.223 Rem Reloading Help...

gregb

gregb

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Newbie to Rifle reloading, please be gentle.

I would like to reload for my AR-15 I have recently purchased and would like some advice on what would be a recommended .223:

1. Jacketed bullet (55gr) - I use the 20 cal /.224 diameter bullet right?
2. What Powder to use

I have brass and the dies already, so I am good on that front.
I obviously would like to do this as cheap as possible without sacrificing quality, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
 
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I just started reloading .223 too. The seach feature on this site is your friend.
Personally I'm using Hornady 55 grain fmj bullets and varget powder. make sure you get small base dies and you should probably crimp your rounds.
 
gregb said:
1. Jacketed bullet (55gr) - I use the 20 cal /.224 diameter bullet right?
2. What Powder to use
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1. You listed 2 different calibers. 20cal and 22cal are completely different. You DO want 22caliber .224 bullets for your .223
2. Hodgdon Varget is a very good powder for the .223. Reloader 15 is supposed to work very well too but Varget is much more temperature stable.
 
I don't load many 55gr bullets, but I load a lot of 52gr bullets (26.5gr 748, CCI primer and a LC or WW case). I like Winchester 748, but Accurate Arms 2230 works well also.

I have shot quite a few thousand rounds of match .223 handloads, and never crimped a one, and never had a bullet telescope back into the case when jammed. I have never seen the need for small based dies in this caliber either.

Full Metal Jacket bullets, especially military ones, will generally not shoot as well as Softpoints or hollowpoints.

Some places to look for data:

http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammunition/st223_120606/index.html
http://www.northfloridashooting.com/Misc/Reloading for the AR15.htm

Match loads:
http://www.njhighpower.com/
http://www.whiteoakprecision.com/info-reloading.htm

You'll have to register for this site, but the wealth of data is worth it:
http://www.nationalmatch.us/forums/index.php?&showtopic=5866&hl=69+SMK

The US military's manual (see p 10-3):
http://www.ar15.com/content/manuals/TM43-0001-27.pdf

Accurate Arms Powder data:
http://www.accuratepowder.com/data/Accurate v322 web publication.pdf

Winchester powder data (distributed by Hodgdon now):
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp
 
I load .223 for my bolt action Tikka, and I've had lots of success loading Sierra 60 grain hollow point bullets with H335 powder (25.3 charge). It's an awesome gopher load too! I think H335 is the powder the US military uses in their .223 ammo, but not sure about that. Varget also worked very well behind these bullets.
Get yourself a load book and try out a few loads in your rifle to see what it likes. I did fire this load through an AR15 as well once and they cycled with no issues and were accurate too.
 
If you have a 1:9 twist barrel then take a look at the Sierra 77grn HPBT bullets which were made specifically for AR 15's with a fast twist rate.
 
gregb said:
Great, thanks - my AR is a Bushmaster, are the Barrel twists the same for all AR's?
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Nope,

What you will have to do is wrap a tight fitting patch on a jag, get it started into the barrel. Put a mark on the top of your cleaning rod somehow and also a mark at the chamber end or muzzle end (whichever your putting the rod in from) and push the rod in until the mark reappears on the top of the rod. Put another mark at the muzzle/chamber end and measure between the 2 chamber/muzzle marks. This should give you a good indication of twist.

For example, if the distance between the marks is 8.5-9.5 inches then you probably have a 1:9 twist. (Doing the test a few times may give different results which will better allow you to find the average of the tests).

If it is 12" (or close to) between the marks then you most likely have a 1:12 twist and so on.

This one might be easier to understand:
Measuring the rifling twist rate in a rifle barrel.

To measure the twist of a barrel, use a cleaning rod, magic marker and a tight patch.

1. Make a straight line with the magic marker the length of your cleaning rod.

2. Start the patch down the barrel, stop and mark the rod at the muzzle and a mark on the muzzle.

3. Push in the rod slowly until it has made one revolution, this is verified when the line on the rod lines up with the mark on the muzzle, then make a second mark on the rod at the muzzle.

4. The distance between marks on the rod is the rifling twist rate in your barrel.
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Im not sold on the idea of starting out with the Sierras for a beginning reloader. They are definately a top rate bullet, but I am thinking that a 55gr bullet that is less expensive might be a better option for a beginner.
dont take me wrong, I am not saying anything negative about the bullet or your skills; its just that a cheaper bullet might afford more practice and experience, then he can ladder up to the match bullet.

