Lots of folks using Berger, Barnes etc.

.224 52's are running about ...

Barnes - 40 cents a piece

Berger - 19 cents a piece

Sierra (MatchKings) - 10 cents a piece

Substantial cost difference.

I can understand why the "custom" pills are more expensive, but do they really group and perform better than run-of-the-mill factory offerings by Sierra - Hornady - Nosler etc. ?

I can also understand Low and High volume shooting being an important determiner ...

** 100's a day in the Pdog plains -

** 20 - 30 a week at the Range -

** 5 a week in the bean fields popping Groundhogs.

After reading responses from 3 shooting boards on this ... common sense is telling me to find a very accurate and consistent load using say ... Sierra MatchKings --- and then possibly springing for a box or two of the Customs ...

Berger - Barnes - Fowler - Getner

... and seeing how they shoot in my rifle.

TIA

TBC

[ 07-28-2003, 08:06: Message edited by: The Birth Controller ]

In my opinion the plastic tip projectiles like Nosler Ballistic tips etc are more effective in the paddock on rabbits,foxes and accuracy is generally in the 1/2 inch range so this is what I use.
If you want to try and shoot better groups than this a Berger etc may have an advantage depending on the rifle.

Good luck,
Charlie.

BC, have you tried the Sierra Varminters in your .224? I shoot the 50gr Sierra Varminter (Spitzer) out of my 22-250 and get .25-.30" groups consistently. It's cheap and terminal performance is quite good also. I've tried the expensive bullets, but why shoot them to get the same results, or many times worse. They aren't fancy with all the cool colored tips, but they sure get the job done.

TBC,
My experience with custom bullets is limited, but I did find out one thing. You have to work up loads just like you do with production bullets. They will not magically shoot small groups unless everything else is right.
My 6BR likes 70gr Sierra Match bullets with VV N135 but will not group 66gr Fowlers with 135. It will shoot the Fowlers with N133.
For varminting and informal target shooting I would use the cheapest most accurate bullet.
For serious competition go all out.

Rem. 222

Don't use Match Kings for varmints or predators!

Bob

I shoot a 22-250 with Hornady 40 gr. standard bullets. Have never felt the need to go to custom bullets for varmints. Save your money and go to custom bullets for large game where the added benefits of a custom bullet can be appreciated.

The Birth Controller: I also agree with Bob in Texas. I long ago quit using the wonderfully accurate Sierra 52 (and 53) gr. Match Kings for Varminting! They are much much much to prone to ricochet! I heartily recomend the nearly as accurate and extremely effective on Varmints, Sierra 50 and 55 gr, Blitz bullets! They are simply fantastic performers on Varmints! They are very accurate and lethal in a host of Varmint Rifles I use them in! From 218 Bees and 221 Fireballs to 22-250's and 220 Swifts and everything in between! And they are CHEAP! I consider them, all around, to be the best value Varmint bullet out there!
Please reconsider or be very aware that the Sierra 52 gr. Match Kings are a significant ricochet threat. The fine 50 and 55 gr. Blitz bullets do not ricochet.
I have used Bergers, Calhouns, Eubers, Shilen's, Haydon's, Starke's and many other custom bullets for Varmints. They all are wonderfully accurate bullets but none of them ricochet like the 52 gr. Sierras! I strongly recommend you find another more frangible bullet for Varmint applications rather than the Sierra 52's!
I do not mind paying for the custom bullets as much as I mind finding SOME MORE OF THEM when I need them!
Availability is often a pain to deal with in the custom bullet realm for Varminting needs!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

You guys have definitely scared me off the 52 HP Sierra's.

Ricochets aren't cool.

Thanks for the "heads up". I'll go with the Spitzers.

Mike TBC

Hollywood ...

Staying with Sierra and just bought a box of 55g Blitz and a box of 50g Spitzers.

TBC

Have any of you guys pushed the Sierra Blitz bullets over 3800fps? I wanted to try them in my 22-250 (1/14 twist) due to their explosiveness, but settled on the Spitzer (#1330) because Sierra said the Blitz will come apart at those velocities.

