best lighter weight .223 bullet

[skizzums]

hi. i was cleaning/organizing my cabinet, and to my suprise, found two full pounds of h355. i have quit using >60gr bullets a long time ago and have switch to slower powders. im not one to be wasteful. what's a great sub 60gr bullet? i have tried 50gr VMAX, 55gr hornady SP and VMAX, 55gr GMX and (IIRC)52gr sierra. none of which were super accurate for me, with GMX beng the best slightly, i believe due to the monolithics being slightly longer. what would you reccomend to utilize my powder and make a decent 2-300 yard load. i'll take multiple suggestions and just buy a hundred of each to play with, maybe i'll find a gem that'll get me off the 75 grainers.

thanks

[Mike38]

I have had very good results with 52gr Hornady A-Max bullets. 0.44 inch five shot groups out of a 1;12 twist.

[Clark]

When I started handloading ~~ 1999 it as with 55 gr Vmax in 223, and those were the first good groups I got.

I have stuck with Vmax for all these years and thousand of rodents have died.
I have friends [it could happen] that say Nosler or Sierra or what ever are better for rodents.

But if it ain't broke don't fix it.
There is no reason for me to change.
Vmax are my most accurate bullets; 35 gr in 223, 65 gr in 6mmBR and 243, 75 gr in 257RAI, and 110 gr in 308.

And they explode rodents.

[Mozella]

My most accurate sub-60gr bullet is the 55gr Hornady V-Max followed very closely by the Sierra Blitz King 55gr and the Nosler BT Varmint 55gr. These three are all VERY close in performance and I can say the V-Max is slightly more accurate only because I scan and score my targets using a computer measuring program.

It would be a toss-up if I used a carpenters tape or a coin to evaluate precision. Those three are the only light bullets I can get to shoot below .3 MOA, and then only from time to time.

I've experienced less than great performance from Sierra Match King 52gr, Hornady A-Max 52gr, and Hornady BTHP 52gr bullets, but that doesn't mean they won't shoot great from your gun/powder/primer/case/phase-of-the-moon combination.

I shoot a .223 Howa 1500 bolt gun 1:9 twist, which prefers 68/69gr bullets, but I'm trying to improve accuracy with lighter bullets.

[603Country]

These days, in the 223, I mostly shoot the 40 grain Nosler BT. Accuracy is great, at least it was with the first barrel. Second barrel and rifle are still with the gunsmith.

I wanted a bullet that would fragment easily and not ricochet, and the 40 grainer fits that bill. And, the coyotes I've terminated with it went down even faster than they did from the 55 gr BT. All I can come up with to explain what it does to coyotes is that probably the bullet dumps all of its energy into the coyote, whereas the 55 grainer doesn't.

[02bigdogs17]

I shoot a 1-9" twist bolt gun for my 223 and a 1-12" levergun. For the bolt gun I have a 69gr nosler hpbt that I really like but I also have had very good luck with several 55 gr bullets like the VMax, sierra hpbt, Dogtown fbhp, and nosler fbhp. The vmax and sierra will shoot less than 1/2" groups at 100yds all day. The others will shoot 1/2"-3/4" all day. The browning levergun shoots the vmax's the best but also does pretty well with the others. I have not found to many bullets that either of my 223's don't shoot well. Tried many powders also but Benchmark, and BLC-2 have been the best.

[skizzums]

thanks everyone. my rifle is a 1:7 and it's a cheapo. it puts out a best of 1 MOA. i don't think i have ever used Nosler rifle bullets, not surewhy. i would like to give them a try as well as barnes. with my twist i was thinking i may be best of staying with monolithics and tipped bullets. i am always a big fan of Hornady stuff too, but i think i should expand my horizons a little. the 40gr noslers, eve if not the most accurate for me, would still be a fun fruit blaster.

[Mobuck]

In my rifles, it's hard to beat the 50 grain BT.

[skizzums]

i picked up 200 of the sierra 53gr HP match. they apear to be flat-based, maybe slightly concave based. also grabbed 100 Hornady 60 vmax which i had never seen before. also grabbed some nosler 60gr spitzer BT since they were on super sale. those should keep me busy. i update this post when i get out over the next couple weeks.

thanks for suggestions.

[Hunter Customs]

With a 1 in 7 twist you may be better off staying with the heavier, longer bullets instead of trying to go lighter.

My main rifle in 223 is a Savage bolt gun with a heavy contour 20 inch barrel.

The twist is 1 in 9, I shoot Sierra 55gr HPBT Gameking bullets moving a little over 3300 fps, 5/16 inch groups at 100 yards is the norm as long as I do my job.

[Ifishsum]

The Sierra 53HP Match (#1400) is a good one...outstanding for me in the 1:9 twist but also as good as any lighter bullet I've tried so far in the 1:7 as well. V-Max has always shot well for me also but I can't say I've tried the 60gr version.

[GWS]

Do any of these bullets hold up well at high speeds....4000 fps or more?

[Hunter Customs]

Do any of these bullets hold up well at high speeds....4000 fps or more?

I will not be any help to you on that, the fastest I've ran any 22 caliber bullets is around 3800 fps in a 22-250.

I have a friend that loads for a 220 Swift, I don't believe he's hit the 4000 fps mark, but I'll ask him.

