Thread: .223 load

Hi Guys,

Can or could anyone recommend a good hunting load for a 223 for reloading. I'm just starting with a 223 so have little knowledge and I dont have a chrono either.

1 in 8 twist Howa barrel

16 inch length. ( possibly, havent had it cut yet.)

Fallow and Sika is the target. I note some discussion about 77grn pills etc.

TIA

Keith

2219 for anything 50 grains or under.

BM2 or 8208 for anything up to 60 grains.

8208 or 2206H for up to 77 grains.

2208 for anything heavier.

Plenty of deer have been shot with plain 55gr soft points. Heavier stuff works better though - gamekings, tmk's etc... Have a look at the "223 on deer" thread.

Pick your bullet, powder, primer, one type of brass, do a work up. You'll find something that works more than well enough very quickly.

Edit: Go to ADI for your actual data. Don't be tempted to use anything given to you from here or found on any other forum, without first cross referencing it and working up from starting loads.

for 20 years I have fed mine 24.5grns of 2206h behind a 50-55grn projectile and been happily shooting whatever I point it at.

Decide on your projectile and if you can get it first. Work back from there

Thanks Pommy and Micky. Dont worry Im quite cautious about reloading. Tend to stick to the reloading books advice rather than word of mouth so to speak.

Ive just done some for a mate whose 270 is very accurate with the reloads.

learning all the time. Its fun and the availability of ammunition now makes reloading more viable i think. I don't think its much cheaper, but its a lot more fun!

the wee .223 has been the most unfussy wee round imaginable.... tried win 748 BM1 BM2 2219 2206 2206H and it just does same thing with them all
projectiles..mainly been my wallaby rifle
55grn hornady sp 50grn hornady spsx (oh so explody,oh so good) 45grn taipans(even more explody,dont exit rabbits) 50grn sierra sp 50 grn Zmax and 50 grn ttsx the last two are my main stays....the ttsx for big animals gives huge confidence boost....
if you ever find norinco fmj in yellow carton,grab them..great ammunition and surprisingly good on middle sized stuff.
one really good thing,you cannot double charge a case no matter how hard you try...if you fill all your cases with desired charge,then shine torch down into all the cases,a wrongun sticks out like dogs balls.....a grain of rice from tumbler will fill a case enough more than eye will pick it.
I dont muck around with seating depth...you will already have a load that works,just set your seater die up using that.... it will be near as damnit to ideal....unless your going for compitition target accuracy it wont matter enough to matter....

When I reloaded for this cal 2206h and the sierra 55 grain hollow point boat tail, flattened everything out to 200 yards. The pill has a hole the size of lake Taupo in the front so ballistically it's a bit of a brick but it hangs together and penetrates. Micky mentioned that yellow Norinco fmj, it was amazing worked like a soft point. I don't know how the did it but it would tumble and blow craters out the other side of goats

sounds like the speer 52grn hp..... they go great too. the 50grn version has smaller opening but do ok

I’m starting to like 23.5 gr of ADI BM 1 with Speer 45 gr Varmint Spitser SP’s in a 1:12 24”.

Originally Posted by Pommy

2219 for anything 50 grains or under.

BM2 or 8208 for anything up to 60 grains.

8208 or 2206H for up to 77 grains.

2208 for anything heavier.

Plenty of deer have been shot with plain 55gr soft points. Heavier stuff works better though - gamekings, tmk's etc... Have a look at the "223 on deer" thread.

Pick your bullet, powder, primer, one type of brass, do a work up. You'll find something that works more than well enough very quickly.

Edit: Go to ADI for your actual data. Don't be tempted to use anything given to you from here or found on any other forum, without first cross referencing it and working up from starting loads.

Had plenty of success with H322/AR2219 and 55 gr SP projectiles. Probably a couple of thousand goats and numerous pigs, goats, cats etc.

Here: https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....23-load-53936/

mine seems to like 25gn and a 55gn pill so far

@tac a1 with a I:8 twist you have the advantage of being able to use heavy for caliber bullets - up to 80 grn ELDM and Targex etc. I think that a 16" barrel handicaps that advantage. I would go for a 18" and personally I favour 20". Have a look at @gimp's Howa on the .223 hunting thread - its 18" and is a neat little package and I think he tops 2800 fps with 80grn.

You can still shoot light bullets with a 1:8 if you want to.

I notice that on here the people with really short barrels use lighter bullets to keep the speed up which with a 1:8 barrel to me seems to be counter intuitive.

A Tikka 1-8 with 2206H it shoots the 69 just as well 18" barrel

Sent from my CPH2145 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by tac a1

Hi Guys,

Can or could anyone recommend a good hunting load for a 223 for reloading. I'm just starting with a 223 so have little knowledge and I dont have a chrono either.

1 in 8 twist Howa barrel

16 inch length. ( possibly, havent had it cut yet.)

Fallow and Sika is the target. I note some discussion about 77grn pills etc.

TIA

Keith

What you need is here:

Data – Rifle – ADI World Class Powders and Ammunition

Not forums.