaded some new Lapua 223 brass with bl-c (28.5g) and it was a lot fuller than RP and FC. It was a compressed load. Knocked the crap out of those p-dogs too.:)
 
If I took the case out of the shell plate and tapped it, the powder would drop down quite a bit. But that is hard to do on a progressive.
 
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