Looking for best powder to use for .223, .300 BLK, and 9mm

[sharpshooter91]

Hey folks, this is my first post. Happy to be here. Been thinking about making a profile here for awhile. Glad I finally did.
I'm new to reloading. Just picked up a used single-stage setup and I'm gathering info for loading. I've been searching around trying to cross reference, 2 hours later and I'm no farther ahead.
I'm looking to load 9mm (M&P compact) first, followed by .223 for my AR. In the near future I'm looking to load .300 BLK for both an AR pistol and 16 inch upper, subs and supers. I currently have titegroup and Win 231 for the 9mm.
Now the question:
I'm looking for a fairly clean burning powder that meters well and has good reliable accuracy in .223 that can also work in .300 Blackout, subs and supers.
Or- Can I just use the titegroup or WIN 231 in the .300blk? Maybe for subs?
Sorry if this is a total noob question, but I would really like to find something that works for more than one purpose being as that I'm on a budget and I'd like to buy 2 or 3 powders instead of 5.
Other future reloading calibers include 7.62x39 and 30-06. If I can get a powder for the .300 blackout that also works with either of those, or with the .223, I would feel a lot better having bulk powder that does more than one thing.
Sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance.

 

[hdwhit]

The answer rather depends on what you mean by "best". If by "best" you mean highest velocity for a given weight of bullet and length of barrel then you'll get a different answer than if you mean most economical or most versatile.

I don't load the .300 Blackout, so I can't say anything about it, but for the .223, I get very good results out of the 18 inch barrel of my Mini-14 by putting 20.5 grains of IMR-4198 behind a 60 grain jacketed bullet which yields around 2900 fps. Same bullet with 25.0 grains of IMR-3031 gets close to 3200 fps, but note that is the maximum load shown in the Hornaday Handbook (4th Edition) and should be approached with caution, while 26.0 grains of Winchester 748 will nudge 3100 fps.

I just started loading 9mm Parabellum so I'll let those with more experience chime in, but there are a lot of powders and bullet weight combinations that will work so I think it will mostly be a matter of what you can get and what you prefer. So far I've only loaded for 115 grain bullets, but my friend will only use 124 bullets. He says the 124 grain bullet is more lethal, but I think it has more to do with the appearance of the copper color of the jacket and the silver of the nickel plated cases he uses.

But that's part of the equation, too, since you've got to be happy with what you load.

 

[cfullgraf]

No one powder will work in all three cartridges, 9x19, 300 Blackout (supersonic) or 223 Remington. I do not load subsonic 300 BLK.

The burn rate requirements are just too different between them.

I like True Blue in 9x19, but lots of other powders work well like Unique, W231, and similar powders.

I like Accurate 1680 and W296/H110 for supersonic 300 BLK with 150 or so and lighter grain bullets. Heavier bullets and subsonic will have different requirements.

In 223 Remington, I like Accurate 2230 (light bullets) and Varget (heavy bullets) lots of other powders work well like W748, H4895 and similar.

Some powders used in 30-06 can also be used in 223 Remington. Some powders used in 7.62x39 may also work in 300 BLK, but it has been a while since I fooled with 7.62x39 and there may be little or no overlap in powders. But reputable loading data can answer that.

If you do not have a a printed reloading manual, I suggest getting one. Besides tested loading data, most include informational and instructional sections. Lyman #49 is a good one but Hornady, Speer, and Sierra manuals have good information but are limited to their respective products.

Hodgdon, Alliant, and other powder manufacturers have good online data information.

Basically, if there is not published data from a reputable source, it is not advisable, or safe, to use a particular powder in a particular cartridge. Especially for a beginner.

 

[SARuger]

I'm using BL-C2 behind a 77g bullet in my .223 1-8 twist bolt gun. There are a lot of great choices though.

 

[LiveLife]

I'm looking for a fairly clean burning powder that meters well and has good reliable accuracy in .223 that can also work in .300 Blackout, subs and supers.

... for my AR

While some pistol powders can work for .300 BLK (like W231), they would not produce enough gas pressure to operate the action on AR and they would be single action rounds only. Also, if you want more reliable bolt cycling/last round bolt hold open, especially with sub sonic .300 BLK loads, I would suggest pistol length gas tube instead of carbine length gas tube.

9mm: W231 and Titegroup work well with 9mm. For your M&P compact, I would suggest using 124 gr bullet with mid-to-high range W231 load data for milder recoil (less snappy) as 124 gr bullet with longer base tends to be more accurate than 115 gr bullet which must be pushed harder to reliably cycle the stiffer recoil spring of compacts. Both W231 and Titegroup meter well.

.223: I use H335 for my .223 loads as H335 is ball powder and meters well and produces accurate loads.

.300 BLK: My current favorite is Accurate 1680 for subsonic loads but also like W296/H110 for supersonic loads and have H4198 for back up.

Article on handloading .300 BLK - http://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2014/6/17/handloading-the-300-aac-blackout/

This thread has been my reference for .300 BLK loads - http://www.300blktalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=86656

 

[oldpapps]

Above has covered it well.

Little pistols like faster powders, 9MM go well with 231, Unique, Tight Group and many others.

.223/5.56 are Rifle rounds and require a slower powder that burns with the needed pressure curve. I like 748 and either of the 4895s, again, there are many others.

.300 AAC Blackout. Three ways to go here. Non-AR (bolt, single and the like). Many pistols powders work well. Next, AR action sonic. Look to the Magnum pistol powders for good results. If 'it' works in the 410 shotgun shell, I bet it will do well in the Blackout. And last, AR actons sub-sonic. This gets more picky, not too fast to bust the speed of sound but suitable gas to function the action. Bullet weights are a big part of these.

I only do sonics out of an AR action. I like 2400, Lit Gun and 296/H110, in that order. From my reading, some do well using Lit Gun in sub-sonics.

As with all loading, some bullet weights do better with differing powders. No 'one best' for all.

Load with care.

 

[sharpshooter91]

I figured it wouldn't be so easy, but might as well ask. Good to get an idea of which directions to go. Time to start saving those pennies and testing. Thanks guys.

 

[Dudedog]

.223/5.56
TAC, BLC(2), H335 all meter well

9mm
WSF, Universal, CFE-P, HP38/W231

Don't load .300 Blackout so no help there.