.223 Primers & Powder?

[BerksCountyDave]

I'm going to be reloading some .223 rounds using Winchester 55gr boat tail FMJ bullets, and I need primer & powder recommendations. This will be target shooting rounds, so I don't need anything super snappy, just enough to be accurate and cycle the AR.

Thanks
Dave

[Kaos]

Hogdgon H335 is what a lot of people use, Varget as well.

As for primers...CCI...Winchester...lots of choices out there.

[Lycanthrope]

I like CCI 400 primers because they are harder and protect against slam fire. Ever notice the dimple in your primer after you eject a fed round from the AR?

Accurate powder? I can't get anything to work better than Varget.

Lycanjustmypreferencethrope

[lethal93ta]

I use CCI 400 primers to, there harder and cheaper than most others, for powder I use h335 now since it meters better in my press, I have used varget but sometimes the feeder crunchs a little.

[Capnswervon]

CCI 450 magnum primers with H335 powder (per Speer manual)

The Capn'

[40twist]

BLC-2 and cci magnums hodgdons is nice n clean BLC meters fantastic

[imashooter2]

Varget and the CCI 400 is a combination that works well for me with a wide variety of bullet weights and styles.

If you haven't bought the bullets already, rethink the Winchester FMJ... They are horribly inconsistent bullets. Hornady FMJ is a much better product.

[K31]

If you haven't bought the bullets already, rethink the Winchester FMJ... They are horribly inconsistent bullets. Hornady FMJ is a much better product.

Couldn't have said it better myself. The Hornady FMJ's are the most accurate FMJ's I have ever used. I go through about 1000 of them every 4 months.

As for the load, I love H335 also. Being a ball powder It meters like water through the powder dispenser and its dead on every time, set it and forget it if your using a progressive. Or dump and run on single stage it saves alot of time if your loading hundreds of rounds at a time. Its also a very accurate propellant in 223.

55gr Horn FMJ
25gr H335
Win case
CCI 400

Match load:

52gr Nosler Match
26gr H335
Win case
CCI BR-4

[unclesam099]

Lycanthrope, do you have any "pet loads" for an AR with Varget and a 55gr FMJBT? Just curious - I know yours won't necessarily work for me, but anything to get me going? I just did my first 100 and started with a charge that was too low for sure. Winchester Small Rifle Primers, 24.7gr Varget, 55gr FMJBT, 2.220" OAL in once fired military brass was what I had loaded up (Disclaimer - it is NOT recommended for anyone else to use).

[Lycanthrope]

My loadbook is showing 25gr Varget at an OAL of 2.240 in Winchester cases (yes, that's light). That's a compressed load in PMC cases and I didn't like that....even though compressed is ok with some varget loads. Those were just under 1 MOA with the FMJ Winchester heads out of my 16" free floated Oly.

Loading out to mag length helps a lot.

Lycanyou'llhavetoexperimenthrope