shotgun powder for 223

[hillbill]

anybody useing a shotgun powder for reloading the 223?ive been useing 4198 and have had good luck with it but im looking for a cheaper way.

[necchi]

Well, that's just plain silly,
Why on earth would the powder companies NOT recomend shotgun powder for use in a cartridge if it was in any manner safe to use?
 I think, with just a quick glance at every burn rate chart out there, that shotgun powder might be just a little hotter/faster burning than stuff used for cartridge.
I like saving money too, but I like saving my eyesight, facial structure, fingers and hearing just a little more than money.

[hillbill]

well i seemed to remember sum posts on here about useing shotgun powder in the 223. i use it for pistol shells, 38 and 357. was just wondering bout rifle stuff

[OR-E-Gun Bill]

Ramshot TAC or X-Terminator are two lower priced powders <not shotgun powder> I've found are good for .223 and .204 Ruger.
I normally use Varget or BL-C2 but they are next to impossible to get out here now. The Ramshot powders are available and cost less.

Bill

 

[bilmac]

Using Blue Dot for REDUCED LOADS is a fairly common practice. I wouldn't consider it a cost saving practice, the jacketed bullet is far and away the most expensive part of your round. I load quite a few this way though, because of the versitility. I can make my 243 or 270 shoot a lot like a 22 hornet. I also make reduced loads for my 223 but don't shoot many of those. I also make small game loads for my hunting rifles that shoot like 22 rimfires.

 Success has always been fairly easy by using Blue Dot. I tried several other powders through the years, and often had to work pretty hard to make them shoot. Blue Dot is a lot easier to make shoot. For the mid range loads you usually use the lightest bullet you can get for the caliber. I use FMJ bullets for small game loads if they are available.

I don't know the rules for posting specific loads, but I don't think it's a good idea. I found out about Blue Dot reduced loads on the net, there was a guy that was doing a lot of experimenting with it. I haven't seen his site for awhile maybe he has removed it, but I haven't looked much either. You will learn a lot more there than I could tell you, but if you can not find anything PM me and we can exchange phone numbers.

[dorothy daily]

imr 4759 is also used for reduced loads in several calibers.

[jhalcott]

  IF you are using CAST lead bullets, you can use many shot gun powders in the .223. You can get quite low velocities and decent accuracy some times. When you cast them your self with cheap wheel weight alloy ,they are the cheapest ammo around. For a faster load, try an alloy like Linotype.MAYBE heat treated wheel weight will work for you. In any case a gas check is needed to prevent leading the bore. You can also buy a bore adaptor that enables you to fire .22rimfire ammo in your .223.

[ricktile66]

I have not tried in the .223 but I use red dot and trail boss with cast bullets in the .308.  Shoots good depending on velocity and twist rate of the barrel.  Lots of fun shooing subsonic through a suppressor at things like woodchucks.  Considering that I still have several hundred pounds of lead around the house it costs me less than $70 per 1000 rounds.  That is an awful lot of bang for the buck.  I have no doubt that with a fast twist barrel and a little experimentation, you could make the same thing work with .223.

[hillbill]

are you guys shooting your cast bullets strait from the mold or do they need to be sized?lubed? ive never cast any or shot much cast so im learning.

[bilmac]

Depends,   whether you need to size or not. I read a long time ago that the bullet is the best it's ever gonna be right as it drops from the mold. Everything you do to it from there degrades it. Seems logical to me, so I've limited the amount of sizing I do. The big thing is it is a lot easier to lube your bullets in a lubrisizer, so a lot of us size when we don't need to.

If you are shooting very moderate loads, there is probably no need to size, maybe if you shoot near max loads you should size. For a beginner I would suggest shooting mild loads without sizing. You can lube bullets by melting the grease and pouring it around the bullets and then cutting them out of the hardened lube with a tube of the right size. 

[ricktile66]

Mine are all sized.  They are too big as they come from the mold.

[Steve P]

anybody useing a shotgun powder for reloading the 223?ive been useing 4198 and have had good luck with it but im looking for a cheaper way.

It depends on the type of load you are trying to achieve:

If you are looking for a cheaper way to load for an AR, you are looking the wrong direction.  You would need to look for some of the surplus rifle powders from some of the surplus sellers. 

If you are looking for a cheaper way to load for bolt action rifle for plinking, then yes, lots of shotgun powders will work with cast bullets.  I have even heard good reports on the new Trailboss powder.

If you are looking for a way to load some subsonic rounds, there are some shotgun powders that will work, but there are some pistol powders that will work even better.  Now you get into case sensitivity, fillers, etc.

It would be easier to answer the question if we have more information on what type of gun you are loading for, the type of load you want, and what "cheaper" means to you.

Steve