Best powder for 223 rem, 75gr BTHP Match, Starline

[DanSavage]

I wouldn’t bank on those bullets shooting well either. I never got the Horn 75 match to shoot as tight as I wanted. The 69 smk shot real small , under 1/2 Moa 75’s were close to moa. McGowan 7 twist bull barrel .223.
Mainly used aa2495 powder

 

[benchracer]

My experience with the Hornady vs Sierra bullets is exactly the opposite of what most have reported here. With every combination I tried, the Hornady 68 and 75 BTHP's and 75 ELDM's shot much tighter than 69 SMK's and TMK's and the 77 SMK's. I found the Hornady bullets to be much easier to tune. For whatever reason, the ES and SD numbers with the Sierras stayed stubbornly high.

Bergers will likely outshoot both the Hornady and Sierra bullets, but the Hornady BTHP's offer a mix of cost and performance that is very tough to beat. I find being able to get more shots for my dollar to be very helpful to improving my shooting skills.

As for powders, 8208 XBR and AR-COMP were my best performers. Sadly, AR-COMP has become unavailable and it became prohibitively expensive before it disappeared. I have recently seen 8208 XBR hitting the shelves for the first time in several years, so it still may be an option.

VV N135, VV N540, and Staball Match are all available at what passes for reasonable prices these days. They deserve a look.

 

[makethemdead]

N140 for powder, get 5 boxes each of Berger loaded 73gr and 77gr, shoot it over chronograph get a good baseline with you rifle, let barrel speed up some, now you have 200 cases of Lapua brass fire formed to shoot the life of the rifle

 

[Rob01]

He already has brass. He doesn’t need to spend all that money on ammo that would be better spent on powder.