I am new to reloading and have only processed brass.

I am ready to purchase powder and primers and stumbled on this Shooters World Tactical 8lb jug for $120. I am reloading .223 and was going to start with H335.

Is it a good idea to start with a certain powder or should fo the tactical for $120?

Thanks

I would buy differant 1 pound jugs.

I only reload my 330 rum, 300 wm, 338 LM due to cost but it should be the same

get a good digital scale (i weight everything and make sure all are perfect as can be)

AOL gauge

chrono if you can afford it

good brass (i use lapua because I can reload that about 5 times unlike other brass)

good match bullets (sierra is my fav) but that might not matter in a 223 or 556

however, to work a load up you will want to load a few dozen rounds with differant combos (bullet type, bullet weight, primer?, power and so on)

when you find the one that works then buy bulk

I also play around with how far to load off the lands. some rounds like it right on them ( my RUM and lapua likes this) and some just slightly off the lands.

hope that helps but others will be along to help more.

reloading helps be deal with stress of life so i reload one at a time and im a perfectionist when it comes to it as the concentration helps me deal with pressure and PTSD. reloading is the only thing I found that really helps clean my mind

H335 works well for me in my carbine,  but so did a couple others.  As suggested I would try a couple different powders and see what works for you,  your reloading setup (powder charging method) and your rifle. If you are weighing, dispensing each charge and filling the case by hand, no worries. If on the other hand you are using a press dispenser or bench drop (which are more by volume) then certain powders flow better than others in those.

also take into consideration total actual cost. ie. that $120lb keg sounds like a bargain now but by the time you tack on shipping and hazmat you'll be into it another $30-50. worst yet you may not like it and then you have a surplus of mediocre powder on hand.

I agree with others to buy a few 1lb containers locally and find what you like then when you ready to stock up put in your large order or even better if you can find a few other like minded people to buy with you, you could save a lot splitting the hazmat/shipping costs. I have a local network that about once a year we put in a big order to PVI. usually theres 3-5 of us and it really helps cut that cost down spreading it over more people. The only downside for us is when certain powders/primers aren't in stock we have to continually monitor until everything we want for everyone is in at once then order. this can take 4-6 weeks at times.

Thank you. I have nothing locally. The one shop that has Powder is high power rifle and shot gun powder. No small rifle primers either.

With a code ar Brownells NCS I was just under $168 for the 8 pounds and 1000 #41 CCI primers.

I am only reloading plinking stuff for now.

I think I will try H335 and RamTac...any other suggestions?

Unless you're in a big hurry, lurk around all the vendor sites and get on their email lists, sometimes you get good deals.  Like powder valley last week, TAC 8# = $127 with free hazmat with a $250 order.  Two jugs of that and I was good with the order, they also let you add any other hazmat material to the order.

New to reloading and wants to buy a basically unknown powder?

Buy some Ramshot TAC, instead.  Here it is for $160/8 pounds.

Link to TAC at MidSouth

This powder meters well during reloading and works well in all the rifles I've ever tried it in.  It is reasonably popular for 223.  As a new reloader, this fact will help you, as there is a wealth of knowledge specific to this powder available.

Shanz's Supply in Otsego, MI is a great source for powder and primers.

They stock a wide variety of brands, both 1 and 8 pound canisters.

I have never used Shooter World powders so can't offer any advice regarding their products.

How many calibers do you intend to load for. I prefer powders that give excellent accuracy and can be used in .223 - .308.

Varget
RE-15
VihtaVuori N140
IMR-8208-XBR
H4895

If you are just loading blasting ammo (55 grain fmj's) then 24.5 grains of H335 will work fine.

If you're going to experiment with match bullets pick one of the powders I posted above and buy one pound to get started.

On Target in Kalamazoo has powder and primers and so do most of the gun shops if you look around.

Wisen your shopping circle, or start calling until you find a stocking dealer.

If you are able, get with a mentor till you have a few cycles of 20 rounds of reloads under your belt before you try to do any large scale bulk reloading.

Give yourself time to learn the basics of brass sizing by just using a small batch of 20 rounds for several reload cycles with an experienced mentor before you go mass produce loads you might be unhappy with later on.

