IMR 8208 xbr for 223

[cjmac]

Anyone other than me having a hard time finding a load with 8208 in a 223 ? Im using 52 grain hornady bthp . Was tryin to find a varmint load witha 50 grain nosler B-tip. Iv talked to a few people that said thay only found there load over max .

 

[searcher]

I shoot 24.0 in one gun and 24.2 in another. Both shoot well.

 

[AckleymanII]

It's a slow burn rate for light bullets, better choices out there.

 

[lawman29]

Try a mag primer

 

[cjmac]

What about 60 or 63 grain bullets ? Maby it will work better in my 308?

 

[37Lincoln1]

What's your barrel's twist rate?

 

[bigedp51]

The 2010 Hodgdon's reloading manual magazine has three articles on IMR-8208 XBR with loads from 36 to 80 grain bullets for bolt actions and AR15 rifles.

The articles are:

1. The Cinderella powder (Hodgdon bringing the powder back into production)

2. IMR 8208 XBR for Varmints

3. New IMR 8208 XBR Accuracy Exordium, group sizes ran from .30 to .87 with a variety of bullets and twist rates of 8, 9, 12 twist rates.

What type rifle and twist rate are you working up loads for?

 

[cjmac]

Its a 1 in 9 twist

 

[cjmac]

Rem 700

 

[37Lincoln1]

1/9, I get good grouping with 69 SMK using 8208 XBR, but it is in an AR.

 

[cjmac]

Iv tried 69 smk ,it hates them iv got great groups with 60 and 63 grain bullets

 

[cjmac]

Hope it will work better with 60 or 63 grainers

 

[bheadboy]

CJ
I may be wrong but most factory Rem 700 223 are 12 twist.

if you check and that is the case, you will be better to stay below 63 gr flat base.

Bob

 

[bigedp51]

CJ
I may be wrong but most factory Rem 700 223 are 12 twist.

if you check and that is the case, you will be better to stay below 63 gr flat base.

Bob

The Remington 700 is made in 1 in 12, and 1 in 9 twist rates

Three are 1 in 9 twist

MODEL 700â„¢ XCRâ„¢ TACTICAL LONG RANGE 1 in 9 twist

MODEL 700â„¢ VTRâ„¢ 1 in 9 twist

MODEL 700â„¢ SPSâ„¢ TACTICAL 1 in 9 twist

And seven are 1 in 12 twist

MODEL 700â„¢ BDLâ„¢ 1 in 12 twist

MODEL 700â„¢ SPSâ„¢ 1 in 12 twist

MODEL 700â„¢ SPSâ„¢ VARMINT 1 in 12 twist

MODEL 700â„¢ SPSâ„¢ COMPACT 1 in 12 twist

MODEL 700â„¢ VARMINT SF 1 in 12 twist

MODEL 700â„¢ VLS 1 in 12 twist

MODEL 700â„¢ VS SFâ„¢ II 1 in 12 twist

 

[MildBill]

It's a slow burn rate for light bullets, better choices out there.

I agree. for the weight bullets you are interested in I like benchmark

I did find a reasonably decent load for 55 grain bullets with it. it was the top amount given for the powder in the hornady book. I did work up to it.

also saw the sd narrow up the closer I got to that load too.

 

[mac86951]

It's a slow burn rate for light bullets, better choices out there.

I agree. for the weight bullets you are interested in I like benchmark

I did find a reasonably decent load for 55 grain bullets with it. it was the top amount given for the powder in the hornady book. I did work up to it.

also saw the sd narrow up the closer I got to that load too.

+2, I like 8208 with 77gr. If you measure your twist rate (forum search it, can do with patch and cleaning rod). A 1:9 you might try the 8208 with 69gr which might shoot well. 1:12, I'd look to other powders. Benchmark, H322, H335, H4198, etc... Hodgdon has a nice burn rate chart to check selections.

-Mac

 

[Gina1]

I found the following to be a good load for the .223. Won the local varmint shoot out with it.
23.7 grains of 8208 XBR, Berger 70 grain VLD target bullet, CCI 450 small rifle mag primer, bullet seated just kissing the lands. Rifle was a Savage 12 FCV with 1-9 twist. Oh, and also Lapua brass

 

[yenak]

I'm using 25.8 with 60 Nos. Bal. Tips out of a 20" barrel, 9 twist.

 

[cjmac]

Yeah im going to try 60 and 63 grain bullets with it, benchmark didn't do so well with heavier bullets.

 

[searcher]

The 24.0 to 24.2 XBR loads were shot in a Remington 1-12 twist factory barreled bolt gun and in two different .223 chambered 1-9 twist Krieger and Hart barreled A/R's. A few varmint hunting buddies and I have collectively found that this weight load has been found to be very universal with several 50-52 grain bullets aside from the Hornady Match - including 52 Bergers, 50 V-Max and even 50 grain Barnes varmint grenades (in the 1-9 tw.). Their rifles shoot these as well as those listed which are mine. If you switch powders, the other powder that worked in most of our rifles equally well - or better - was Reloader 7. A super load was with Varget but Winchester brass had to be used to get enough powder in to reach the good "higher" node. I use mostly the XBR as not as temp touchy as the Reloader 7. We tried TAC, H322, W748, Vaerget, Accurate 2015, Accurate LT-32 and one or two others. Good loads were found with all - but the XBR and Reloader 7 were the only two that shot super in all guns (about 9).