Starting prep to load .223.....

[Mikej]

What would be some recommended projectiles/weights, and a small assortment for powders. Wifey and I both have generic ARs. Mine was purchased complete from Kurt's 2014ish, and I put Wifey's together from the NWFA lower she won in a raffle a couple of years ago with a complete upper from Palmetto. Hers is a 1-in7 twist, 16". I'm figuring mine is the same twist rate.

Looking at 50, 55 and 60 grain pills my Lyman book shows IMR 4064? I DO have 4064 for the 6.5 Swede and the Garand.

Anyway, just wanting to get a feel for what I'm looking forward to. It's going to be weird sizing those little bitty brasses after doing a couple hundred 6.5 Swede and .30-06 as my first long gun rounds. I have primers and plenty of brass, and presume I could wrangle up some projectiles to play with from someone around here maybe. Without having to give up one of the twins.

Read More

 

[Member 34319]

Plinking or serious stuff?

Plinking, just buy 55s or 62s. Both can be had in bulk for reasonable prices.

Powders, I like ball types as they meter better than stick. So 335, 2230, CFE223, 2520, Tac, etc. If you can find surplus WC844 it's basically 335 but with flash suppressant added, good stuff.

Serious stuff, 60 grain pills work ok in my 16" 1-8 and would be good for hunting and SD. 45-50 grain pills are fun for varmint, you can push them pretty fast out of 16" barrels surprisingly.

Have fun!

 

[Ridge Walker]

First off I would buy 50 of each weight and in different profiles and see what each rifle likes. Then chase jump, and then the powder. I would find out for sure what the twist in yours is too. Whatever you settle on as best for each one get that weight and profile bullet in your preferred type.

All of ours like something a little different.

 

[41mag]

get one that flows better than stick; I didn't like flake style either. Tiny mouth in 223 & 22-250.

 

[Mikej]

Plinking or serious stuff?

Plinking, just buy 55s or 62s. Both can be had in bulk for reasonable prices.

Powders, I like ball types as they meter better than stick. So 335, 2230, CFE223, 2520, Tac, etc. If you can find surplus WC844 it's basically 335 but with flash suppressant added, good stuff.

Serious stuff, 60 grain pills work ok in my 16" 1-8 and would be good for hunting and SD. 45-50 grain pills are fun for varmint, you can push them pretty fast out of 16" barrels surprisingly.

Have fun!

All we really do is plinking, I guess that's what you'd call it. We pretty much just try get good groups at 75-100 yards. Like to ring steel. We don't hunt or do any long range stuff. What's your thought on IMR 4064? At this point I haven't yet looked at a burn rate chart to see where your suggested powder lay. Using a ball powder is definitely attractive, even though I've done okay with stick. I'm not in a hurry, so I don't mind trickling. Besides, finding any powders I don't have would be tough, or a price I'm not willing to pay! I've got plenty of other toys to play with. I've just got the bug to get into processing some different brass is all.

Thanks Bryan, I consider you quite a .223 aficionado so your input is appreciated.

 

[Mikej]

also the stick types tend to not flow INTO the case mouth as readily
I never did get quite used to the 'crunch' as various bits were , well, 'crunched' during loading operations;
22-250 was much the same; I finally abandoned reloading for them as I just didn't have enough time to figure out how to make it all work better.

That's something I hadn't considered. That's a real tiny mouth on those little brasses!

 

[Mikej]

First off I would buy 50 of each weight and in different profiles and see what each rifle likes. Then chase jump, and then the powder. I would find out for sure what the twist in yours is too. Whatever you settle on as best for each one get that weight and profile bullet in your preferred type.

Neither one of use shoots worth a darn. I WISH, I had more opportunity to shoot, and get better on the trigger, and THEN chase the fine points more.

Damn, I wish powder would come back into the stores! Considering that .223 is extremely popular, especially more in the last year, getting those recommended, proven powders, will be a bear.

