AR #56

American Reloading is offering a pull-down powder that is good for lighter bullets in 223. They call it #56. This is not labeled correctly, as this powder is NOT for 6.5 Creedmoor. It is for 223/556 and is similar to N133. Let me address some common concerns or questions relating to buying powder like this:

"Who manufactures this powder?" This is an OEM powder used by a major manufacturer of ammunition, even if you knew what manufacturer it came from, it would be of no use to you because OEM powders are not "exactly" like commercial powders you can buy.

"What is the burn rate of this powder, or where can I find it on burn rate chart?" To assist with this question, I will make a good judgement "guess" based on my testing and experience. This does not mean I am 100% correct, however, it is reasonable to assume my estimation is in the close ballpark. See below for chart.

"What commercial powder is #56 like, so I can at least use solid reference load data to feel comfortable reloading it?" We have tested this against MANY commercial, popular powders, and provided the data for you to view. Using this data, you can make determinations where you want to start your load process. This being said, NO load data on this website is official, or measured pressure, and should NOT be used without working UP from a more conservative, lower load. Differences in altitude, temperature and things like case capacity with different brands have a HUGE impact on pressure. So start low, and go up to your own comfort level, using your own judgement. If you cannot reload without having the exact bullet, exact case and exact load data from a manufacturer, such as Alliant, etc. Then I suggest you not buy this as you won't be able to sleep at night, or whatever. However, I love this, because this is not rocket science, and its not that hard to start low, and work up. Really.

"I have a Cartridge that is not listed in your testing, what do I do, will this work for my application?" Obviously, I only test a few calibers. Like 9MM and like 223. We cannot tell you what to do, and you should NOT take what we do and think its good for you. You need to make your OWN judgement.

Lets Compare some looks of powders...

Lesson here...DO NOT JUDGE powders by how they look. Big mistake. And also the lesson is, its easy to get powders that look similar MIXED UP!

N133

Does it look like others?

AR #56

particles actually same size as N133, this is just zoomed it a tiny bit

AR Comp

Color is lighter....but granule size similar

#56 Case Fill

26.5 grains until case fill. PRETTY GOOD!

26.5 Grains of #56

nearly perfect for its burn rate...if you want to load 50-64 grain bullets

62 FMJ & 77 SMK

I bought a bag of 500 SMK from American Reloading, they are on right. Left is 62 FMJ from there too.

They Sig Brass they sell

Sometimes in bag of 500, has different primers...

They Sig Brass they sell

one on left has tiny dent. But they are in good shape. We used these for tests

Sierra Match King 77 GRN

2.255..OAL

As I was shooting this and testing with Labradar...I actually shot several shots the EXACT same FPS as the N133. And as you can see, its close to N133. It might "be" N133, as Nammo group uses N140 in some Berger loads. So using N133 in some ammo, is consistent with what they are already doing, "IF" this is indeed N133. Its faster burning than AR Comp, AA2230, BM, H4895, XBR, etc.

We don't know "for sure" as its pull down powder. But after all this testing, we know the load "range" it needs in various bullets though....

Burn Rate image

This is a chart from "loaddata.com".

The problem with burn rate charts, is they cannot be used to make precise logic about load data. For example. Look at #130 which is blocked out, but its AR COMP. AR Comp is right next to Accurate 2520 on this chart. Folks, good loads for 77 grain bullets in 223 with AA2520 is 25.2 grains, for example, which will get you around ~2,750 FPS. AR Comp, you should not load even near 23 grains, and around 22.6 grains is going to get you over 2700 FPS in some cases...so right next to each other on chart, but load data literally 2 ENTIRE grains different. So BE CAREFUL! reading charts like this.

Since we think this is like N133, its easy to place the ballpark area it is, right next to N133. If its not N133, then its perhaps a "hair" slower. But its noticeably faster than Benchmark, that sits a few slots down...