mic2377

Just to clarify, I only suggested the 175 FGMM stuff as it is relatively good gold standard for accuracy. I would certainly agree that it is not optimal for a HM-style run n'gun load. If you are going to be reloading, many of the 125-155 gr selections would work well. This includes the 125 SST, 135 SMK, 155 Nosler, Sierra, or Amax. The Hornady 150 FMJ-BT can also provide accuracy that may be good enough for your game. In addition, I have experimented with lighter bullet loads in the 308, but I don't believe that I could actually feel a difference in recoil between a 125 and 150 gr loads.

+1 on the pressure/time curve.This warning is probably for the M1A/Garand type rifles, and has something to do with the gas system/op rod being susceptible to damage from loads with a different pressure curve than mil-spec 7.62x51 ammo. AR-10/LR-308 rifles are much more tolerant of different powder/bullet weights, I shoot assorted factory 308 stuff without issue. I would say "blast away." I can't say what the best factory match ammo would be, shooting a fair amount of 308 was one of the reasons I started reloading.... However, I would give the 175 gr Federal Gold Medal Match a shot though, it is the standard by which factory match ammo is compared.

+4 on the Mobil 1. As I live where its cold out, or if you want a slightly "runnier" lube, I also mix in 40% ATF. ATF is also very good lube by itself, it has excellent detergent and anti-corrosion properties and makes cleaning a breeze (ie wipe down with paper towel and apply more).

It will have decent "punch" at less than 100 yds, but runs out of steam VERY quickly after that due to the poor BC of the light 30 cal bullets. Also, at any distance greater than 150 yds, drop becomes much significant than a 5.56. Bullet choice is also very important, as the low initial velocity of the cartridge leads to bullet speed dropping below the expansion threshold quickly. If you are looking for a 200-300 yd hunting caliber, try a 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC. You will need a different bolt and mags though. I would also consider trying some alternative 223 loads with different bullets, like some of the new bonded core offerings, as these can considerably expand the terminal effectiveness of the 5.56. FYI I have a 300 BLK, and am intimately familiar with its pros/cons. I would only really only consider it if you were going to suppress it.

I have VX-6 with the German #4 reticle. It is not a typical German #4 reticle at all - more of duplex but missing the heavy reticle line on the top-most bar. I posted a review on this site if you search. It is a good optic in many respects - excellent but unobtrusive illumination w/motion detect, forgiving eyebox, good FOV, and lightweight. It is not super "flat" at 1x (some radial distortion is present, not as good as my TR24) but is good enough IMO. The "multi-gun" is probably the best setup - the other reticles are relatively useless from a ranging perspective. If they just put a BDC on the duplex it would be fantastic!

I have used H4198 but not IMR 4198. I believe they are fairly similar though. 11.0 gr would cycle my 16" pistol-gas barrel with a suppressor. You may find that loads will be compressed using a stick powder like this.

I have used Lil'gun. It is a perfectly acceptable powder - meters well, good accuracy, and very clean. It seems to burn quite "hot" though. I have primarily used it in 110-150 gr loads, but also have experimented with it in subs. It will not run my 16" pistol-gas Noveske reliably while still staying subsonic, although the heaviest bullet I have tried is 210 gr. It seems to work OK for my friends 8.5" Core15 barreled upper though and is a "one-powder" solution for him in that regard.

My favorites: Hornady 52 BTHP, 24.5 gr H335, CCI-400, 2.20 OAL Hornady 75 BTHP, 23.5 gr Varget, CCI-400, 2.25 OAL Plinking: Hornady 55 SP, 24.5 gr H335, CCI-400, 2.18 OAL My best 5-shot groups have hovered around ~0.7", using the 75 BTHP's. The 52 BTHP's or Amaxes tend to shoot around 0.8-0.9". Even the 55 SP's shoot quite well though, 1.25-1.50" on average. Very good for a bulk bullet IMO. Overall it is a nice shooting barrel - I am a newer reloader and have made no special attempts to really perfect a load. I consider the above accuracy very acceptable for my game, and none of the loads are particularly hot or hard on the gun or brass.