 

[Ridge Walker]

Neither one of use shoots worth a darn. I WISH, I had more opportunity to shoot, and get better on the trigger, and THEN chase the fine points more.

Damn, I wish powder would come back into the stores! Considering that .223 is extremely popular, especially more in the last year, getting those recommended, proven powders, will be a bear.

Everything @Reno suggested is good for 223/5.56. I would use what you have for now and play with bullets and seating depths. Later on chase powder if/when it comes back lol.

 

[Zathras]

I get you are trying to use your 4064, but I have not heard a lot of people using that for 223. Reno's list is good and matches what I've seen others use.

Of his list, I have had good luck with CFE223, mostly with Hdy 55gr FMJBT. Given your stated purposes of short-range and not hunting, I think those would work fine and might be the most affordable and easiest ones to acquire.

I've done some limited testing with CFE223 on projectiles including 53gr VMax, 60gr SP, 62gr FMJ (cheap PPU lead core, not steel) and even a few 68gr BTHP's. None were unshootable with that powder at the ranges you specified and it metered well.

Good luck.

 

[Member 34319]

All we really do is plinking, I guess that's what you'd call it. We pretty much just try get good groups at 75-100 yards. Like to ring steel. We don't hunt or do any long range stuff. What's your thought on IMR 4064? At this point I haven't yet looked at a burn rate chart to see where your suggested powder lay. Using a ball powder is definitely attractive, even though I've done okay with stick. I'm not in a hurry, so I don't mind trickling. Besides, finding any powders I don't have would be tough, or a price I'm not willing to pay! I've got plenty of other toys to play with. I've just got the bug to get into processing some different brass is all.

Thanks Bryan, I consider you quite a .223 aficionado so your input is appreciated.

4064 is similar to Varget in my opinion. Stick, slight faster burn than Varget, so maybe better for the lighter fare.

I burnt through a ton of Varget back in the day, stick is doable, just a pain for precise stuff. Plinking, it would work just fine. I usually don't give a .... if I'm not exact in my plinking 223 charges. The powder throw loves to fight me and stick powders though, that's my main gripe! On occasion, depending on charge, you'll have to shake the cases a bit to get the powder to settle, that or just crush it down seating the bullet!

 

[oremike]

If you go to the Hodgdon reloading web site you can click on the cartridge then the bullet weight and if you leave the powders unchecked you will see all they recommend. I have a bolt gun and am loading 50gr Speer TNT bullets with W-748 but my goals are different than yours. I want to be minute of Sage Rat at a couple hundred yards and be able to tell that I hit them at that range. When just starting out with a caliber I look for a powder that fills the case up with out compression , and has the highest velocity and lowest pressure.

 

[gmerkt]

What's your thought on IMR 4064?

The speed is okay for .223 but as others have said, it can be bothersome to load. For one thing, it takes up more volume than any ball powder. So you can't always get a recommended charge to fit without compression which I avoid. Some stick powders meter okay. IMR 4895, Varget both meter better. H-322 and IMR 8208 XBR are two of my favorite stick powders for .223 Rem. and meter about like ball powder, their being small grained. Lately, I mostly use H-335, BL-C(2) and 748, all ball powders.

One ball powder that I don't like is CFE 223. I don't load to maximum charge and this powder seems to burn real dirty unless it's pushed hard. In my experience.

If you're using a hand-thrown powder measure such as an RCBS Uniflow and stick powder that wants to bridge in the drop tube, I've done the following. First, I do not use the narrow drop tube for the .223 case. With the larger drop tube in place, I put the cases in the block, then put a little powder funnel over the mouth of the case, and meter the powder into the funnel. Then I shake the block around a little to allow the powder to dribble into the case. Then move the funnel over to the next case. Using the larger powder drop tube, the stick powder cannot bridge therein and it goes into the case easier from the funnel. Which you can watch with your own two eyes. It's more trouble than just rotating the powder measure handle and hoping for the best. Checking your charge weight every few charges. Which is less trouble, because you have the little funnel right there already.

