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Posted: 12/23/2012 8:59:54 PM EDT
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I am limited to the following powders only. Any help on which might do better with a 16" 1:9 twist AR 5.56/223. I will use 68-75 HPBT and also 55-60 gr bullets. This gun is not for competition but want to maximize the potential accuracy. I had been using H335/TAC but looks like it will be hard to get for a while
RE 7 RE 10x CFE223 H322 IMR 4064 IMR 4320 IMR 4198 Thanks |
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I would go with CFE223, it will likely do best with the heavy 223 bullets and I hear it's very good for accuracy loads.
I personally like Alliant PowerPro Varmint, it's a medium rifle powder, a little faster than CFE223 but not as fast as you would think for a Varmint powder. EWP |
| I tried 4064 in my quest for a mk262 clone along with a few other powders that is off you list because I wanted to use one powder for .308 an .223 match. 4064 gave the best accuracy but I didn't get te speed I wanted and I order to seat the bullet I had to put my finger over the case and tap the rim of the head on my bench a few times to get the powder to settle. Great powder for accuracy with heavy bullets but a pain to work with in .223... |
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well no luck. Sold out of all the ones mentioned above but I do know where some H322 is H322 is a poor choice for bullets heavier than about 55 grains. The case fill is very poor even with those bullets. H322 falls squarely into the category of last choice, but it's barely better than nothing. What is your location? Someone might know of a supply reasonably near by. |
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Hodgon lists these gunpowders with load data for bullets from 55 to 90 grains weight:
CFE 223 Varget IMR 4320 IMR 4064 748 BL-C(2) IMR 4895 H335 H4895 IMR 8208 XBR IMR 3031 Benchmark H322 H4198 IMR 4198 H414 760 What you have to do is get all your load data together to make a list of the gunpowders from Alliant, Accurate, Ramshot, and so on. Accurate has a long list of applicable gunpowders and the data is on line, as well as the Hodgon and Alliant data. If you could find Reloder 15 somewhere, you'll be in very good shape. Also, I think the gunpowders from Accurate are too often overlooked. You might be stuck with H322 for a while; could be worse, could be better. I wouldn't stock up unless I was shooting a lot of 40 to 50 grain bullets. |
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Do not make the mistake of having several different brands of powder...they will gather dust. I would buy one 8 lb canister of cfe223. This will load about 2153 rounds of 223 ammo (figured @ 26 grains per round). You will also need two thousand primers of same lot. The cfe223 will probably be hard to find. My second choice would be Winchester 748. Third choice H335 ... |
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I will do some more looking to see what I can find. I had developed 25 gr H335 with 55gr FMJ as my plinking load but am almost out. Not doing any competition shooting with this rifle just for fun shooting with the wife on the weekends.
I will not buy the H322 I will wait until I can get something better suited I mainly shoot 55 gr only and have 68 BTHP for defense loads so I am looking for best powder for 55-60gr bullets for the AR Thanks for help guys |
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I was unaware of CFE322. So the claim is, it somehow reduces copper fouling?
Does this actually work? Sounds a bit like gasoline companies that claim their product "cleans" your engine. But it could be as simple as *not* having crap in it that will cause buildup, vs. other stuff. |
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I was unaware of CFE322. So the claim is, it somehow reduces copper fouling? Does this actually work? Sounds a bit like gasoline companies that claim their product "cleans" your engine. But it could be as simple as *not* having crap in it that will cause buildup, vs. other stuff. I picked up a 1lb of this solely because of how well it meters. I am not sure if it is cleaner though. It is also cheaper than other rifle powders. |
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I was unaware of CFE322. So the claim is, it somehow reduces copper fouling? Does this actually work? Sounds a bit like gasoline companies that claim their product "cleans" your engine. But it could be as simple as *not* having crap in it that will cause buildup, vs. other stuff. It uses a chemical reaction to capture the copper before it deposits in the bore. You might be able to find a thread here that explains the mechanism, but it might have passed into the archive. If not, check Accurateshooter.com, there might be an article. |
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Quoted: I was unaware of CFE322. So the claim is, it somehow reduces copper fouling? Does this actually work? Sounds a bit like gasoline companies that claim their product "cleans" your engine. But it could be as simple as *not* having crap in it that will cause buildup, vs. other stuff. Buy the 2013 Hodgden Reloading manual (magazine version). Lots of good info about the CFE223. You can buy this magazine at Barns and Nobel or any good magazine stand. CFE is one of a series of new powders (MILITARY SURPLUS?) made by ST. Marks Powder in Florida. The exact way CFE limits copper deposition is, of course, a closely guarded trade secret. CFE burning rate falls right between Winchester 748 and BL-C (2) ... |
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I would choose IMR 4320 or BL-C(2). There is no H4320; Hodgon is also the distributor of IMR and Winchester gunpowders, so if you talked to someone on the phone they may have misspoke.
http://www.imrpowder.com/rifle.html http://www.hodgdon.com/rifle.html http://www.wwpowder.com/rifle.html |
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I like BL-C(2). Some of my most accurate .223 Rem loads, I've made using BL-C(2).
I seem to recall that it is a little more dense than some powders, so I had plenty of room to seat even a heavier bullet. Also BL-C(2) was a good powder for 7.62x39, which is the cartridge I originally bought the powder for. |
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I like BL-C(2). Some of my most accurate .223 Rem loads, I've made using BL-C(2). I seem to recall that it is a little more dense than some powders, so I had plenty of room to seat even a heavier bullet. Also BL-C(2) was a good powder for 7.62x39, which is the cartridge I originally bought the powder for. BL-C(2) was a staple in .223 Rem ammunition for decades. Somewhere along the way it gained a reputation for sensitivity to high environmental temperatures and there were plenty of other choices that worked as well or better, so it fell by the wayside. It's still the go to gunpowder for some folks. We had a member here several years ago that came into a big stash of BL-C gunpowder. I have load data in one of my old manuals, so he was set for a while. |
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Just saw that Midway had a 8lb thing of Ramshot Tac... Think I am going to pick it up, it will be fine for 55gr FMJs and 62gr TTSX correct? Yep. It's all I use now for 55 grain plinking loads. Thanks, Brownells had some h335 and BL-C2, so I may get some of each and play around with them. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Just saw that Midway had a 8lb thing of Ramshot Tac... Think I am going to pick it up, it will be fine for 55gr FMJs and 62gr TTSX correct? Yep. It's all I use now for 55 grain plinking loads. Thanks, Brownells had some h335 and BL-C2, so I may get some of each and play around with them. If they have any CFE 223, give that a try. Another very accurate ball powder for 223 and 308. I used BL-C2 for years in 223, just found other powders I like better, like CFE 223 and IMR-8208 XBR. |
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