Thread: IMR 8208 XBR for 62gr FMJ Hornady

About to pull the trigger to purchase some of this powder but realise Hodgdon recommends a starting load of 21.4gr vs Hornady's recommended starting load of 23.0gr. What do people do in this instance? Anyone has an idea? I'm just starting out too and making some general loads.

It's going through an 18" SPR AR15.

Thanks in advance.

That's a pretty conservative load. If your rifle has a 5.56 chamber you will find you can safely run it a bit hotter than book max. I haven't loaded with this powder for a while. From memory I think I loaded up to 27gr with 55gr bullets. It's also a great powder for .308.

Originally Posted by furstimer

About to pull the trigger to purchase some of this powder but realise Hodgdon recommends a starting load of 21.4gr vs Hornady's recommended starting load of 23.0gr. What do people do in this instance? Anyone has an idea? I'm just starting out too and making some general loads.

It's going through an 18" SPR AR15.

Thanks in advance.

Start with the lightest load until you have more experience, a gas gun is a bit trickier to load for than a bolt action Sierra and Hornady do separate sections for AR15's in their Reloading manuals get either one
and have a good read it's easier to have a book on hand than Googling for info, Look up Zediker Publishing they put out a loading manual for the AR15 Glen is a competitive shooter and writes a good book
and knows more about loading for AR15's than most people,
IMR8208 up is a good powder for the .223/5.56 it flows through a powder measure very well is clean burning and is what ADI load for the Australian military 5.56

Thanks guys for the advice. I'll start with the Hornady's advice and go from there.