223 powders.

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I have used BLC(2), H335 and TAC in .223/5.56.
All meter well. (Ball type powders)
I prefer the BLC(2) over H335 by a little, and have not finished load workups for TAC yet so I can't say if I like it better than the others or not.

Lately powder selection has been what is available and has listed loads....:banghead:
 
Picked up a can of W748 a couple of weeks ago for the first time in years and highly recommend that you use magnum primers with it for a clean burn. The first time I used it I used regular small rifle primers and the cases were very sooty afterward, there was just no comparison. Personally I would be more likely to use BLC(2) at full pressure with FMJ's simply because of the arcane load data associated with the W748; it's really something of an anomaly and in a class by itself. But I'm a bolt man, AR shooters may know more about this than I do.
 
spitballer said:
Picked up a can of W748 a couple of weeks ago for the first time in years and highly recommend that you use magnum primers with it for a clean burn. The first time I used it I used regular small rifle primers and the cases were very sooty afterward, there was just no comparison. Personally I would be more likely to use BLC(2) at full pressure with FMJ's simply because of the arcane load data associated with the W748; it's really something of an anomaly and in a class by itself. But I'm a bolt man, AR shooters may know more about this than I do.
Click to expand...
If you're using a CCI #41 primer you are already using a magnum strength primer.
 
If your three rifle calibers are .223/5.56, .30-30, and .45-70, I believe you could run all three weapons on nearly any of the powders mentioned (I don't know much about VV powders). Double check this, but I think IMR4198 or its Hodgdon counterpart would probably work for all three, also.

The odds of finding a pound each of 3 different powders might be better than finding 5 or 8 pounds of ONE powder. I don't really know. But if you find a big jug of ANYTHING recommended to you, all 3 of your rifles can use it.

If you can't find UNIQUE, try HERCO. It's a slower-burning variant that is 95% as versatile. I've also found that AA #5 is nearly as versatile as UNIQUE or HERCO, and meters better. If you can't find IMR-700X, try IMR PB, or Alliant RedDot (or Promo). I hope I don't sound like a sales rep for Alliant, but I AM partial to their powders I've mentioned, for their versatility.

Unique, Herco, AA # 5, 700X, PB, Red Dot, and Promo are pistol powders and are not suited for normal .223/5.56 loads.
 
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Wideners.com has 8 lb kegs of TAC in stock, limit 2 per order. $149 plus hazmat and shipping. My favorite powder for .223 with 40 to 55 gr bullets. Haven't tried it yet with the heavier bullets, but would be surprised if it didn't work well with those, too. If I hasn't picked one up a few months ago, I would grab one or two myself.
 
How much can be shipped and still keep things at 1 haz mat fee?
Click to expand...

Per Wideners website:


"HAZARDOUS MATERIALS: Now, here is a bear. It is so complicated to ship Haz-Mat (powder, primers and component tracer bullets) that each order is reviewed individually to calculate the packing and shipping charges so the customer gets the best deal. Current Haz-Mat charges are $28.50 per package. Order all you can to reduce your cost per unit as many items can usually be put in one package."
 
WARNING

To anybody that isn't totally familiar with powders and burn rates...

There are some posts above that reference Herco, AA5, Red Dot, and 700x. These are not .223 powders
 
SORRY ABOUT THE CONFUSION, ALL...

Also hoping to find 700x and Unique to make a full order and refill my dwindeling stock. I have not had to buy powders or primers in 5 years as I stocked up back then.
The wife and I do cowboy shooting and I am getting into 3gun.
Click to expand...

Thanks for looking out for me. It was in the context of answering the above question that I mentioned the purchase of the pistol/shotgun powders I specified. You are quite correct that pistol/shotgun powders have almost no place in the reloading of .223 or other rifle cartridges.

I'm sorry that it was unclear when I wrote it, but it didn't SEEM that way at the time. Anyway, thanx for checking my 6.
 
Looks like RugerBob has already made his call, but chiming in to add: I also use W748 for 55gr FMJ in 223. Since I can't always find CCI military SRPs, I use CCI magnum primers when the #41s aren't available.
 
H335 for sure. You mention reloading for .30-30 and H335 is my favorite powder for both that caliber and .223

In .30-30 I load it with 30.0gr of powder and 170gr bullets. In .223 I load it with 25.0gr of powder and 55gr bullets. That .223 recipe gives me about 2,800 FPS from a 16 inch AR-15 barrel by the way.

I have also used IMR 4198 in both calibers with good results in terms of accuracy but the velocity is usually not as good.

CFE-223 is another option, I've only loaded a few rounds so far with this powder, and it seems to be pretty good. I think I'll stick with H335 as my "go to" powder though...

Also somebody mentioned Red Dot. I LOVE Red Dot but only use it for pistol loads. I don't think it would be safe in a .223
 
Any time I see a thread talking about powders I read it. I'm always trying to see if there are powders showing good/better/best results. I'd rather learn from your lessons than keep trying to "reinvent the wheel". I've read enough about H-335 to know it was a powder I needed to work with. I have bullets in several weights to play with so I'm looking forward to some range time...after bench time. :D I was lucky this week. I found three pounds of H-335. Time to get to work.

Mark
 
black_powder_Rob said:
any one ever use IMR 4320, seems to be what is in stock and there is load data for it on hodgdon's website in .223 rem.
Click to expand...

Been wondering the same thing as I read this thread. I have two lbs of it that I picked up because it was available and load a few test rounds with it last night to try it out. I'll let you know how it is next time I go to the range.
 
I use TAC from Ramshot in my bushmaster. I bought 8 pounds of it here locally a while back. Cycles great and load data is on Ramshot's website.
 
Widners has Ramshot TAC, Recobs has H335 and IMR 8208 right now.
All meter well thru my Lee disk measure. The H335 and 8208 worked well for me. I have not had a chance to test my TAC load work up yet.

I liked BLc(2) as well but don't see any available right now. It also meters well.
 
Thanks all, I settled on w748 because its all I could get. I will keep my eye out for the others that people have brought up.
Bob
 
I have an M&P also and have had the best luck using IMR4320. I also use H380 which actually gets the same results as IMR4320 if you use a magnum primer. The H380 is a spherical powder that meters so well, I can stay within .001 of a grain. You can find load data for H380 if you look hard enough. Here's a great place to start www.stevespages.com . Remember the .223 reminton will be under .224 cal. Hope this is helpful!

Bolt
 
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