Should I use 5.56 or .223 recipes?

[Kappy]

I was loading last weekend and decided to do a run of .223s. As I was looking at recipes, I saw that my Hornady book had recipes for 5.56 NATO as well as .223 Remington.

I'm loading 5.56 cases, but I understand that the two cases are virtually identical.

The loads I ran were 60gr Noslers over 22 gr of IMR 8208 XBR. They were REALLY terrible loads. Groups which should have been under an inch were more like 2 inches at 100 yards.

So should I be loading 5.56 NATO cases to .223 Remington specs?

[highpower790]

It wont make one bit of difference in what you load,unless your running hot loads where pressure might present itself.
What barrel and twist?

[Kappy]

16" 1:7 twist.

I've been having good luck with 223 loads. It's really strange that the recipes are that different. We're talking significant differences. There's almost no overlap for the same weight bullet.

[highpower790]

16" 1:7 twist.

I've been having good luck with 223 loads. It's really strange that the recipes are that different. We're talking significant differences. There's almost no overlap for the same weight bullet.

What is the purpose of your load?With a 1/7 I would use a at least a 68gr bullet and a stick powder like Varget.Use this combo and watch your groups shrink dramatically.

[milotrain]

The loads I ran were 60gr Noslers over 22 gr of IMR 8208 XBR. They were REALLY terrible loads. Groups which should have been under an inch were more like 2 inches at 100 yards.

So should I be loading 5.56 NATO cases to .223 Remington specs?

22gr of 8208 under a 60gr Nosler is super light, no surprise that's a terrible load. I run 23.2 under an 80gr and it's quite accurate, I can go down to a second node at 22.7 and it's still accurate so I know 8208 doesn't hate to be loaded below max but you are WAY below max. Go to 23.2gr and work it up to 24gr.

What is the purpose of your load?With a 1/7 I would use a at least a 68gr bullet and a stick powder like Varget.Use this combo and watch your groups shrink dramatically.

Agreed. The 68/69gr HPBT over 24+gr of Varget is just too good to bother messing with unless you have a very specific reason not to shoot it.

It's really strange that the recipes are that different. We're talking significant differences. There's almost no overlap for the same weight bullet.

It's not that strange. Consider the vast differences between what the SAMMI specification for 223 is (in intention, not in dimension) vs the NATO spec for 5.56. It is not as common as it once was but the 223 was originally considered a varmint round to be put in skinny bolt guns with no throat, the 5.56 has to account for tracers.

[Kappy]

22gr of 8208 under a 60gr Nosler is super light, no surprise that's a terrible load. I run 23.2 under an 80gr and it's quite accurate, I can go down to a second node at 22.7 and it's still accurate so I know 8208 doesn't hate to be loaded below max but you are WAY below max. Go to 23.2gr and work it up to 24gr.

I agree it was super light, but it's what the Hornady book called for as a 5.56 NATO load. I'm guessing it's just a crappy recipe. I'll go back to making .223 loads. I was only trying the other because they are 5.56 cases I was using.

[Kappy]

What is the purpose of your load?With a 1/7 I would use a at least a 68gr bullet and a stick powder like Varget.Use this combo and watch your groups shrink dramatically.

It's an AR. I'm benched (no other choice at my range on normal days).

I have Varget. I was just led astray by Hornady and their offering of a recipe for the case I was using.

[baih777]

read the specifications in the Hornaday book. they are both listed as 223 Remington. the difference is one section is for bolt action rifle 1/12 twist and the AR which is a gas system 1/7 twist. you need to work your load up, till you get a tighter group. sometimes going to the powder mfg website might have better info.

[nedro]

Nobody asks the only question of relevance.
What Spec is your gun chambered for?

[JackEllis]

Nobody asks the only question of relevance.
What Spec is your gun chambered for?

...because you don't want to use 5.56 recipes for a .223 chamber...

I'm working up a load for 55 grain Nosler Varmint bullets in .243. Starting with a low load and working up will require shooting 8 groups of five. When I did this with a similar lead-free round, the mildest load gave the best groups. When I worked up a load with 55 grain V-Max bullets for .223, the hottest load grouped best.

I'd like to find a shortcut too but I've become convinced it pays to be patient.

[Kappy]

Nobody asks the only question of relevance.
What Spec is your gun chambered for?

.223 Wilde. I can go either way.

I guess my real question is, should I continue investigating 5.56 NATO loads since I'm loading 5.56 NATO cases, or should I just go with .223 Rem loads, since they're almost identical. Does the "almost" mean I should load the cases as the 5.56s they started out as?

[baih777]

Where are you getting 556 NATO load data from ?

[McGuiver]

Should I use 5.56 or .223 recipes?

I was loading last weekend and decided to do a run of .223s. As I was looking at recipes, I saw that my Hornady book had recipes for 5.56 NATO as well as .223 Remington.



I'm loading 5.56 cases, but I understand that the two cases are virtually identical.



The loads I ran were 60gr Noslers over 22 gr of IMR 8208 XBR. They were REALLY terrible loads. Groups which should have been under an inch were more like 2 inches at 100 yards.



So should I be loading 5.56 NATO cases to .223 Remington specs?

What twist rate is your barrel and what is the length? I missed it in the previous post, but saw it is a 16" with a 1-7 twist. So you shooting a barrel that is 10 inches shorter then their load data. You will have to fine tune your loads.

If you look at the load data for Nosler, it is spec'd out at a 26" barrel.

https://load-data.nosler.com/nosler-load-data/pdf/223-remington/223-Remington-60gr.pdf

You should do a ladder load of 5 rounds each from min to max powder and bump them up like 0.2 or 0.3 grains every time. That is the best way to fine tune the rounds to your gun. I like the 8208-XBR powder. It is usually pretty accurate.


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[milotrain]

Nobody asks the only question of relevance.
What Spec is your gun chambered for?

It's a 16" 1:7, so it would have to be pretty esoteric to not be chambered with allowence for 5.56. It's not that we didn't ask, it's that we knew enough not to.

[OpenSightsOnly]

.223 Wilde. I can go either way.

I guess my real question is, should I continue investigating 5.56 NATO loads since I'm loading 5.56 NATO cases, or should I just go with .223 Rem loads, since they're almost identical. Does the "almost" mean I should load the cases as the 5.56s they started out as?

The dies that you are using to resize the 556 cases are 223 Rem while the chamber you have is 223 wylde. Don't get too caught up with the powder charge as means to an end.

What are you trying to achieve? Tight groups at 100 yards? Ok, so do you have an upper that can consistently deliver at least 0.75 MOA? If so, then your choice of reloading components (use match grade bullets, Varget, H4895, or 8208XBR) will help you get there too.

FWIW, I have used 8208XBR extensively out of my WOA A2 upper with very good results from reloading 52 SMK to Berger 82s.