What Powder For .223?

[yukonal]

...and 80 gr Berger VLD's? I have an 8 twist-28" barrel. Varget? Tac? RL-15? Any others?

Care to share a load? Oh, it's for FT-R. Thanks!

 

[ronemus]

I get the best results with N-550, but it's rather pricey.

 

[yukonal]

I get the best results with N-550, but it's rather pricey.

How's the grain size compares to Varget? What kind of velocity are you getting?

If price bothered me, I wouldn't spend the money on fuel to get to the range.

 

[ronemus]

I shoot 75 gr A-Max @ 2930 fps with moderate pressure - I don't push it hard; I could run 3050 fps, with shorter barrel life. I can get that velocity with RL-15, but pressures are much higher. The granules are about the same size as RL-15 (much smaller than Varget) and it meters well.

 

[MrMajestic]

Vihta Vuori N-140 or Varget. I run Varget with the 80 gr. A-Max in my 26" .223 AI and N-140 with the 75 gr. A-Max in my 24" straight .223. N-140 is a little faster but not as bulky as Varget.

 

[Delaware_Ken]

My 7 twist Savage likes 24.4 Gr of Varget with the Berger 80's. I don't know about the velosity, but she shot a 5 shot 2.5" agg. at 600 yards at a benchrest match last weekend.

Ken

 

[jbpmidas]

I shot 24.8 Varget under 80 A-Max's out of my 26", 7 twist factory Savage LRPV. I get 2850 velocity and have shot several .6 groups at 200.

 

[Taildrag15X]

I've found the best overall powder for the 80gr. & 90gr. VLD's to be Varget for my 28", 1-7", @ 25.00gr. and 24.60gr. with CCI 450's.

 

[Laurie]

Varget, Re15, AA-2520, N140, N540 all work well. Varget would be my favourite of this bunch. Nowadays though, I prefer N150 with 80s and moderate loads with 90s. I have heard complaints from US shooters about it's being rather temperature sensitive (likewise Re15), but that's not something we worry much about in the chilly old UK. I reckon N550 is a little slow burning for 80s. It and Re15 are the powders of choice for 90s with max MV loads, plus N150 and Varget for slightly lower MVs.

 

[cmillard]

i really like aa2520, good velocity, good accuracy, and meters very well

 

[Laurie]

i really like aa2520, good velocity, good accuracy, and meters very well

But don't you hate the hard fouling on the outside of the necks, Cole? (I've been told that spraying the necks straight after shooting with WD40, a proprietary penetrating lube used for about every known lubricating purpose in the UK, or better still, German Ballistol oil, will see the muck wipe off after a few minutes of softening, but have yet to try it. In the meantime I tend to avoid 2460 and 2520 solely for this reason.)

 

[Rtheurer]

Ever powder Laurie has posted will work good. I ve shot all those powders in the 223 and 80gr bullets to include the VLD. My favorite 80gr VLD load is with N140 and a CCI BR4 primer and Lake City Brass. My highest speeds came from R15 and N540. Not always accurate at those speeds but plenty of speed non the less.

The only powder that Laurie speaks of that Have not tried is the N150. I thought it to be too slow but as many reports as I keep seeing with the 308 and 223 maybe its worth a go.

 

[cmillard]

i haven't had a problem with 2520 being dirty. ramshot tac was for me though, blc-2 was by far more dirty than any of them

 

[yukonal]

This morn I shot 5 shot groups at 200 with TAC, RL-15, and Varget. TAC shined, and had the best numbers, and highest velocity for equal amouns of powder among the three.

I generally shoot Varget in almost every rifle I shoot. For some strange reason, this rifle won't shoot it. But it hammers everything from 55 to 80 with TAC. Time for an 8# jug I guess.

 

[Laurie]

i haven't had a problem with 2520 being dirty. ramshot tac was for me though, blc-2 was by far more dirty than any of them

Cole,

I wonder if our differing views here are because we now use different powders under the AA-2520 name? Older lots were made by Explosia in the Czech Republic, its Lovex DO73.6 grade labelled up as Accurate Arms 2520. (Before that, when it got the tag as 'The Camp perry Powder' thanks to its great performance in 7.62 M1A / M14 service rifles, these early lots came from Israel.)

Anyway, I gather there was a parting of the ways probably after AA became part of Western Powders Inc some years back and since then all former Explosia / AA powders (all of the ball types plus a few extruded) have been sourced from somebody else. Since the parent company is Western Powders which produces and sells Ramshot ball powders, I suspect that AA ball powders are now from the same source as them. When Ramshot powders first appeared, it was said they were made by a Belgian manufacturer, but I don't know if that still applies.

We only saw Ramshot very briefly here in the UK - I only ever bought one pound each of TAC and XTerminator. I chiefly remember TAC for producing seriously excessive pressure in a .308 Win load fired in a Ruger 77V despite being well below the maximum listed charge weight in the company's online loads data!

We didn't get our AA powders from the US company, rather direct from Explosia, thanks to a couple of entrepreneurs who drive a Ford Transit van (panel truck to you, I think) half-way across Europe to pick it up from the factory. It's now being labelled and sold as Explosia DO73.6 with buyers usually told to use AA loading data, although Explosia / Lovex has a very good loading manual available as a downloadable PDF file.

 

[jonbearman]

Laurie,you never cease to amaze me with you incredible bank of knowledge you have pertaining to anything firearms related.You are our wikipedia. Keep it up my friend.