Advice for a newb on power

[nrakid88]

I am going to start reloading. I figure if I buy the equipment instead of another gun, the money i will save will help me shoot more and buy more guns. So its like win win. I am going to start reloading 5.56x45 and .30-06 rounds. I already have picked out three types of bullets to test for each. The 5.56 is for an AR, and i have two 62gr rounds and one 77 gr round to try for it. What powders should I look into here?

Second will be the .30-06, for a bolt action rifle, with three bullet types, all at 180gr. What powders should I check out here?


Thanks guys. I already have the brass, and picking the bullets was easy, so will be the primers, Im just lost when it comes to powders.

[ar15barrels]

What reloading manuals do you have so far?

[bcrich]

Varget is excellent on both 30'06 and 5.56 (223), another good one is IMR 4064 but meters crappy you just have to trickle every round however there is quite a few others that people swear by. good luck

[thebloodsonthewall]

I have been using BLC 2 for 308 and I am going to start using it for 223 here real soon. I have heard that it works well for both.

Do you already have all your equipment?

check out the different powder manufactures websites. Namely Hodgdons and IMR.

[Pryde]

BLC-2 or Win 748 will work for both.
Varget is popular but IMO is a poor choice since it does not meter well in a progressive press.

[Snapping Twig]

In a 30-06 bolt gun I like IMR 4350. In a semi, I prefer IMR 4064.

Check barrel twist rates vs bullet weight. Typically a 30-06 likes 165g bullets, but YMMV.

Can't help on the .223.

Welcome to reloading.

[nrakid88]

Thanks for the help guys, i just realized my thread says Power instead of Powder lol. I don't have any manuals yet, I guess I will check online and my friend is already reloading so I will check what manuals he has.

[Jicko]

RL15.

[Captain Evilstomper]

1st get 1-2 manuals, then you can decide on powders

[1lostinspace]

I am going to start reloading. I figure if I buy the equipment instead of another gun, the money i will save will help me shoot more and buy more guns. So its like win win. I am going to start reloading 5.56x45 and .30-06 rounds. I already have picked out three types of bullets to test for each. The 5.56 is for an AR, and i have two 62gr rounds and one 77 gr round to try for it. What powders should I look into here?

Second will be the .30-06, for a bolt action rifle, with three bullet types, all at 180gr. What powders should I check out here?


Thanks guys. I already have the brass, and picking the bullets was easy, so will be the primers, Im just lost when it comes to powders.

H4895 or Varget

also what is the rate of twist on your .223? 77gr might be too heavy or I should say too long if you have 1:9

[f4tweet]

My M1-A likes IMR-4895 @ 41.0 gr.with a 168 gr SMK, AR try H335, 25.0gr-25.5 with a 62 gr bullet.

[rksimple]

Get some loading manuals and read up. Using 180's in the '06 requires a little slower powder than would be optimal in the 223 for 62 gr pills. You'll have to pick a compromise powder and Varget would be pretty good. 748 is a little on the fast side for the 180's but it meters very well. It would also be a good choice.

[postal16]

5.56x45- For my XM193 copycat ammo I use H335 (24.3 gr) in LC brass with 55gr FMJBT (hornady). This is for plinking. For my match loads I have been using R15 (23.5 gr) in LC brass with 69 gr HPBT (Nolser). Though I am going to test and compare Varget for these loads to see if there is a difference.

7.62 Nato- I have been using IMR4895 for my 168 gr HPBT match loads for my M1A, though I just loaded up a bunch of test rounds for 175 gr HPBT with R15 and Varget for my Remington 700 XCR Tactical.

+1 on the reloading manuals, I would also recommend a subsription to Reloading Magazine. Different guns are going to like different load recipes. I would advise you look at several loading manuals, and take advice from experianced shooters and try different combinations. Beware, you will find lots of opinions and ultimately need to find what is best for each of your guns.

As 1lostinspace states, it is important to also match you load to the appropriate twist rate. i.e. a 5.56mm 77 grain will need a 1:7 or 1:8 twist to be happy.

I make labels for each of my rifles that I stick on the box of loads so I know which gun it goes too.

I make several load combinations, usually based on the best 2 powders as indicated in my research of the loading manuals, and work up from 10% below the max load on up. So if the manual says 25 grains of R-15 I start at 22.5 gr and load 10 rounds each at .5 gr incrimates. I record the groups, and inspect the primers for high pressure problems. Once I have found the most accurate load I load up 50 rounds, shoot them all through a Chronograph (5 at a time) to get the actual velocity and to make sure they are conistant in accuracy and that ends up being the load for that gun.

BTW, there is no cure for reloadingitus...sorry!

[nrakid88]

Haha, I used to reload for my dads big bore '94, .375 winchester, fun gun... So I'm not that new, The twist rate on my 5.56 is 1 in 7, so it'll run anything I can fit in the mag well. I am okay with running two seperate powders. Does barrel length play into picking powders?

[postal16]

Does barrel length play into picking powders?

I find that my guns are like my kids, they all have different tastes and are picky about different foods. It really comes down to trial and error to see what works best with that gun.

Barrel length will effect the resulitn muzzel velocity.

Some powders burn cleaner than others, which will affect the time spent cleaning the gun :-)