Well, it’s been 223 all day today…

Demi-human

maybe likes firearms a little bit…
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It’s 2/23/23.

That means it’s 223 Day! Woohoo!

What? You didn’t know? Yeah, that’s understandable.

It’s a busy life, and the 223 just goes to it everyday like the rest of us. Doing yeoman's work, day in, day out.
Taking game, from mice to mule deer. Taking trophies near to far, and taking lumps, too.
Taunted as the best varmint cartridge on a front line, and touted as the best general purpose cartridge by cheapskates of all colors of coat. It has been everything to everyone.
Soiler and savior. Best and worst.

And it is, too!
Rivaling the venerable 30/06 in the sheer number of types of loads, in weights nearly as varied. There is a load and bullet that can do what the task needs.
So ubiquitous, it will be there when you need it, even if you haven’t got it yet! Rifles are dripping from the skies, every sports store has one and a box of ammunition.

And so easy to get, everyone has a story of a misused round.

But today, let’s celebrate the 223 Remington for what it is! Not for what it isn’t.
It’s fun to shoot, a pleasure to load and easy to buy.
Thanks to its friendship with the AR, more 22 caliber centerfire rifle bullets are fired across the country than any other caliber.


And a special thanks to the best bullet to load into a 223 case, the Hornady 75 grain boat tailed hollow point!


How do you feel about the 223 Remington?
 
Love it

my Savage Model 12 VLP DBM is one of my favorite rifles I own I love shooting it it’s my most accurate rifle it’s just so much fun to shoot! The .223 is a great cartridge and I’ll never part with mine!
 
Before I bit the AR bug, I had a Ruger mini ranch, that I liked, but man, it would launch that brass a mile, that was hard on a long time reloader like me. After that, it was all downhill, after buying that first AR, like a sickness. Still enjoy the Hornady 55 gr. bullet, and a little Benchmark to make it go bang.
 
If you can easily afford a Swiss Sig 550/551 etc, the mags might not be an issue.

Approx. 14" barrel? 55-grain bullet doing alright at 500 yards (this video, below)? With iron sights?
No way....o_O " They tell me don't ever believe the internet...".

This remarkable shooter tests many types of rifles in Other videos, some are older milsurps, on this range with varying distances for plates: Kar 98, Garand, M-16, PTR-91 etc etc.

SG 550 (Swiss Army Rifle) to 500yds: Practical Accuracy [Stgw 90 - PE 90] - YouTube .223, 55-grain bullets.


19ff5ad7845d36aa6f9a1893f39dcd8e.jpg


qHH4GYF
 
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The .223 is my favorite cartridge, been shooting it since the mid 1960s. Best powder for reloading with 55 and lighter bullets is IMR 3031.

Most of my .223 shooting is from bolt action rifles, i own several. My favorite is the CZ 527. Just finished fully prepping 500 cases. Will reload some today.
 
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The 223 is my Varmint Cartridge of choice. There are faster and flatter shooting cartridges and I have a few of them. But they also get hotter more quickly. I'll be looking for another powder after this batch of BL-C2 is used up. It meters well and shoots well but it gives up 300-400 fps over several other powders. I shoot mostly 50 and 55 grain bullets.
 
I was hoping to exercise a few .223/5.56 guns this week, but the weather closed the range until next Friday. I have a Ruger No. 1 .223 that needs sighting in, and a 581- series Mini-14 that I haven’t fired yet.

Stay safe.
 
I too love the .223 round. My 1st .223 was my savage axis. I can load with shotgun powders for economy loads. And with rifle powder for some higher velocity loads. Then i got my min 14. That hooked me on semi-auto fun. Latest was my SW AR 15. More fun. :D

Do tell about the shotgun powders.

the first rifle I bought myself was an AR in 556. However I load to 223 specs out of an abundance of caution and because 223 loads seem more accurate. Also because my load manual just has 223 data, as does Hodgdens web site.

Technically my first rifle was a 30-30 but I got it from my grandfather at about 1/4 market price so I don’t count it.
 
19g IMR4198 behind a medium jam'd Lee 55g,which drops almost 60g....of WW/hardball(Rotometal). No size on body,or bore ride....just a crimp,on the GC and 1/2 way up bttm drive band. Lubed by hand in only the little space above GC.

Single shot ADL with a Bushnell elite 3500 3-12. Timney 1.5lb trigger. Fully "race prepped" tupperware. It bugholes 3,and 5 shot groups @100 yds. I don't shoot it near enough as I sorta got caught light on SRP,but am snagging some and don't want to think about the $$.

It's been one of those once in a blue moon factory rigs. Never seen a JB... heck,never seen anything but that Lee 55 and 4198.

Screenshot_20230225-193743_Gallery.jpg
 
I prefer 308 myself
Not what this thread is about, Brother.

Im into .223 with AR’s but hope to add a Ruger bolt .223 this year. Really wanting to find a nice rifle and load that works well together.

This is the year I get deeper into .223, than I’ve ever been, including trying my hand on reloading it.
 
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The .223 is my favorite small centerfire cartridge. There are others that have excellent attributes as well, but IMO they don't outweigh the overall appeal of the .223. My first one was a Mini-14 way back in the late 1970s, then a mid-70s Colt SP1 like bannockburn's above except mine was the collapsible stock Carbine. Later on I acquired some CZ 527s (Varmint, Classic, FS, and Carbine), still have everything except the Mini-14 and the 527 Carbine. To me, the .223 round just feels good when fired. And like almost any other round, it can be plenty accurate when fired from the right guns.
 
A Savage, 450’s, Varget, and 75grn BTHPs.
image.jpg
Pairs well with a Johnnie Walker Blue, a Leather Alice cigar, and very tiny groups.

Like these ten shots, with a 30 caliber hole for comparison.:)
index.php

(I forgot, I shot these with CFE223.:oops:
But, Varget is Varget.)


I prefer 308 myself
I am waiting for 308 day.
Please, my ninjas. Everyone knows 30Short Day is okay. It’s just not quite as good, nor as venerable, as June Thirtieth.

Um, written in euros…

30/06!:neener:




Got some primers and spring is in the air!
Soon the lead will be too!:D
 
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