Seeking .223 accuracy load

[velocette]

I've a new to me .223 Ar rifle. 24" heavy SS barrel, Wylde chamber.
1 : 8 rifling.
I have ordered a couple of boxes of Sierra HPBT Match King bullets, 69 grain.
My loading manuals list a wide range of powders, velocitys for this bullet.
I'm looking for some experienced person to suggest what worked for them.
I have in stock, IMR 4895, RL 15, H322, H335 & IMR 4198.
I understand that each rifle is a law unto itself, but there are certain recipes that just seem to work in all rifles (41 ~ 42 gr IMR 4895 & 168 SMK in .308 for example)
Any suggestions?

Roger

 

[JDGray]

My 1:8 RRA AR didn't like 69gr SMKs, but my 1:9 R700 sure does! 24gr Varget, 69gr SMKs, Lapua cases, CCI400s, 2738fps avg.....Like you said, works for me, maybe not you Consistant .5moa load with some .2-.3 mixed in(5 shot, 100yrd)

2738fps Avg is from a 20" barrel

 

[wingman]

Any of the powders you listed will work well however I never had any luck with the Sierra 69gr match in a number of 223's all 1/9 twist. My best consistent results have always been with 52gr match Sierra or Berger. Do a search of various bullet sellers the Sierra 52gr match is usually out of stock,. Your 1/8 twist may give you far different results.

 

[steve4102]

I have in stock, IMR 4895, RL 15, H322, H335 & IMR 4198.

As you they will all work, but will they work well. You are using a fairly heavy bullet, so I would start with the slower powders. R-15, IMR 4895 then the 335, I would save the 322 and 4198 for lighter bullets. If that didn't work, I would try Varget.

 

[Lovesbeer99]

My 1:7 barrel likes the 69's and 75's. I'm using Remington BR primers and RL15. Take a look at WhiteOak Precisions website and I believe John H likes to load the 69's with RL-15 between 24 and 24.8 grains. I've been using 24.2 and have been happy with them.

 

[788Ham]

My suggestion would be to get yourself a couple of reloading books and read them. Then reload about 5 of each powder charge and then go shoot them. Then see which one you like the best, your rifle likes the best. Your experiences will be a lot more informative than our opinions might be. YMMV

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Like the others have said, you might want to go lighter on the bullet weight. I wouldn't go past 62gr personally and I like the 55gr bullet even better. (but my bolt rifle doesn't have as fast a twist as yours) With a 55gr bullet I use H335 and recently I tried Varget with great success. With Varget I was able to achieve a sub 1/2 MOA group @100 yards and slightly over 1/2 MOA @200 yards.

 

[cfullgraf]

As others have said.

You need to find what your rifle likes. Suggestions from others and suggestions from the reloading manuals are starting points but all will require some tweaking to find the sweet spot for your rifle.

 

[Grumulkin]

This load shoots pretty well in a 1:10 twist rifle barrel. It's also what I use with a 1:7 twist barrel.



This is another load I like.

 

[greyling22]

this might be very helpful to you. http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html

there's a chart on twist rates, some recommended loads, etc. But you will probably find that most loads will give you a 2" or less group, and beyond that every rifle is going to be different and there is not really a better answer than "guess and test"

 

[Birdhunter1]

In my AR 1:9 16" bull barrel I have found a number of good shooters but H322 and the 55 gr Hornady SP SX seems to work well. I think 25.0 gr. H322.

Also 25.8 grains of Benchmark and a 52 gr Hornady AMAX has seemed to work very well in 4 different .223's I have shot it in.

 

[bangaway]

Try sierra 77 gr. BTHP match and Varget. Use a sierra reloading manual. I am away from my notes so will not give data from memory.
A friend uses this 77 gr head at 2950 fps powered with Varget, 8 inch twist, bolt action gun. He has burned at least 20 pounds of varget in .223 rem. Varget is not temperature sensitive. I have his load data and will try it in 9 inch twist. He shoots jagged hole groups at 100 yards. Have fun and bangaway.

 

[FWest]

I'm new to reloading .223 but have reloaded others for a bit. Went out yesterday to test some loads. H335, 4198,TAC and 8208XBR. All shot well but the best group came from the 8208 one grain under max. I'm using 62gr Mil pulls in a 1/7 twist Spikes mid length.

 

[One78Shovel]

With my DDM4 16" with 1:7 twist, I have found H335 (25 grains) with a 55 grain Hornady FMJ-BT with OAL of 2.222 to be very accurate. It is far more precise than XM-193 stuff.

 

[dc.fireman]

My RRA has a 16" barrel with the Wylde chamber, and a 1 in 8 twist. I load a 69gr. SMK over 23.4 gr.s of IMR4895, to a COAL of 2.260", using a CCI 400 primer. It has been one of my favorite loads. I will second the motion on 24.0 gr.s of Varget - it's also a great load. I'm currently trying out Reloder 15 for the first time, so I don't have any experience with it yet.

 

[243winxb]

223 Bolt Action Loads

IMR 4198 worked best with the 69gr Sierra match in Savage Axis 1-9 twist. Tried IMR 4895, 3031, 4064 also. The Hornady 68gr match liked IMR 3031.

 

[velocette]

Much good information. Thank you gentlemen.
I have 4 reloading manuals & have examined them, I also have looked at many online resources as well as the excellent advice offered here.
Four powders are continually referenced. In order of popularity,
Varget is number one, followed by RE15, then H335 and IMR / H 4895.
All suggestions were from the middle of the charge weight to near max.
This information will help me to develop a good load for my rifle quickly as I will not duplicate many loads that did not work as well.
There is something to be said about learning from the experiences of others that have "been there and done that".
The reloading begins tomorrow.
Thanks again for the advice.

Roger

 

[Act2325]

Varget seems to be popular for the small and fast loads. Atleast my dad does well with them!

 

[P-32]

I think Reloder 15 works very well with the heavier 223 bullets. I don't buy Reolader 15 in the one opound cans any more because I use it so much. Varget and 748 on the lighter bullets. I've used the heck out of Remington 7 1/2's but CCI's work in a pinch.

Off subject a bit but when yousize your 223 brass be sure to follow die instructions when mounting on the press. I've found less trouble when the bottom of the die touches the top the shell holder with the ram all the way up. Then I give the size die another 1/4 turn down. The press handle will now have "cam over". This will insure your 223 case will chamber and eject with out problems when it's unfired. Your chamber does not require a small base Trust me. If you switch to Federal brass be sure to work your load back up. Federal brass is very heavy but won't take any reloads. I like Lake City but this brings up other problems up. Good luck.

 

[gregj]

Another important factor is the distance you intend to shoot. I went through the same exercise last winter for my RRA with 20" Predator Persuit upper 1:8 I tried several differnet bullet weights, and found the 69gr SMK with H335 provided the best results (dont remember charge). IIRC, my research showed bullets in the 55-75gr range were considered optimal for 1:8 twist. I believe heavier bullets need a longer distance to stabalize, or to go to "sleep", for accuracy at long ranges.