Good use for CFE 223 Powder

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DMW1116

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Oct 10, 2020
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I find myself with a surplus of CFE 223. I have a couple of loads with it, but I'm not willing to use it for those loads any more. One is a 77 grain 223 load with SMK bullets. I'm not using SMK bullets anymore. I don't shoot competitions and their price is out of my range. I have a few magazines of this load but won't be making any more. I also have a load in 308 using a 168 grain A-max bullet. This is a good shooting load, but it is temperamental in my AR-10. The gas block setting for this load is lower than my other loads and if I'm off one click too many, I can get bent rims and extraction issues.

This leaves me with a surplus of a powder I don't want to use anymore. I also load 30-30 and 223/5.56. Is it worth working up a load in either of those? I could sell it I suppose. If I keep it, I was thinking of making a 55 grain 223/5.56 load. I tried it with a RMR 69 grain HPBT, but it didn't shoot as well as Tactical Rifle and Match Rifle. Another option is to keep it and keep looking for a load for it. Selling it seems the best option but brings its own hassles.
 
DMW1116 said:
I find myself with a surplus of CFE 223. I have a couple of loads with it, but I'm not willing to use it for those loads any more. One is a 77 grain 223 load with SMK bullets. I'm not using SMK bullets anymore. I don't shoot competitions and their price is out of my range. I have a few magazines of this load but won't be making any more. I also have a load in 308 using a 168 grain A-max bullet. This is a good shooting load, but it is temperamental in my AR-10. The gas block setting for this load is lower than my other loads and if I'm off one click too many, I can get bent rims and extraction issues.

This leaves me with a surplus of a powder I don't want to use anymore. I also load 30-30 and 223/5.56. Is it worth working up a load in either of those? I could sell it I suppose. If I keep it, I was thinking of making a 55 grain 223/5.56 load. I tried it with a RMR 69 grain HPBT, but it didn't shoot as well as Tactical Rifle and Match Rifle. Another option is to keep it and keep looking for a load for it. Selling it seems the best option but brings its own hassles.
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If it's not burning a hole in your pocket stash it back for dry times. Works just fine. Even better when you can't buy your shooters world. I've found tact rifle to work good but so does CFE 223. Many stash powder that's not there fave for later
 
The issue with using it in my AR-10 so far is the need for a different gas block setting that has little margin for error. You make a good point though. It might not be an issue with a different bullet. That 168 gr Amax has given me trouble with nearly every powder I've tried. I'll check the Hornady app and see what they say. CFE 223 seems to be a gassy powder. It shows symptoms of overgassing with my 223 loads too.
 
I have an unopened box of 250 Hornady FMJ bullets in 308 caliber. I've only tried a load with one other powder for these, AR Plus. This might be the way to go. I can cook some up and see how they work. Either that or maybe hold on to them for a 62 grain FMJ load in 223. I've never tried those.
 
I use CFE223 in my 204 Ruger ammunition with 39-40 grain bullets. Good prairie dog medicine.

I found my 204 Ruger AR-15’s a bit over gassed. My 204 Ruger AR’s have fixed gassed blocks so I built heavier buffers for my rifles that take care of the over gassing.

I have a 26” and a 24” heavy barrel 204 Ruger AR-15’s for varmint work.
 
I use CFE223 exclusively in my AR10 with 168 gr HPBT. Meters great and shoots well out of my 18” barrel. Did have to click the gas block back 1 click to slow down the cycle rate.

Havent tried it in . 223 as I’m beyond happy with H335.
 
It's a shame the 77 grain SMKs are so outrageous now. They shoot well, particularly from my 20" AR. They're a little erratic and I was using some less informative testing methods at the time, so a new development test would be in order if they were under $0.42 each locally.
 
DMW1116 said:
It's a shame the 77 grain SMKs are so outrageous now. They shoot well, particularly from my 20" AR. They're a little erratic and I was using some less informative testing methods at the time, so a new development test would be in order if they were under $0.42 each locally.
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Have you tried the RMR 75’s? I like them a lot.
 
No I haven’t. I’ve been using the 69s though. My DMR configured rifle likes the Hornady 75 grain HPBT, but that load is out too as I won’t pay the asking price for IMR 4064. The RMR 69s shoot similarly to the Hornady load.
 
Try it with 52gr SMK's. They are running about 27 cents per bullet on Ammoseek right now, by the 100 or 500 box. 26-27 grains at 2.230 COL is one of my most accurate .223 loads. Many 5 shot 100yd groups under .300 for me.
 
