Worked up some good accurate loads for 223

Consider this as just a reference point, NOT the most accurate possible combination for your rifle. Because every rifle is different in what works the Best. However, it's been my experience that loads with proven accuracy on many rifles can provide a useful point of reference for working up your own load.

Rifle, it's a home brew AR15 built specifically as a Match/Varmint rifle. Barrel is a 20 inch 1:8 Shilen Match with a matching bolt and when I'm shooting well I can get 3 shot cloverleafs at 50 yards with center to center spans under 1/4 inch.

Range, 50 yard indoor range near the house. It's really convenient to work loads up at a range that allows you to reel in your target to study it or change over. In addition I'm getting old enough to not relish all the walking a longer outdoor range would entail. One downside to the 50 yard indoor range is the benches are short, so all shooting is done with the hand guard on a sandbag and the butt of the rifle at the shoulder. Later this spring/summer I'll be hitting the local outdoor club that features nice long shooting benches and ranges out to 300 yards. I expect that will reduce my Flyers and I'll get a better grasp of just how accurate my home brew rifle can shoot. May even borrow a Rifle Rest from a co-worker to get the sole cause of variation down to the trigger release.

Bullets.

Currently the Nosler 60 grain Ballistic Tip and the Hornady 68 grain BTHP Match bullet. Having checked the Nosler on a scale it's weight ranges between 59.9 and 60.0 grains in a 20 piece test lot with NO flyers outside of that range. Accuracy with this particular bullet was excellent at any powder charge within the load parameters provided by Nosler. My conclusion is that this bullet is NOT the least bit velocity sensitive.

With the Hornady bullet the weight story is a mixed bag. Bullets in a re-packaged 500 count box from Midway ranged between 67.6 and 68.2 grains. Bullets from 100 count boxes packaged by Hornady all measured in at 68.0 grains for 20 bullets weighed with NO variation from that weight. Tip here is to purchase the 100 count boxes because the bulk bullets are probably "seconds". Even with that weight variation I can state with certainty that even with the weight variation the Bulk bullets shot with excellent accuracy when not driven too hard. However, I have discovered that this particular bullet should [NOT be driven too hard, push it too fast and your groups will look like you were using a shotgun with 00 buck. Take note of that, because I am not kidding. Groups in the 2650 fps range will run under 1/2 MOA and if you exceed 2800 fps you may see group size grow to 10 MOA or more. Why this

Powders. Varget and CFE223.

Positives for Varget is that it's a highly regarded rifle powder capable of excellent accuracy. In addition my experience is that Varget is rather clean shooting at starting load levels and has proven accurate when loaded somewhat "mildly". The downside is that it's an extruded stick powder and meters poorly. So either plan on hand weighing each charge or put your charge weight smack in the middle between Min and Max and expect the degradation in accuracy a +/- 0.8 grain charge variation can produce. Yeah, it really can vary that much from an RCBS Competition Measure and that is why I have tweezers next to my scale for loading with Varget.

Positives for the CFE223 is superb metering and I have found that my barrel is much easier to get totally copper free after shooting loads using this powder. So, that Copper Fouling Eliminator actually is more than basic Marketing Hype. The downside is that it does get rather dirty at low operating pressures and the residue seems to be a bit oily in feel. As a result your bolt carrier will look likes it's been sitting in a Diesel Exhaust when working loads up from the minimum. Good news is that near maximum charge levels it cleans up quite nicely.

Best accuracy loads using Varget. Oddly enough both bullets use a powder weight of 23.7 grains. The Hornady bullet does really well with this powder and charge weight and 50 yard 3 shot cloverleafs spanning 0.23 inch are typical when I do it right. The Nosler bullet is a bit less accurate with 3 shot groups averaging 3/8 inch and the group center drifts down and to the right by about 7/16 inch.

Best accuracy with CFE223. With this powder I a common powder weight didn't work well. What I found was that the Nosler bullet liked to be run near the maximum charge weight. The most accurate load was one featuring a 26.7 grain charge weight and groups size averaged 0.26 inch for 3 shot groups. With the Hornady bullet the most accurate load was near the minimum starting charge at 23.9 grains and group sizes were 0.17, 0.18, and 0.28. Basically with the first two groups fired I could completely cover the hole produced by 3 shots with a 40 caliber bullet. As for the third group, I believe I jerked the trigger and pulled the shot to the right.