Alliant does not currently publish a load for Bullseye and 147 gr bullets. As you likely know it is a very fast powder and can be quite hazardous with heavy bullets in 9 mm. I did however scrounge up an old Alliant loading manual (1995 vintage) and they have listed the following load: 147 XTP 4.2 gr maximum for ~1000 fps OAL 1.140 Win SP primer I had some Speer TMJ's (somewhat similar profile to XTP's) and loaded from 3.4 to 4.2 gr with CCI-500's, OAL of 1.145. All cycled my G34 with authority and no excess pressure was seen. I believe the advice above is certainly sound, and I agree that 3.2 gr is a good starting point.

I have also shot a bunch of these. Good accuracy from a bulk-type bullet, in fact, much better than other bulk 55 gr stuff. They also seem to shoot good in a variety of rifles (16" DPMS, 16" Stag, and my 18" Nordic). I also shoot mine over 24.5 gr of H335, which runs a consistent 1-1.25 MOA from my 18" Nordic. I can't comment on 200+ yd performance as I tend to use other loads for longer range.

I have one and it fits over a lo-pro gas block with ease, in the pistol position. It is an aluminum barrel nut. I seem to recall the ID was in the 1.75-1.8" range.

I have used WCC and LC interchangeably. No, I did not chrono loads in each of the cases side by side... but I did not experience any noticeable signs of pressure. Also, the WCC brass that I had was from an older lot of 5.56 NATO ammo, and had crimped primers. It appeared otherwise identical to LC brass of the same vintage. LC brass in 223 is not necessarily thicker than commercial brass, hence similar loads are generally acceptable. In fact, in applications where a uniform/thin case wall is required, it is the superior choice. I use LC brass only to convert to 300 BLK, as it provides acceptable neck tension while providing a case neck that is not too thick. There is a significant difference in LC/WCC 308 brass though, my experience has shown that it requires a 1-2 grain reduction in powder charge at a minimum. I would pay the same for WCC as LC to answer your question. The disclaimers apply, as usual be careful and good luck!

Get the Noveske 14.7" barrel. I have a 16", and it runs very well. It is a pistol gas and comes with a pinned lo-pro, non-adjustable gas block. It will not run really light sub loads 100% without the suppressor, but it is otherwise 100% reliable on par with a standard 5.56 AR. It is not completely overgassed if shooting suppressed supers. Also, I previously had a Wilson Combat barrel with carbine gas, but was disappointed with its reliability with subs. In addition, the Noveske has proven to be very accurate with a large variety of loads, and the 1/7 twist will stabilize 240 gr bullets too... Edit: +3 that adjustable is not necessary for your purposes. In fact, I would actively avoid adjustable. Just another failure point, and another place for gas to leak (which will cause you to pull your hair out when running subs, they are running near the threshold for cycling)

I've used True Blue with 147 gr. Very clean and meters extremely well. Not as soft shooting though, as it is a touch slower powder.

I fought a recurrent issue like this as well with an adjustable gas block and an 18" SPR. In my case, the gas block was a Kies. After installation of a VLTOR clamp-on block, all issues disappeared and it ran everything like a champ. Similar to you, the issues were not consistent and varied per type of powder and load level. It locked back 100% with 5.56 or heavy bullet/Varget loads, but would fail to lock back with 50/55 gr H335 or lower-powered factory loads (PMC Bronze), around 50% of the time. If I were you, I would try a standard BCG, GI CAR buffer + spring, and good quality non-adjustable gas block and see what happens. Your rifle should still be able to run 55 gr loads at 2850. Then reintroduce the fancy parts one by one... I don't have much input specifically regarding CFE223. Good luck.

I reload mine 3-4 times, and then turn them into 300 BLK cases that I use for subsonic rounds. Easily getting a total of 10 (even up to 15!) loadings from one set of brass. Mind you the subs develop only 1/3-1/2 the pressure of a decent 223 load. If I was keeping them for 223, I would load 5-6 times and then discard. Just not daring enough to find out just when that case head separation will be...