Haven’t tried those. I do use the Barnes 52 grain Match Burner from my 20” FN barreled upper. Shoots great and very flat. I use TAC powder with those though. I’ll see what’s available as far as bullets. The 75 grain Hornady is commonly available. Maybe that will work. I hate to sell powder in such uncertain times.
 
Saluki91 said:
I bet you could use the CFE223 up in a hurry with 147 M80 Ball.
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He's right... a nice 80% blasting load in .308 would gobble that up pretty quickly...

bullseye308 said:
I’d either work up a good load with the 55grain
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DMW1116 said:
I do use the Barnes 52 grain Match Burner
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Personally, that's what I would do. The 77's are awfully heavy, maybe too much for that powder in your rifle. I'd bet even money that you could find a good load with that powder, with a bullet in the 50-62grn range.

I got some odd 52grn SMK's in a trade a few years ago, and I just loaded them up over some TAC to get rid of them... I couldn't believe how well they shot! Those Match Burners might work out well!
 
They sure shoot well with TAC. 6 shots over three charge weights all grouped inside 1.25" from my 20" rifle. No complaints from a budget A4 copy with a chrome lined barrel. You bring up a good point about weight. Maybe CFE 223 would behave a little better if I'd use light bullets. I have enough 55 grain FMJs to try a load with them and enough 150's that I could spare enough for a test there too. TAC is my current choice for 55 grain full velocity loads. SW Tactical Rifle is good for 55 grain practice loads that mimic a hot 22 Hornet load.
 
Sounds like you're comparing bench groups with the various loads. How's your field position shooting coming along?

What I would do with a powder I didn't wish to shoot matches or hunt with anymore, and it is merely my suggestion for your powder: Pick up a book of SR-1 or SR-C if you have a 200 yard range. Find a decent 2 MOA or better load with a cheap bullet. Load, fire, shoot. Offhand, sitting, prone. Slow and rapid fire. Your CFE will be good enough for government work, and your proficiency with a rifle will be improved.
 
You may well be onto something. I tried TAC with the RMR 69 grain HPBT but couldn't get them to shoot as well as with Match Rifle from Shooters World. H335 and TAC went head-to-head for 55 grain loads and TAC won the accuracy test by a fair margin. Same result with the 52 grain bullets, but the margin is barely noticeable, though TAC is still the winner.

All that said, I'm nearly out of TAC and have an overabundance of CFE 223. A good FMJ load with CFE 223 is probably in order.
 
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Random 8 said:
Sounds like you're comparing bench groups with the various loads. How's your field position shooting coming along?

What I would do with a powder I didn't wish to shoot matches or hunt with anymore, and it is merely my suggestion for your powder: Pick up a book of SR-1 or SR-C if you have a 200 yard range. Find a decent 2 MOA or better load with a cheap bullet. Load, fire, shoot. Offhand, sitting, prone. Slow and rapid fire. Your CFE will be good enough for government work, and your proficiency with a rifle will be improved.
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Thats the ultimate goal for the 20" rifle. I don't know if I'd compete, but I want to try some service rifle type shooting/courses of fire. I've shot it to 200 yards on a 12" target. It wasn't pretty, but I was using Tula steel cased ammo.
 
DMW1116 said:
Thats the ultimate goal for the 20" rifle. I don't know if I'd compete, but I want to try some service rifle type shooting/courses of fire. I've shot it to 200 yards on a 12" target. It wasn't pretty, but I was using Tula steel cased ammo.
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Well, there you go. Problem solved. I'm seeing the 75 RMR BTHP at 16 cents per. Should be good enough to get you hitting a 10 when you hold a 10 even with a random load. Load em, sling up, choot 'em, get good. I too swore off the green and yellow boxes some years ago. The F-class guys might notice a difference, but even sling/prone I can't, much less offhand or rapid fire. https://www.nationaltarget.com/product/sr-1c/ This is the official service rile target scaled for 100 yard shooting, and was originally designed to be shot with a service rifle and service ball. You should be able to find a "good enough" load with pretty random stuff.
 
Thats good information there. I've tried a couple of times with a 25-yard pistol target (5.5" diameter). That's pretty rough with iron sights for me. Not bad scoped, but irons are tough. I have a 10/22 set up for 100-yard practice with Tech Sights to save some money. See, it saves money for me to buy another rifle. No really, it does. :rofl:
 
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