I need some "proven" loads for my new 223 and the 50gr vmax. I would like to stick to hodgdon powder since that is what the local stores carry most. The fastest powder I have on hand is h4895. I loaded some up tonight to try tomorrow, but I don't like how compressed the loads are. The max load according to hodgdon manual is 27.5 grains and 26.5 grains nearly completely fills up the case. A suggestion on COL would be nice, the manual has about 2.10 which is way off the lands of my rifle.

After playing with a lot of Hodgdon powders.... and the 223, with a lot of bullet weights, I'd recommend trying Varget, Benchmark, and H 335 before I'd play with H 4895... each of the others have proven to be much more accurate in any 223 I have .... and that is from Ruger, Remington, Winchester and Savage....

Varget use 27.5 grains...
Benchmark 26.5 to 27 grains
H 335 use 26 to 28 grains...

Anyone of those combos should give much tighter groups than H 4895... which isn't a bad 223 powder... its just the above three are all that much better!

cheers
seafire

Seafire,

Does the 27.5gr of Varget nearly overflow the casing? I've read some good things and bad things about varget.

Don't use 50gr proj. but I tried some 50gr Win bulk with 2206 which is very close to H4895
and the most accurate was 25.5gr at 11/16".
The more I went up (to 27gr.) the worse the group got.

but with COL Hodgden's looks like a misprint to me. They have 40g at2.280: 50g at 2.210 and 55g.at 2.200,? (I load my 55g's at 2.260 which fits in the mag easly.
Really I think it's up to you, the magazine, the leade, what sits in the neck OK, re. your COL.

And yes with a FLS'ed case 27. something of varget etc will be full up. You'll have to go to a faster powder, drop tube, vibration, swerl the powder down the funnel, neck size cases, etc. Maybe a ball powder will fit in better.

By the way, Win 45g JHP Varmint in a 40 rounds value pack seem to be very accurate. I pulled one and it was a ball powder, at 27.5gr, so it MAY have been 748?. Anyway the powder fit in easely enough and the projectile would have been a Looong way off my rifleing.

Actually, I was a late convert to Varget... however, it is a full case using Lake City or Wincheseter, and Remington Brass... go a grain less in Federal Brass.....

However, its accuracy is pretty darn good...

I'd recommend Benchmark and H 335 over Varget.. but the difference is awfully awfully close... like really splitting hairs at that point...

With anyone of them, I can hit a popcan sized sage rat at 200 yds, with a scope on 6 power, from a good rest about 90 % of the time......

I don't credit that to me... I credit that accuracy to a good rifle and a good load.....

Hodgdon is normally not my first pick in powders, but the ones that they have that do a good job, do a darn good job.. usually IMR is my first pick.... but I have to give credit, where credit is due...

All 3 of the above powders really perform and have some very consistent results....Anything you have heard bad about Varget wasn't about it and 223s or 22.250s....or else whoever told you was full of sh*t!!!

Good luck...

cheers
seafire

Winchester 748, RP 7 1/2 primer, RP case shoots very well in a Rem 600 and Rem xp100r pistol.
26.7 gr. --about 3000 fps
27.5-------about 3100
28.2-------about 3200 fps in the carbine length Remington 600. The 26.7 grain load is tops in accuracy and is a very mild load using the Horn. 50 grain V-max. Work up from 26.7 watching for pressure signs.

27 gr H335 & a 50 gr. 748 is the same powder as H335 supposidly, but I find it to be just a tad slower, but that could just be lot #'s

26.5-to-27.0 of just about anyone's version of WC-844 powder will work just fine, whether it is the Hodgdon, Winchester cannistered 748, or the various surplus 844s.

All 844s are the same basic spec ball powders, varying by lot. It is a powder designed for the military version of the .223 and does well what it was designed to do: load consistently by volume, burn without excess pressures or temperatures in the NATO case, and produce reliable accuracy.

I just tried BLC2 in my AR ( Oops, Self loading semi-automatic fixed ten round magazine) rifle Saturday because my XP-100 liked it.

26 grains of BLC2 with the 50 grain Vmax put 5 bullets into 1-1.25" groups at 100 yards loaded to magazine depth. I'm going to slowly work up to 26.8 grains to see if the groups tighten up.

Edited to be California correct

I tried h4895 this weekend and didn't get the results I wanted, but it may be a rifle problem. I can't seem to get this 223 to shoot like I want.

25.5grs. Benchmark gave me pretty decent accuracy with the 50VMax, save the Varget for heavier bullets like 68-80grains. Jay

quote:

Originally posted by Jay Gorski:
25.5grs. Benchmark gave me pretty decent accuracy with the 50VMax, save the Varget for heavier bullets like 68-80grains. Jay

Jay that's my personal observation as well. My best luck has been with BLC-2 and Benchmark.

I like 25.5gr of IMR4895 with cci400 primers and 52gr match bullets. Powder comes to bottom of neck. You might also try a longer drop tube to gain a little space in the case.

two cents
Larry

Move up to 223AI, 50 grain v-max at 3750 fps, 40grain 4000 fps, 75 A-max 3100 and and enough "Umph" to knock out pdogs at 1000 yards..

Anyone playing with IMR3031 in the 223?

Seems like it'd be a good choice with 50gr bullets.

AllanD

quote:

Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
Anyone playing with IMR3031 in the 223?

Seems like it'd be a good choice with 50gr bullets.

AllanD

Pretty much same powder as Benchmark. Jay

quote:

Originally posted by Justin B:
...A suggestion on COL would be nice, the manual has about 2.10 which is way off the lands of my rifle.

Hey Justin, My suggestion for the Seating Depth is to measure the distance to the Lead so a specific Test Bullet just Kisses-the-Lands, determine what the OCL is and then convert it to ODL. You can find out how to do that right here.

I've had excellent accuracy with H4895 and H322. Also had great performance with WW-748 and BL-C2.

But, my current most accurate (BBQ) Load is made with Benchmark as some of the others mentioned.

Best of luck to you.

Got some loaded up with h4895 for this weekend. I'll give a range report later. Based on the bad luck I've had so far finding a load with this rifle, it may be a rifle issue not a load issue. If it doesn't shoot this wknd, it's off to the gunsmith for a bedding job and crown touch up.