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Your favorite "explosive" bullet for .22 centerfire?

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09 June 2002, 03:09
<Don Martin29>
Your favorite "explosive" bullet for .22 centerfire?
I take this topic to mean having a lot of stopping power on the pest and not being frangible in terms of richocets or not ruining the hide of a coyote.

With the .222 Rem the bullet must be just right to get a woodchuck at range as they are tough and can escape into their dens. The conventional bullets that work well in the 22-250's are too hard for the .222R's velocity at over 200-250 yards. The same might be true for the .223 at a little more range. The Sierra Blitz and Hornady SX's are/were? the best for these cartridges. But at a MV of 3500 + they will leave a trail of lead on the target.

With muzzle velocities of 3600 fps and up the 50 gr Sierra Sptizer is very reliable, accurate and bucks the wind quite well. I have not tried the polymer tip bullets yet but if they expand they may extend the range of the hot .22's. The .22's are far more limited at long range by power than the 6mm's and larger calibers.
09 June 2002, 12:28
Samuel_Hoggson
The old 50 gr Rem. PLHP, not quite as streamlined as the Nosler/Sierras, but very cheap in bulk. At over 4000 fps from a Swift almost never exits a woodchuck on a body shot. Vaporizes crows. The PLHPs are also remarkably accurate for the price.

Even so, most explosive is not the same as most lethal. This is another way of saying that a bullet that doesn't exit is not thereby more lethal.

I'll take a 63gr Sierra at 3700+ for even quicker, more decisive kills. And it drifts less at distance. And larger bores, albeit less explosive, kill quicker still.

Sam
09 June 2002, 19:10
<six bits>
I like the v-max also the bt's shoot 40 grainers in my 220 swift and 22-250.
taken lots of critters,Yote are dead when thy hit the ground.
Have had a few TNT's blow up in flight in both rifles,so off of them.

Use top of the line bullets and you won't be sorry.
22 April 2006, 03:05
markcowan
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/marky123/191205016.jpg
Hi all
This is the result of a 50 gn Sierra spt at about 3100fps.The distance was no more than 50 yds,and I found the fox 2 days later about 100yds from where I had hit it.Good hit,but it is the second time I have had an exit wound with these bullets
22 April 2006, 07:21
Ksmirk
Well I'll throw in a couple cents worth, this is what I look at when loading p-dog rounds, NO richocet, make p-dogs go away, good accuracy, and they have to be sensitive to the pocketbook (When you go thru a couple thousand it makes a difference) now out of the 1-12 twist 223 the 50gr. V-Max, Nosler BT's, Sierra Blitz, 52gr. SMK's have all done well and the same from the 22-250 and the Barnes Varminator bullets do well thought not as explosive, the TNT's are about as good, now I have yet to figure this out but I think it's a RPM issue the Sierra Blitz and TNT's come apart in my AR with a 1-8 twist barrel when I get toward the upper end of the velocity scale but all in all pretty much everyone I know use the Hornady V-Max and everyones real happy with the results. Not to mention Hornady makes the V-Max in .172 caliber and that's good for me. Later,

Kirk
22 April 2006, 08:01
lennyzrx
40 VMax, 40 BlitzK's in 223. 52 AMax's in my AR15's and 22-250's. Still working on 204 loads.
22 April 2006, 08:39
308Sako
Too many years ago, and before the advent of the Ballistic Tip... The Hornady SX ruled our chucking domain. Prefered the 55 grain, and some times used their match bullets which were said to use the same jacket. It was my opinion then that the super thin jacket better upset to conform to the various bore dimensions and therefore was more accurate.

beer






Member NRA, SCI- Life #358 28+ years now!
DRSS, double owner-shooter since 1983, O/U .30-06 Browning Continental set.
24 April 2006, 08:17
Jay Johnson
Since you threw 22-250 into the mix I'd say 5o Gr. V-Max.
24 April 2006, 15:27
hvy barrel
The 55gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. The effects were impressive out to 500 yards on prairie dogs.