please help, New to reloading

[Jbondmonroe]

A friend of mine is going to reload for me and teach me the ropes. The only thing is that he mainly does pistol rounds. What kind of powder do i need for my .223?

 

[straight-shooter]

H335 and Varget are the popular choices.

 

[Leo]

Go to the Accurate Arms website for a free down load of their loading data. Go also to the Hodgdon.com site for the same thing (they also have winchester powders on that site). Find what caliber and bullet weight you want to load and look at all the powders that are applicable. Now try to find something on that list.

I generally used Varget or H4895 with RE-15 as a close second. I have also used WIN 748, IMR 3031, AA2495, BLC(2) And some of the VV powders. I did not have trouble with any of them. I just tried some AA 2460 and it seems to work pretty good, but I have not tried it past 50 yards yet.

 

[jrainw]

Budget option wc844, meters well, made for 5.56, great for plinking loads. For accuracy Varget or R15.

 

[Slawburger]

If your friend is already a reloader he probably has a favorite reloading manual that will give the "recipe". Sometimes the "best" powder depends on the bullet that you are using with it.

I have three manuals and am considering getting a fourth. Even if you know the "recipe" by heart it never hurts to re-verify the powder type, powder weight, bullet style and bullet weight before starting to reload.

 

[Johncandy]

Varget, H335, or H322 are what I use. Benchmark is also nice.

 

[warthog]

Much of what the powder will be depends on what weight bullet and the type of firearm it will be fired in.
For instance, I use a Savage Mdl 11BTH to shoot long distance, 400 yards and beyond. I like to use Vihtavuori N140 and a 75 grain Berger pill.

 

[tenring]

http://www.accuratepowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/accurate_load_data_3.5.pdf

 

[RSW]

Spend the money on a good manual. Lyman is a great choice.

Varget and R15 are good places to start. Look up your barrel twist and you will also be able to figure out what weight bullets you can use and if you wants a faster or slower burning powder to tune your load.

I say to buy a manual as you may be limited in the powders you can find for months to come.