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16" Barrel .223 Which powder to use?
NeoBlackdog
Member Posts: 17,003 ✭✭✭✭
Anyone got a recommendation for a powder to use in a 16" barreled AR? I'm using 55gr FMJ bullets. I've been using 25.5 grains of 4064 but would like a bit more velocity. Mine chronographed at around 2890. I'd like to get a bit faster without going to maximum charge weights. Any ideas?
Comments
The powders mentioned are excellent - in a bolt gun. But an AR requires something faster to lower the pressure at the gas port. That does mean you won't get high bullet velocity, but that's the choice you have to make with an AR -- especially a short-barreled one.
Temperature sensitivity is not your issue. Stressing your AR is. With slow powders, the pressure will still be very high at the gas port. That will over-stress the action or rip the rim off the cartridge in the chamber - or both.
The powders mentioned are excellent - in a bolt gun. But an AR requires something faster to lower the pressure at the gas port. That does mean you won't get high bullet velocity, but that's the choice you have to make with an AR -- especially a short-barreled one.
So what would you suggest? Let me expand on my original post a bit. Right now I'm using 55 grn FMJs to experiment with and get comfortable with reloading, I'm pretty new to it. Eventually I want to use a 55 grn soft point hunting round of some type. I plan on doing some cougar hunting this winter and want to develop a load that will drop them quickly. I've got a Leupold Mark-AR scope on the gun calibrated to 55 gr bullets so I'd like to get up to about 31-3200 FPS to take advantage of the scopes capabilities.
Forced to choose, I'd go with Benchmark or X-Terminator.
A good source for all things AR is (not surprisingly) AR15.com
By the way, I think that temp sensitivity is about 99% marketing hype, but if it a factor for you, Benchmark is a Hodgdon Extreme powder. In fact, the powders called "temperature insensitive" should probably be called "reduced sensitivity" since they are not immune to temperature changes. And even then, it isn't true for all cartridges - or even all loads in a given cartridge, for that matter. Varget, for example, shows reduced sensitivity in the .308, but none in the .223.
That's probably why Dillon recommends the use of sphericals, huh?
Yup...[:I]
Thanks for the reminder.
I get over 3000fps from my 16" AR with either, grouping is similiar in both my rifles I've tried. I use more X-Term now that all my AR food goes through my progressive(Hornady).
Don't have my info handy, but both are in the 24.5 gr area and I believe 3100fps. I'll try and check later.