View Full Version : All around, good metering powder?
1slow01Z71
11-30-13, 23:36
Im looking to switch my loads over to my Dillon and varget just doesn't meter well(surprise!). Im going to continue to use varget for my competition 77gr loads as Id rather weigh those out individually but Id like to get another powder, two at most to cover the rest of my loads. Id like a powder that can run 77s at decent velocity, along with 50 and 55gr stuff. I may venture into 40gr loads for varmint plinking later as well but primarily will be shooting 55s and 77s. If that's not possible to handle both weight ranges then Im fine with running two separate powders it just needs to meter very well. Ive got 16#s of WC844 and that has worked well in my 55gr plinking loads, as well as some H335. According to my books CFE223 spans the whole range of weights and should meter well. I plan to use the WC844 to load my rainy day ammo so Id like to stick with commercially available powders since mil surp seems to be none existent these days. Im not looking for max performance out of each weight, just accurate and meters well while still giving decent performance. The vast majority of this will be used for plinking out at the farm with cheapo 55gr FMJs and Vmaxs but occasionally I like to load some 77s to play with while the big guns are cooling off. If I feel the need to run a pumped up load I can do those on the rock chucker and weigh on the chargemaster. Thanks
I would go with imr 8208 xbr, cfe223, or h322. They should all meter well and meet your needs.
1slow01Z71
12-01-13, 01:09
Ive got a pound of XBR I think Ill break out and try on some of. Wish I could find some cfe or H322 locally.
Yeah I wish I could find some h322 as well I have 18 pounds of cfe223, but no h322.
1slow01Z71
12-01-13, 01:14
Do you not like the CFE?
I have not made my mind up yet. I have not had enough load development time to decide. I just bought all of 8t I could find when it came out.
BL-C2 is my all around favorite for 55 gr - 69 gr and good enough at 75 gr. My SIL likes XBR8208 for same range. My second powder would be H335. But I hear that CFE223 is about same burn rate as Varget so that would be a good one to try.
Steel head
12-01-13, 10:16
I've had good resaults with W748, H335, 8208XBR and CFE223 in measures.
CFE was the best of them.
1slow01Z71
12-01-13, 10:56
I wasn't able to find CFE in stock anywhere but midsouth allows backorders so I put in an order for 16#s. From the searching Ive done it seems to have great reviews from everyone who has tried it. Im no big hurry so if it takes a couple months itll be alright. Now I just need to find some wolf primers and Ill be set. Im almost out of my WSRs, still have a few K of CCI 400s but Id like to keep the primers consistent.
This site has military surplus powder in stock.
http://www.gibrass.com/
I had great results throwing CFE223 the other day for some ladder loads. It meters very nicely.
1slow01Z71
12-01-13, 21:04
This site has military surplus powder in stock.
http://www.gibrass.com/
No useful powder in stock unless Im overlooking something. I do see some powder that says it is similar to H1000 that I might do some research and try in my 300WM.
I had great results throwing CFE223 the other day for some ladder loads. It meters very nicely.
I keep reading that everywhere Ive searched. I was able to source 2#s locally and am going to switch to CCI primers at the same time so I can save my WSR primers for 300 blackout loads.
I wasn't able to find CFE in stock anywhere but midsouth allows backorders so I put in an order for 16#s. From the searching Ive done it seems to have great reviews from everyone who has tried it. Im no big hurry so if it takes a couple months itll be alright. Now I just need to find some wolf primers and Ill be set. Im almost out of my WSRs, still have a few K of CCI 400s but Id like to keep the primers consistent.
Try Wideners at http://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=7277&dir=
These are the regular .223 primers not the 5.56 labeled ones.
Steel head
12-01-13, 22:05
No useful powder in stock unless Im overlooking something. I do see some powder that says it is similar to H1000 that I might do some research and try in my 300WM.
I keep reading that everywhere Ive searched. I was able to source 2#s locally and am going to switch to CCI primers at the same time so I can save my WSR primers for 300 blackout loads.
Doing some load development the other day with CFE223 in a uniflow It was so consistent I got sidetracked and started just throwing charges to see how good.
I was at 135 before I got bored and it was ALWAYS no more than a hair from perfect!
The only Ball Powder I'll likely ever buy again is CFE for slinging SS109s. I literally have NO ball powder on hand right now. I've gone almost all extruded. For 77s I'll never deviate from H322.
Varget makse no sense for loading in .223. There's better metering powders that outperform it too.
I'd try CFE223, H335, AA2230 and TAC. All of these are ball powders and meter very well.
I second TAC. Meters very consistently in my Dillon.
Metering Schmetering.... There was an article on powder charge weight fixation and the conclusion was that if you're not managing barrel temp to near perfection, then you won't realize any benefit from perfectly metered charges.
And almost NOBODY shooting an autoloading rifle is managing barrel temp for consitency. A far more worthwhile effort would be in selecting a reasonably temp stabile powder and finding an accuracy node for the barrel it's shooting out of.
Metering Schmetering.... There was an article on powder charge weight fixation and the conclusion was that if you're not managing barrel temp to near perfection, then you won't realize any benefit from perfectly metered charges.
And almost NOBODY shooting an autoloading rifle is managing barrel temp for consitency. A far more worthwhile effort would be in selecting a reasonably temp stabile powder and finding an accuracy node for the barrel it's shooting out of.
True so long as you're not loading at max pressures. I've noticed little difference in my Varget loads plus or minus a tenth of a grain or two. I wouldn't attempt to use Varget at near max loads through a progressive machine, though. I'd hand weigh each charge. But, I'd feel more comfortable at near max pressures through a progressive with a powder that meters more easily as my standard deviations in my charges would be tighter.
Varget doesn't make sense to me for 223 progressive loaded ammo or any 223 ammo for that matter. I spin it up on a Chargemaster for 308, but for 223 there are better choices.
But yeah... if you're talking a max 5.56ish load, you want a good metering propellant. Now max .223 published loads have a lot of room on the top side where they'd still be safe to shoot in a 556 rifle.
TAC. Meters like water. I've run it with everything from 52 to 80 gr and it does great with all of them. RL15 is another good choice.
eightmillimeter
12-07-13, 02:55
If metering is your priority then go ball. If your emphasis is 69-77 grain pills then go AA2230, AA2460, AA2520, or TAC with an emphasis on 2520 and TAC. CFE223 is nice but too slow for the 40's, you'll waste a lot of powder getting them moving.
FYI do not dismiss fine grain extruded powders from your choices. 8208 XBR is a prime example of this. I have also used other short-cut extruded powders (Accurate 4064 and 2495) with very good metering success in an RCBS Uniflow. Ball powders remain very hard to find now and I have had excellent results from these other powders.
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