.223 powder choice

[mardo]

Hi. I haven't loaded much for about 12 years. I want to load for my Mini-14, and can't use ball powder in my Dillon press. What powder should I use that burns clean and meters well?
Also, wil I need a small base sizer die to function? Thanks.

[imashooter2]

Huh? Why can't you use ball in the Dillon? Ball works best in loading .223 on a progressive since the hole in the powder die is pretty small. If you still feel you can't use ball, try one of the short stick extruded powders. Depending on your bullet weight of choice some good selections are Alliant 10X or Reloader 15 and Hodgdon Benchmark or Varget.

You shouldn't need small base dies to get reliable function.

[mardo]

My Dillon is over 20 yrs old. The directions for the powder measure says not to use ball powder as it gums up the measure internals. I don't know if newer versions have resolved this.
Thanks, I'll look into those powders. btw, I will be loading 55gr. fmj.

[Xringshooter]

I use Varget or IMR4895 for my 223 loads. I haven't had any problems with it metering. Granted I use a single stage press and measure my powder with a Lyman 1200 DPS II. My dies are RCBS and the shell holder is a #10.

[imashooter2]

My Dillon is over 20 yrs old. The directions for the powder measure says not to use ball powder as it gums up the measure internals. I don't know if newer versions have resolved this.
Thanks, I'll look into those powders. btw, I will be loading 55gr. fmj.

Some of the really fine stuff may bind it up, but you should have no problems using H335, W748 or AA2230. All good choices for 55 FMJ, as are the short cut extruded I mentioned earlier.

[Lambo]

I've had my best success (accuracy) with Varget

[TheBuckslayer]

I have only tried 2 powders for .223. Accurate 2230 and Varget. Both shot the same group size, so I use Accurate 2230 as it is $2 cheaper.

[mjd932]

I use Varget or IMR4895 for my 223 loads. I haven't had any problems with it metering. Granted I use a single stage press and measure my powder with a Lyman 1200 DPS II. My dies are RCBS and the shell holder is a #10.

What kind of loads do you do with the 4895? I'm hoping to start loading some SS109 using IMR4895 this weekend (first time reloading).

[K31]

I love H335 in .223

[1911shooter]

H-335, H-414, and varget, i also had great results with BL-c2 in my AR's.