Powder for 5.56 69gr

My Bushmaster Varminter has a 1-in-9 twist, 24 inch barrel and this was my best load with the Sierra 69 gr. HPBT.

Bullet: Sierra 69 gr. HPBT
Powder: Alliant Reloader 15 25.5 grs.
Primer: Remington 7 ½
Case: Winchester
Average Velocity: 2930 fps
Extreme Spread: 22.69
Standard Deviation: 10.04
LOAL: 2.260 (1.875 Base to Ogive with Stoney Point)
 
And don't even think about 69 in 16". If I'm going that slow, with little hope of expansion, I'll shoot a .308.
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Whatever trips your trigger is fine with me.Enjoy!!

But I not only thought about using the 69 gr bullets in a 16 in bbl,I did it.I was very happy with my results. 2780 fps is not too bad.
I like to shoot at longer ranges. The 69 gr match bullets are the best I could do in a 1 in 9 barrel.
The better BC closes the velocity advantage at longer ranges.
I don't hunt deer or antelope with a .223 myself.I'll agree the 62 gr Nosler Varmint BT is a better performer on PD's and coyotes.
I did go look at the Hogdon site. CFE-223 and Varget were both just over 3000 fps and within 20 fps but the barrel was a 1 in 12 length 24 in.
 
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First I'd ask what's the purpose of this load ? plinking , hunting , shooting for groups or HD/SD ?

And maybe a hotter powder. Because that's the hottest powder I could find that had load data for 5.56. Do you guys know of any manual that has hotter loads for 5.56, and not .223.
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Next would be , what do you mean by hotter ? I use that word in relation to powders to mean a faster burn rate . What do you mean ?

I want my velocity to be around 3,000 fps.
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That's fine if you have the right length barrel . Either way the hotter( faster burn rate ) powder you use the slower your velocity will likely be . Especially if you are using heavy for caliber bullets like the 69gr bullets in a 223/5.56 chamber & bore .

So you want to use a heavy for caliber bullet and get maximum velocity too ? Then you want a slower burning powder like Varget , CFE 223 , BL-C(2) etc and you'll need at least a 20" barrel and likely need a 24" barrel to get there safely .

Right now I think my two best loads using 69gr SMK out of my AR's ( 16' , 18" & 20" ) are using AR-comp and IMR-4064 powders . Neither are getting top velocities but both are sub moa . Sometimes you have to sacrifice a little velocity to get best accuracy .
 
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I've tested a ton of 69's, 77's and 80's in my WOA 20" Service rifle and my go to powder for the heavies is either Varget or R15. I do NOT recommend pushing a 69 gr bullet to 3000 fps. I'm at about 2740 fps and it's an outstanding 1 MOA load at 200 yards.
 
This I like by T.O'heir:
"Do not buy powder in bulk until you have worked up the load".

Before I would pop for an 8 Lb jug of powder I would buy several 1 Lb jugs of different powders and see what works for me in my rifle I intend to load for. The .223 Remington is one of those cartridges which easily allows a wide range of powders for loading.

In my Colt Match Target gun 1:7 Twist 20" barrel using Sierra 69 grain Match King bullets I actually like Winchester 748 powder between 25 and 26 grains. Your mileage may vary so choose a powder bullet combination and work up a few loads and see what works for you.

Ron
 
LilPewPew,

This chart gives you approximate velocity expectation adjustments. The .223 Remington is medium power, so the first table will come close. The reason for comparing to a 24" barrel is 24" is what a SAAMI standard rifle test barrel is for all but five cartridges (7.62x39, 0.30 Carbine, 350 Rem. Mag., 351 Winchester, and 44 Rem Mag rifle are all 20" instead of 24"). So if you see a box of .223 ammunition that claims a certain velocity, you know that it is for a 24" barrel, and, from the table below, you need to multiply that 24" velocity by 0.91 to get the approximate velocity to expect from a 16" barrel.

Conversely, if you want a certain velocity you need to divide it by 0.91 to see what it would be from a 24" barrel so you could go by 24" barrel information. 3000 fps/0.91=3297 fps, or about 3300 fps. So you would have to find a 69-grain load rated at 3300 fps in a 24" barrel to get 3000 fps out of your 16" barrel. I don't think you are going to find such a thing in .223 Rem or 5.56 NATO. Note that all European manufactured .223 Ammunition is loaded to the same pressure limits as 5.56 NATO on their equipment. Most of the pressure difference started out as a pressure measuring equipment difference rather than a real difference. The discrepancy has grown as equipment has been improved.

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I’m a fan of H335, and use it for a lot of 223 bullets, but I’d sure try Varget for the 69 gr bullet. Expect a muzzle flash with H335.

I did get great accuracy with AA2230 behind the 65 gr Sierra Gameking.
 
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