Do I want 55g bullets with or without cannelure for plinking and maybe for varmints

Do you like, blondes or brunettes?

Aloha, Mark

it doesnt really matter for plinking

burnettes with cannelure.

if your goal is plinking, buy the cheapest you can find.  Right now those Federal 55 gr FMJ's on EE are a good deal

If your goal is accuracy buy a small 100 rd box of as many types as possible and experiment

Quoted: Do I want 55g bullets with or without cannelure for plinking and maybe for varmints

Lots of opinions on this subject. Either will work fine.

If you seat a 55gr bullet to mid cannelure, it will have the correct OAL to function in any AR.

The cannelure will then help hold a crimp a little better.

Crimping 223 loads, another subject with a lot of opinions.

Crimping is not required if the neck tension is correct.

If neck tension is not correct, crimping will not correct the problem.

With a non cannelured bullet, you would load to the same OAL, and generally not crimp.

So with all that confusing info, I think the best method is the one that works for you.

Try both, plain and cannelured bullets, each type crimped and not crimped.

Having done all that, my method is, 55 gr FMJBT's with cannelure I crimp with a Lee FCD.

Target loads using match bullets, (non cannelured bullets) no crimp.

Hope that helps.