The bullets, in these times of shortage, I recommend Rocky Mountain Reloading. They have had .224 bullets all along during the shortage at reasonable price. One I've bought is the bulk Hornady 62 gr. FMJ, 500 count for about 14 cents per bullet, shipping charges included in price. Good enough as a blasting bullet. They've also got some 55 gr. FMJ for about the same price.

 

[Mikej]

If you go to the Hodgdon reloading web site you can click on the cartridge then the bullet weight and if you leave the powders unchecked you will see all they recommend. I have a bolt gun and am loading 50gr Speer TNT bullets with W-748 but my goals are different than yours. I want to be minute of Sage Rat at a couple hundred yards and be able to tell that I hit them at that range. When just starting out with a caliber I look for a powder that fills the case up with out compression , and has the highest velocity and lowest pressure.

Appreciate this Mike. I knew that case fill was something to think about. I've used the Hodgdon web site regularly in the past for handgun. Since I've only loaded for 6.5 Swede and M1 I've gone with recommendations from the shooter of those old guns. Note that I do check established sources to confirm anything before I load/shoot it. At this time I don't have a chrono so I just pay attention to recoil and ejection pattern.

The speed is okay for .223 but as others have said, it can be bothersome to load. For one thing, it takes up more volume than any ball powder. So you can't always get a recommended charge to fit without compression which I avoid. Some stick powders meter okay. IMR 4895, Varget both meter better. H-322 and IMR 8208 XBR are two of my favorite stick powders for .223 Rem. and meter about like ball powder, their being small grained. Lately, I mostly use H-335, BL-C(2) and 748, all ball powders.

One ball powder that I don't like is CFE 223. I don't load to maximum charge and this powder seems to burn real dirty unless it's pushed hard. In my experience.

If you're using a hand-thrown powder measure such as an RCBS Uniflow and stick powder that wants to bridge in the drop tube, I've done the following. First, I do not use the narrow drop tube for the .223 case. With the larger drop tube in place, I put the cases in the block, then put a little powder funnel over the mouth of the case, and meter the powder into the funnel. Then I shake the block around a little to allow the powder to dribble into the case. Then move the funnel over to the next case. Using the larger powder drop tube, the stick powder cannot bridge therein and it goes into the case easier from the funnel. Which you can watch with your own two eyes. It's more trouble than just rotating the powder measure handle and hoping for the best. Checking your charge weight every few charges. Which is less trouble, because you have the little funnel right there already.

The bullets, in these times of shortage, I recommend Rocky Mountain Reloading. They have had .224 bullets all along during the shortage at reasonable price. One I've bought is the bulk Hornady 62 gr. FMJ, 500 count for about 14 cents per bullet, shipping charges included in price. Good enough as a blasting bullet. They've also got some 55 gr. FMJ for about the same price.

Bothersome to load? Ha, I've been enjoying the "Zen Like" exhilaration of loading into the pan and trickling to an exact weight. I do use a uniflow. It will work fine for the way I load.

I'll check that Rocky Mountain Reloading. That sounds good. I'd probably like to get a couple different weight bullets to play with I think.

Thanks.

 

[DirectDrive]

What would be some recommended projectiles/weights, and a small assortment for powders. Wifey and I both have generic ARs. Mine was purchased complete from Kurt's 2014ish, and I put Wifey's together from the NWFA lower she won in a raffle a couple of years ago with a complete upper from Palmetto. Hers is a 1-in7 twist, 16". I'm figuring mine is the same twist rate.

Looking at 50, 55 and 60 grain pills my Lyman book shows IMR 4064? I DO have 4064 for the 6.5 Swede and the Garand.

Anyway, just wanting to get a feel for what I'm looking forward to. It's going to be weird sizing those little bitty brasses after doing a couple hundred 6.5 Swede and .30-06 as my first long gun rounds. I have primers and plenty of brass, and presume I could wrangle up some projectiles to play with from someone around here maybe. Without having to give up one of the twins.

