I am looking for a good load for a 700VLS with a 23.5" heavy barrel with a 1 in 14 twist. I am will be shooting 40gr boat tail balstic tip bullets. I have lots of win748 powder. All of the bullets that I am shooting now I am just using 26grs of it. It is accurate but I want a fast bullet so I can make varmints explode. My wife will be using a 25/06 just for fun. Any help will be great. Also will a 35gr do more or less damage.

Thanks

Ray

Ray, at one time I had six .223 rifles and all of them shot the same load beautifully.....50 Grain TNT over 27.5 grains BL-C2. That bullet along with the Hornady 50 grain V-max did the most damage to prairie dogs of any bullet in the .223

I never found the 40 grain bullet to be more devastating and certainly not longer ranged.

May all your dogs make four full flips!!!

Ray, I have the same rifle as you (except mine has a 26" barrel) and have found the 50gr bullets to work the best in it for the reasons stated by vapodog. I do not think you will be disappointed with their explosiveness. I haven't tried W748, but 2 guys I know do use it in the VLS and get great accuracy with it. They are also shooting 50gr bullets. The load I am using right now is 24.0gr of IMR4895 and the 50gr Sierra Blitzking. I am still playing with seating depth, but at .025 off the lands my best 5 shot 100yd group was .318". At 200yds, it was just over .5". Sierra also makes a great explosive bullet called the Blitz. It doesn't have the fancy plastic tip, but the jacket is a little thinner giving it some additional explosiveness. I wouldn't use it in a 22-250 due to speed, but it's perfect for the 223.
Make sure you lighten that trigger though. It's hard to shoot very accurately trying to tug at an 8lb trigger. Mine is set at 2lbs and serves me well.

I will second the 50gr Blitz I have found it to be very explosive on chucks... Here is a bunch of load data for ya as well.

http://wildcatshooting.com/data/index.php?c=.223+Remington

6.5 Bandit

If you can find any Accurate 2015BR (the newer XMR2015 is a good bit slower); RL12 (good luck finding that) or H322, you should be set. In commercial brass, 23 grains would be a good starting point; don't know about military brass.

Benchmark and/or RL10 MAY actually work better with the lighter bullets, but, I can't seem to find time to do any trials with them.

In my VLS, I've never tried any lighter bullets than 50 grain B-Tips or 52/53's from Hornady, Sierra and Speer.

R-WEST

I have had great success with a 40 Grain V-MAX over 28 Grains of 748 out of my Ruger #1-V. (1 in 12 twist).
Pete