cfe223

[DaveL]

Has anyone tried the new CFE223 powder from Hodgdon? According to the Hodgdon web site it not only cleans the copper out of the bore but gives over 3300 fps and a low 51,300 psi in a 223 with a 55gr bullet. Just wondering if anyone has any real life experience with it that they would like to share.

[Litt'le Lee]

they use a 24 in. barrel for testing for the high muzzel vel

[gwp]

I just loaded 100 rounds of Midway 55gr fbhp and 100 rounds with 55gr Privi fbsp with 26.5gr of CFE223. The earliest I will be able to test them will be this weekend.

[PhillipM]

I shot a test sample of 10 with 24 grains behind a 75 hornady HPBT out of my AR with a 1:7.7 twist barrel. Off the bench with the irons I had a group of three touching, less than an inch to the right four touching, and three others close by. This was a 200 yards so I'm impressed to say the least. I have a large amount of ammo already loaded I need to go through before I load any more.

It looks just like surplus WC 846 and they state the military has been using it for years, but who knows.

[DaveL]

Thanks for the report Phillip. Did you by chance run your loads through a croni?

[PhillipM]

Thanks for the report Phillip. Did you by chance run your loads through a croni?

No, I meant too, but forgot the tripod!

[DaveL]

Well, My shooting buddy and I tried working up some loads with CFE223 yesterday. We used IMI 55gr. bullets, 25.5 to 27.5 grs. of powder in 1/2 gr. increments and # 41 fed primers. We used an Olympic A2 H-bar match rifle with a 1in9 twist 20" barrel. At 30 yrds. the accuracy was amazing! All charges went into one ragged hole with just a couple of flyers (typical with IMI bullets). Now here comes the but, at the top end (27.5 grs.) we started to see pressure signs and was only getting about 3020 fps. no where near the advertised 3300+ fps. That was kind of a disappointment. I was hoping for about 3200. I guess it's per usual, the long pressure barrels they use for testing give unattainable velocities in the real world. The loads we had worked up using a max load of IMR 4198 are still the fastest so far at just under 3100 fps. I can't report on the copper removal properties as the barrel wasn't copper fouled to start with. We plan to try it in my Fed. Ord. M14SA that was my High Power Competition rifle and has had hundreds and hundreds of rounds through it. I'll let you know how it works against the copper fouling in that when we get to it.

[Hefights]

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

Check the Hodgdon data for 53gr Sierra and CFE223, 3,200 - 3,400 range. Also shows loads for Varget and H4895 w 55gr bullets in the 3,100-3,300 range.

[DaveL]

Hodgdon data is what we used. Fresh off their web page. With the max load of CFE223 we could only get an average of 3020 fps. and that's with individually weighing the charges on an Olan scale. I haven't tried Varget but if memory serves, H4895 gave us around 2850. These numbers didn't seem right to me either, so we broke out a second crony and got the same results. I think Hodgdon is very optimistic with their velocity listings.

[Hefights]

In Lyman 48th, they have a load w/ Sierra 55 gr SPT with Varget 25.0 2,977 to 27.8+ 3,346, Rem cases & Rem 7-1/2 primers. The low end is the accuracy load for that bullet. Their loads are shot with a Universal Receiver or Colt H-bar, they don't say which for that load, but my guess is the Universal Receiver.

Sierra Manual has loads w/ Colt H-Bar, highest velocities are 3,200 at the max end with 4198, 3130 and 4320. Thus all w/ gas gun & 20" barrel, and lower end velocities.

Hodgdon and my other manuals showing loads above 3,200 fps are using 24" barrels, and my guess is they are not gas guns. Perhaps what you are up against is that it requires 24" barrel and a bolt gun to get to those upper end velocities? I could not find what kind of test rifle the on line data is based on.