If you want both 300 BLK subsonic and 458 SOCOM, I would give AA1680 a try. Meters well and is the best powder reliability wise for 300 BLK subs. It also fairly clean, and is not "peaky" and prone to pressure spikes at max loads like H110 or W296 both are. FYI it is the THE powder of choice for a 7.62x39, so it works well in cases of similar bore/case capacity ratio. I have even loaded in a 460 S&W (with 300 gr bullets) with good results.

I have shot Nosler's in both 223 and 308. The 155's that I shot in a 308 AR shot very well, no appreciable difference noticeable from Sierra's, and they appear to be virtually identical to the Sierra 155 SMK's. It is really up to your individual rifle, but I would certainly give them a try. I have also found them to be more available as well.

It will be fine as long as there aren't major temperature swings and massive humidity. My trust level for powder left out is also dependent on powder type. Most pistol and ball rifle powders are very stable, have a long shelf life, and are relatively unaffected by environmental conditions. Some of the IMR stick powders, not so much. They go bad quite quickly when exposed to moisture, and emit a reddish powder. I have shot some old IMR powder, but do not recommend it... But in your case, I wouldn't worry...

Bullseye and True Blue, for now. There are the powders one chooses when you start pistol reloading during the great gun rush of 2013, AKA, whatever you can get your hands on. But, they seem to work great! BE with the 115-125 gr bullets, True Blue with the 147 gr.

I vastly prefer either Lake City (Federal) XM193, or PMC in one of its flavors (Bronze or X-tac). PMC Bronze is reasonably accurate, moderate pressure, and clean. The brass is very nice to reload as well. Winchester, Freedom Munitions, or Independence all come in as 2nd choice. Some of the Independence ammo seems pretty hot, definitely 5.56+ pressure. PPU gets a "meh." It seems to shoot OK, but the brass is not nearly as nice as the PMC or Lake City to reload, it is dirtier, and it has not been as accurate for me.

Why would you want to use an A5 buffer, especially if you are going to use a low-mass carrier? All you would accomplish is a reciprocating weight similar to a standard weight carrier and a GI CAR buffer. Even the lightest available A5 buffer is heavier than a GI CAR buffer. Counterproductive in my mind. There is some argument to the slightly longer spring used in the A5, that it is a more constant rate, longer-lasting, etc, but this is splitting hairs. If you are going for lightest possible recoil, get a low-mass carrier, lightweight buffer, and adjustable gas, then there may be a noticeable difference, but this will be reduced since you already have a rifle-gas system. What you are likely noticing in terms of recoil reduction is likely the result of some excess gas, and would likely be accomplished just as well (and with no exotic parts) with an adjustable gas block. Syrac gets the nod here. I have used a Kies, which is an OK choice on a budget, but anticipate having to seal the adjustment screw as it will likely be leaky. And before all of these exotic parts, look at your muzzle device. That is where the vast majority of recoil reduction come from anyways.

52-55 gr Hornady, (either A-max, HPBT, or FMJ-BT, whatever I can get my hands on!) 24.5 H335 CCI-SRP 2.230 OAL For long range: 75 gr Hornady HPBT 23.5 Varget CCI-SRP 2.25 OAL Shoots GREAT but Varget is a pain to work with in any quantity, so I'm saving my stash for later.

I think H335 would work well, and be convenient too. IMR 4895 or H4895 is a very versatile choice as well but doesn't meter as well. I have not shot the 125 SST in particular, but I have run some 125 Pro Hunters through a Savage 308, IMR 4895. I loaded them at what was recommended by Hodgdon (2.700) and they shot fine, in the 1.5 MOA range.

Accurate 4064 is an option. It is an extruded powder, but very short cut. It meters well through my RCBS Uniflow, much better than IMR 4064 or Varget, and with no grain cutting. It is slower than 4064 and would be a good choice for 168-175 gr range bullets... H335 and H322 are good options but are really too fast for anything >150 gr. For a ball powder I would definitely give CFE223 a shot. I haven't been able to get any of it but would love to try it out in my 308...