BLC2

[stephentri]

hi looks like i might be able to get my hands on some blc2 would this be a good powder for .223 24 inch barrel 75 grain amax oal 2.495 please let me know your thoughts

 

thanks stephen

[gunnery]

I used it a lot in .223 for 55grn Vmax with very good results not sure about 75grn Laurie would be the man to answer that but it is a very good powder for .223 and measures well

[Laurie]

I've not used it myself in 223 with heavies, but it's well matched to the cartridge / bullet weight. Ball powders like this produce high velocities, but they usually need to be close to the maximum load to work best as they need highish pressures to burn 100% consistently. If you get a lot of blast and a large flash clearly visible in daylight, don't assume pressures are too high and back off - it's the reverse and a signal to continue increasing charge weights.

 

BL-C(2) used to have a reputation for being 'dirty', but the manufacturer (St. Marks Powder Co. in Florida part of the General Dynamics Corporation) is the main supplier of propellants for US military smallarms ammunition and there has been a lot of pressure from the people in green suits to improve the cleanliness of ammo and to make it less temperature affected, so today's BL-C(2) may be a lot cleaner burning than the stuff I first tried donkey's years ago in 308. It's either the same as the powder used in the US M180 7.62mm ball cartridge, or very close to it, and not that very much different from the stuff used in the US M855 5.56mm round with 62gn bullets, BL-C(2) likely slightly slower burning.

 

(If you see Hodgdon CFE223 or Winchester 748 at your supplier, they come from St. Marks too via Hodgdon, are not too different and also work very well in 223 with 69gn and heavier bullets with minor changes needed to the loads. CFE223 has an anti-coppering agent in its formulation and is used in factory .204 Ruger cartridges, and is claimed to be very clean burning. I'm just about to try it in 308 and 223 and see if it lives up to the promises.)