That H335 or the new CFE stuff is all a decent starting point and the granules are user friendly compared to what we call Stick Powder.

You can take on the challenges of consistency in charge weights using stick powder after you get your sizing technique dialed in.

Reloading and load development is a multi parameter learning process.

Try to avoid being in a position where you get confounded by multiple variable parameters until your technique and experience can spot processing problems versus load performance differences.

If you try to take on too much at the first sitting, you won’t know if the load recipe is just no good or if there is a problem with your loading process. Getting the lowest cost per round will come soon enough. You can buy bulk once your confidence goes up.

Good Luck and we would love to hear how your first batch goes at the range.

Jackson or kzoo is the closest. I have been visiting and calling everywhere.

Uh yeah newbie and that is why I asked here. I am smart enough to know that I don't know what I don't know.

One (1) pound of H335 will allow you to load 260 to 285 rounds of .223.

Every pound contains 7000 grains of powder. It's easy to divide your charge weight into 7000 to do the math.

Also, can you give us an idea of the bbl twist and bullet weight you plan to start with?

Some ball powders are better at different tasks. For example is your first interest 55 grain plinking ammo, or 77 grain match target ammo?

Powders like H335 or CFE223 are good at ball ammo plinking loads.

If you are using an accurate bolt gun with a 7 twist, then we should consider heavier bullets like the SMK 80 with stick powder like RE15.

Will these be magazine length loads for an AR?

Thank You. I have one guy that leads 2 calibers .223 and 9mm. He's been doing it about 2 years. All I got. I am going to join a shooting club that has a monthly reloading gathering.

I have processed wolf gold to start,  because I have a lot of it. I tumble 110 round at a time, inspect, size and decap in my rock chucker, trim to length on hornady cam lock, run each one through a case headspace/length gauge and the tumble to clean primer pockets.

Trimming sucks. My case length after trimming is +/- .02... that annoys the crap out of me. Still trying to perfect the trimmer.

I try to get 100 good cases at the end of each run.

I want to get comfortable one process at a time.

Chris

What kind of trimming tool are you using?

Does it index off the shoulder, the case web, or the total length?

I’m not familiar with how a Hornady Cam Lock trimmer works.

(I’m at 34k feet and the WiFi sucks... but I was able to see that trimmer. Looks like a total length rig.)

That should really be much better than 0.020” and I would say about a magnitude better to be honest, so more like 0.002”

Show your friend how you are trimming, I’m guessing it will debug fast and you will work it out.

I second the recommendations of buying some powder by the pound first but I wouldn't write off Shooter's World (Lovex) powders either.

I've been looking for a pound of Tactical Rifle myself. Been doing some reading up on SW powders and the word is they are of excellent quality. Some folks try to portray this brand as something manufactured in some back alley in Bangladesh. Hardly. They're manufactured in a modern facility in the Czech Republic. Shooters World also supplies downloadable load data as well.

Thanks for the replies I understand 7,000 grains to the pound

These will be magazine length for plinking. Once a feel good about those I will move on to target/varmint loads.

I am looking at 55 gr Hornady FMJBT and SPBT.

Currently 4 barrel types.

16" DD Middy 1:7
12" Larue Stealth 1:8
16" Faxon middy Socom 1:8 (wifes)
16" PSA middy stainless 1:7 (daughters)

I will test the cases in a rifle tonight. I am using the RCBS AR small base dies. And the RCBS swagging die.

If you buy any powder by the pound, it should the less well known Shooter's World powder.

TAC will get you up and running in no time flat.  That is to say, the load development cycle will be very short because it is so well known.  Then, the 8 pounds of TAC will last long enough to make the load development testing worthwhile.  If you are still happy with it, you can buy more TAC.

That approach gets you going fast and safely.

If you want to try to save a few bucks, buy a pound of Shooter's World powder and experiment.  Experimenting is fun.  In the mean time, you are up and running with TAC.
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None of what I am posting should be interpreted as saying there's anything at all wrong with the Shooter's World powder.  It is my belief it just isn't the appropriate starting point for a newbie.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy an 8lber of SW Tactical. I've used their other powders and like them. I have a jug of Tactical on hand but I haven't gotten around to using it yet.