Note, a charge weight of 24.2 grains produced results quite close to the lighter charge and at 24.5 grains the accuracy started to fall off noticeably. I'll also note that the most accurate load for the Hornady bullet has a predicted velocity nearly identical to the most accurate load featuring Varget. Why the Hornady bullet is so speed sensitive in my rifle I really don't understand, perhaps it's a balance issue in the bullet. Down the road I intend to get some Sierra and Berger bullets in this weight range to see if they behave in a similar manner.

What I do with bulk bullets is to select maybe 10 and weigh them to get an average weight. I weigh individual bullets and divide then into two groups, lighter than and heavier than average. I have an electronic scale, so that goes fairly quickly. That usually gives me two groups that each have a weight range no more than 0.3-0.4 grains. Load the and fire the light bullets, and put the heavier bullets away for later. I do the same with cases. It is very important that all cases be trimmed to the same length, and also that you determine the optimum COAL for your specific bullet. Those are the most important simple things you can do to get the best grouping performance.

Scooter I have the same problem with the shooting benches at the indoor range which are only 14 inches. i made a bench extention, the range manager says it's a board, to clamp to the bench. It is long enough to hold a rifle bench rest. You are lucky to have 50yds indoors mine only goes to 20 but we have a lot of rifle shooters anyway.

Magload said:

Scooter I have the same problem with the shooting benches at the indoor range which are only 14 inches. i made a bench extention, the range manager says it's a board, to clamp to the bench. It is long enough to hold a rifle bench rest. You are lucky to have 50yds indoors mine only goes to 20 but we have a lot of rifle shooters anyway.

Click to expand...

At the range I'm shooting at the benches are attached to the lane dividers and can be pivoted up. So they have a bit of movement to them. In addition because they "snap" into a recepticle on one divider the entire chain of benches are sort of linked together in a semi rigid fashion. As a result someone 4 lanes down shooting a rifle with heavy recoil will cause the bench you are shooting at to shake. All in all it can be a challenging environment to shoot for accuracy in. However, I sort of like a challenge and on days like today when I was the only one shooting a rifle I was able to do pretty darned well.

That said I'm really starting to anticipate hitting the club up north and doing some shooting from a proper concrete Rifle Rest. What I've seen so far indicates the rifle I built will shoot under 1/2 MOA, now I'm itching to find out just how much under 1/2 MOA it will shoot.

I have a decent AR, but I can't tell you what makes them accurate. Mine is from about 1994 (AWB; no bayonet lug or flash hider) is a flat top with 20" 1-9 military weight barrel (similar to a Colt H-bar). The brand is considered So-So now, but Bushmaster was a good brand back then. I use x-high rings and a Veri-X III 6.5-20x 40mm Leupold scope.

I say this to help let you know what "Apples to Apples are" Off a concrete table with a front rest and rear sandbag. At 200 yards I consistently get 1/2" 5 shot groups with Winchester "USA2232" 40 round bulk pack ammo. That is a 45 grain JHP load. This was cheap ammo when I bought it in 1998, on sale for $8.99 per 40. I bought almost 2000 rounds, but only have 400 left.

My handload of 55 grain FMJ-BT (made by Winchester) over WW 748 and a CCI Small Rifle primer in well prepped military brass, do a little better. My load of 50 grain Sierra Blitzking over H-322, Ferderal M205 primer, and Winchester brass, is close to 1/4" @ 200 in the AR and less than 1/8" in my Cooper 21 bolt gun (SAME DAY, SAME BENCH). All of my brass is full length sized and trimmed every loading. This lets all my ammo chamber in all my 223 rifles.

