Just got one and wondered what loads and bullets work best? Thought I'd start out with IMR4198 with 50 Vmax since it has a short barrel. Any suggestions of comments? H.H.

I would go with something a little slower , I think you will find little differnce in muzzle blast and better speed and less critical loading with the mainstay range of .223 powders like WW748 , BL-C2 , H335 , H4895 , etc.

In additon , the IMR4198 is quite coarse grained and doesn't meter all that great. I like H322 in that respect , it is really fine grained and runs thru a measure like water. H4895 works great in my 22 inch .223 , but it is a bit bulky for the case and my loads are compressed .

H-H,

My powder of choice is BallC-2, I have a post'64,Model 70 carbine,20"bbl that keeps 50 & 55gr. WW and Rem bullets in .75 +/- all day long.
Good luck to ya.

Ol' John

I shoot a Ruger Varmiter in 223 and shoot one hole groups with the following load.
Bullet: Nosler 50 grain Ballistic Tip
Powder: W-748
Load: 27.7 grains
Primer: Fed 205 Match
Hope this helps you out in some way.

I had my best luck with W748 and H335 with bullets of 55gr and under. The gun has a really long-throated, military-type 5.56 chamber. So, the charges I used were really stiff, but the bullets were seated way out too. Where a M193 would give me almost 3,200fps, I was afraid to go over about 3,100fps, so heavy were the charges. Pressure signs were OK though.

4198 will work fine with 50 grain bullets. You can get more velocity from a slightly slower powder, but if your goal is to avoid muzzle blast in the short barrel, you're on the right track. Be aware that 4198 will likely give you a wider shot-to-shot velocity spread, and like another poster said, it doesn't meter espcecially smoothely. In spite of that, 4198 usually groups well enough for me. My all-around favorite among the stick powders is 4895. In a ball, H-335 does well for me.

Is your Mini Mauser one of the originals or is it the new one imported by Charles Daly?

Stonecreek,
Its an Interarms, bought it used. Not sure if thats the old one or new. Its a nice little gun. H.H.

I have a CZ 527 American model, and I use H-335 or W-748 almost exclusively with 40 gr Ballistic Tips or V-Maxs (they shoot the same in my guns) and 50 gr Speer TNTs or Ballistic Tips.

My .223 just loves 23.3 gr's of IMR4198 under a 40 vmax bullet. I use Federal GM 205M primers. Load is 3600 FPS and shoots .3 groups in my remington 700 PSS. Rich