80gr 223 powder

[mr_logic]

Hi All

I shoot 223 f-class, with a factory Savage.

Going back to 80.5 gr Bergers from the 90s in search of better long range elevation performance.

Have a load with Varget which works OK but not amazing. Anyone recommend me other powders to try?

many thanks!

 

[fdshuster]

24.5 grs. of Varget with the 80 gr. SMK, CCIBR4, Lapua. My son has been using it for several years in F-Class T/R (competes in the Master class), out of a 1-7 Hart. Will hold the X ring ( 3" dia.) on the 600 yd. T/R tgt.

He recently used that same load with the 80 gr. Hornady A-Max, but they had to be weight & length sorted.

I've also used it in my limited times out of my 1-8 Hart.

 

[mr_logic]

I did try the 80 amax a while back, first few boxes shot OK, then they changed the packet and it all went wrong. Measured new vs old and differences were marked - not impressed!

Have had the smk suggested elsewhere also, but looking at the numbers the BC is a touch low for 1K. Has your son shot them out that far?

 

[Delaware_Ken]

Good Morning,

My Savage F/TR 7 twist likes 24.4 Gr of Varget behind the 80 Gr Bergers.

She shot a 2.5" 5 shot group at 600 yards a couple of weeks ago, and won the Factory Class BR Division with an overall 4.1" Agg, and a 181 Score. A couple of guys who were shooting 6 BR's and 6.5X284's were snickering when I pulled out the 223, but they weren't laughing when the final scores were posted.

Ken

 

[fdshuster]

No, he limits the 223 to the 600 yd. match's. Uses his 308 for 1000.

He normally will use the 80 SMK, but the Orange Blossom Regional Match (Port Malabar R&P Club, near Melbourne FL) had winds forecast for the first day, so he also wanted the higher BC of the A-Max's.

Said they were better than the SMK's (in the wind), but he had a lot of different weights & lengths from the bullet base(s) to the ogives. Once they were sorted into different lots ( and he had quite a few) they were usable.

 

[Klong]

Look at VV540, for your 223. I have shot a lot of it in 223 for highpower competition and it gives better velocity than Varget and great accuracy. It may perform different in your longer barrel. There is some lot to lot variance. Work your load up until you see pressure signs because it performs best at the maximum end of the spectrum. You may experience poor groups until you reach the maximum load area. Start in the middle of recommended loads and work up. You must be able to read pressure signs to do this safely. My load is well above recommended max, as are most F-TR loads I have seen for the 308 .

 

[Mudcat]

try n540 and RE15

 

[ar15topgun]

25gr of Tac @,020 off the lands, IMR8208 @23.8 works well also.

 

[servicegun]

I've been using RE-15 for years in HP competition and it has been great for accuracy. Around the 24 grain mark seems to be best for my guns. I'll admit the velocity is not quite where I want it to be, a bit wind sensitive at 2650, but amazing accuracy.

I've been reading about Alliant's Power Pro 2000 and people seem to be getting lots of velocity with it in the 223. They have some loads listed on their website.

 

[cmillard]

25 grains of TAC seems like a lot. i had major issues with TAC and 77 grainers and that was at 23.6 grains of powder.

 

[DukeDuke]

RL-15 is the best, but also try MR-2000

 

[rain164845]

Also try Alliant AR-Comp. Supposedly it has the same burn rate as Varget, but it is a denser powder. I have been happy with it so far with the 75 Hornady HPBT.

 

[ehparis]

My first pick would be Varget. Since you've already tried that why not give 4895 a try? Loading density is high with both these powders.

 

[Ohio1]

Try some AR Comp, does very good with heavy bullets in the .223

Steve

 

[Old Trooper]

I have a spacegun, with a 26" Kreiger barrel and I use the 80 gr SMK for 500 and 600 yards. I use 24 grs of AA2520, with the 80's and 77's. I tried the A-Max and they didn't work to well. I am a Prone sling shooter. I used them to win the Alaska Mid-Range Regional, with a 593-35X last year and the highest score I've shot was a 597-29X. The 80's are set .010 off the lands and the 77's at 300 are magazine lenght. The 77 gr load will clean the 300 with a high X count. That also works good out of my Service Rifle.

 

[yukonal]

25 grains of TAC seems like a lot. i had major issues with TAC and 77 grainers and that was at 23.6 grains of powder.

I'm running 25.0 TAC for 2875 fps, with 80 gr Bergers. I switched to TAC after I got mediocre results with Varget. It hammers with the Bergers.

 

[FroggyOne2]

You don't want to know how much Varget I had behind the SIE 80's in my service rifle and spacegun back when I shot course matches!

But right now, I would prob pic RL15 as the powder that would try first.