I have a long range load for my Savage target single shot rifle with 1-8, 26" barrel the OAL is too long for an AR mag but will chamber in my AR. (This rifle sports a Leupold 8-25 scope.) It is a 75 grain Hornady A-Max over lots of Varget, Remington 7 1/2 primer, in Lapua brass. This combination shoots 3" @ 1000 yards on a clam day. Like I said it will chamber in my AR but I've never tried it. (Lapua brass used to be the best and be BR quality right out of the box; The last 3 boxes, I had to trim every piece of brass and deburr the flash holes! I would say go with whatever you can get a good supply of (and can afford) and prep it! The amount of each powder I use is listed in current loading manuals, but you want/need to develop you own loads. I hope this info helps in your quest for accuracy in your rifle and your ammo. Ivan

PS: My best friend was a National Guard armorer in the late 80's and early 90's. Aberdeen Proving Ground was shutting down and sent him 3 rifles that had been hand fitted by their armorers. These were in M-16A2 configuration but the lowers were very used and one was a X-15 trials gun lower. These rifles came with a tag on the trigger guard, signed by the teat shooter, at 200 yards off sandbags with military sights, they all had groups of 10 shots under 1/2". (He kept them set aside for top shooters to compete with other units, and top qualifying scores!) The AR platform can be made to shoot unbelievably accurate, I just have no idea how they do it! Ivan

You guys just extended my Gun of the Month list talking about these guns accuracy. I have stayed away from them as I was thinking I needed a bolt action to get those groups. I have always shot a bolt action varmint rifle and target rifles and wasn't impressed with the AR I was issued in Vietnam and GTMO. Always thought they felt like you had a pogo stick against your shoulder when you shot it.

Thanks for the write up. I've just started with my .223 reloading and have some Varget and CFE223.

Still working the bugs out and have some ladder loads set up, but didn't get to shoot them yet.

The shared info is appreciated.

15K

When my second son was active in the USMC (1999-2003), I believe they issued him a M-16A3. due to a mishap when he was a toddler he never shot with me like his 2 brothers. His Boot score of record was 242 (out of 250). Parris Island and Pendleton have great instructors, along with a well put together AR-15/M-16, that makes for some great shooting. My B-I-L set an Army training record in 1982 at Ft. Benning, Ga. of 298/300, at last check when my oldest son went there for basic in 1998, the score had been tied once but was unbeaten. (My oldest tried to beat his uncle's score, but when he dropped his third point he quit trying. Upon reporting to Ft. Bragg he was chewed out for only qualifying "Marksman" as everyone in the 82nd Airborne must qualify "Expert". After getting permission to speak freely he told his C.O. that shooting Expert would be no problem. When ask why he would say that, he explained that when he quit trying to beat his uncle's score he just played by doing head shots on 600 yard silhouette targets, but they weren't part of the qualifying course of fire.

The biggest problem I see now for shooting any 223 is the quality of ammo. And for AR-15's is every Tom, Dick, and Harry is making them to specifications that would never be accepted by the U.S. military! Just because something says "Mil Spec" doesn't mean our military specifications! An AR is only as good as the Armorer and the parts he uses! I have an uncle that was a USMC range instructor in the 1960's with the M-14, when he went to Viet Nam they issued him a M-16. He said it was the easiest military rifle he had ever shot (Easy means; easy to shoot a perfect score) and couldn't understand how anyone could fail to be Expert!

Lastly; shooting tight groups at distance takes practice at distance! I see young men at the 25 and 50 yard range shooting 24" groups and are proud of them! Drive to a 200 yard range and get some trigger time in your groups will get smaller until you reach your full/best potential or that of your rifle/ammo combination. Get good instruction! when teenagers from church want rifle training, I have my Marine son instruct them (even for 22's). Marines got very good instruction, if they paid attention they can remember what was taught to them (USMC Instructions are hard to forget!) I personally had instruction from some top notch USAF Rifle Team shooters and an Ohio Nat.Guard Rifle Team shooter. It is hard to find good guns, good ammo, and good instruction. When you do, treasure them! Ivan

I qual'ed Expert on the AR and the 45 but at the time didn't not like either of them. I just bought a 1911 R1 and am really enjoying shooting it now, but then the barrel doesn't rattle in the bushing like the one I was issued and had to qual on in the Navy. I will get a AR after reading this thread but to shoot them on the indoor range I shoot at you have to shoot their reloads can't bring any ammo in.