I shoot 55gr FMJ that cost $100/1000.
The last Sierra's I got were $22/100, so that works out to be over $100 more to punch the same hole in paper.

just a thought.
 
hoochie said:
Im not sold on the idea of starting out with the Sierras for a beginning reloader. They are definately a top rate bullet, but I am thinking that a 55gr bullet that is less expensive might be a better option for a beginner.
dont take me wrong, I am not saying anything negative about the bullet or your skills; its just that a cheaper bullet might afford more practice and experience, then he can ladder up to the match bullet.

I shoot 55gr FMJ that cost $100/1000.
The last Sierra's I got were $22/100, so that works out to be over $100 more to punch the same hole in paper.

just a thought.
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I totally agree. To begin with, I'd grab some 55's and some h335 (ball powder, meters waaay better than varget, shoots just fine). You'll also have to either crimp or use a bushing die with increased neck tension.
 
you'll find all kinds of twists in ar's - the old sp1 had 1/14 for a while, then "graduated " to 1/12 and now we're at 1/9. 1/8.5, and 1/7 it might be stamped somewhere on the barrel- mine is , but i've a colt-1/7 nato cmp - there's volumes on the board as to what bullet "goes" with what twist- or you may have a gun that doesn't fit the norm and actually likes a lighter/heavier bullet- you have to experiment to see what shoots best-
I just checked bushmaster's site and they're currently using a 1/8, depending on model- if i can do this, so can you
 
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I dunno about using the cheap stuff to shoot out of your gun. The only gun I load up cheap stuff for is my 1911 where I shoot cast bullets and I find they hit 3 inches lower even at close range and it's quite an adjustment to make when shooting.
Those FMJ rounds do the same sort of thing in my rifle. I bought some of those cheap Winchester white box, FMJs for the brass mostly, but I find the sighting adjustment to be so different I've stopped shooting/buying them and stick to HPs, just because it breeds confusion for me when I'm out hunting with other types of bullets... I guess it's not really a problem if you're shooting them out of an AR though, right?
Meh...
 
proonur said:
I dunno about using the cheap stuff to shoot out of your gun. The only gun I load up cheap stuff for is my 1911 where I shoot cast bullets and I find they hit 3 inches lower even at close range and it's quite an adjustment to make when shooting.
Those FMJ rounds do the same sort of thing in my rifle. I bought some of those cheap Winchester white box, FMJs for the brass mostly, but I find the sighting adjustment to be so different I've stopped shooting/buying them and stick to HPs, just because it breeds confusion for me when I'm out hunting with other types of bullets... I guess it's not really a problem if you're shooting them out of an AR though, right?
Meh...
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something wierd about that 1911- with the same load , it should shoot roughly the same , either cast or jacketed- you really can't get a standard 45acp up to velocities where jacketed bullets are justified, and unlless it's a really soft bullet and/or you're getting a lot of leading
 
Hornady BULK 55gr FMJ and Varget is the best combo. IF you can find Varget ins tock someplace.

As a backup powder I've been using H4895 and due to the shortage of Varget is now my main powder.
 
t-star said:
something wierd about that 1911- with the same load , it should shoot roughly the same , either cast or jacketed- you really can't get a standard 45acp up to velocities where jacketed bullets are justified, and unlless it's a really soft bullet and/or you're getting a lot of leading
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I should mention that I haven't loaded up any jacketed bullets yet since I bought 500 cast bullets. When I say they hit low, I mean in comparison to factory ammo of jacketed bullets.
I really should get some jacketed ones to load up to make a reload to reload comparison.
 
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Okay guys, here's the best I could put together based on all the information and limited supply here in my town. Luckily the shop had 2 lbs of Varget left and no other type of rifle powder! - weak...


- 1,000 55gr Hornady FMJ
- 2lbs of Hodgdon Varget
- 1,000 CCI Small Rifle Primers
- Lee Pacemaker dies + Case lube
- Winchester Brass

This should get me going for now I'm pretty sure. Its just for plinking so I'm not overly concerned with high accuracy.

Am I good?
 
proonur said:
I should mention that I haven't loaded up and jacketed bullets yet since I bought 500 cast bullets. When I say they hit low, I mean in comparison to factory ammo of jacketed bullets.
I really should get some jacketed ones to load up to make a reload to reload comparison.
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that depends on bullet weight more than anything else- lighter bullets shoot lower, - ie your 45 acp can run the whole gambit from from 185 to 230 plus grain- jacket vs cast makes little difference at 45 acp velocities- your factory loads are typically 230 grain round nose- i shoot 200 grain lead swc to just about the same poi, but the 185's cause nothing but grief, either jacket or cast
 
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