Which is a good versatile powder?

[thisismyboomstick]

I'm looking for a powder for reloading .308, 30.-06 (M2 spec), 7.5 swiss, and .223. Is there a (cheap) powder that will work well in all 4 cartridges?

[Jicko]

I'm looking for a powder for reloading .308, 30.-06 (M2 spec), 7.5 swiss, and .223. Is there a (cheap) powder that will work well in all 4 cartridges?

Alliant RL15 will works for .308 and .223. Please check alliant's website and see if it will work on 30-06 and 7.5 for you.

[rksimple]

748 should do it. Meters great too.

[wildcard]

748 should do it. Meters great too.

Yup. Winchester 748.

[Chaingun]

Ramshot TAC for .308 30-06 and .223

Not certain about the swiss round, but try their web site.

[ocabj]

H4895 will probably be the best for all 4 cartridges.

The 4895 burn rate is pretty much the defacto standard for the Garand (.30-06), which is what I'm assuming you are loading for.

4895 will work well with .308, .223, and 7.5 Swiss.

IMR 4064 is another good all around powder. The burn rate is Garand safe, even for 168gr. 4064 used to be the go to powder for .308 match loads (before less temperature sensitive powders were developed). Plus, the 4064 burn rate is perfectly acceptable for .223 and 7.5 Swiss. I suggest you got a long drop tube funnel for the .223, especially when it comes to 4064, since it has notoriously long granules.

The only reason I'd go against Varget and RL15 is because I don't know what bullet weights you'll be loading for in 223. Varget and RL15 are good for 69+, but they have been known to give less than stellar performance for 55 and lighter.

[PistolPete75]

sounds like imr4064 will well for you. good all around powder, but it is a little temperature sensitive. if you don't shoot competitions, this wouldn't matter.

[dw1784]

Ramshot TAC for .308 30-06 and .223

Not certain about the swiss round, but try their web site.

I have used TAC for all 4 calbers. TAC in 7.5 Swiss is excellent. You can almost interchange 308 load with 7.5Swiss with lower preasure compared to H4895, Varget and 4064. With TAC, I can get away with little to no neck sizing(44gr, CCI 34, Win 284 brass).

Think I got TAC for ~$100 with Ocabj's last Powder Valley grp buy. It's got a bit more carbon(graphite coasting) if that matters to you.

[Fjold]

H4895 will probably be the best for all 4 cartridges.

The 4895 burn rate is pretty much the defacto standard for the Garand (.30-06), which is what I'm assuming you are loading for.

4895 will work well with .308, .223, and 7.5 Swiss.

IMR 4064 is another good all around powder. The burn rate is Garand safe, even for 168gr. 4064 used to be the go to powder for .308 match loads (before less temperature sensitive powders were developed). Plus, the 4064 burn rate is perfectly acceptable for .223 and 7.5 Swiss. I suggest you got a long drop tube funnel for the .223, especially when it comes to 4064, since it has notoriously long granules.

The only reason I'd go against Varget and RL15 is because I don't know what bullet weights you'll be loading for in 223. Varget and RL15 are good for 69+, but they have been known to give less than stellar performance for 55 and lighter.

+1, Good advice there.

H4895 as the first choice and then IMR4064 because the H4895 meters better.

[thisismyboomstick]

I want to stock up on a powder that will work well enough for those cartridges. If I had to compromise I think I'd prefer it to be better suited to the .308 and .30-06 than the others. I was leaning toward 4064 since it will do well in the .308 and .30-06. TAC is appealing because it seems to be about 15% less expensive than most of the others. I'm not sure if the TAC burn rate is ok for an M1 though.

The .223 will be loaded with 55-62gr bullets. Maybe I'll dabble in the 40 grainers a bit though. For an AR.

The .308 will be loaded with 147-168gr bullets for FAL's and maybe a M14 clone if I can pick one up for reasonable price. Mostly 147's.

.30-06 with 150's or 168's in M1's.

7.5 I'm not sure what bullet wt to use yet. Any suggestions?

[ocabj]

The only bullets I used when I loaded for the 7.5x55 is 168gr SMK and 168gr A-Max.

When loading for the 7.5, you must load dummy rounds or use a Hornady/Stoney gauge to determine the length of the cartridge with your chosen bullet. While the 7.5x55 uses .308" diameter, the original Swiss bullet design has very short bearing surface - the secant/ogive is very close to the base. Thus, bullets like the 168 and 175gr BTHP from Sierra or Nosler will seat very deep into the case in order for them to chamber.

Swiss GP11 ammo uses a 174gr bullet, so don't be afraid to use a heavier bullet like the 168 or 175. I think the Hornady A-Max may offer a bullet with similar dimensions to the GP11 bullet. I don't have any GP11 ammo to pull and verify, though. So don't quote me.

Check out this site for info on GP11 and links to 7.5x55 handloading info:

http://www.swissrifles.com/ammo/index.html

[rksimple]

I want to stock up on a powder that will work well enough for those cartridges. If I had to compromise I think I'd prefer it to be better suited to the .308 and .30-06 than the others. I was leaning toward 4064 since it will do well in the .308 and .30-06. TAC is appealing because it seems to be about 15% less expensive than most of the others. I'm not sure if the TAC burn rate is ok for an M1 though.

Tac and 748 have almost the same burn rate. I've used 748 in my garand with bulk 150 fmj's for years without a problem. If you can get Tac cheaper, go for it. Meters a lot better than 4895 and 4064.

[tteng]

When loading for the 7.5, you must load dummy rounds or use a Hornady/Stoney gauge to determine the length of the cartridge with your chosen bullet.

For my K31 dummy round, I was told a trick. You dremel-slit a case-neck half way down, insert bullet slightly into the case, finger slide the round into the chamber, slowly work the bolt close, remove the mag and slowly open the bolt. The dummy will drop from the mag well. Measure the dummy's COL and reduce it by 0.005-0.01", and that's your actual COL for this bullet/case combination.