Need Reccomendation

[devildog999]

I am going to start reloading soon. I already know what hardware I want to get. I would like some recommendations for powder, bullets, and primers. I will be reloading for a .45 and .223/5.56 (yes mine is actually a 5.56). Any help appreciated.

Also, I know it matters when firing a 5.56 round out of a .223 barrel, but does it matter if you put a 5.56 bullet in a .223 shell?

Thanks much

[smokingloon]

I use winchester large pistol primer for my .45, W231 powder, and 200 grain LSWC.

This link should also help you out in getting started. You should cross check loads with other sources.

http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

[grammaton76]

The bullets are the same. The difference is in how long you seat the bullet, as the 5.56mm chamber has a longer leade (distance before rifling starts) than the 223.

[devildog999]

Thanks. What are some good reloading books out there?

[grammaton76]

I read through the Speer book, personally. Beyond that, I did more reading on brianenos.com (THE best reloading forum I've seen, personally) and here than I did on books.

[ar15barrels]

The bullets are the same. The difference is in how long you seat the bullet, as the 5.56mm chamber has a longer leade (distance before rifling starts) than the 223.

Ah, but you can't seat bullets much over 2.25" OAL if you need them to fit in a magazine.
Therefore, there's not actually any difference.

[ar15barrels]

Thanks. What are some good reloading books out there?

Lyman's 48th or 49th are probably the best.
After that, pick a bullet company, speer, sierra or hornady.
Then pickup a Hodgdon manual because it covers many different powder companies with generic common bullets.
The more you can cross-reference, the better off you are.

[devildog999]

Oh crud, just noticing I posted this in the wrong place. Would a mod plz move this to the reloading section. Thanks

[devildog999]

How many rounds apprx would a 1lb jug of powder give me (for a .223 and a .45)? I realize you might say depends on how much you put in your loads, but just give a an average one could see 1lb make. Thanks

[ar15barrels]

How many rounds apprx would a 1lb jug of powder give me (for a .223 and a .45)? I realize you might say depends on how much you put in your loads, but just give a an average one could see 1lb make. Thanks

Let's say you are using 231 for the 45 (works for most pistol cartridges) and 748 for the 223.

Using 5gr of 231, you get 1400 rounds per pound.
Using 26gr of 748, you get 269 rounds per pound.

You need to buy powder 8lbs at a time to realize significant savings.
It's going to run you about $15 per pound in 8lb jugs vs $20-$22 in one pound bottles.

[devildog999]

Let's say you are using 231 for the 45 (works for most pistol cartridges) and 748 for the 223.

Using 5gr of 231, you get 1400 rounds per pound.
Using 26gr of 748, you get 269 rounds per pound.

You need to buy powder 8lbs at a time to realize significant savings.
It's going to run you about $15 per pound in 8lb jugs vs $20-$22 in one pound bottles.

Thank you. I fully agree with you, but I want to try some powders first to find the one I think works best before I commit to that much powder. If I buy 8 lbs and don't like the results, then I have a s*** load of powder I won't use, and a lot of wasted money. If I buy a 1 lb, and don't like the results, it only cost me $20 bucks to decide not to use that one again. Once I find the ones I like, I will buy bulk

Thanks for the tip though

[Darklyte27]

dog, what I did was buy 1 lb of Varget and 1 lb of 335. from what i have read those have been some of the mainly used powder for .223 and .308, also reloader 15 but I didnt buy any of that yet.

[devildog999]

dog, what I did was buy 1 lb of Varget and 1 lb of 335. from what i have read those have been some of the mainly used powder for .223 and .308, also reloader 15 but I didnt buy any of that yet.

Thanks for the info