I have a .223 that loves the Winchester USA 45 gr. varmint loads. Anyone have a recipe that closely duplicates this?

Thanks

I disassembled one... it had 27 grains of powder in it that looks like W 748....I am not sure who makes that bullet as I wanted to duplicate it myself....

But 27 grains of W 748 and a 45 grain bullet will give you a very good varmint load... and should be very close....a chronograph would tell you any velocity discrepancies...

One can not tell the type of powder by just looking at it.. but the way Winchester uses W 748, and W 760, I am use it is not 760.....that is too slow for that case and bullet weight...

I also disassembled some Remington ammo in the same configuration....it had 27 grains also with a 45 grain bullet...but I am sure Remington is not using a Winchester powder....but it looks the same... my guess is the closest commerical powder closest to duplicating that load would be with H 335....

Both are both accurate and consistent in my 223s....

hope that helps ya ought.. but remember, this is just a guess on our part.. but if the chronograph verifies the velocities.... you should be close enough for 'government work'.....

good luck and cheers
seafire

I was thinking about duplicating this a while back, trouble is I can't find the 45gr JHP bullet they use. If anyone had a link I would love it. I wouldn't mind shooting them in my 22-250. Thoes bullets did wonders on Raccoons.

Yeah, I can't locate that bullet either. Likely will try Seafire's powder suggestion with a V-max, Ballistic tip, etc.

Guys, poking around on Midway's website, they show a jacketed hollow point--45 gr from Remington--pretty cheap too.

Good Luck --Don

Thanks for the heads-up; missed that one!

Seafire,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but just because Olin makes 748 and 760 cannister powders to sell over the counter to handloaders like us doesn't mean they load them in their own factory loads. Matter of fact, to the contrary; most factory loads are non-canister unavailable to us. They use blends which give appropriate chamber pressures.

Also one AR member TNEKKCC claims this:

"I can idenify (sic) powder by the look, smell, and density. Likewise the condition."

I wish he lived in southern Oregon so he could sort out this matter.

dave,

you are correct.....I assume...

All I am doing is disassembling a load and seeing how much powder they have in a load, and then seeing what it looks like.... with that info I can sort of guess at what they might be using...

In this case it is flake powder like 748, and I noted the powder charge....

After that I would chronograph a couple of factory bullets and then chronograph a couple of loads that I suspect would be close....

Since the powder looks like 748, I would try that, and also H 335 since its burn rate is in the neighborhood....also some BLC2.... each with the 27 grains that the factory case had... then chronographing them would tell me POTENTIALLY what comes close....

I may not be an exact science but it can get me close enough for government work....

And look on the bright side... You can do that yourself right there in PA without having to move 3000 miles away!


As far as the guys who suggested Midway had some Remington bullets listed....I checked out the pictures and they are not as pointed as the onces used in Remingtons and Winchesters 45 grain low cost walmart loads...

I have a ton of winchester 46 grain HPs and they are not the same bullet, more round nosed and hollow pointed... but I would recommend trying some out.. they are very accurate and very explosive on ground squirrels and prairie dogs...

a 40 grain sierra HP would also be a good choice.. and in fact is what I am substituting for the load and have had the same accuracy that the 45 grain load gave me....

There is a lot of good 40 and 45 grain bullets that could be substituted for this bullet with those loads.... I have also tested and highly recommend the same powder charges with 748 or H 335 and the 50 grain Speer TNT!

YOu won't find any dangerous pressures at all...
at least I haven't in rifles from Ruger, Remington, Savage and Winchester!!!

Good luck
cheers
seafire