Subject Matter Experts! .223 Powder.

[BigPhil]

All out of AR's fro 10.5"-20" barrels.
55-62gr bullets: H335. Don't waste your time with it and any heavier bullets, I tried. Years ago I used a2230 and it performed very similar to h335. Just was harder for me to find so I switched to h335.

69-77gr bullets: varget. I really want to replace this with something as I hate the crunch and ring from compressed loads. Tried imr4895 but it just didn't group as well. That being said, 1/2" groups with varget and 69 smk's is hard to beat. If it ain't broke......

[Dolomite_supafly]

Let me guess, your heavy Varget load is somewhere in the 24.5-24.7 range. I had an AR that would routinely shoot 1/2" using that recipe and 69 SMKs. I was working up loads for a bolt gun and decided to try the same loads in it. It resulted in .3" groups at 100 yards and enough .2" groups to know they were not flukes.

 

If you can find some SMP842 I think you would be pleasantly surprised. Using that powder my SD numbers were unbelievable so I replaced the batteries in my chronograph, thinking it was broke, and shot another group with the same SD. The SD was either 2 or 1.73, can't remember which one but either one is pretty amazing.

[Ray Z]

Never could get the velocity out of Varget. I used blc-2 for a long time. But to be truthful I was just making blasting ammo then. It metered like pistol powder. Plus or minus a couple of tenths. With stick powders like Varget and 4895 I had to hand measure each drop. I've had them off by as much as a full grain out of a powder measure.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Are you running a powder baffle in your measure? That is essential for use with a powder measure.