hi guys, need your assistance, i'm going to start reloading 5.56, got the brass, got the primers, got the bullet heads (50 and 55 gr), but i still am undecided which powder to use. i understand that after the load has been worked up it may or may not shoot well depending on the gun, so i need a starting point. i'm sure everyone has their own opinion on which powder is the best and i really would like to try them all but i don't want to buy a pound of powder just to experiment. is there anyone else in the same boat as me, let me know what i should do or which powder to try, thanks.....

If this is for serious target, then I'd search out a forum where guys have some loads worked up.

If this is for plinking, you can pretty much use anything.

hi guys, need your assistance, i'm going to start reloading 5.56, got the brass, got the primers, got the bullet heads (50 and 55 gr), but i still am undecided which powder to use. i understand that after the load has been worked up it may or may not shoot well depending on the gun, so i need a starting point. i'm sure everyone has their own opinion on which powder is the best and i really would like to try them all but i don't want to buy a pound of powder just to experiment. is there anyone else in the same boat as me, let me know what i should do or which powder to try, thanks.....

Well, as I do sound like a broken record, there's no such thing as bullet "heads".    just as much as a lot of people call magazines "clips" : You can keep calling them "heads" if you still wanna be a kid or you can join the big boys club.
Google is your friend:
http://www.shootersforum.com/handloading-procedures-practices/38196-handloads-duplicate-m193-223-a.html
http://beta.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=6&f=42&t=350982
I'd get a reloading manual and start from there. Know what pressure signs are.

I reload .223/5.56 for both serious target shooting and serious plinking (golf balls at 200+ yds is SERIOUS). For lighter weight bullets 55gr-65gr I prefer Hodgen's H335 as the most accurate powder I have found so far. I use Varget for bullets 69gr and heavier and found it is more accurate for these heavier bullets than H335. These two powders I use mostly for serious target loads. For plinking I use Varget for my 63gr and 65gr loads because it is not quite as accurate for these lighter bullets as the H335 and I bought a bunch of Varget at a great price a couple of years ago. I am running low on H335 and it is no where to be found for sale on the island at this time. Same for Varget. Also, I have less than a pound of IMR 3031 which does not work well for me with any load but I keep trying it hoping like hell I can make it work with something. Also, I found a pound of CFE223 the other day and I worked up some loads and I am going to try it this weekend.

The best I can tell you is to look through your loading books and the Internet and make a list of powders that are listed for your bullet weights. Then I would read through some forums such as AR15.com (if you are loading for an AR) and check out the powders others are using for serious target work and plinking. That should narrow down your list a bit then go shopping with your list. Chances are you won't find what you are looking since most of the popular powders used in .223 loading are gone. In the last week I visited WGS which is out of all popular powders including 4lb and 8lb jugs. Same for YG. SEC had a better selection of powders but again, everything I use is gone.They also had a few 8lb jugs.

On a positive note everyone still had 1lb jars of IMR 3031. Even though it didn't work well for me doesn't mean it won't for you. Good luck!

I stick with hodgon, just cause thats what I started out with.  H335 is good for light bullets.  Flows through the powder measure easy.  For heavier target loads, I use varget and measure each charge with a scale.

thanks guys, information very helpful. i guess everyone who enjoys the sport of shooting has the same goal, which is to be able to accurately shoot and hit the target consistently, the closer to the bullseye the better we feel, whether we're "plinking" or serious target shooting wouldn't you agree. we reload to save money, create a consistent load and just to spend money on new gadgets, so back to the original statement. what shoots well for one may not work for others because of factors such as differences in guns, shooting styles, etc.... so how do i go about finding a powder that'll work for me, i begin with manuals, good starting point and go from there, but every manual list at least 10 different powders. many of you will read this post and whether you reply or not you're thinking the same thing, some of you have even figured that you've found the load that works for you but have you ever thought what would happen if you changed to another powder, lets say the powder you use is no longer available now what? i was thinking what if i bought four of the most popular powders and tried each one, creating a load that works for me, at the same time make those powders available to whoever else was interested, that way we can sample each and not be stuck with something that doesn't work, hmmmmm........

thanks guys, information very helpful. i guess everyone who enjoys the sport of shooting has the same goal, which is to be able to accurately shoot and hit the target consistently, the closer to the bullseye the better we feel, whether we're "plinking" or serious target shooting wouldn't you agree. we reload to save money, create a consistent load and just to spend money on new gadgets, so back to the original statement. what shoots well for one may not work for others because of factors such as differences in guns, shooting styles, etc.... so how do i go about finding a powder that'll work for me, i begin with manuals, good starting point and go from there, but every manual list at least 10 different powders. many of you will read this post and whether you reply or not you're thinking the same thing, some of you have even figured that you've found the load that works for you but have you ever thought what would happen if you changed to another powder, lets say the powder you use is no longer available now what? i was thinking what if i bought four of the most popular powders and tried each one, creating a load that works for me, at the same time make those powders available to whoever else was interested, that way we can sample each and not be stuck with something that doesn't work, hmmmmm........

