Suggestions on bullet and powder for .223

Plink

Plink

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Having a boating accident.
Well, took the plunge and brought home a Lyman kit to start reloading. I want to do 223 and 9mm, but for now, just bot 223 dies until I see how this all works out!
My question... What are your recommendations for a decent grain bullet for reasonable accuracy, and what type of powder to get me going. I realize that I'll start tinkering with all this at some point, but, just wanted some idea of what to look for when I go to pick up the stuff from the store.

The rifle it's being used in is an AR180 if that matters.


Thanks for your input. :canadaFlag:
 
Is the twist 1:10?

I'd go for a bullet in the 62 grain vicinity (Hornady makes a 60gr. Amax that rocks) Winchester brass, Winchester small rifle primers, and some Hodgedon powder. (BL-C(2), H-322, & H-335 all are good)
Trim your brass to 1.750"
Seat so OAL of your finished round is 2.250"

Get load data from Hornady or Hodgedon to start (or one of their manuals).
 
Plink said:
1:9 actually. Thanks for the info, I'll do a bit of research on the bullet and powder load.. :)
Click to expand...

Varget 23-26grns
Sierra 69grn MatchKing (Could also try the 77grn with the 1:9 but may not stabalize)
BR4 Primers
Winchester Brass
COL - Seat into the lands 0.010

My Savage 12LRPV likes the 69grain SMK's with 25grns of Varget and BR4 primer in a Winchester case.

Try here for some other .223 ideas.
 
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I'd be wary of transitioning a bolt gun load over to an auto...
The 69gr SMKs are a fantastic bullet and should work good out of that barrel.
I guess it depends on how far, how well, and what you are shooting.
If you like the 69 SMKs, try Hornady 68gr. HPBTs as well. I'd use Varget on these.
 
OK then.. I have some good ideas of what to look for! I'm off to Epps to pick up the bits and pieces this monday, and I've got some vacation time next week to set everything up and try some loads.

Thanks for the input gentleman.

:cool:
 
Remember that semi-autos require full length resizing every time. So make sure the die set has an FL sizing die. You'll need to decide what kind of shooting you'll be doing most too. Match bullets aren't designed for hunting. Mind you, they'll do nicely for varmints.
 
I've loaded up some Hornady 68 gr HPBTs with 22-24 grs of H335 or 24-26 grs of Varget to see if anything groups well with my Savage 12 BLVSS. Gotta love the sound of Varget kernels crunching as you seat the bullet on a 26 gr charge, especially when you seat to 2.260. :)

I'll probably take a day off to go the range this week so I'll report back results.
 
sunray said:
Remember that semi-autos require full length resizing every time. So make sure the die set has an FL sizing die. You'll need to decide what kind of shooting you'll be doing most too. Match bullets aren't designed for hunting. Mind you, they'll do nicely for varmints.
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I'm not sure if I get what you're saying exactly. My die set has 2 dies, one is for resizing and de-priming I think. Is this what you mean by "FL"?

Also, what is "full length resizing" ????? :confused:
 
Plink said:
I'm not sure if I get what you're saying exactly. My die set has 2 dies, one is for resizing and de-priming I think. Is this what you mean by "FL"?

Also, what is "full length resizing" ????? :confused:
Click to expand...

Some die sets come with three dies. One of course is for seating the bullet. The other two give you a choice in how you resize your brass. The full length (FL) sizing die requires the brass to be lubed, and it will size the entire piece of brass back to standard dimensions. You need to use this die when you use actions such as semi-auto or lever.

A collet or neck sizing die doesn't require the brass to be lubed, and it only sizes the case neck. This is for use with bolt-action rifles to which the brass is fireformed. The advantage to this die is the brass is worked less, increasing brass life, and accuracy should be improved by not changing the fireformed nature of the brass.

I can't say for sure without looking at it, but if your die set doesn't say collect or neck sizing, I'd guess it is a FL die set.
 
If you're looking to minimize costs, get some WC-735 powder from Higginson Powders and try to find Rem/Win/Hdy 55gr FMJ bullets locally, so you don't have to pay shipping. Failing that, order them from Higgy's. Depending on your brass source, you can save about ten cents a round over equivalent factory ammo.
 
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Well, I just spent half the day putting my "loading room" together... Got most everything set up, and figured out how it all works.

Ya know... I can see why people would get right into doing this reloading thing... :D

The process alone is pretty cool, not to mention the end result...

Managed to pop primers and resize to length about 10 cases... I think I'll be at Epps tomorrow morning when they open to get powder and bullets... LOL

Thanks again everyone for your input.
 
Oh, 2 more stupid questions....

1) I got a "deburring tool" in my kit.. Looks like a drill bit on one end, and .... well, it's pointy on the other... 4 "tines" and a centering thing. I assume this is a hand use tool that is meant to clean off the burrs after you size the case?

2) I'm going to get powder, now, if I buy one pound of powder, how many grains is that approximately? I'm wondering whether to get 1 pound, or .. more than one pound... :D Just curios how many rounds I can crank out on a pound of powder...

Thanks, yet again! :rockOn:
 
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