Favorite ball powder for 223?

[rbstern]

My nephew is embarking on a career in law enforcement. Very happy for him. I think he will be excellent at it.

He was raised in a very pro gun-control part of the U.S., and has very little gun handling and shooting experience. I am working to rectify that as quickly as possible. Only downside is, when he visits, he's burning up a large amount of ammo. I can replenish the 9mm cast lead stuff we're shooting quickly and easily, but for AR15 practice, we've been using factory ammo because I typically only load 223 for hunting applications, using hand-weighed charges of IMR 4895. Way too slow for building a practice stash.

Want to start moving my 223 to full auto-index Lee Classic turret. I've got the rifle charge die and riser for the Lee Pro Auto Disk, but I don't have any suitable ball powders for 223 to use with the Auto Disk.

Looking for recommendations for economical, decent performance ball powder for 223 that will meter well on the press.

[NC_JEFF]

H335 or BLC2 are both good powders for 223 and they meter well

[marvelshooter]

Accurate AA2230

[Centaur 1]

CFE223, BL-C(2), and H335 are ball powders that work great in the .223. Reloader 7 and H322 are short kernel extruded powders that also meter really well

[AggieEE]

AA2520 also works well with heavier bullets. IIRC Accurate designed 2230 for the 223/5.56 with 55 gr bullets. I've got some just haven't had time to load any.

[rbstern]

Thanks, all. I'll see what the local fun store has from among the powders suggested.

[swheeler]

Winchester 748, plus what's mentioned above all work well

[tazman]

I use BLC-2 in my 223 rifles. Excellent accuracy.

[06ackley]

Tac and x-terminator work well for me

[dg31872]

H335 works well in the 223 and is also good in the 308.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

CFE 223 has been working well for me meter's well

[Budzilla 19]

+1 on AA 2230! It loads well, meters great. Shoots fantastic and sometimes is even priced at a bargain! All of the above listed powders will work well, in my humble opinion. Your choice. Good luck whatever you choose.

[jonp]

AR Comp meters well for me. AA2230 is great as is Varget

[PoisonIvyMagnet]

H-322, H-335, and the CFE223 are all pretty great.

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[Hick]

CFE-233-- in my CZ 527, with open sights, I've been able to squeeze out a few 1/2 MOA groups at 100 yards (open sights). There's no question in my mind that the rifle loves that powder.

[jaydub in wi]

I have had excellent results with Ramshot Tac.

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[Mossy Oak]

AA 2230, is a good one I also use AA 2200, a surplus powder.

[runfiverun]

AA-2230 here too.
as a bonus I use the same charge under the 55gr hornady's and in my 30-30 with cast boolits.
H-322 meters pretty well in the Dillon also.

[Texas by God]

H335, CFE223, and Benchmark are my favorites.

[retread]

TAC meters incredibly well. I use it when loading jacketed. Just loaded some for cast but have not tested it yet.

[JMax]

Sub minute groups CFE223 loaded on a Dillon 550 with both 55 and 62 grain bullets in both an AR and bolt

[shredder]

748 for me. I am surprised this one is not getting more votes here.

[avogunner]

748 for me too...

[Pumpkinheaver]

H-335 is number one in my book, I have used CFE 223 in the past when I couldn't get H-335 but accuracy was not as good.

[rockrat]

Accurate 2015br works well too.

[40sand9s]

h335 for me, with the auto disk it was making it rain all over the place but with the lee auto drum I am doing pretty well. I've burnt about 20 lbs and have another 20lbs to go. Im hoping it stays around at a decent price because I don't want to change. 25 grains for a 55 is what I use and is ok. I blast not benchmark though so ymmv

[leadman]

I use Tac and 748. Both get me less than 1" groups with jacketed at 100 yards out of my left hand Stag Arms AR15. Tac was one of the first powders to have a decoppering agent in it.

[acoop101]

I like TAC for heavies and xterminator for 55 grain and below.

