I loves me some 8208! I need to give Tac a shot though as I have an 8lb jug of it..@Yondering I'm assuming what your referring too as lever is Leverevolution? Where is a relatively safe starting point for that if you don't mind me asking? Thank you sir...
Yes sir, Lever is just short for Leverevolution powder.
What bullet are you wanting to use? I may have some loads developed well enough to share (mainly in the 65-75gr range). There is no published data for Lever in 223/5.56 that I know of, even though it's the top performer for speed, so it's important to be real comfortable with load development and reading pressure signs. It is somewhat similar to CFE223, but expect the top end charge weights to be a bit higher. It's also more forgiving at the top end than CFE223, in my experience.
Just a couple examples:
20" AR15 5.56 chamber
75 ELDM 2.355" OAL (cut mag, long OAL)
27.5gr Lever 2,952 fps avg @ ~45-50° F
fast load, but my barrel just didn't like that bullet at any depth
18" AR15, 223 Wylde chamber
75 BTHP (Hornady) 2.255"
27.0 Lever 2,940 fps @ ~40°
This one shoots well, and in my rifle is still safe on 80-90° days.
Both loads using LC brass and CCI #41 primers.
You must adjust the gas system for Lever in gas operated rifles, otherwise it'll give false pressure signs from being severely overgassed.
I do have a load that gave good speed with no pressure signs for a 20" (or 22"??) Tikka T3 with that 75 ELDM if I can find it in my notes, but I couldn't get that bullet to shoot well in that rifle either, with several powders and varied seating depths. Too bad, it'd be a sweet load if the barrel liked that bullet. I don't think it was able to spin it fast enough though. That one was doing 2,935 fps in August.
FWIW on temp sensitivity - with powders like Lever and TAC, in some rifles I'll have a load that always gets used at a particular time of year, like Oregon sage rat season, so the temp is pretty repeatable. In others, I'll usually find the velocity that corresponds to my preferred load, and adjust the charge weight to have a winter load and a summer load. Depending on the load that's usually 0.5-1.0gr difference, give or take a bit. Of course the ammo boxes get clearly labeled "Summer" and "Winter". I also don't shoot in extreme heat or cold very much though; the climate here is pretty moderate, so sometimes I just figure out a hot weather load and use it all year round if it's a short range setup like my home defense gun for example.
If you have a deep freezer large enough for a rifle, and a laser or meat probe thermometer, it's worth doing some hot vs cold temp testing. Even better if you repeat it at different times of the year; I found with several loads that Lever was not linear - velocity climbed quickly above ~60° F, but more or less flattened out below 40° F. Make sure to freeze the whole rifle and ammo when you test though, not just the ammo as some gunwriters have done - a warm rifle and frozen ammo is something you'd almost never encounter in actual cold weather, and it's not the same as if the barrel is cold too.
