Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Most Accurate Powders for 223W / 5.56

My go to powder for 223 was 21.5 gr IMR- 4198 with 52 gr Sierra. Was easy to get three touching at 100 yds with my bull barrel Rem 700.
Never see this powder mentioned in loading the 223, wonder why ?

Thanks for all the replies.................great info here for all.

I have enough powder right now, but as I use what I have, it needs to be replaced with something.

MM

Varget works really well in my 8 twist .22-204 with 75 gr SSII's.

Hard on 'yotes. This one wandering into my yard, Christmas Eve. Didn't turn out well for him.

DF

That’s why I started buying these accurate powders. I buy a lb try ‘em out and if rifle shot half ass decent not bsa 1/4 moa groups but 1, 1 1/2 groups I would be happy. So far these powders have exceeded my expectations. I used 2495 last year in high power for my long line load 75gr eld-m. As stated earlier shoots 75gr hornady bthp real well. I struggled to get the bullet to shoot in them past. I tried 2460 and it shoots 77 smk very well and 55gr hornady fmj (bullet notorious for shooting like chit). 2200 has been the big surprise it shoots 69gr bullets real well be it 69gr smk or 69gr rmr.

79S,

Thanks for those insights & that's exactly the kind of info I was looking for.

In today's world, it's not always possible to get what you really want, so you have to be flexible enough to take what works OK & that you can get; in most of my guns, I'm satisfied with 1 1/4" groups, if they are consistent. If you read the article I linked above, he's basically saying that consistency with a slight larger group is preferable to the absolute smallest groups that are not as consistent for most uses & I buy into that.

Overall, the Accurate powders & a few of the Ramshot powders (mainly TAC & X-Terminator) have been the ones I've seen come available the most frequently, but also a fair amount of H-335 too.

MM

Might be allright in a electronic powder dispenser but it's like cutting Lincoln logs in a uniflow. Mb

That's my complaint with Varget & RL-15 as well...........both shoot fine & I'll use what I need to of those 2, but only if I have to.

As for H-4895, it's pretty squirrely on pressure, IMO, but I've used more of it in a bolt gun than in an AR. It's another powder that will work, but it's pretty far down my list as long as I have other options. It's reasonably accurate, but nowhere close to the really good powders available today.

MM

I use H335 for 40’s, 55’s, 63’s, 64’s, and 65’s. Great accuracy. AA2230 has also worked real well for me, but finding more was tough.

H322 has been the very best for me with 50-55 grain bullets.

H335, and 748 being very close behind and both giving higher velocities.

H4895 is the best I have used with 69-75 grain bullets.

Yeah, its garbage as far as I'm concerned. IF you can't drop it from the uni-flow and go, its almost worthless. The 223 is too small and tedious otherwise and 223/556 in the AR is a high round proposition: You shoot a bunch, you should be loading a bunch. Should be able to load 300 rounds per hour that way, and achieve excellent accuracy as well. With H4895, RL15, and Varget that's not happening.. I was shooting my 22-250 loads a few days ago, that I loaded that way with AR Comp and shooting at 400 yards, it was hitting the 3" target with boring regularity. Its a .8 moa load for 10 shots out of 2 different rifles. Larger cartridges, I don't mind dropping charges and trickling in the rest. As for H4895, I love it in my 22-250's and my buddies 22-250. Or I should say, the rifles love it. It's good powder, but I'm like MM. If I can use something else that meters better, I'll do that instead. I did a test a while back with one of my 22-250's. Here's how the dropped H4895 did:


Here's how the weighed and trickled load did:


Now, this thread is not about the 22-250, but the same applies to the 223 rem. You'll get the same results when using powders that don't meter well.. I know, singing to the choir...

I think we all have been trying different powders buddy. This thread MM started is good. Its good to compare. One I really like is X-terminator. My PITA BCM likes it well enough:

Definitely not sub moa, but the first charge weight looked good enough for me that I loaded up a bunch. Went from 2.260" to 2.250" and groups looked a little better. Velocity wasn't too bad either. Its one powder I really like in my 6x45 as well and it pours out of the uniflow like water...

Try 2200 or 2460 you will be orgasmic, when you are throwing the lever on your uniflow.🥰😁

I use CFE 223 for my 62 bullets.

TAC for me.

I could not agree more, VVN133 is the best powder for this bullet weight in AR's and bolt guns............

My favorite powder for decades with 65gr+ was Varget, but the Varget I used was the Original that came out in 1994 that was pre EXTREME. the newer EXTREME Varget does not work as well

Way back when i used what i used for the 270 that i loaded for IMR-4064 and IMR-3031.

Now days i really like TAC and H-322.

The latter really shoots well in a bolt rifle and AR-15.

Ah yes, Lovex used to make some of the accurate powders. Sometimes I loose track. Thanks for the clarification.

Thanks buddy. I like many AA powders and how they throw from the uniflow. Just don't get the accuracy out of it like I do AR Comp. If you aren't going to break the cherry on the 8 pounder, send it to me. I'll put it to good use, even though I just bought 10 pounds of it locally.. Damn guys say they prefer CFE223 down here. Ha ha. They will learn, maybe.... I told the mo fo's I'd gladly take the damn crap AR Comp off their hands. They get a kick out of me down here. I was there the other day and the guy asked me what I was looking for and I said "A GOOD deal". He said for you or me? I said "for me, I'm kind of stingy that way"....

4895 in 308 ok. In 223 it was accurate but squirrely.

Can't believe folks use a uniflow measure for stick powders. LOL. The stupid lee cheap 19 buck one is all we use on stick powders for years per John Barsness. Amazing little piece of junk but you can have spares at that cost.

And for other powders we still use much better measures.

As to inherently accurate, Varget fit that bill for years. And there are so many other options that its hard to say.

If I had to blindly pick a powder and it be accurate and great in our Harrels measures and most others I'd buy a stash of TAC. Its on my list anyway to buy a couple 8s but its not been around for a long time locally. I really don't have a load for TAC use but I"ve used it in the past and its done speed, accuracy, easy to use even in the Dillon. But my Dillon bars have been modified too so they work even with RL15.

Granted I've not tried any of the new powders either. Just no real need found with others out there.

748 is ungodly temp sensitive and no one I know in the AR game has used that since the 90s. So many better.

As noted 4895 is so picky and sensitive. Often really accurate. But awfully slow with mid range bullets like the 69-75s. Slower still with 80 plus grain bullets.

Just comparing notes here.

Finally found the replacement nipples for the musket you worked on. Now that I finally have musket nipples gonna shoot it some next fall again and enjoy it. Thanks. Lets just hope we finally can get consistent ignition which was the worst issue with that gun. Never had so many misfires with a black powder gun in my life.

Jeff