Here's a nice chart from Hodgdon...

 

[oremike]

Going back to the first time loads. Don't worry too much about hitting it out of the park the first time. Especially right now where componates are hard to come by. Do your best to be consistent use only .556 or .223 brass that is full length sized and trimmed, meter the powder accurately and run with what you've got. Most likely it'll be pretty good anyway and it will give you a benchmark to compare the next loads to. If the next loads are better , move the benchmark and if it's worse you've got a reference point to go back to.

 

[DizzyJ]

I'd save the IMR4064 for the larger calibers (I love it for 308).

You've already got some great suggestions for powder. TAC, H335, Accurate 2230, etc. I've not used the CFE so I cannot comment on it.

Since you're not shooting matches, I'd stick with the bulk 55gr pills. Still try to get quality Bullets, but you'll not need match grade for your stated purpose.

 

[Mikej]

I'd save the IMR4064 for the larger calibers (I love it for 308).

You've already got some great suggestions for powder. TAC, H335, Accurate 2230, etc. I've not used the CFE so I cannot comment on it.

Since you're not shooting matches, I'd stick with the bulk 55gr pills. Still try to get quality Bullets, but you'll not need match grade for your stated purpose.

Yeah, that's the thing....I started with 6.5 Swede and .30-06 and imr 4064 and H-4895 are two of the top four or so recommended by people who load a bunch for those calibers.

Rocky Mountain Reloading has a reasonably priced (I think?) 500 bag O' bullets I should get. If they're still there. Problem is the HUGE disclaimer you have to agree with on their sites front page RE how many months it might be before you get you order.

Just ordered 500 55gr FMJs. That long wait time is for 9mm boolits. It shouldn't take too long for the .224.

 

[bbbass]

Sorry, didn't read all the replies. But,

1-7 twist is going to like bigger bullets. It's a fast twist that is good at stabilizing them. IMO it will be OK to try 4064 for 62, 70, etc.

My rifle was a .223 Wylde with a 1-8 twist and an 18.5" Stainless barrel. I shot 52gr and 55gr bullets in it using 4198, 3031, and 4895 with great results. You want a fast burning powder with your lighter bullets and shorter barrel. YMMV

 

[Camelfilter]

Yeah, that's the thing....I started with 6.5 Swede and .30-06 and imr 4064 and H-4895 are two of the top four or so recommended by people who load a bunch for those calibers.

Rocky Mountain Reloading has a reasonably priced (I think?) 500 bag O' bullets I should get. If they're still there. Problem is the HUGE disclaimer you have to agree with on their sites front page RE how many months it might be before you get you order.

Just ordered 500 55gr FMJs. That long wait time is for 9mm boolits. It shouldn't take too long for the .224.

I figure it shouldn't take TOO LONG for .224 to ship, seems the UNKNOWN PROJECTED ship time of MONTHS is for there manufactured backlogged projectiles (9mm ex).

Portion of there disclaimer:

"Many orders for In-Stock items are taking us about 2-4 weeks to fill merely because of the huge order volume. Yes, they are in-stock when you order them. It just takes time to ship the millions of bullets that we sell. These are not normal times. DO NOT ORDER IF YOU NEED THEM RIGHT AWAY! ..."

A month is perfectly reasonable in these times, IMO. Particularly given your situation...prep brass in the mean time. If it takes 2 months, prep more brass.

Order up "a bunch" of range use stuff. Then you'll have it good to go, THEN think if you'd like to go up in weight/change projectile type. That will take you a while to figure anyways.

In my opinion.

 

[Throckmorton]

"Neither one of use shoots worth a darn"

uh, I"ve seen ya shoot, could be worse, LOL.
.. get some loads figured for our 300 yd dinger and let's pound the crap out of it your next trip down.