New to 223 what bullet powder combinations?

You can also use Blue Dot powder for cheap shooting, but make doubly sure you know what you are doing before you attempt it. Messing up with that stuff could get you killed.
 
X2 on the Blue Dot. Lot's of info on the Net.
Cheap to shoot and accurate. Over 500 loads per lb of powder.
I use 13.5 gr of Blue Dot pushing a 55gr Vmax or 55gr FMJBT
No chance of double loading ether cause it would overflow the cartridge.
My 2 cents. Always work up a load.
Kind Regards,Henry
 
I shoot in Tikka T3 in an indoor range..I use a fart load 55gr FMJBT with 6.5 grs of Unique..Cheap to load and gives me dime size groups at 50yds, not to mention saves on barrel wear.

I also use the same 55gr bullet with 25grs of BL-C (2) for my AR15
 
H322 is an often forgotten powder that gives some of the absolute best accuracy that you ever get from a 223...

I load from 25.5grs with 40gr Hornady V-Max to 23.5grs with 60gr Sierra HP Varminter bullets.
 
Dogleg said:
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.
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Unfortunately Higginson's doesn't have any WC845 any more, though they do have WC735, which is similar. How'd you ever get so lucky as to come by some WC845 anyhow.....? ;-)

warrenb said:
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?
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Varget and IM3031 are both suitable for .223, in fact they're both superb powders for the .223. Varget is a bit of a hassle, since its sticks can sometimes bridge while flowing into the small .223 case mouth. IMR3031 is a much bigger hassle yet, its sticks are quite a bit longer. Other than this extra handling fussiness, there's absolutey nothing "wrong" with these powders, in fact you can make target-grade ammo with them.

Some "extra short" stick powders are even easier to use in small-mouthed cases, e.g. AA2015BR (it's similar in burn characteristics to IMR3031, but flows *much* better), H322, Reloder-12, VV-N135, etc.

The various ball powders mentioned (Win 748, H335, WC735, etc) are very good too. They flow and meter better, which maks them more convenient and pleasant to use. They don't make ammo that's any better or worse than the stick powders.

What dies would you recommend. Should I neck size only?
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You will need a FL die to use occasionally on brass that has been fired in your rifle, and you will need to use it on brass that has been fired in another rifle before it is ready to fire in yours.

A Lee Collet die is an excellent neck sizer. It's a bit unpleasant to use (it's can be quite stiff), but it can make first-rate match quality ammo. I think there is even a Lee die set that consists of three dies - a FL die, a collet die, and a seater die. That would get you set nicely; an added bonus is they're quite cheap, too.

mike shickele said:
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
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Good suggestions. If Higginsons has the Hornady bulk bullets in stock, these would be some "good cheap" bullets to try:

#2266B 224-55-SP $13.00/100
#2267B 224-55-FMJ/BT $12.00/100

There are also a couple of Winchester bulk bullets in the same class:

Win. 224-50-SP $15.50/100
Win. 224-55-PSP $15.00/100

And I will make special mention of this one, which can be a particularly accurate bullet; in fact, if you are not super-sensitive on price, I would suggest going solely with this one, you can use it for plinking, for blowing up ground hogs, general blasting away, and even halfway decent target shooting out to 500 yards:

Win 224-64-PP $20.00/100



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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Unfortunately it is a difficult time to easily and cheaply come by decent brass. Your first choice, either as new brass, or once-fired brass, or factory ammo, should be any factory boxer primer brass, without a military-style crimped primer (in particular Winchester, Remington or Federal).
 
Unfortunately Higginson's doesn't have any WC845 any more, though they do have WC735, which is similar. How'd you ever get so lucky as to come by some WC845 anyhow.....? ;-)
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See, what you do is mention on Gun Nutz that you are almost out and guys come out of the woodwork with kegs of the stuff.:D This technique has also worked rather well with 47SL. Thanks guys, you know who you are.;)
 
The 200 has a 1-9" twist. I'd try some 64gr Berger FB or even some in the 70 gr range. Should shoot quite well.

I too like the idea of shooting up a bunch of Winchester white box to lay in a supply of brass. New brass in 223 can sometimes be hard to find. Once fired Winchester will give you a good supply of fireformed brass and also get your barrel well broken in.

I'm going to try BL-C(2) and Varget in my Black Special as well as some RL15.
 
Henry Nierychlo said:
X2 on the Blue Dot. Lot's of info on the Net.
Cheap to shoot and accurate. Over 500 loads per lb of powder.
I use 13.5 gr of Blue Dot pushing a 55gr Vmax or 55gr FMJBT
No chance of double loading ether cause it would overflow the cartridge.
My 2 cents. Always work up a load.
Kind Regards,Henry
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I have some Blue Dot but haven't used it yet. I've heard it is fairly quiet, what is the fouling like?
 
Fouling is minimal, It's a quiter bang, and if you are shooting alot, the barrel stays a lot cooler.
I really like it. Joe-NWT has used it also.
I was worried about double loading, but that can't happen. The case won't hold 27grains of it. It overflows.
Like I said it's also very cheap to shoot and meters pretty well.
If you google Blue Dot .223 you'll find lots of info on it.
Kind Regards,Henry
 
Blue Dot is fun and I have loaded/shot tons of it in my 223 I just don't get the accuracy that I can with H322 so I don't use Blue Dot very much anymore.
 
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