Varget vs Benchmark

Originally Posted By: Rock KnockerYup, I wouldn't use varget in 223 for anything under 69gr.


All three of my .223 rifles (CZ 527, Savage 112, AR-15 Varminter) have shot their best groups ever using the 50 grain Ballistic Tip, the BR-4 primer and 26 grains of Varget. Lots of dead ground squirrels and lots of dead prairie dogs with this combo. I find it really hard not to like Varget a lot in my .223 rifles as well as my .17 Remington and my .22/250 too.
 
Originally Posted By: Rock KnockerYup, I wouldn't use varget in 223 for anything under 69gr.

I like Varget in .308 but not so much in .223. It compresses the powder too much which causes my seater stems to take more abuse than they should. If going 69+ grains in .223, I like using XBR 8208. It's just as temp insensitive, accurate, speedy and doesn't compress as much.
 
Originally Posted By: Rustydust
All three of my .223 rifles (CZ 527, Savage 112, AR-15 Varminter) have shot their best groups ever using the 50 grain Ballistic Tip, the BR-4 primer and 26 grains of Varget. Lots of dead ground squirrels and lots of dead prairie dogs with this combo. I find it really hard not to like Varget a lot in my .223 rifles as well as my .17 Remington and my .22/250 too.

My 24" loved varget but I was always shooting heavier bullets for shooting at a local 500 yard competition. I did a short test with varget with 55gr for my 16" BHW barrel and it was very bad, but I was looking for velocity and shooting some very compressed loads. But these polygonal twist just work better with fast powders, only exception I found was my CFE223/65SMK load.
 
My rifle actually shot good with Varget. Today I tried Benchmark along with the CCI 450 primer and a 53 grain Vmax. Its the first time I had good results with BM and also the first time with 450 primers. Using Lefty's Remington load, results were very good. So I made a trip to the local reloading shop and got another pound of Benchmark and a brick of CCI 450's. I thought the price of the primers was fair, $34.00 per 1000. Guess thats a decent price. Benchmark was $26 and the Vmax were $17. How does that compare to what you are paying??
 
53vmax/450/Benchmark is one of my loads also. That's the price I paid for the primers $34 and change and I believe the powder too $26 and change, I can't remember what I last paid for the Vmaxs, $17.50 or $19.50...? I havent had to buy any for a while because I got a few boxes of them for christmas and I'm now using 65 SMKs for coyotes. Pretty closes to the same here though.
 
My rifle is a Rem 700 VLS, 223, that I bought used a few weeks ago. So far it shoots everything I have tried really well. Today I used three different powders, four different loads and three different bullets and the largest 5 shot group is still half inch at 100. Seems its not real picky about what it likes.I think thats a good thing. My CZ is a little finicky about what it likes.
 
I've had a lot of fun with my 16" BHW barrel for my newest AR, had it for a bit now though. For the most part it's not finicky, I've gotten 50sp,52hp,53vmax,55sp,65sgk and 69smk all shooting great, using Benchmark, H335, Varget and CFE223. There has be a few real head turning loads though, 55gr and varget were 3"+ groups and 53vmax with CFE223 were an honest 13"+ combo, with that combo I was turning my head all over just to find each bullet hole. But BM 26.44gr/53vmax is around 3/4", 50sp/H335 26.5gr is a lot of half inch groups and CFE 27.24gr/65sgk are landing one on top of the other when I hold my 4x scope just right. Velocities are great too when I focus on it, CFE/65sgk are going a little over 3100fps from a 16", I have a feeling those 53s are moving along pretty good too but I havent run a drop test at longer ranges, no chrono...
 
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