Noob question re powder/primers

[GettoPhilosopher]

Ok, just getting into reloading. Have my press and almost all the peripherals. Going to need to order powder/primers/bullets soon.

Besides trial and error accuracy tests, is there some voodoo that'll tell me what powder and primers to pick? Or can I just look at manuals and say "oh, H335 has load data for the 3 bullets I want to shoot out of my two ARs, and also load data for the .308 loads I want to start shooting next year! Good enough for me!"?

Same with primers. Why will the same reloader give 4 recipes for 4 different loadings (same caliber) and have a different primer on each one? Can or can't I just buy a couple thousand, say, CCI #?400? Small Rifle primers and use them on all my .223/300 BLK loads?

Is there an article or site or book you can point me to?

Thanks guys.

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[GettoPhilosopher]

Almost forgot. Worth noting I'm not a massively accurate shooter (not bad, but not precision rifle quality), and that's not the kind of shooting I'm trying to do. So if the answer is "Maybe your gun will like Federal primers better and it'll knock 0.2" off your group size!", it's not something I'm worried about.

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[Cowboy T]

Well, H335 and BL-C(2) are two fine powders for both .223 Rem and .308 Win, including their NATO loadings. If you want to choose *one* powder for those two rounds, H335 would be my first choice.

Primers aren't going to matter too much if you're not looking for the greatest precision. Any rifle primer will readily ignite most powders of H335 or BL-C(2) speeds.

Now, if you are going for maximum precision, then this calls for finding the "voodoo" combination that your specific rifle loves.

[gau17]

start with ABC's of Reloading.

[Munny$hot]

H335 is great powder for the money. I'm sure you already know to use the "harder" Military primers for your AR or other free floating firing pin rigs to prevent multiple unintentional slam fires, which could cause you to end up in the Pokey "married to the guy with the most smokes". Also H335 has basic load data listed on their bottle. It's a good idea to start with a lower load and work your way up. Here is a great link on load data for .223 and other calibers in PDF.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/

[Lead Waster]

H335 is great powder for the money. I'm sure you already know to use the "harder" Military primers for your AR or other free floating firing pin rigs to prevent multiple unintentional slam fires, which could cause you to end up in the Pokey "married to the guy with the most smokes". Also H335 has basic load data listed on their bottle. It's a good idea to start with a lower load and work your way up. Here is a great link on load data for .223 and other calibers in PDF.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/

Well, if it came to that, I think you can argue that the gun was not intentionally made to be full auto, it just slamfired.

I bought CCI 400's to use, and also some Remington small rifle primers that were suggested to be used for AR-15 type rifles.

In this case, yes, the primer makes a difference.

In my "competition" pistol, I used Federal primers because the hammer spring is lighter and fed primers use a more sensitive primer compound (or so I'm told!)

But in general, do some research (let others do the trial and error!) and pick what seems to be favored. Use this As YOUR BASELINE and then change things from there. You just need to start somewhere safe and explore from there (OR don't and just use whatever just works)

[NorCal Einstein]

In my "competition" pistol, I used Federal primers because the hammer spring is lighter and fed primers use a more sensitive primer compound (or so I'm told!)

I've heard the same, which is why I believe they ship in MASSIVE boxes compared to CCI.

[mroels]

I've had good success in both .223 and .308 with h335 and ramshot TAC. TAC meters really well. For ARs to be safe I'd use CCI #41 (many will say its overkill but better safe than sorry)

[SouthCoastTargets]

I highly recommend the new hogdon CFE .223, for high volume shooters who are not overly concerned with accuracy (like myself) its only $21 per pound and i get about 300 cartridges out of it. the stuff measures beautifully in my lee powder measure, because its spherical as opposed to a stick like Varget.

is H335 a stick power or spherical??? i have never used it but thinking about running a batch of it because its $4 a pound cheaper.

[shooterbill]

H335 is a ball powder. You can also try W748. Wolf primers are good also.

[ExtremeX]

When I started reloading I first bought small amounts of powder and primers locally so I didn’t have to deal with hazmat fees or being stuck with large amounts of something I didn’t want…

I started with CCI #41 primers since I was loading for an AR and CCI #200 primers for my .308 bolt gun.
Many options out there that will work just pick one that you can find locally. Or try a few different primers.

Try a few powders… I started with H335, BLC2, Tac, H4895, and Varget. I am still in the process of working up loads and testing for both .223 and .308 to see what I like best. Some are plinking loads, some are match loads.

I’m sure most people will tell you there isn’t much corner cutting to be had when it comes to reloading. You are going to have to work up a load and find out what works best for you.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

The Lyman manual has accuracy loads listed in bold font. You might want to try the powder and projectiles that gave the "experts" the best results.

[OpenSightsOnly]

It's good to have two or three manuals so that you can compare.

I use Sierra and Hornady manuals. Trying to get my hands on the new Berger manual.

If you are going to shoot rifle ammo, get a Giraud trimmer.

[GettoPhilosopher]

It's good to have two or three manuals so that you can compare.

I use Sierra and Hornady manuals. Trying to get my hands on the new Berger manual.

If you are going to shoot rifle ammo, get a Giraud trimmer.

I was planning on picking up one of these:

http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/wft.html

[ExtremeX]

I was planning on picking up one of these:

http://www.littlecrowgunworks.com/wft.html

The CTS Trimmer is another similar option, and cheaper too... at around $42 bucks shipped. I have two and they work fantastic.