New to 223 what bullet powder combinations?

warrenb

warrenb

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I have a Stevens 200 in 223 coming. Can any one recommend a bullet to start reloading for this one. I just want to get used to shooting it at paper so I'm not worried about bullet grain. A cheap bullet easily available in bulk would be great. :)

I have Varget and IMR3010, are either of these powders suitable for 223?

What dies would you recommend. Should I neck size only?

Thanks for reading.
 
i would shoot 55 gr win white box to build up a supply of brass then after collecting brass fired in your gun, start neck sizing with some quality bullets like 69-77 gr match kings or amax. i would start with varget . seems like a magority of people find a sweet spot around 24-25 gr of varget
 
I like Winchester 748. In small cases like the .222 and .223 I have found it works well.

Full length resize, but adjust you sizing die so that you bump back the shoulder just enough that the bolt closes easily.

My preference for dies are the Redding competition dies that come with a bushing neck sizing die and a separate body die. Most folks will find these excessively expensive, and a change in brass might require a change in the size of the bushing unless you turn all of your necks to the same thickness. Hard to go wrong with a standard set of RCBS or Redding dies.
 
IMR 3010 ???

Varget, BL-C(2) IMR3031, IMR4895, H335, Win.748, Viht N133 and Benchmark are all popular choices.

Winchester bulk (100) 224 - 55's are inexpensive enough for first firing.

Standard RCBS or Redding FL dies should serve very well. Use the instructions provided with the dies to partially resize the necks with minimal shoulder setback as Boomer
recommends.
 
Another vote for W748.

Also, if you are planning to dabble in the 60-64gr range, AA2015BR has worked very well in a couple of guns I've tried it it.
 
varget and imr 3031 are both excellent powders for the 223

You may find varget easier to locate and the price is usually better.

Winchester brass is excellent and it may be best to follow what Stevesummit said about buy white box and building up your supply. The brass should last you a good while.

I run a similar set up with 55gr and 62 gr and its a laser beam out to 300yrd

Buy good dies. saving $10 will not help you down the road. New RCBS at a minimum. if you get right into accuracy then add a neck only die latter.

good luck!
 
With my Win. Mod 70., Speer 52 gr. Hollow Point Match, Sierra Hollow Point Bench Rest and Hornady 53 gr. Hollow Point match bullets with 21.0 gr. 4198 powder will produce 1/2" 4 shot groups at 100 yd.
I have had equal results using 26.5 grs.Win. 748 powder with the same bullets. I have also used 23.5 gr. of 3031 with these bullets with almost equal success.
With a 55gr. Hornady Spire Point and 20.3 gr. 4198, it would shoot just under a 1" group at 100 yrd. I have'nt done a lot of testing with 55gr. bullets, but I don't see why they would not shoot as well as the Speer and Sierra 52 and 53 gr. bullets with some load development. Keep in mind that if you decide to use Win. 748 powder, you should use Magnum Primers. This rifle is basically an out of the box rifle that I traded a Mini 14 for at a gun show several years ago. I'm quite pleased at the accuracy that I'm getting out of it. I use 748 now because it feeds through my RCBS powder measure smoother than the extruded powders. (4198, 3031)
Remember to work up your loads, while these loads worked well in my rifle, they may not in yours.
 
Thanks for pointing out W748 requires magnum primers. I was not aware. I have one or two thousand small rifle primers to go through first.
 
I shoot W748 in my 223 using CCI-400 small rifle primers (non magnum).
Although I use Magnum primers in the 308 & 30-06 when using W748 & W760.
 
26.5 grains of Surplus WC845 ball powder from Higginson under 40 grain V Maxes for turning gophers inside out, and 26 grains of the same powder with Lapua brass and 52 grain Bergers for showing off. I have similar luck with all the ball powders of this speed range, W748, H335.
 
Most people find Benchmark to be a very good powder, especially with the lighter bullets.
 
If you just want to shoot cheap, accurate ammo, think Hornady 50-55gr bullets with Higgsons bulk WW735 powder. Try to stay away from the heavier bullets, as they are generally more expensive, and will negate the whole idea of a cheap shooter. It's probably a good idea to buy either Winchester white box ammo, or Remington UMC branded ammo to obtain brass, as it is cheap, and gives a good supply of fire-formed brass. Varget works very well in the 223rem.
Mike
 
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