Loading 223, what powder, projectiles, & primers?

[danielhv]

My classic turret kit came in a few weeks ago, and I've been reading the book that came with it. As I near the end of it, I want to go ahead and place orders for reloading supplies. (Also, it's my b-day this month and midwayusa is giving me a decent discount on everything I order, so I have no prob. ordering things on backorder just to save the 12%)

Only problem is... I have no idea what to go with!! I don't know what grain of bullet, what shape, what powder, what primers, etc. This book has a ton of load data, but I don't know whats better than what. There's probably 300 different loads for .223 in here and I dunno where to start.

Just to clarify, I'm not going to start pounding out shit without a little more education and some supervision... Im just simply looking to order stuff to take advantage of the discount.

I'm looking to load some decent (better than factory) plinking rounds. Nothing special, and I want to stay WELL within the limits of my rifle.

So I'm looking for a good powder to learn on, some good (cheap) projectiles, and primers. Book said to stay away from Federal, and seemed to favor CCI.

So far, I have the Lee loading bench and 2 extra 4-hole turrets in my cart.

Can someone steer me in a direction here? This shit gets overwhelming!

[dee]

Bullet can vary by rifle twist. Powder type will vary with grain weight of bullet for the best results, heavier bullets usually work with slower powder better and faster powder with lighter stuff. 8208, benchmark, cfe223 are some of the popular stuff these days. Cj can set you up on which powder the military uses as I'm not sure. Primers are all equal for the most part as far as the brands go I use federal in some loads and Winchester in others.

[YALE]

What are the specs on your barrel? Is it just for an M4gery?

[Mike K]

My classic turret kit came in a few weeks ago, and I've been reading the book that came with it. As I near the end of it, I want to go ahead and place orders for reloading supplies. (Also, it's my b-day this month and midwayusa is giving me a decent discount on everything I order, so I have no prob. ordering things on backorder just to save the 12%)

Dammit...I didn't even know MidwayUSA had a birthday discount. My birthday was a week ago, but I deleted the Midway 'happy birthday' email.

Only problem is... I have no idea what to go with!! I don't know what grain of bullet, what shape, what powder, what primers, etc. This book has a ton of load data, but I don't know whats better than what. There's probably 300 different loads for .223 in here and I dunno where to start.

I know how you feel! I started buying reloading equipment and supplies in November. I don't mean to add more reading to your list, but I have found that AR15.com, Sniper's Hide, and Brian Enos's reloading forums to be very very helpful. Obviously you have to be careful with taking somebody else's recipe, but I picked a popular recipe and used it to start with. Dee already mentioned that your barrel twist will determine a good projectile weight.

I used this thread to find what was popular: http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubb...23&nt=6&page=1

Some people provide very detailed information about their gun and load combination. CJ also provided a couple links (see sticky thread) that are good for looking up load information. Like you said, there is a lot of information out there.

Right now your biggest obstacle is going to be finding stuff in stock. I had to create a spreadsheet to help me track what has come in, what I have ordered, and what I still need to order. The spreadsheet also helped me calculate cost per bullet too.

[Mike K]

Cj can set you up on which powder the military uses as I'm not sure.

I think you are referring to WC844 Pull Down which is the same as Hodgdon H335.

[danielhv]

What are the specs on your barrel? Is it just for an M4gery?

It's a 1:9... RRA CAR A-4

[bottlerocket]

I think you are referring to WC844 Pull Down which is the same as Hodgdon H335.

Good luck finding some

[BlackGT]

I have 1lb of benchmark that I'll be using to reload .223, once I find primers!! I'm going with 55gr FMJ bullets as I don't usually shoot at a public range. 55gr are good for 1-8 and 1-9 twist rate barrels.

Now if I could only find some powder and primers for .308 loads!!!