n00b here
are military surplus 844 & 846 powder good to go in 223 LC brass hornady 55gr fmjbt for AR plinking?

it says they're pull down powder, sifted and processed, any downside to this?

does 844 meter well in hornady lnl ap? it doesn't say it's spherical. i prefer 844 because it's cheaper

they say 846 spherical, so i assume it would meter well?

i searched around and the starting load is to use H335 reduce 10%?

is it the federal primers that are soft?

Yes WC 844 is similiar to H335 and WC 846 is similiar to BL-C2. Some surplus is pulled down from loaded ammo and some is surplus never loaded. Only thing is that burn rates of surplus powder do vary in burn rate. I've seen a lot of 844 that was near maximum at 25 grains and others that I never got to maximum using 26 grains. You HAVE to work up your loads when using surplus and work up again when switching lots. Both these powders will meter fine through measures. Since surplus powder prices have increased so much I don't bother with them any more. I'd rather use Hodgdon H335 and you don't have bother with work-ups and the price isn't that much above surplus prices. With surplus 844 and 55 fmj's I'd start at 23 grains and work up. A chronograph is a valuable tool working up surplus powders.
 With surplus 844 running from $85 to $100 per 8 lb. jug, I'd rather use H335 and I see it at Powder Valley for $128.70 per 8 lbs. Not counting haz-mat and shipping The 844 for $85 would figure around 3.8 cents per round, at $100 per jug it would be about 4.5 cents per round, and buying factory cannister H335 powder it would cost 5.8 cents per round. Just added this to show why it's not worth it to me anymore to use surplus powder for the AR.

Yes! Thank you very much. Another reason for me to get a chrono