What type of gun are you reloading for, Bolt or semi-automatic (AR-15)?  Progressive or single stage?

I reload for my AR-15 and found that TAC meters best and most accurate (Dillon RL550B) for my gun (Stag Model Eight), 55 & 60 grain.  VARGET is okay, but a pain cause it does not meter well, and the TAC is more accurate (for my gun).

 

I think the problem is that none of us can have the answer you are looking for. I just started reloading for .223 after reloading pistol only rounds for 25+ years. I was in the same position as you. And unfortunately there is no really good answer for you as there not one good answer for me. Besides doing what I suggested to you I also talked to many at the range to find out what others are using. That is how I got on to using Varget. I started using H335 based on what I read other serious reloaders were using. I also tried several other powders and worked to some degree or another. All based on others recommendations. I would guess it took me 5 or 6 different powders before I settled on what I am using now. For instance IMR 4895 worked well for me but I couldn't find it one day so that is when i decided to try the H335.

Sorry to say trial and error with educated recommendations is about the best you are going to get. Besides, half the fun of reloading is trying new combinations of powders, primers and bullets.

If you are hunting for accuracy, then most of the homework has been done. I've used these loads as a starting point and never strayed far from them. I've shot cleans at 200 and 300 and a 90% score at 600.
http://www.whiteoakprecision.com/info-reloading.htm

If you want accuracy, I'd stay away from the bulk bullets, that is the biggest factor. "Match" bullets such as Sierra MatchKings, Nosler Comp. and Hornady match are overall way better in uniform and concentricity than the bulk manufactured variety.

My go-to personal, practice load for 52 SMKs to 53 SMKs have been 24.0 grains of Win 748 to 25.0 WIN748. I have gotten .75MOA or better. Replacing the SMKs with bulk I get anywhere between 1.5-2MOA.

The AR is a very easy platform to load for. As I stated be safe and work your loads up per your reloading manual.

The hardest part is not gonna be what powder you should use its gonna be trying to find the powder. The last powder I used was cfe223 because all the other powders were sold out. it a good powder measures well and gets good velocities that are pretty consistent the only down side is its not a real efficient powder you will use more powder in the case compared to the others mentioned.

thankyou everyone for your input, as you can see we agree on certain things but not on the powder choice, i think i have four different views, each of them tried and true for the individuals although most have not tried each others formula, exactly my point. i'm sure there are others out there who are looking to reload or start reloading 5.56 but don't know which powder to start with. i do shoot an AR type so i will be experimenting with whatever is available, thanks again guys.... if you can give me some specifics (charge weight, bullets used, primers, etc) it will be greatly appreciated....

thankyou everyone for your input, as you can see we agree on certain things but not on the powder choice, i think i have four different views, each of them tried and true for the individuals although most have not tried each others formula, exactly my point. i'm sure there are others out there who are looking to reload or start reloading 5.56 but don't know which powder to start with. i do shoot an AR type so i will be experimenting with whatever is available, thanks again guys.... if you can give me some specifics (charge weight, bullets used, primers, etc) it will be greatly appreciated....

I think the best thing to do is get a reloading manual if you don't have one already. We have given you different powder choices which have all work for us (every rifle is gonna be different) just see what local stores have in stock the last time I went SEC had Cfe223. Spherical Ball powders like cfe223,H335,blc-2 will normally measure better in auto type powder measures,they take up less space in cartridges that could use a bit more of it if wanting a higher velocity,they tend to produce higher velocity with less heat and pressure which will help barrel life compaired to extruded stick powders like varget.Extruded powder are usually lest temp sensitive but we don't really have to worry about that here and they usually are alittle more consistent. Once you find a powder look at your reloading manual for a starting load and work your way up. I do a latter test and will load 5 rounds and work up in half grain increments to get a base line shoot them and see which grain groups the rifle likes the best once you get that you can tweek out your loads more if you want.

Hodgdon has a good bit of reloading data on there site.

http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

Great place to start. And finish, if you like the loads and have access to Hodgdon powder.

I read an article last night and they recommend if you are just starting out reloading .223/5.56 that you start with ball powders Hodgens BL-C(2) and Winchester 748. They said these are the best to start off with because they were developed with the .223 cartridge in mind. And they stated if you don't get the accuracy you want then to try extruded powders IMR 4198 and IMR 4895.

thanks, very good info, especially from hi state, will look for suppliers this weekend....

i got a bunch of reloading books for sale if you was interested, 3 or 4 as well as 2 50ct bullet boxes as well.

One thing to keep in mind while reloading .223 is that if you are using Hornady bullets like A-Max, V-Max of Z-Max, between 50 and 55 grains, the Lee Dies, out of the box wont seat them deep enough. The nice thing is I emailed Lee last week and the sent me a brand new bullet plug made to seat the smaller bullets for free. It just came in the mail today in less than 5 days, for free.

Lee has been awesome!

thanks brettyboy, i was going to reload hornady and i also have lee dies, will also send them an email to get a plug. has anyone used small base dies for ar's, is it necessary or just hype?