What did you do today in the world of reloading?

[rp-]

CFE223
90g Federal Fusion

Do you have any other powders you can try?

If not, try the load again and see what happens.

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[deemus]

I tried that one because an article I read said it was the most accurate powder they tried.

I can try some H335.

 

[rp-]

I tried that one because an article I read said it was the accurate powder they tried.

I can try some H335.

Try working up some test loads with the 335 and see what happens. But I'd still load up 10 more rounds with the CFE of that same load that gave you 3 rounds touching. Shoot 2 more 5-shot groups with it and see if theyre any better. It never hurts to retest and confirm.

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[CodyK]

Did my reloading good deed today. Found out a store had 2 lbs of CFE223 available, so I drove the 45 minutes to pick it up. I walked in right in front of another guy, and when I said I wanted the 2lbs they had, he kind of groaned, so I asked if he needed a lb. He laughed and acted like he was kidding. I had the guy at the register hold it while I went and grabbed a few other things I couldn’t live without. I heard the other guy asking about what powder they had available for loading .308 (which I sometimes use CFE223 for) so I asked again if he wanted a lb, that I really didn’t mind just taking one. He relented, accepted my offer, and thanked me.


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[deemus]

reloading brotherhood in action.

I walked in Bass Pro one day and they had appx 20 lbs of CFE223 on the shelf. The ONLY powder they had on the shelf.

 

[MTA]

Tested these 168 A-Max over H4895 out of my Sig 716 today. Great success with no issues. Accuracy is sub moa. I also tested out some of the 70gr Speer soft points over XBR for my AR15s

 

[robertc1024]

I have an issue I need some input on. So please read the details and offer your opinions / suggestions.

I bought a 224 Valkyrie a couple years ago. I’ve been shooting it and reading up on it. Did factory load test shots to figure out the most accurate factory load. Found two that were similar, so I hunted with one but had less than optimal results. So I decided to hand load the 90g Fusion bullet.

Recently did a ladder test with that 90g bullet. Pretty much always when I do a ladder test I get one load that is under 1”. I’ve shot a couple that were under 1/2” (223 and 6.5CM).
Problem is when I did this latest ladder test I didn’t get a tight load.

I always expect one flier, and generally exclude that one from group size. Problem on this test was that I didn’t get a super tight group except on one load I had a group of 3 that was touching, and was maybe slightly larger than quarter inch. the other loads were kind of all over. All had under 3” spread.

I just wasn’t impressed with any of them. I guess it’s possible due to it being cold the day I shot that I was the problem. It’s possible I had two fliers on that one with 3 tight holes. But with 224 Valkyrie there isn’t much recoil, and I generally don’t flinch under heavy recoil.

was hoping to hear some of your thoughts.

I read the details. CFE223 is temperature sensitive - way more than something like Varget. From my friends who have worked that round, it seems very finicky.

 

[deemus]

I heard it was finicky. I read two articles and followed their suggestions. The powder was the one they said had the best groups.

I think I will load a few more. Maybe try H335 too.

it was mid 40’s when I shot my test rounds.

yep. It’s finicky.

 

[robertc1024]

I did a few ladder loads with it, and found one that shoots .223 55g flat based bullets great out of a lot of different rifles. No extreme temps though. Good enough for me.

 

[TexMex247]

Deemus, I can't speak directly to those calibers but my .280 groups the factory fusion loads at 1.5-2.5" for 5 shots. Worse results in a 7mm WSM factory loading that groups 2+ even with just 3 shots. Not terrible but definitely not as tight as many other bullets.

 

[deemus]

I had a factory group of about 1 1/2" and this one was less than that. But the 3 touching holes is what confused me. I suppose I could have flinched on two shots. I think I will try rp's suggestion and load 10 more and see if I can replicate the 3 shot group and not the 2 strays.

If that doesn't pan out then I will try to load some with the H335. They also said that H414 works well for that round.

I prepped each case the same as the article suggested:

full length resize
trim and deburr the case

I almost always get one really tight group (223 had a 3/8" group; 6.5CM had a .448" group) and this one is irritating because its not. I am really hoping it was two pulled shots. I will be sure to take my time on the next loads. Probably wouldn't hurt to clean the gun well too. I may buy a LeadSled to shoot off of. I was shooting off of sand bags.

 

[CodyK]

Looks like Midway has some powder in stock. Limit 2 lbs per product, so not sure its worth paying the hazmat and shipping unless you are buying several different powders. Wish they would go to 5 lbs.


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[dee]

Cfe223 is about twice as finicky about temp swings as varget but it's not linear in some calibers. Some it will be solid but the extreme temp spreads can make it do crazy things. A friend tested it pretty thoroughly in 6mm arc. Lost 90fps from 90° to 27° but from above 90° to 70° it lost 7fps.

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[Mark2Cars]

Glad I caught this comment about CFe223 as I was going to pick up some tomorrow. BTW....what do you prefer for bolt action 55gr .223 load?

 

[rp-]

Glad I caught this comment about CFe223 as I was going to pick up some tomorrow. BTW....what do you prefer for bolt action 55gr .223 load?

I've just been using my standard 55gr fmjs in my ruger and they're working great. I'm using wc844 which is the same as h335.

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[dee]

Glad I caught this comment about CFe223 as I was going to pick up some tomorrow. BTW....what do you prefer for bolt action 55gr .223 load?

8208 or h4895 are my go to in that area. May not be the best speed but they are consistent in my experience.

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[Mark2Cars]

Thank you sir !!

 

[TexMex247]

I just loaded one box worth of 45 acp. I would have loaded more but I'm insanely stingy with the last of these bullets. They're 200 gr Hornady combat target fmj semi wad cutters. They were discontinued by Hornady years ago and they've always been the gold standard in my 45s. I've got maybe 350 left.

I still remember pouting about paying 16 cents each for them back then. What a fool, should have bought thousands. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[deemus]

Glad I caught this comment about CFe223 as I was going to pick up some tomorrow. BTW....what do you prefer for bolt action 55gr .223 load?

Ditto on the H335. It’s amazing with 55g bullets. My best group is around 3/8”.

 

[CodyK]

Ordered 1,000 (.224) 55 grain boo-latz from Everglades. Have about 1 1/2 lb’s of CFE223 to play with, so I guess I’ll tinker around with one of my AR’s for a little bit, and see what I can get out of it. I’ve been doing a lot of loading/shooting/testing 6.5 creedmoor loads for my Savage Precision rifle, and I’m confident that the loadings I have are as good as it gets, so I need a new project!


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