AR Comp powder

General Firearms Reloading & Ammunition
1

The last results on this powder I found by searching were from about a year ago and very few of them. I found some today for $25 so I bought all three bottles they had. I just thought I would ask if anyone has used much of it and how you liked it. I will be loading the 77gr smk’s mostly and perhaps some 55gr plinkers.

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2

I passed on an 8 pound jug of this some time ago simply because I didn’t know anything about it. It’s a shame, because while I can’t remember the price on it, it wasn’t too much more than the four pounds of H322 I bought shortly after that.

3

I have read that it is a reformulation of RL15 that is temp-insensitive with a slightly faster burn rate. Similar to varget, but it meters better. I haven’t been able to find much at all in the way of results anywhere though. I couldn’t pass on it at that price given the current situation with powder availability. I plan on starting with the loads on Alliant’s website and see where it goes I guess.

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4

I haven’t tested it in 223 yet, but it’s great in 308.

5

I don’t remember my loads off the top of my head, but I’ve been using it for a couple months under 77gr SMKs.

I like it so far.

6

Good to know guys thanks.

7

I bought 8 lbs a few weeks back because it was what I could find. The powder meters quite well for me. It is reported to work best with heavier bullets. So far, I’ve only loaded it under 55 gr bullets for the 223, but will be working up loads for 69 SMK. Load data are available from the mfg and in the newest Hornady manual. What I found for the 55 gr is that best accuracy in my rifle (M4-ish) was from just below max and just above min loads. For some reason, unknown to me, the mid-range loads I tried just didn’t group as good as the others. All in all, I like it fine in my rifle.

8

Pretty normal for most loads. There’s a high and low accuracy node thing going on where you hit a good barrel harmonic.

Many guys just pick a safe load in the middle so they don’t have to work up anything… They end up with sub optimal ammo.

9

Thanks markm, learning new stuff every day.

10

Yeah the fact that you’re seeing this yourself mean you’re doing a good job on load work up… I mean… you’re paying good attention to what you’re seeing.

11

I will have to pick up the hornady manual, thanks.

12

cwgibson,

I have shot this powder for about 1.5 seasons in across the course matches, prone matches and NRA long range.

Could you provide more information to us on the rifle your are shooting it out of specifically, what type of chamber does it have?

Here are my accuracy loads:
Short Range (200yards - 300yards)
RRA NM (Wylde Chamber)
77smk
23.5gr AR-comp
LC-11 Brass
Tula or Win SRP
COAL = 2.25" (mag-length)

Mid range loads (600yards)
80SMK
24gr AR-comp
LC-11 Brass
Tula/Win SRP
COAL = 2.450"

When i shot out the above barrel, I installed a minimum spec Krieger on it. That barrel has a much tighter chamber, and the above loads were too hot (popped primers & loose primer pockets)

20" DCM Krieger (Minimum Spec Chamber)
Short range Loads (200 - 300yards)
77SMK
22.8gr AR-Comp
LC-11 Brass
Tula SRP
COAL = 2.25’ (mag length)

Mid Range (600yards)

80smk
22.8gr AR-Comp
LC-11 Brass
Tula SRP
COAL = 2.35" (just off the lands)

All those loads hammer! I only shot the 77smk + 23.5gr load with a scope…it shot 1/2" at 200yards including the called flier…basically 4-shots touching, and the last shot (i told everyone i was gonna throw it, that i should stop while ahead) thrown.

You will also notice that the Krieger loads are almost identical to the loads on Alliant’s website. My experience has been that the loads they publish on their site as “Max Loads” are accuracy loads in ALL my rifles…that spans my 223/556 ARs, My 308 ARs and my M1A…all of them have shot those loads on the website accurately.

Let me summarize the pros & cons of this powder

Pros:

  1. Very Accurate. One of the most accurate powders out there…I’ve shot multiple one-hole 5-shot groups with this powder in a semi-auto…I would pick this powder over Varget.
  2. Very easy metering. This meters almost as well as a ball powder. Deviations from my RCBS powder thrower is about 0.3grains and that’s when you crunch the occasional powder kernel.
  3. Cheaper and more available than Varget, RL-15, H-4895 and the old favorites.
  4. Temperature stable…i’ve shot this in our mild winters and hot summers, and come-ups don’t change.
  5. Works in both 308 & 223/556. Can be your all-purpose powder if you can’t find anything else.

Cons:
1.DIRTY! My god! I’ve never shot a dirtier powder in my life. 300rounds and you start getting FTF due to buildup…but i’m also shooting match chambers
2. Very little loading information available due to its newness
3. DIRTY! I can’t overstate this…
4. Faster burning than optimal…that is to say it wont give you the highest velocities with the heavies, but it pushes them fast enough & most importantly very accurately. I would have liked to have been able to use this in my Garands however, it wont be good for much more than 155s & 168s which are a waste in a 30-06.
5. DIRTY!!! have I mentioned how dirty this powder is?

Let me know if you intend to shoot this out of a 308…I have a couple of loads that have worked very well for me out to 1,000yards.

As always, whenever taking reloading advise from a stranger on the internet, be sure to reduce the loads by 10% and work up to the maximum load in your rifle while watching for pressure signs.

Good Luck.

13

Wow good info thanks! I only have two rifles at the moment; a 6920 and a BCM 14.5 LE middy that my wife uses. The bullets I plan to load that I have on hand are the 77gr smk’s, 69gr smk’s, and some 55gr plinkers. I should have some 62gr mk318 pulls soon. The powder situation is pretty bleak so I’m just trying to get what I can. The place I got this at actually received four more one pounders Thursday so I just went ahead and bought them as well. Any ideas on why there is so little load availability? Other than Alliants website I haven’t found much at all; which is why I through this topic out there. I do like the temp stability as we can have some crazy weather here in GA. Thanks for the post I appreciate it.

14

You are welcome.

There’s little loading info on it because it’s a relativity new powder…some of the other powders, H-4895, Varget, RL-15 have been around for two decades or more so naturally, more people have shot em, tuned them, and put information out there.

You wont be disappointed with it…except for the whole Dirty portion…the accuracy will make you smile…

15

I have a noveske mur upper I was going to put with a noveske 18 spr barrel. I’m sure that would be a sweet shooter with this stuff.

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