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Posted: 3/2/2013 8:27:44 AM EDT
| I have looked online at Winchesters website and in my Lee's reloading book for loading data for 223 Rem 55 gn FMJBT. The lee book and the website don't list a range of safe powder loads just 26.2 gn. My Lyman book does list a range for a 55 gn bullet but it's not a BT. So my question is it safe to reduce 10% and work up or not. |
| I'd stop at 26.5 grains with 55 grain bullets using Win 748. Some data goes 27 grains plus but I believe that's too heavy a charge especially in hot summer temperatures or if a round sits in a hot chamber and heats up. My most accurate load with 55 grain bullets is 26.4 grains of Win 748 in various cases with RP 7 1/2 primers. |
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Select data for the same weight bullet, and work up from the starting load, a standard reloading practice. Flat base or boat tail will not make a difference as far as loading data for the same weight bullet. Lyman 49, pg 138, 223, 55 gr SPT (spitzer) W-748: Start 25.0 grs for 2849 fps Max 27.8 grs for 3182 fps
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| Back in 1982, when I first started loading for .223 (5.56 LC brass), I tried various powders and bullet combo's. My records show I tried 26.0 to 28.0 grains W-748 with Win 55 FMJBT bullets. Oddly enough, 26.2 grains of W748 was the most accurate in my AR. So I was surprised to see the OP's comment concerning that weight. The combo works great in my SP1 (1 in 12 twist). That's my experience anyway and hope it helps somewhat. Good luck. |
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Quoted:
Select data for the same weight bullet, and work up from the starting load, a standard reloading practice. Flat base or boat tail will not make a difference as far as loading data for the same weight bullet. Lyman 49, pg 138, 223, 55 gr SPT (spitzer) W-748: Start 25.0 grs for 2849 fps Max 27.8 grs for 3182 fps That was one of the questions I was wondering about does flat base or boat tail make a difference. Also the fact that the Lyman book had a much different range than the winchester loading data. I had seen in several places that 26.2 or 26.3 listed as max and the 27.8 in the Lyman book was so much higher. Now the question is this. Based on a 26.3 max I have worked up twenty rounds started at 24.4. Are the rounds I have made below 25 unsafe. Should I pull them and keep the ones from 25 up. I just want to learn to do things the right way. Thanks again for all the help |
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Quoted: Quoted: Select data for the same weight bullet, and work up from the starting load, a standard reloading practice. Flat base or boat tail will not make a difference as far as loading data for the same weight bullet. Lyman 49, pg 138, 223, 55 gr SPT (spitzer) W-748: Start 25.0 grs for 2849 fps Max 27.8 grs for 3182 fps That was one of the questions I was wondering about does flat base or boat tail make a difference. Also the fact that the Lyman book had a much different range than the winchester loading data. I had seen in several places that 26.2 or 26.3 listed as max and the 27.8 in the Lyman book was so much higher. Now the question is this. Based on a 26.3 max I have worked up twenty rounds started at 24.4. Are the rounds I have made below 25 unsafe. Should I pull them and keep the ones from 25 up. I just want to learn to do things the right way. Thanks again for all the help I have used a lot of Lyman's data, it's always been spot on for me. If it was me, I would use their data. Very seldom will you find data that is the same. Data is a report, this happened on this day using....these components in this rifle. My practice is to look at several sources of data (4 or 5) and get an average. Bottom line is to work up a load in your rifle. Fire only one each of your low powered loads until you get to 25 grs, then shoot groups. When you get back home pull the bullets and recharge with what you learned your rifle liked. My AR would handle 26.5 grs of W-748, but so many powders gave me better accuracy I only used 1 pound of W-748.
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Select data for the same weight bullet, and work up from the starting load, a standard reloading practice. Flat base or boat tail will not make a difference as far as loading data for the same weight bullet. Lyman 49, pg 138, 223, 55 gr SPT (spitzer) W-748: Start 25.0 grs for 2849 fps Max 27.8 grs for 3182 fps That was one of the questions I was wondering about does flat base or boat tail make a difference. Also the fact that the Lyman book had a much different range than the winchester loading data. I had seen in several places that 26.2 or 26.3 listed as max and the 27.8 in the Lyman book was so much higher. Now the question is this. Based on a 26.3 max I have worked up twenty rounds started at 24.4. Are the rounds I have made below 25 unsafe. Should I pull them and keep the ones from 25 up. I just want to learn to do things the right way. Thanks again for all the help I have used a lot of Lyman's data, it's always been spot on for me. If it was me, I would use their data. Very seldom will you find data that is the same. Data is a report, this happened on this day using....these components in this rifle. My practice is to look at several sources of data (4 or 5) and get an average. Bottom line is to work up a load in your rifle. Fire only one each of your low powered loads until you get to 25 grs, then shoot groups. When you get back home pull the bullets and recharge with what you learned your rifle liked. My AR would handle 26.5 grs of W-748, but so many powders gave me better accuracy I only used 1 pound of W-748. Thanks Dryflash3 I will do that and see what my rifle likes. I have three different powders that I can get locally W748, BLC(2) and H335. I have a pound of each and will be testing each one to see what works. When powder becomes more readily available again online I may try some of the powders others like yourself have had success with but I can't get them locally in the upstate of SC. |
| Hey Sparkvark, You may want to try some magnum primers at some time too. The Speer manual recommends them for all ball type powders. Personally I have gotten some real nice accuracy using CCI-450s with H-335. I have test loads loaded with WC-844 and both CCI-400's and 450's waiting for the weather to warm up a bit. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Select data for the same weight bullet, and work up from the starting load, a standard reloading practice. Flat base or boat tail will not make a difference as far as loading data for the same weight bullet. Lyman 49, pg 138, 223, 55 gr SPT (spitzer) W-748: Start 25.0 grs for 2849 fps Max 27.8 grs for 3182 fps That was one of the questions I was wondering about does flat base or boat tail make a difference. Also the fact that the Lyman book had a much different range than the winchester loading data. I had seen in several places that 26.2 or 26.3 listed as max and the 27.8 in the Lyman book was so much higher. Now the question is this. Based on a 26.3 max I have worked up twenty rounds started at 24.4. Are the rounds I have made below 25 unsafe. Should I pull them and keep the ones from 25 up. I just want to learn to do things the right way. Thanks again for all the help I have used a lot of Lyman's data, it's always been spot on for me. If it was me, I would use their data. Very seldom will you find data that is the same. Data is a report, this happened on this day using....these components in this rifle. My practice is to look at several sources of data (4 or 5) and get an average. Bottom line is to work up a load in your rifle. Fire only one each of your low powered loads until you get to 25 grs, then shoot groups. When you get back home pull the bullets and recharge with what you learned your rifle liked. My AR would handle 26.5 grs of W-748, but so many powders gave me better accuracy I only used 1 pound of W-748. Thanks Dryflash3 I will do that and see what my rifle likes. I have three different powders that I can get locally W748, BLC(2) and H335. I have a pound of each and will be testing each one to see what works. When powder becomes more readily available again online I may try some of the powders others like yourself have had success with but I can't get them locally in the upstate of SC. When I left W-748 behind, went to H-335, then BLC2 (really liked the accuracy), then AA-2230 (got it cheap locally). Supply of AA-2230 dried up, went with Tac. All of these powders were used for 55 and 62 gr FMJBT's. I'm still with Tac. Good luck.
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