Cfe 223

[Biathlonjimmy]

Good afternoon,

I have asked on another site however I have not had a response so I thought you guys and girls might be able to help .
(It is probably because the powder is relatively new)

Has anyone tried CFE 223 successfully in either .22-250 or .308w?

Hodgdon's reloading centre suggests that it would be a good match for both calibers however I prefer practical application results over theory.
I'd be looking to push 150gr SP and 168gr HPBT in the .308. 43gr HP, 52 or 53gr V-MAX and 55gr SP in the .22-250.

If you have used CFE223 for the above I'd love to hear from you.

All the best,

J

 

[Laurie]

There's not a lot of people using it here - Fox Firearms on Diggle Ranges has had it in stock throughout the US powder drought but not seen a lot of take-up. The American Accurate Shooter Forum has several threads about people's experiences it with in various cartridges, nearly all posts positive. Here's a link to one on .308 Win competition use.

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3831067.15

 

[Muir]

Not very popular in my area. It has always been available in large quantities.~Muir

 

[Biathlonjimmy]

Thank you both for your responses. It looks like if I can get it to work then I might not fall victim to future powder shortages then . On the other hand there's probably a reason it is not sought after . I'll post results as and when.

Laurie - the thread you posted does give me hope. Thanks,

J

 

[foxyrich]

Hi,

I have used cfe223 in a 204 with 32gr heads and it was consistent on all powder weights but not very good at grouping tight like rl10x and couldn't get better than 1.5" with it as apposed to less than half that with rl10x.

However my pet load is a heavier 39grsbk and I have yet to try the cfe223 with this so no comparison really...

i never vert followed it up as the 204 uses a compressed load of cfe223 but may well try again in the winter if bored one weekend.

 

[Roedinator]

Tried it in my test loads when sorting loads for the 20 tac
ok groups but couldn't match one holers I was getting with vit 130 and 140
regards pete

 

[Southern]

I have not used CFE 223 in the .308, yet, but will.
I bought some to try with the 8x57 IS Mauser and the 8x60S.

A friend who is a serious shooter and handloader has worked up very accurate ( 0.6 to 0.8 MOA ) loads for his hunting rifles in 150 and 165-gr, and target loads in 168 and 175 SMK.

He was getting about 2,600 fps from the 168 and 175 gr, but said the sweet spot was pretty narrow; the groups opened up just .3 grains above or below 46.0 grains for him.

47.0 gr with the 150 gave his best loads, at 2,660 fps. Max load of 49.5 grains gave 2,800 fps

This indicates that the pressure starts to really move up as you within 2 grains of maximum. This also means you have to pick some brass and stay with it, as it would be very sensitive to case volume.

The big thing he liked was how clean it burned. He has not cleaned this rifle, just a dry patch, and it is shooting really well after 100 rounds, so he will use the .308 like this all deer season.

 

[Southern]

Update - I talked with my friend yesterday and he had upped the loads in the 165 and 168 gr bullets. The groups opened up, then started closing up at 48.1 and 48.3. Velocity was over 2,800 fps from a 22-inch barrel. He was using Federal GM 210M primes in Federal match brass. He said the groups were outstanding, 1/2 inch or better, but he was a bit afraid of what the pressure might be. He could feel the brass being a little tight in the chamber when ejecting it. Thicker brass or hotter primers would not be advisable with those loads. He said he might back down on the 150-gr loads, even though the brass was loose on ejection.

 

[Biathlonjimmy]

Update - I talked with my friend yesterday and he had upped the loads in the 165 and 168 gr bullets. The groups opened up, then started closing up at 48.1 and 48.3. Velocity was over 2,800 fps from a 22-inch barrel. He was using Federal GM 210M primes in Federal match brass. He said the groups were outstanding, 1/2 inch or better, but he was a bit afraid of what the pressure might be. He could feel the brass being a little tight in the chamber when ejecting it. Thicker brass or hotter primers would not be advisable with those loads. He said he might back down on the 150-gr loads, even though the brass was loose on ejection.

Thank you for this information. Pressure warnings are duly noted.


I should get a new rifle in a few weeks (waiting on variation ) and will start LD shortly. I have prepped all my brass now just itching to get out.