Mike3888
Mike3888
Yes sir, and he did the transfer for me. Haven't been there in 25 years. That's where I got my safe.
I found a new secret stash in MD and not eve far from home.
H335 has a lot of reloading data available for it. Great metering, works for 30-06 as well.
RAMSHOT TAC is no slouch either.
Those are two darlings of the 223 / 5.56 reloading crowd.
Someone I know is getting out of reloading, lives in a free state, and has various powders still sealed up. H322, H335, W748, IMR3031 are just a few that I may be able to obtain. Which powder is best suited to 223 and why?
Depends upon what "best" means to you. Also depends upon what your particular rifle prefers, and what your goals are. Tight groups, temperature sensitivity, ease of metering, availability, versatility across various other cartridges.....some or all can come into play in your search for "best".
All of these 4 powders are suitable for .223 Remington. Two of the four are ball powders that meter very well. IMR 3031 is an extruded powder. It won't meter as well as ball necessarily, but then again, if you're trickling your rifle charges with an eye toward absolute consistency rather than ease of metering, you likely won't care. H322 is an extruded also, but the extrusions are said to be very fine. I can't say as I have no personal experience with it, but it is reputed to be an excellent powder also. I can say that I have loaded 3 of the 4 powders you mention with very good results.
Me personally, I really like W748. It works very well in my .223 bolt guns as well as my 22-250. It is claimed to burn at a somewhat lower flame temperature than most powders, which if true would be an added bonus in terms if extended barrel life. True or not, I tend to get consistently excellent results with this powder.
Thing is though, it isn't always the case that you can find what you want. Sometimes you'll know what you want, but you may have to take what you can get. While more a problem with pistol powder currently, I've seen times when my preferred rifle powders aren't easily found as well. For this reason, if I were you? I'd grab a pound of each, and a good notebook. In addition to helping your buddy to liquidate some stock, you'll be better prepared if (read when) your favorite and usual powder isn't readily available.
Thanks for the helpful info. I guess best to me is tight groups with the least sensitivity to temps along with longer barrel life. Second would be versatility across various calibers. Metering would be last at this point as I take my time and trickle every charge. I am pretty slow at loading, but I am trying my best to be safe and consistent.
If anyone sees any Trail Boss, let me know!