5.56 powder choices

[erik_26]

I am looking at making some rifle loads. Don't have much experience with rifle powders. I mainly reload pistol.

Going with 60 gr. Jacketed (Hornady) V-Max.

My choices for powder are:

74B
AA-2015
AA-2230
AA-2460
ACCUR 2015
ACCUR 2200
ACCUR 2230
ACCUR 2460
BENCHMARK
BL-C (2)
H-VARGET
H322
H335
H4895
H4198
IMR 198
IMR 3031
IMR 4064
IMR 4320
IMR 4895
IMR 8208
RAM TAC
RX15
v-N130
v-N133
v-N135
v-N140
VARGET
X-TERMINATOR

I use a Dillon 550B. Looking for a powder that is consistent, clean, and easy to funnel.... etc. all the best qualities.

I also plan to reload .308, so keeping that in mind, somewhat universal across the common rifle calibers would be beneficial.

The powders listed are ones I have load data for.

Thanks for all the input.

[Exodus343]

Ball powder is your best friend for progressive

[milotrain]

RX15
ARCOMP

short grain, meters well, good temperature control great consistency, works well in both .223 and .308

AA and Accurate are the same. H-Varget and Varget are the same. Varget works well in damn near everything but meters like poop, smells like poop, and is as hard to find as golden poop.

[Davisje011]

H335 or CFE 223, both are ball powders that work extremely well.

Also look into Win 748 and IMR 8208XBR

[BajaJames83]

H335 and win 748 are both cleaner and meter well in the dillon.

[damndave]

H335, TAC, 8208 XBR, BL-C (2).

[bohoki]

man i used some win748 and it was pretty sooty but my load was fairly light at 23 grains( i was being stingy to get 300 rounds out of a pound)

i had a 8 pound keg of tac and it worked great

[Wrangler John]

Don't forget this new powder*. It's very temperature insensitive, clean burning, measures well, and delivers super accuracy.

Accurate LT-32

Loading data in attached .pdf file.

TAC and many other powders have a decoppering agent added, such as Reloader 10x and 15, and just about every ball powder. Tin dioxide and various bismuth compounds such as bismuth trioxide, bismuth subcarbonate, bismuth nitrate, bismuth antimonide are all popular decoppering agents.

* LT-32 isn't entirely new, but a reintroduction of T-32 or Thunderbird a discontinued powder used by benchrest shooters. It's been described as a Super H-322 by wags who dabble in minutia, otherwise known as the nomenclature police.

[Enfield47]

You will want a powder that meters well for a progressive so stick with ball or short grain powders. Benchmark is a great short grain powder that meters easily and can used in multiple calibers including .223 and .308.

[GeoffLinder]

WW 748 works very well for .223 up to 69gr bullet weight and will work well for .308. Varget will work in both but is harder to meter in a progressive and is better under heavier bullets in .223. AA 2520 is a good choice for both calibers too. AA 2230 is great for .223 but not as optimum for .308 as AA 2520.

[GeoffLinder]

man i used some win748 and it was pretty sooty but my load was fairly light at 23 grains( i was being stingy to get 300 rounds out of a pound)

Stop being stingy, less than 25gr of 748 is not optimum under a 55gr

[CK_32]

H335 - ball
AA2230 - ball
IMR4895 - stick
Varget - stick

In that order.

[jameshenry]

The Hodgdon 335 meters really good in my Dillon 650.

[ZRen]

1. H335
2. Accurate 2230

After that, you can't go wrong with TAC, 748, BLC2, 8208

[Munny$hot]

H335 - ball
AA2230 - ball
IMR4895 - stick
Varget - stick

In that order.

Yup, I used Varget on my last load with a FMJBT 55grn. There was almost no room left. If you run it through your Dillon and want it to meter well polish out the bowl and funnel.