9mmSkeeter
New member
^^^
Are you angry? I checked load data, I figured for a $20 bill since it works I might as well try it.
Are you angry? I checked load data, I figured for a $20 bill since it works I might as well try it.
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Best powder for .223 in AR-15?
- Thread starter 9mmSkeeter
- Start date
No, not angry at all. Just after 35 or so years of reloading I've lost the interest in experimenting with components. When I start a new caliber such as my 6.5 Grendel or 300 Blackout I want to pick the most popular and proven powder and bullets to work up loads and have a combination to last for the life of my rifle. Nothing wrong with your choice but it's not one of the most popular powders that most often gets recommended . You'll get approximately 275 rounds from your pound of powder and if you like it and find a safe and accurate load then you can buy more or switch. That's one fun part of reloading for a new gun but having grown older I've kind of lost patience for trying new things. Old curmudgeon syndrome kicking in??
Don't want to dissuade you from trying different powders but the AR is a very light, felt recoil rifle. If you have an adj. gas block, try closing it off, you barely feel any recoil! Most AR's are over-gassed so you'll feel a lot of input from the system. A small change such as a heavier buffer might help with this. Some go the other route and use very light components or even piston driven systems.
I'm not recommending either this or that, it can get very expensive to deviate from OEM and you may give up some reliability.
Point is, you might get frustrated (like I did) if you expect powders to give you certain characteristics which they may or may not be engineered for, especially if you plan on shooting only 55gr for accuracy and try to chase low recoil at the same time. I'd address the recoil using factory ammo first, kinda like setting up your hardware, then work on software (hand reloads).
I'm not recommending either this or that, it can get very expensive to deviate from OEM and you may give up some reliability.
Point is, you might get frustrated (like I did) if you expect powders to give you certain characteristics which they may or may not be engineered for, especially if you plan on shooting only 55gr for accuracy and try to chase low recoil at the same time. I'd address the recoil using factory ammo first, kinda like setting up your hardware, then work on software (hand reloads).
JeepHammer
Moderator
I used 748 & Varget for years.
748 is dirty, but it shoots good,
Varget got hard to find when everyone lost their minds.
I haven't tried hot days yet with Benchmark,
But with 55-60 grain V-max bullets, about 26.5 grains is about as accurate as anything I've shot so far in 40+ years of reloading for .223 rem.
When we get some warm/hot days I'll see if it has the same issues with temperature that 748 has or not.
Most people say it doesn't, which is why I picked it to try.
The issue I had with Varget was when I loaded light weight bullets.
Varget starts to really shine around 65 grain bullets and up,
Although I had a Ruger M77 mkII that shot Varget and 55 grain bullets really good...
Varget can be a little heat sensitive when it gets real hot...
Benchmark is EXPENSIVE around here, but its working really good for me so far.
'Felt Recoil' is a function of gas VOLUME hitting the bolt/carrier.
Even 'non-adjustable' AR style rifles can be tuned for a specific load pretty easily and cheaply.
Since this isn't a 'Smith' forum, and I've been 'Warned' about giving 'Smith' information in the open forums,
Send me a PM and I'll explain how to tune your gas block port for about any load you choose.
748 is dirty, but it shoots good,
Varget got hard to find when everyone lost their minds.
I haven't tried hot days yet with Benchmark,
But with 55-60 grain V-max bullets, about 26.5 grains is about as accurate as anything I've shot so far in 40+ years of reloading for .223 rem.
When we get some warm/hot days I'll see if it has the same issues with temperature that 748 has or not.
Most people say it doesn't, which is why I picked it to try.
The issue I had with Varget was when I loaded light weight bullets.
Varget starts to really shine around 65 grain bullets and up,
Although I had a Ruger M77 mkII that shot Varget and 55 grain bullets really good...
Varget can be a little heat sensitive when it gets real hot...
Benchmark is EXPENSIVE around here, but its working really good for me so far.
'Felt Recoil' is a function of gas VOLUME hitting the bolt/carrier.
Even 'non-adjustable' AR style rifles can be tuned for a specific load pretty easily and cheaply.
Since this isn't a 'Smith' forum, and I've been 'Warned' about giving 'Smith' information in the open forums,
Send me a PM and I'll explain how to tune your gas block port for about any load you choose.
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Machineguntony said:when when I see Ramshot TAC available ($140/8lbs),
Would love to know where you can get 8lbs of anything for $140, are we talking a LGS ??. No matter what brand you going to pay about $210 / 8lbs out my way at the LGS. If there comes a price point of $140 / 8lbs there WILL be knuckle games and blood at the reloading supplies counter.....