powder for .223 on progressive press

[jar-wv]

What is good powder for loading .223 on a progressive press? I am starting loading several hundred rounds and have decided it's gonna take forever on the rockchucker and dribbling each round with extruded powder. Anybody using extruded powder in their Dillion? I haven't had very good luck with metering and am thinking I need to go to a ball or flake powder for it to work.

jar

[BD]

I don't reload .223 on the progressive. I'm not making blasting ammo, and I have to drop tube my charges for the accurate loads anyway, so the progressive is out.

I'm loading my .223s on a lyman turret press. I drop my Varget loads using a B&M measure, dump them into the case through a drop tube and then seat and crimp on the turret press. Very accurate, and no need to "trickle up". Certainly not as fast as a progressive, but a lot faster than trickling charges and loading them on the Rock Chucker.

BD

[cheese1566]

Measures generally like ball type powders. I have great luck in using Accurate 2230 and Win 748 and Win 760 in my Hornady measures.

I first used surplus ball powder until I ran out. I then went to Accurate 2230, and now use Win 748 for 223 on my old school Hornady Projector.

:bigsmyl2:

[KYCaster]

Ramshot.....X-Terminator for 55gr. and Tac for heavier bullets.

It meters great and runs through that tiny neck like water.

Jerry

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I don't reload .223 on the progressive. I'm not making blasting ammo, and I have to drop tube my charges for the accurate loads anyway, so the progressive is out.

I'm loading my .223s on a lyman turret press. I drop my Varget loads using a B&M measure, dump them into the case through a drop tube and then seat and crimp on the turret press. Very accurate, and no need to "trickle up". Certainly not as fast as a progressive, but a lot faster than trickling charges and loading them on the Rock Chucker.

BD

I don't know what progressive you own, but I've found my Hornady LnL AP loads rifle rounds that have less runout and are more accurate than my Lyman turret press used to. One of the reasons I got rid of the Lyman. The Hornady was a better loading press and more accurate all around.

Regards,

Dave

[James C. Snodgrass]

Benchmark is my choice in 223 . As far as straight ammo goes I don't care for the Lyman either. James

[August]

Of course, BLC-2, AA2230, AA2460, and WW748 are all good ball powders. 748 has worked very well for me.

[pdawg_shooter]

H335 is the best powder I have found for all 4 of my .223s. Meters well too.

[BCB]

Yep, I agree with pdawg shooter...

H-335 or the near same powder, WC-844...

Good-luck...BCB

[BD]

Dave,

I have a Hornady Pro-Jector progressive, and I've loaded .223 on a Dillon. I'm loading the 77 grain Sierras over too much Varget, and neither of the progressives would do that very well.

The key to runout in the Lyman is to shim the back support of the turret so it cannot tilt on the up-stroke.

As long as my DCM stay's under .5 moa I'm not inclined to mess with the load.

One of my fondest memories shooting off a bench was a bright sunny spring morning at a range in Maine finishing the load work up on the Varget load when I shot a sub half inch 5 shot group off the rest at 100 yards with the NM sights. I couldn't really see the group but a guy on the bench next to me was checking me out through his spotting scope and he started yelling and calling me names on each shot, trying to mess me up. The noise got the attention of everyone on the line, and I got a lot of ribbing about the "once in a lifetime lucky group". So I shot another one. Printed the same, but 1/2" to the right as the sun had gotten up a little. The line was quiet by the last shot. Small victory as nearly all of those guys could beat me off hand, seated and prone :)
That rifle has been fed that same load ever since.

As bad as my eyes are getting I'm thinking I'll flat top it and see if I can really get it to shoot. I've thought about buying a 16" upper just for fooling around and I'd be interested in a good modern ball powder to load for that on a progressive. Right now I'm working on a .450 B, and I'm hoping to load that on a progressive as well. It's more in the H110/296 burn rate range so that may work out.
BD

[billyb]

Been about 20 years since I reloaded the .223. I used 748 in my mini-14. [I]t worked very well for me. I reloaded many thousands of rounds for a local police officer and he wanted to use h110. It meatered very good in my rcbs measure. He liked the load. Bill

[Sprue]

H335 is the best powder I have found for all 4 of my .223s. Meters well too.

Yup +1

[jar-wv]

Looked around the local places today. Only powder mentioned that I was able to find was H335. Took a pound home and discovered I already had a pound of it on the shelf, bought a couple of years ago for 444 Marlin IIRC. Looks like a good place to start. Thanks to all.

jar

[Leadforbrains]

Ramshot.....X-Terminator for 55gr. and Tac for heavier bullets.

It meters great and runs through that tiny neck like water.

Jerry
I second that and I will throw in a vote for H335 as well.

[Lloyd Smale]

i like 335/748 which are the same powder and 2230 and blc2 but there not to be found. I started using ramshot teminator which i bellieve is nothing but 2230 and ramshot tac which i believe is blc2. there both excellent powders. I also used a ton of wc844 and 846 when they could be bought but cant find anymore of that either. Out off all of them id have to chose 2230 as the best if backed up against the wall. 335/748 and blc2 have one advantage in being slightly better for the 308 which i load in quanity too.

[highscore]

AA2460. Meters very well and is well, accurate! I have used for my 600 yard ammo and it shoots great!
Bob

[50calshooter]

Running a Hornady using the old favorite BLC 2 ball power is the only way to go. Dosn't matter what one as long as it's ball. Mine is throwing within 1/10 of a grain every time. Coudn't ask for more. David

[GabbyM]

I seriously do not comprehend several hundred rounds as a big reloading job.

At one time I loaded rifle ammo on a Dillon Progressive. Quit that.
You need to do case prep along the way.
Ramshot TAC is great stuff for metering. Varget with 50 grain bullets filed to the top of the case to up to the bottom of the neck is also great stuff.
In short AR type barrels 55 gr and up I'd go with the TAC powder.

For a rifle only loading set up I'd recommend Wilson hand dies with a cheap Chinese arbor press.
Spend the big money on a good powder measure. You'll spend more time on case prep than the precision work. That or you'll be satisfied with two MOA groups.

If you plan to shoot 5.56mm Nato brass. Get a primer pocket uniformer. Flash hole deburr tool.

For priming get a hand tool.

You seriously do not need a progressive press to load rifle ammo. Unless you think you'll shoot 250 rounds per day for the next twenty years.

I have a Dillon But I load my rifle ammo on hand dies. Drop powder with a very good measure.

H335 is the standard for 5.56 mm high volume relaoding. The new H 4198 is nice. IMR 4198 has given me the best accuracy in an AR for years and the new shorter cut Hogdon is great stuff. For a Bolt gun in 26" mbarrel I like Varget as above with the 50 grain bullet with powder filled to the shoulder. When you've a good measure you can cull cases by viewing powder level after charging. Takes about thirty seconds to view a 50 count block full of charged cases.
Then you know they all have powder to within 1/16" of level.

Only accurate rifles are fun.

[finishman2000]

i just loaded up 1000 with Rel#7 on my dillon 650, no problems.

[sleeper1428]

I use Accurate 2230 with my Dillon 550B for reloading 223 and it meters beautifully.

sleeper1428

[shooterg]

Loaded many thousands .223 on a Dillon 550 with short stick powders(VV135, 140). Checked a lot on the scales. Always as close as my BR-30, maybe not as good as my Harrel measure. Any round that ended up in the wrong ring was me !

[wv109323]

If you want to keep using stick powder, Dillon makes an adapter where any powder measure can be used on their 450/550 presses. It requires two pieces with a price of $35.00. This makes the dropping of powder a manual operation and not machine operated.