[603Country]

My 220 gets the 55 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips to about 3850. I could probably get those 40 grainers well over 4000 fps, but haven't done so. As for holding together, from what I've read, and not what I know from experience, the Sierra Blitzking was brought out as an upgrade to the Blitz because the Blitz wasn't holding together at extreme velocities in some rifles. Overall, I'd expect most of the 22 cal bullets available these days to hold together. Again, that's what I think and not what I know to be fact. Besides, you aren't going to get there with your 223.

[Road_Clam]

Lot's of excellent choices out there, I've tested 52gr Nosler Custom Comps right alongside the more pricey 52gr SMK's and with my amateur trigger finger they shoot exactly the same.

[GWS]

Besides, you aren't going to get there with your 223.

No and I don't plan on trying, but I have a rebarreled Mauser 98 in .22-243 Middlestead that I'm almost ready to try out. Since its a wildcat I have to do my homework and be careful loading for it. From what I've heard it's about a 100 fps faster than the Swift, typically.

I'll start out with Hornady 50 grain V-Max, because I have some on hand. I'm not trying to beat speed records at all....just want bullets to not come apart at around 4000. Some loaders have shot this caliber up to 4500. I have no idea what they used, but I'm not going for max.

Don't want to highjack this thread, so the answers to the o.p.'s original question will do nicely....if only to verify my choice for a starter. The best lighter weight bullet should hold together at 4000 fps, I'm thinking.

The following is a picture of the caliber, only the less steep shouldered Winchester version of .22-243.

[kerreckt]

Another vote for Sierra 53HP Match (#1400). Every .223 I own whether AR or bolt rifle shoot these superbly. The bolt rifles more than superbly....Depending on me.

[SVTCobra306]

I shoot 50 gr Sierra Blitzkings a little over 3800 out of my 22-250 with outstanding results. They should work well for what you want, and should hold up great over 4K FPS.

[skizzums]

GWS

i was just looking over my grafs catalog yesterday, and it says under the different types of hornady bullets, that the VMAX: recommended muzzle velocity ranges- 2000 to 4000+FPS.

all the others say 3000+, but you should be good with the VMAX and the NTX. The interbond is the third fastest at 3600+.None of the other manufacturers list the recommended velocity ranges in th grafs catalog. Although i would venture to say that nosler and barnes probably have some .224's capable of holding up to 4k+, an email to the company would probably get you a decent place to start.

cool gun BTW, i really wanna invest in a faster .224 in the future. i always liked the 22-250

[huntinaz]

I've had good luck with the 55gr hornady SP myself. I'd look at Nosler and/or Berger next I guess if I was you.

[COSteve]

Number 1 consideration in my book would be twist rate. With high twist rates like 1:14 or 1:12 you can go light bullet weights of 50grn or less while 1:8 or 1:7 are too fast for such a light bullet and 55grn is about the lowest you can go.

[GWS]

True. Spin can definitely unravel a jacket. My particular .22-243 is a 1-14 twist....24" barrel. That combination is probably limited on the other end. 55's are max....maybe a 62gr short design if I'm lucky. 35's might be fun....a scorching laser definitely above 4000 fps.

One such load from documented at AccurateLoading.com is a 35gr Vmax over 46gr of VVN 140 that shot a .168" 100yd. five shot group at a velocity of 4748 fps! So maybe Hornady Vmax's are a good choice! I seriously doubt my rifle will duplicate that.....theirs was built on a Hall BR action, a Hart fluted stainless #6 barrel, and a tight necked chamber. Mine? Don't even know who made it with what....but it sure ain't fluted stainless! I'm just hoping the barrel's not already shot out.

Hopefully I'll let you all know the earth to TFL reality in a week or two.

skizzims: your 1-7 twist may never shoot little pills well, but your best chance may be Barnes all copper bullets.....why? Because they are longer taking a faster twist to stabilize! Just a thought.

[flashhole]

I'm in 603's camp. The Nosler 40 Grain Ballistic Tip might surprise you. My 223 bolt gun is a Komber Longmaster Classic 1:9 twist. It does not like mid weight bullets but loves heavier bullets and the 40 grain BT.

[skizzums]

i am very aware that longer/heavier bullets shoot best in my 1:7. i just found some powder stashed away that is more appropriate for lighter projectiles, so i am just experimenting some. i almost exclusively shoot 75gr bullets with 4064 and have great results. thanks for the input

[GWS]

Oh, I was just thinking out loud.....being that those all-copper bullets have to be longer than lead ones of the same weight.....was thinking that they might have a better chance in your rifle, being that the "longer" feature is what creates the need for a faster twist to stabilize.

Take Barnes Varmint Grenade......the 36gr bullet is .697" long compared to Hornady's 50gr lead tipped Spitzer at .652"! The Barnes 50gr V.G. is .858" long. Barnes MPG 55gr varmint bullet is .985" dang near an inch long!

Curious....how does that compare to your 75gr bullet length? Hornady 75gr bullets range from their Boat Tail Hollow Point Moly @ 0.981" long to the A-Max (Litz) @ 1.70" long to the reg. A-Max @ 1.105" long.

cool gun BTW, i really wanna invest in a faster .224 in the future. i always liked the 22-250

Me too....my gun was a free unfinished project, I've yet to shoot. Well...it was free until I bought parts to make it feed and dies to load that wildcat caliber.......and I don't even know if the barrel is shot out yet. If it doesn't work out, I may have to rebarrel it to 22-250 or Swift.