Hello all,

I have only been loading for a year or so and was looking for input on the following:

I have been using IMR 4895 for 308 and am about to load .223/556. Does anyone have any good or bad experience loading 223 and/or 308 with IMR489? What about with my other powder on hand, Reloader-15? I have not yet used the R-15 at all. Can you recommend any other powders that are worth hunting for? These are readily available near me as are other common brand names.

The 556 is 14.5 in barrel 1/7 twist and the 308 is a semi auto 18 inch barrel with 1/10 twist. Both can be ran suppressed but 308 is almost always suppressed. On hand I have 55 grain midway usa dogtown fmj's i got for free but can easily get others in stock near me. Not looking for sub sonic at the moment. Thanks.

IMR 4895 or H 4895 work well with either cartridge. In 308 I typically use 40.0 gr IMR with a 168 SMK, 1:10 twist. In 5.56, 24.5 gr IMR with a 69 SMK, 1:8 twist. See what your barrels like. Have fun!

Reloader 15 will work in both. I wouldn't load it with 55gr bullets, just heavier match.

Tac, BL-C(2), H-335, Benchmark, Varget, CFE223, 2000-MR, lots of powders work in both, some better with certain projectiles than others, some easier to meter than others.

RL-15 is very good to excellent in the .223/5.56 and IIRC its good for .308 Win. also.

Most use RL-15 in .223/5.56 with 55gr and heavier bullets.

There are many powders that will work with either .223 and .308

There are even more that will work well in each individual one.

Motor1

I use H-4895 for lighter 5.56 bullets in the 52, 53, 55 and 62 grain weights.  It produces superior velocity in my carbine and consistent groups in the 1.5 MOA range.  Very consistent. Meters poorly, but I drop a few tenths short and dribble the remainder.  If I were volume reloading I might select a powder that meters better.  But performance is very, very good.

For .223 I used to use almost stricly AA2230 because I found a nice pile of it locally just after the '08 elections. It worked well enough for me with 50gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips (my preferred bullet). I have also had good luck with RL-15 in my 69gr. SMK loads. I also have 4 pounds of Tac on hand that I haven't had a chance to try out yet, even though it seems many people have great luck with it. I burned through a lot of Big Game in a .22-250 and had great results with it so I'm going to give Tac a try.

It seems most .223 suitable powders also work in a .308, but check you reloading manual(s) to see what you can get load data for.

Recently bought a 24" WOA 1x8 upper in 223 and WOA recommended R15 as a favorite powder with 77gr SMK. I just found a pound of R15 and haven't worked up a load yet, but the recommendation is from a reputable source.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am likely going to get some heavier 223 rounds for the R15 and will keep using the IMR4895 for my 308. I have been using a lee powder thrower with the IMR and it has gone fairly smoothly. R-15 will meter/measure the same or better from what i understand?

Some of the most accurate 223 55gr HPBT (Sierra) loads were with IMR4895.  Not for heavier bullets.
RL15 is good for heavier as suggested....bullets in 223.  
Neither powder would by my choice for bulk loading so to speak....

TAC would be a great option for mid to heavier wt bullets in 223.