The most accurate .223 load you have tried?

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jake556

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Oct 13, 2010
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I would like to start a list of the most accurate loads that you have tried. It would be nice to have these in ONE place. Please give bullet weight, type, powder details, what reloading manual, etc. The more details the better. I really appreciate the info and I'm sure everyone else will too thank you again. :D
 
Tommy have you chronographed that load? I can't get that kind of velocity out of my 16" gun... just wondering? I've never tried AA2230... may give it a try.
 
Bushmaster Varminter
60g Nosler ballistic tip boat tail
23g H335
CCI 400 primer
Lake City brass
Seated with a Forster competition seating die.

Historian
 
Hornady 52 gr. BTHP
26.9 gr Win 748
LC cases
CCi 450 primer
3200 fps

I use this load exclusively in my Rem. 788 for Pd's or target. At 100 yds., I can put 5 rounds into almost one hole, many times I've done this.
 
69 gr. SMK
23.0 gr. of H335
mixed commercial brass (mostly Federal)
WSRP

Repeatable 1-1/4" 5 shot groups @ 50 yds with std. A2 iron sights on my kit built Del-Ton 16" 1 in 9, twist HB middy.
 
Hornady 55 gr. FMJ/BT with Cannelure
23 gr. H322
CCI Small Rifle Primer
Mixed brass
 
The "classic" .223/5.56mm powder is H335. It produces clean and accurate ammo. I also recently gave Varget a try with a 55gr bullet and was amazed at the accuracy. I shot several sub 1/2 MOA groups @100 yards with that ammo. The smallest group was 0.314", not bad IMO...

Sierra 55gr GameKing bullet (#1390)
25.0gr Varget
CCI-400 primer
FC brass
OAL = 2.255"
Howa 1500 bolt action rifle

With H335 I use the same components and same charge weight.
 
For fast twist barrels, 24gr of either Reloader 15 or Varget under a Sierra 77gr Match King, with a CCI Benchrest primer. This is my standard goto load and I use it as a control load to compare other loads to. I get consistent ~.5MOA accuracy out of this load at 100 yards.

I'm running a new build now too and I'm starting to have luck with the same powders under a 69gr Match King using the same primer. The charge is 25.5gr.

Keep in mind that these are the loads that I shoot out of my rifles. Work up to them in yours. YMMV.

These two powders are the most consistent that I've used. The Varget is not very sensitive to heat. The Reloader 15 works almost as well. I'll grab whatever is available. I've tried other powders, but when the temp changes or the barrel heats up, the POI changes a bit.

The downside to using stick powders like RE15 and Varget is that they don't flow very well through powder drops. I use a Hornady Auto Charge to measure powder. Hopefully, I'll soon be using the RCBS equivalent.
 
My rifle is a 16" RRA Midlength w/ SS barrel, 1:8 twist.

My best 100y group was with 62gr Barnes TSX, 24.7gr Varget, 2.25 OAL. I realize that is not a popular bullet so my 2nd best group was with a 55gr Hornady FMJ, 24.0gr H335, 2.23 OAL. Both of these shot .75 MOA.

Those are my best groups.

The bullet with the most sub-MOA groups would be the Sierra 69gr MatchKing, 25.5gr Varget, 2.25 OAL.

All use CCI primers.

I'd take the Sierra over the others since it is the most consistent of the three.
 
25.6 Varget
55 gn Nosler Btip or Hornady Vmax , similar results
2.255 OAL
Remington 7 1/2 primer
LC Brass , FL sized , very light crimp

Out of my 16" , DPMS stainless Bull .223 chamber 1 in 9 upper this load will consistently do in the .5 s to .8 at 100 with a best of .464 up to this point . Same load in a 581 Mini 14 goes around 1.5 moa . I also have used 60 gn ballistic tips with about the same results .

25 Varget
69 Sierra MK
2.260
Remington 7 1/2 primer
LC Brass FL sized , very light crimp

My long range / wind bucking load . Same upper will usually yield ~ .6 to .8 . Same load in the Mini and it also goes a reliable 1.5 . Ran this one up to 26 gns , and yielded no additional improvements in accuracy .
 
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Rifle--Remington 700 VLS Bolt action in .223 Rem. with a twist rate of 1 in 12"
Bullet--Sierra 53 grain HPFB MatchKing
Powder--Accurate 2015, 22 1/2 grains
Primer--Federal Small Rifle Match
Case--Lace City 01, neck size only, only use 5 cases,

5 shot groups avg. .312 to .375 some even tighter, this at 100 yds.
 
CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The High Road, nor the staff of THR assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

1:7 20" White Oak Barrel
Wylde Chamber
75 or 80 AMAX .010 off the lands
24.5 RL15
Case
Primer
~2800 FPS
 
55gr. Hornady FMJ-BT
25.5 grs. H4895
Win. SR primer
LC brass trimmed to 1.750"
Aveage fps is 2985
OAL 2.200"

Data came from Hodgdon's website.

I can shoot a 40 round group that I can cover with a half dollar at 50 meters.
 
69gr SMKs
24gr Varget
Lapua brass
CCI 400s
2.260" OAL
.5moa avg. R700 LTR 1 in 9"
2640fps avg.
 
G2 Contender 23" bull barrel

26.5 gr. Varget
40 gr. sierra HP
Mixed brass, Remington, Winchester, or Federal

.28-.45" groups @100yds.-no wind

This load delivers .6-.7" groups from a Stevens 200
 
69SMK
24.5 Varget
FC brass
CCI400
.363" 5 shot 100yds
20" Bull Barrel 1/9 AR-15
2767 fps
 
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60 gr. Sierra Varminter
22.7 gr. H322
Federal match primer
Lapua brass (fire formed and neck sized)
Howa 1500 24" bull barrel
 
55 vmax
25.0 benchmark
cci br4
LC brass full prep(neck turned, flass hole deburred, etc.)
makes 3100 fps from Rockriver EOP 18" bull 1/8 twist
holds .3 moa out to 300 yards/turns pdogs insideout
 
loads

Two loads actually: At 100 yds out of my Colt AR Match target - iron NM sights - 1in 8" twist, the load was a 52 Grain Hornady A-Max and 26 grains of AA2460. Winchester primed brass. One half inch five shot groups.

The second load is very similar to one already mentioned. It is the go to load for targets out to 600 yards.
77 grain Sierra MK, 24 grains of RL15, Win. primed brass
 
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