looking for a good 223 load w/ Benchmark powder. 24" 1-13 twist AR15.

I tried it with 55 grain Sierra BlitzKing. Accuracy was not good and extreme spreads over 100 fps. Tried N133 with Rem. 7 1/2 BR primers. Problem solved. Shoots sub .5 MOA accuracy and extreme spreads in the low 20 pfs range. Velocity at 3240 fps. out of a 24" barrel. I have killed starlings at over 300 yards with this load. It works just as well with 50 gr. BlitzKings @ 3360 fps. My rilfe is a bolt gun with a Douglas 1 in 9 twist. I don't know if N133 will work the same way from an AR 15, but my bolt gun loves it.

Shoot Safe, Shoot Straight.......RiverRat

[ 04-20-2003, 19:12: Message edited by: RiverRat ]

Benchmark is excellent in the .223. Just take the load off the front of the can, reduce it 10%, and work up from there. ...ol blue

Hey carverelli It seems that each firearm has it's own preferences as to what it shoots the best. My 223Rem used to shoot it's best groups with H4895 or H322. Forthe highest Velocity and only slightly reduced accuracy, either WW-748 or BL-C2 did the best.

Finally got around to "Developing Loads" with Benchmark and it is the current accuracy champ in "my" rifle.

But, I completely agree with ol blue, "Just take the load off the front of the can, reduce it 10%, and work up from there." Then STOP when the Pressure Indicators tell you to.

NEVER just take a "recommended Load" and start using it in your firearm without first working up to it. Good luck to you.

tried blc-2 yesterday. With 28 grains velocity was disapponting-just 3175 fps. No pressure signs so I'll increase to 28.5 then 29. Accuracy was promising- a decent 1" cluster. Sometimes the groups don't come together until pressure rises near max.
I'll try some H4895- I really like the idea of finding a load that is tempreature insensitive so I can shoot p-dogs in the summer and coyotes in the winter when temp dip down below freezing. Isn't that what the "extreme powders" are all about?
Benchmark powder was also working well w/ 50 gr speer tnt. 26.5 gr groups were around 3/4 where the 27 gr groups went into 1". Velocity spread between the two groups was 150fps. so maybe a small rise in charge say .2 gr above and below 26.5 will be my next testing. I haven't tried H322 yet. Found out today it was a "extreme powder" fro mHodgon

Benchmark will work in .223 with everything from 40 grain bullets to 80 grain bullets, but I didn't find it the powder of choice in any bullet weight.