.223 Accuracy Loads for Light Bullets

I have literally been loading .223 for twenty years.  It is the most forgiving cartridges I have worked with in my entire career of reloading.  It really is not hard to get this wonderful little cartridge to shoot very well.

****NOTE!!!  ALL LOADS TESTED BY ME ARE MOLY COATED.  YOU MIGHT FIND YOUR LOAD IS .5 GRAIN LOWER****

55/52 grain loads (for 100-200 yard practice)
(COL of 2.25-for reference only)

27.5 R15-  this is great load and burns very clean at that charge, it rivals just about any 55 grain load I have tried.  It is a very safe load because, frankly, you can’t get any more powder in the case.  This is will not work on a progressive, as you need to shake the case or use a drop tube to pack the case.  Yes, this is compressed…  and boy does it shoot.  Excellent velocity too.  Keeps the barrel cool too…  I’m not sure why.  I always joke that you could take an LC case, dump it in a bowl of R15, shake it level, and stick a bullet in and it would shoot pretty darn good (although this is heresy in modern reloading circles).

26.5 Varget-  This load is also SNEAKY good. It is capable of bug hole groups at 100 with a good bullet.  Basically this load is about 1/8″ from the top of a LC 223 case with no shaking.  You can run it on a progressive but you will get spills occasionally.

26 IMR 8208-  I have not tried this yet.  I will soon.  XBR 8208 is showing higher velocities than R15 and Varget in my 6br.  Great powder.  I love the way it meters and it is super duper clean.

25.5 IMR 4895-  Good load.  Not great.  Cheap powder used to be available so I used it for bulk loading.

25 AA 2015BR-  THIS IS MY FAVORITE 55 grain load.  It will shoot lights out at 100-200 yards with match bullets or 55 grain varmint bullets.  It burns super clean.  Runs fine in a progressive, and meters slightly better than Varget and doesn’t fill the case so high.

25 VV133-  shoots the same as 2015BR, but while I like VV powders I don’t like the expense.

25 R10x-  I think this is Alliants version of 2015BR with a copper fouling additive.  Shoots the same as 2015BR.  I have not done enough testing to know if I would switch yet, but in a pinch I would buy R10x to replace 2015BR.  It does burn with a black goo similar to R15 (I think they use the same fouling additive) but I don’t have any problems cleaning my barrels, it’s just that first patch comes out BLACK!!!

xxx H322-  this is the load that might replace the 2015BR load because it burns so clean, seems pretty stable for temp, and it meters like ball powder.