I seldom publicly pass along my favorite loads, mainly because EVERY Rifle is an "Island Unto Itself"!
By that I mean that over 45 years now of reloading for most all common Rifle calibers - I have proven to myself and seen it proven by others HUNDREDS of times, that an accurate handload recipe from one Rifle will not necessarily be accurate in another Rifle!
So be that!
BUT - I have found a loading that I have used in two different 223 Rilfes that is so splendidly accurate in both Rifles AND it is also commendably lethal on a variety of Varmints!
This 223 loading I am about to recommend uses Bergers wonderful 52 gr. MEF (Maximum Expansion Factor) bullets.
Now as compared to some 52 gr. bullets (most noteably the Sierra 52 gr. MatchKings) this Berger 52 gr. is the perfect combination of accuracy, lethality and "safety afield"! By "safety afield" I mean this bullet is not gonna ricochet LIKE some 52 and 53 gr. match bullets are known to do!
Another aspect of this accurate loading I am going to recommend to everyone is the use of LaPua match quality brass! I paid a little extra for this brass AND I was not doing it try to increase accuracy (I always hope for that outcome though!) - I bought the LaPua brass to be able to distinguish the brass from Rifle to Rifle. Dedicated brass by maker was my main intent with the LaPua stuff.
Also key to my 223 recipe (I am guessing here) is the use of Federal Gold Medal Match Primers - 205 M primers.
I long ago QUIT using ANY other primer besides these for ALL my small Rifle Rifle needs.
I long ago proved to myself these primers DO aid in accuracy SOMEHOW (shot to shot consistency???).
Anyway I am SO happy with this loading that I made specially for my new XR-100 in 223 Remington this past spring (and subsequently tried in another of my 223's) that I am going to recommend you all try this load both at the range and in the field!
Best of luck to all who try this load and be sure and double check my powder recommendation with your own manuals and work up to it slowly!

223 Remington: LaPua brass, Fedral 205 M primers, Berger 52 gr. MEF bullets and 27.3 gr. of H 335.

Remember to work up to this load as it is listed as UNDER maximum in some manuals and OVER maximum in others!
In fact I have two CONSECUTIVE editions of Hodgdon Manuals (#'s 25 & 26!) that conflict on this load. Manual #25 shows 27.5 grs of H 335 as being maximum (CUP = 47,600) and THEN Hodgdons Manual #26 shows 26.0 grs. of H 335 being maximum (CUP = 52,000)!
Any way start lower and LOOK for accuracy!
You will achieve lethality I know for sure.
January 1st at mid-day I became tired of watching football and grabbed my XR-100 and my Varmint Calling Gear and headed for action! I saw one Coyote and one Fox but they were "lucky"! I did get one large Jack Rabbit and several feathered Varmints with these loads and to say they were impressive lethality wise would be an understatement! I have used these 52 gr. MEF Bergers on all manner of Varmints and they "do the job"!
More later - Culligan man is coming up the drive!
Good luck with this super accurate (in my Rifles!) load!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
PS: The two Rifles this load shoots so well for me in both have 26" barrels and I get NO pressure signs.

VarmintGuy,
Great load!
Give us more details. What kind of accuracy are you getting?
How fast are they going?

VG,

Not using the Bergers, but my older 223 Ruger Vt that I traded in on a Savage 12 BVSS, I saw a guy had it at the range one day... I traded it off as the accuracy was starting to go...

However, before telling him that I was its former owner... I asked about the accuracy...

He told me he had put two thousand rounds thru it... and I knew that the rifle had over 10,000 rounds thru it when I traded it in....

He said he had tried a couple of different loads, before he found one that would shoot worth a darn but its accuracy was dime sized or better at 100 yds, which I personally saw...

He was using a 55 grain Ballistic tip and 27.5 grains of H 335....so his load is close to your recipe...

But dime sized or less out of a barrel with 12,000 plus rounds down it, is pretty darn good...

On the other end, I have switched to other powders than H 335... it is certainly accurate, but it does give a horrendous muzzle flash, and thinking about shooting prone in dry conditions in Central Oregon or in Montana during the summer, I just switched to the other stuff...

However, if one doesn't worry about the muzzle flash, that powder with that charge certainly keeps its accuracy for a long barrel life.....

and it is also giving some pretty fair velocity in the meantime...

I'll be testing the 55gr Berger fbhp. and 52gr Berger fbhp. today with loads of DP74. roger

GOT RAINED OUT roger

27.3 - man thats a hot load - how does it work in the summer heat?? VG you mention federals primers working so good. For years I've been sort of tied to rem 7 1/2 because of what mike walker said when they brought out the 17. he claimed that they got by far their best performance out of them. you shoot a 17 a bunch - ever try them?? see any diff??

Hey Butch I use Fed 205M in all my 17s. I must be all messed up because they seem to work better than 7 1/2s