Which Powder for Heavy .223 Mini-14

[RogerDat]

So which of these powders would you pick for .223 Remington in a Ruger Mini-14 1996 1:7 twist using a heavy bullet?
Want to start with jacketed 75 gr. and eventually get an NOE mold in the 60 - 70 gr. range.

If you have a known good load with the powder you vote for by all means post it. If it is within published safe load range I may well give it a try.

Rifle range is harder for me to get to so the better I choose my test loads based on your input the sooner I'll have something I can use to load up a batch.

I have the powders listed available and if one is especially good for this I can pick up more when I get a chance.

Thanks for your input.

[Larry Gibson]

Varget is the proven powder for those jacketed bullets in the .223.

Larry Gibson

[bangerjim]

X-Terminator.............formulated and made exclusively for 223 loads! I love it. Not 30's . Not other stuff. Just 223's.

[RogerDat]

Varget is the proven powder for those jacketed bullets in the .223.

Larry Gibson

Would 4064 be an equivalent to Varget? Any idea how well the loads will cross over to same weight in cast and PC'd ?

[runfiverun]

not H-110 the others would get the bullet down the barrel.

[nagantguy]

Varget, first last and only answer. In mini and any other flavor of .223, may not be the speed demon of the pack but accurate consistent and can be downloaded a bit. As you are close I'd let ya get some Varget from me, pay it back when ya find some.

[Reverend Recoil]

Reloader 15 & Win 748

[Blanket]

Varget but with a Mini it won't matter

[Greg S]

Varget is good, great velocity/accuracy potntial but kinda frustrating in the metering department. Also have had good results with 8208 (just watch the lot changes) and H322 in AR15s and bolt guns with 75-80s. I would recommend Wolf SRM (5.56) primers as they seem to have lower ES and harder cups.

[RogerDat]

X-Terminator.............formulated and made exclusively for 223 loads! I love it. Not 30's . Not other stuff. Just 223's.

Some reading indicates that X-T is A2230 which is listed by ADI as equivalent to BLC(2). Lot of hops around the internet there but I bought the BLC(2) because it was supposed to be designed for .223 and similar auto loaders.

[RogerDat]

nagantguy that is a very nice offer. Appreciate it. Might be lucky and find some at the gun show. Saw some Varget there last month, did not pick it up because I had a pound of 4064 I had not actually tried yet to know if it worked or didn't work so thought it was premature to buy another flavor. I should know can't have too many flavors... as long as you have enough primers that is.

[nagantguy]

If you can't find any, it's been rare the past few years, offer still stands. I'm accurizing a mini right now my self, refinished the stock, polished everything, cut a new crown just needs to be pcd and cooked.

[Larry Gibson]

Would 4064 be an equivalent to Varget? Any idea how well the loads will cross over to same weight in cast and PC'd ?

Major problem with 4064 in the .223 case is getting those long kernels to throw uniform charges and go through the neck smoothly with out "damming". Using 4064 usually does neither in the smaller caliber, especially on a progressive press. Varget will also give much better load density than 4064. My bolt action match load under 60 gr HPs and 62/64 SPs for hunting is 26 Varget. Under the 69 and 75 gr MKs I use 25.5 gr Varget. Those are top end loads and are still under the PMAP for the 5.56 NATO cartridge and definitely should be worked up to, especially in gas guns.

Weight for weight in the .308W Varget is a tudge slower burning than 4064 under 168 and 175 MKs. With the 175 MK in W-W cases 42.5 gr i4064 is about max. With Varget 45 gr is about max and with more fps. I have measured the psi's of both in a M70 Target with an Oehler m43.

Larry Gibson

[bruce drake]

If you do some searching on the forum here on recent heavy bullet 223 Rem loads you'll find that MiHec did two runs of molds for 69 and 75gr bullets. I'm at my office so the exact load data isn't at the top of my head but I got good results using IMR4831 in a 1-7" WOA barreled AR15 in my 69gr mold.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...gr-but-oh-well!

[Motor]

I use RL-15 with 65&69 grain jacketed bullets. It's an excellent powder. I don't know how it would work with cast loads though. I haven't ventured into cast with the .223 yet.

Motor

[GabbyM]

I've replaced H-Varget and RL-15 with Alliant AR-Comp. At first because it's what I could get. Now I like it.

[pacomdiver]

gabby, what load recipe you running? I have ar comp for my ar10s and 700 308's but never tried any in my 15's or 700 223's

[GabbyM]

gabby, what load recipe you running? I have ar comp for my ar10s and 700 308's but never tried any in my 15's or 700 223's

Run the loads off the Alliant web page downloaded book. I stick with SAMI pressure level loads for 223 in the AR’s. With 55 grain bullets the charge just does fit without compression. I have a three or four inch drop tube on my measure. Also been loading Sierra 69 and 65 grain bullets with AR-Comp. Using CCI-450 primers.
For my carbine and fifty grain bullets. I use AA LT-32. Still have a couple pounds of H-Benchmark and if I ever get around to it. I’ll see which powder pushes Sierra 53gr MK’s best. I’ve an AR and bolt rifle with 1:12” twist barrels then two 9” twist AR’s and an 8” twist. SAMI chambers NATO chambers and one Wylde chamber. Make attempt to keep brass separated in labeled coffee cans. It can be a mess so saying I’ve found the perfect load is fuzzy. Had great accuracy for years with H-Varget in the bolt gun but never got the velocity published. RL-15 showed very high 95 E.S. from the single pound can I had. That isn’t common as it’s popular for HP Match but it did not work for me with light bullets and Fed primers. Maybe needs a hotter primers as the Federal is the lightest heat of the bunch. Varget was also dirty as was H-335. I like TAC better than H-335 and AR-Comp better than Varget or RL-15. I like the temperature sensitivity coatings on the stick powders. RL-15 does not have this while AR-Comp does. Both from Alliant. Reloader 15 is also pretty slow for an AR. I was trying to shoot it in a 26 inch barrel bolt gun.
I’ve not tried any of the new Alliant ball powders. They are said to burn cool and leave a powdery non build up type fouling as opposed to hard carbon. All an asset to longer barrel life. You can glean a little more velocity with many loads than from the stick powders. Power Pro-2000 shows good numbers fro the 69 grain bullets.

[Good Cheer]

BLC(2) works but golly it's got a carbon footprint!

Currently in search of the lost chord with 760 and CCI450's.

[CHeatermk3]

What, no AA2230?