I use Sierra 52HPBT regularly at the bench. It's a wonderfully good bench bullet. In recent years the Nosler Bal Tip in the .224's has come a long way. It's equally as accurate. In no case
have I found the Berger 52gr. HP to be any better, as good yes, but not better. I think your best choice in the field on game has to be the Nosler Bal Tip either, 50 or 55gr. depending on your rifles preferrence. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

BC,

The two bullets you just picked are the exact same two bullets I just picked for my .22-250! I have been shooting the 53 HP Match for a while, and boy, do they shoot good. But they are unpredictable on varmints, so I am looking for something else.

When shooting rock chucks with the 250, ricochet isn't a problem for me or the 53 Match, as I always have a boulder or similar for a backstop, or I don't take the shot. For prairie dogs, it is a different story. Now, the places that I do virtually all my varminting, I really don't have to be too concerned with "population centers", as there just aint too many people in Wyoming...but you never know who might be crossing your field of fire downrage a couple miles, so a bullet that ricochets is bad news.

I have shot the 50 gr. Spitzer some and under H380 and 4064, it shows promise. I have yet to shoot the 55 Blitz yet, but will as soon as the wind lets me!

I haven't tried any custom bullets, mostly due to cost. For chucks, the volume isn't great, so it would be OK for that purpose. But I want one load that does it all, and the volume in prairie doggin' makes me shy away from the more expensive bullets.

I swage .308 bullets in my garage using Berger J4 jackets. They cost me about 20 cents apiece for materials. If I sold them and charged for equipment amortization, licensing fees, packaging materials, shipping, insurance and, oh yeah, my time & expertise the final price would be pretty high.

For plinking purposes and maybe a little closer range varminting there's nothing like a good inexpensive box of Hornady 150 grain round nose bullets.

If I remember right, one of the reasons I began swaging was so that I could shoot overly long for weight bullets in my .308 Winchester. I have a die that turns the front end of the shank where it meets the ogive into a .2999 inch shank. This lets me seat out to the length of the box magazine and not have the rifling origin deep-seat the bullet for me upon chambering. Also the base of the bullet can be kept even with the base of the case neck, saving powder room. As the throat of this rifle erodes I can also "let out" the shank back toward the rifling to maintain the relationship between seating depth and rifling standoff. I haven't had to do that yet but it will be interesting to find out whether it will have the desired effect.

With all the care and expensive junk it takes to make bullets like this it doesn't make sense to waste them on ground squirrels...but I do.

For most of my weekend shooting practice though, the cheap stuff works just fine.

Paul

If you are benchrest shooting the premium bullets will shoot better. But; as said above; do require load workup to get there. Unless you have a match barreled blueprinted rifle and turn your necks; etc. I doubt you will notice any difference between the Sierra Blitz kings and the premium bullets. These premium bullets are to get from 0.15 inch groups to 0.10 ( or less in perfect conditions ). In the past 2 months, several 100 yard 5 shot groups less than 0.09 have been shot in registered matches. Ouch

I guess I'm the cheap devil at the party, but I buy bags of Winchester bulk .224 bullets in 55gr SP. They do under an inch out of a .22/250 without trying and the varmits have never complained.

Sounds silly to me to send a $.50 bullet down range when you can do the same thing with a nickle.

Did I miss something or are some of you guys just determined to make the Nosler family rich?

Pecos and I agree. Out of my 22-250 it would take a much better shot than me to find the difference in accuracy between bulk hornady bullets and bergers and matchkings. My rifle has never shown me any advantage in a BT bullet either. In fact, I would ALMOST make a generic statement that all my rifles prefer flat based bullets.
Please, no sermons about the downrange ballistics of a boat tail bullet over a flat based. Its mostly smoke and mirrors. And that's based, not on pc programs nor shooting mag articles, but on shooting them side by side at the distance.