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[gnoahhh]

TAC and CFE-223 for me.

[Blackwater]

My own favorite load for ball powder in .223 is WW-748. Long ago, I did a fairly extensive series of tests in a very accurate HB bolt gun, and found the "sweet spot" in my gun, with commercial cases (NOT MILITARY CASES which have less capacity due to heavier case walls) was 26.8 gr. with 52-55 gr. bullets. Again, that's in MY gun with MY cases and either CCI SR or WSR primers, and the bullet seated out a bit.

Seat the bullets to AR magazine levels and that charge will have to be reduced a bit, but it's still pretty accurate. I got 3/8" groups at 100 with that bolt gun with this load. I've used it in several Mini-14's and AR's since then with no problem, but I don't find any data that high now, so .... I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS LOAD unless the bullet is seated out to longer than std. OAL, which increases powder space. I did shoot it in about a dozen or more different Mini-14's and AR's, though, with no signs of a problem, but .... you never really know, so still can't recommend it. I've since changed to loads more within published standards, but that load still stands out in my mind. Those were the sub 1/2 Min. groups I'd ever fired, so you can understand my attachment to it, even if it's now beyond what's recommended in the manuals.

[tstowater]

We've had pretty good luck with H335 and BLC (yes, BLC as we seem to have a supply of that). Have a good supply of the CFE223 but haven't got a chance to load it. I think all the powders that have been referenced will do a good job. Just need to find a good supply of something and find a load that works.

[BCB]

Yep, H-335 is what I started with dozens of years ago when I started loading for a 223 Remington using a T/C Contender Super 14” and also a Super 16”…

I have shoot 2½ eight-pound kegs of the H-335 and some years back I was lucky to get some WC-844. Another good one in the H-335 burning range…

H-335 has been good for me. I’ve also used it in the 30-30 Winchester and the 7-30 Waters…

Good-luck…BCB

[marlin39a]

I just bought 8 lbs of CFE-223. Great stuff.

[twc1964]

I like 748 and use it a fair amount but have switched over to imr 8208xbr for a lot of my 223 fodder. It's not a ball but Meyers really smooth in my redding.

[NuJudge]

What powder for .223 depends upon what bullet weight you are using, and whether you are going to have hot weather. If it is cool to cold, I like 52 and 55gr bullets with 748: it will shoot little knots. W748 has a problem with pressure spikes in hot weather, and it will make a significant difference in Point of Impact. AA2230 will also shoot well with those bullet weights, and I have not noticed a problem with hot weather pressure spikes.

For hot weather use, I like RL15. Many High Power shooters like Varget in all weathers, including hot weather, and they mostly shoot heavier bullets. Reloader 15 and Varget are not Ball/Spherical/Globular, but they are not obnoxious to measure, particularly Varget. Varget is meant to have almost the exact burning rate of 4064, but with short cut grains, and made to resist high ambient temperature pressure spikes.

[deac777]

I use mostly Accurate 2230. Years ago I tried Win-748 but was never able to develop an accurate load for my mini-14.

[sfcairborne]

748 and Varget both of them are my go too powders

[lightman]

Another BL-C2 user here. I've used 322, 335, Benchmark and 748 with good results. There are many more.

[dg31872]

For close to 30 years, I have used H335 in the full power 223. I do not plan to change.

[liliysdad]

I have become pretty partial to Benchmark for <60gr .223 loads...meters very, very well, and yield good, consistent speeds.

[warboar_21]

For my dillon I either use BL(C)-2 or CFE-223. TAC is another one I like but it's hard to find here. H-335 is another one that was good in both my 223 and 204 Ruger but it also became scarce.

With CFE-223 you need to use 55gr and heavier bullets. It's usually not a problem for blasting ammo since surplus 55gr and 62gr fmj bullets are cheap.

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[robg]

Tac/blc2/ reloader 15 and exterminator work well in .223 and 308.

[Fernando]

Wc844