Scooter I usually use Varget or H335 for .223 with a 55 gn Montana Gold Bullet. Montana Gold has been tough to get lately so i recently tried the same type (boattail) 55gn from Zero and a local supplier. I use 24 gn powder with these bullets and get good results.As far as Varget being tough to meter a few years back I went to the "Quick Measure" for all my rifle reloading and never looked back. While this measure does not work well for small charges used in pistol loading (I use a Redding Powder Measure for pistol and pitched the RCBS years ago) it is dead on with rifle loads. Here is the link for your perusal.
Quick Measure - The Accurate Powder Measure

When I started reloading I always wanted the MAXIMUM load possible....................................
then I learned that loads just above a starting load made nice little clover leaf groups in targets and I could also save powder and my life of the barrel.

Yep...........
shooting little center fire 22 bullets down range is a hoot!!

Don't limit yourself to just a couple powders or bullet manufacturers.

I'm currently running ladders with 6 different powders, and 4 different bullets.

Although I'm using a bolt gun, my best loads to date are from H335, Benchmark, Reloder 10x, Varget and 3031. I get great results from Hornady 2265's and Sierra 1360's, both are 55 grain varmint bullets.

Many have reported that IMR 4198 is virtually always the best choice for getting good grouping when using 50-55 grain bullets in the .223. And I agree. My best-shooting loads with 52 grain bullets are always between 21 and 22 grains of IMR 4198.

The above powders are all great! One I've also loaded over 20,000 rounds with is WW 748. It meters very well and is consistent. My universal 22 caliber bullet is a 50 grain poly tipped bullet. I keep 4 brands on the shelf at all times, usually several hundred of each; Hornady V-Max, Sierra Blitzking, Nosler Ballistic Tip, and Combined Technologies Ballistic Silver Tip (the most expensive!).

I have narrowed primers down to 3. 1) Federal Gold Medal Match (205 M, 210 M, & 215 M). 2) Remington 7 1/2. and 3) CCI Bench Rest (BR-2 and BR-4). Federal swears there is no difference between their Standard and Match primers, just color and an extra inspection. Plus all of Lapua's ammo is loaded with Federal Standard primers, I still stick by the Match Primers. Federal 215 & 215 M are the hottest rifle primer in the world. (think lots of powder on very cold days!) The Rem 7 1/2 has a thick primer cup and handles unbelievable pressure! but I found it to be inconsistent at medium and low pressure. The CCI BR's are perhaps the best primer ever made (They surpass even some RWS and Eley berdan match primers I've used on European match rounds I worked with. But the BR-2 & 4 don't match up to every powder!

...................................Load Development..............................
For any new to me center fire 22 rifle or Contender, I use whatever bullet of the 4 I have the most of. When I find the best combination of Powder, primer and overall length. I size and prime and powder charge 15 cases and seat 5 bullets
of each of the other the brands. One brand of bullet will out shoot the others. Combined Technologies is most accurate in more of my rifles than any of the others. My Cooper 21 in 223 is the only rifle that I've owned that shot 2 brands o bullets the same! Those were the A-Max and Blitzking. That 223 Cooper 21 is marked on the barrel "223 Rem." but the rifle is actually chambered for 5.56 NATO. That longer lead sometimes makes a difference. On Coppers, they like the bullet touching the lands. With the long lead, My load is almost 1/8" longer than SAMMI specs. of maximum length. But I get 1/8" groups at 200 yards.

Where to start when development of a load? I use the Sierra Loading Manual. (or the 45th edition [not later editions] of Lyman's manual for cast bullets!) They list an "Accuracy" and a "Hunting" load for every bullet they make in almost every cartridge there is, mostly I end up playing with the Cartridge Over All Length. More than 3/4 of rifles I have loaded for, like one of two things; either the bullets just touching the lands or 25/1000 inch off the lands (The big Weatherby rounds all like lots of free bore!)

Components have become so expensive, I avoid bargain bullets, but not necessarily bulk bullets. Some of the best bullets made are sold in 1000 packs! But "Seconds" are a waste of my good powder, primers and time! I have tried "Bench Rest" bullets and they do shoot very well, but my 4 poly-tipped bullets come up better in the long run (different story in 6mm!) The only 22 Center Fires I don't load a 50 grain poly tipped bullet in is 22 Hornets (I use 35 and 40 grain poly tipped in them!) and a 1-8 twist Savage 223 (I use a 75 A-Max, when I can get them), and it has shot 3" groups at 1000 yards.

Hope this information helps. Ivan