What kind of powder are you using in your AR?

[jeff43]

I'd like to know what kind of powder y'all are using in your AR's and getting good accuracy.Using a 55 grain bullet.Also what do you consider good accuracy from your AR at 100 yards with a scope?Im just using a 3x Nikon on my 16" Bushmaster 1/9.I wanted something compact.
Thanks Jeff Edited October 9, 2013 by jeff43

[jcluff]

I use AR Comp and blc2 right now. There are a lot of varget, h335 and RL15.

As to your question on accuracy. 55gr FMJ, I am satisfied if I stay consistently under 2 moa but I dont expect it with either my sig m400 or my frankengun with a PSA stainless match grade barrel. However, if you are talking vmax rounds in 55gr, 1.25 moa is decent but sub moa is good. My ss barrel can soot in the .8 moa range pretty consistently with vmax and hpbt rounds.

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[jeff43]

What I have is BLC2,2230,2420,IMR 4895,4320,Varget,Win.748.IMR3031

[Jonnin]

I use a 55 gr, FMJ boat tail of some sort from hornady.   Using 2230 powder.  At 100 yards you should be just about putting them all in the same hole, maybe a 1 inch group or better, under ideal conditions.  I say that using a 9x power scope and bench shooting slowly, though.  It depends on what you want  --- most of the time I make the ammo faster rather than trying to produce match grade ammo, and that tends to add another inch or so to the diameter of my groups.   Point is, if you want to make match grade ammo and tailor an AR for it, you can produce high quality groups at 100 yards easily on a calm day.  But the typical AR shooter prefers to blast ammo rapidly and is not aiming each shot carefully at long ranges, and rapidly made ammo with a little slop in the charges and OALs and crimp etc is sufficient for that (even at 200 yards, semi-sloppy ammo still gets a 4-5 inch group at the worst, plenty good enough for man targets).

[timthetoolman]

Im getting right at an MOA with WC842.  Varget and CFE223 work great too.  This is out of a 16" 1:7 twist using pulls.

[JeffL]

26gr Varget and some pulled 55gr FMJ. Edited October 9, 2013 by JeffL

[jphillips63]

24 grains varget with LC Brass 205m primers and a 69 grn Sierra match moly coated shoots 1/2" at 200 yards in my AR

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[vujade]

H335 or the military equivalent 844 (in my experience (or this lot) it's hotter so make sure to start low and work up).  I use pulled 55 grain FMJ as well.  Out of a factory Stag AR15 (free float barrel) and a 4x primary arms scope - it'll give me .75 inches at 50 yards easily.  1.5-2 inches at 100 yards benched. 

 

Using 50 to 55  grain hornady a/v/z-max bullets - It'll be about the same with less fliers.  Typically 1.5 inches at 100 yards benched. 

 

Here is the rifle.  1/9 twist.  16 inch barrel. 

 

Edited October 10, 2013 by vujade

[jeff43]

I may try some Varget in it.I was just trying some Hornady SP 55 gr bullets with 2230, my bolt guns will shoot 3/8" to 1/2" groups with Nosler 50 and 55 grain ballistic tips at 100 yards

[TNMTBik3r]

Use Benchmark in my buddy's Sig M400. 55gn SPBT, minute of angle or better if we shoot slowly. Opens up to 2-3 moa depending on rest and rate of fire.

[Sidinman]

Been using the BL-C2 & X- Terminator. Not trying real hard at 100 yds. but about 1.5 to 2. in groups at that range. Did miss a running coyote at 200 yds. last Sun evening.

[orientalexpress]

I've been using 8208 with 75gr bullets. I haven't measured for group size but it's good enough for me to hit steel at 300 with iron sights. And that's saying a lot for be because I cAn hardly see past 100.

[Dirtshooter]

I like the 4895 use about 23.5-24 grains if memory serves me. Got it from the Speer book.

[jeff43]

Sounds like 2" groups are common then.Thanks everybody.

[deadeye111]

I am using Lake City brass, WW small rifle primers, and 55 grain Sierra Spitzer (seconds) but I weighed all bullets to make sure they were close to same weight.  I shot a ladder load of Varget from 25.0 to 27.0 and the 27.0 load was the most accurate with a low standard deviation and approximately 3000 fps.  Sierra's latest reloading manual shows 27.2 grains of Varget to be a max load but as Dolomite said you can't get enough Varget in the case to cause problems.  I was using a Sig M400 with 16" Barrel for the testing.  I am going to use the Varget until I can find some CFE223 to try. 

 

I also shot ladder loads of H335, IMR 4895, IMR 4064, IMR 3031, IMR 4320.  All mentioned powder showed potential but velocity was low on some powder throughout the load.  I was using a Oehler 33 chronograph to record info.

[Fourtyfive]

Factory , but then again I don't reload and am boring. :)

[jeff43]

I like the 4895 use about 23.5-24 grains if memory serves me. Got it from the Speer book.

I really like IMR 4895 and 4320 it seems to work with all the calibers I have . Edited October 10, 2013 by jeff43

[frankmako]

844, 846 and imr 4895 for me in 55 and 62 gr bullets.  

[dlm37015]

I use 844 and 846

[jeff43]

Is the 844 and 846 a military powder?

[jcluff]

Is the 844 and 846 a military powder?

yep. They are both surplus powders.


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[173rdABN]

WC844 (H335) and thats about it. I have so much, I doubt I'll be using anything else, anytime soon.

[jphillips63]

Sounds like 2" groups are common then.Thanks everybody.

 

i suppose for some 2" works but if i had a rifle that shot that bad at 100 yards id have it wrapped around a tree.

[jeff43]

I get much better accuracy out of my bolt action .223's than I do with my AR's.I bought a new Remington SPS .223 a few years back,best I could get it to do was a little over 2" at 100 yards.I called Remington and they said that a 2" group was within their standards.I even sent it back to them for them to check out.I never could get it to shoot under 2", tried a lot of different loads.I went to Savage rifles after that.

[jphillips63]

I thought Remington's standard was either 1" or 1.5"

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