I forgot to mention bullets. I have had good luck with Hornady 50 grain V-Max, but a lot of folks like the 55 grain V-Max. You really have to try different combination to find what works best for you. the 223 is so versatile, there are several powders and bullets that will work and work well for you. As far as primers go, I like the CCI BR4 and Remington 7 1/2. I shoot a lot more Remington 7 1/2 simply be cause they are much cheaper than the CCI and I get similar results.