Have any of you used the Sierra 50gr Varminter bullets in your 22-250's? I'm just wondering how their terminal performance is on groundhogs compared to the Blitzkings or V-Max. I think the Varminter jackets are thicker, but do you still get a good explosive result when it hits?

I don't think you will have any problem with them. I used them in a 222 last year and had no exit holes so save you money and shoot them. Sierra doesn't recomend the blitz to be run over 3600 fps but the spt varmiter is ok.

[ 03-10-2003, 03:06: Message edited by: BossMoss ]

Try the berger 52gr MEF bullets.Thats what I load for groundhogs.There bad news on hogs!!

Well, just last week my dad and I did a little informal test on ground squirrels. They are, for sure, smaller than a ground hog, but the terminal effects are clearly obvious.

Dad has a new custom built 22-250 and he just cannot decide whether to shoot the 50 grain Sierra spitzer or the 50 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. So, I watched while he tried them on a bunch of ground squirrels. I am here to tell you there is not very damned much difference.

At a muzzle velocity of around 3900 fps in a 22-250 those two bullets just purely destroy a ground squirrel at ranges from 100 to 350 yards.
I actually think that the 50 grain Sierra spitzers were a little more dramatic.

Of course, I had to do some testing myself and can tell you there is not much difference in a 40 grain V-Max or a 40 grain Ballistic Tip starting out at 4150 fps, either. However, I think at long range there may be a little difference. I think that the V-Max is a little more fragile.
In fact, after shooting a few coyotes with the various V-Max and Ballistic Tip offerings, I would say the V-Max is a more fragile bullet.

If your gun will shoot the 50 grain Sierra spitzer well, you can save yourself a lot of money compared to any of the trendy plastic tipped bullets. (And they ARE my favorite 22 caliber bullet for coyotes!)

The ground squirrel test was over 100 animals that day. We repeated it this weekend on around 150 of those suckers. LOTS OF FUN!

R F

Thanks RF. That's the kind of info I was looking for. I'm shooting the 50gr V-Max now, but wanted to check the accuracy of the Varminter, hoping that terminal performance was just as good. I bought a box of them today and hopefully can test the accuracy this weekend. Look forward to see what they can do to the hogs.

I prefer the Sierra 60 GR FBHP in my 22-250 with it's 1 in 12" twist barrel. My 32.5 grains of REL-15 is a mild very accurate load but that bullet does it's job when it strikes the target. Less powder burned per round means longer peak accuracy bore life. I hope that same load shoots as well when this barrel goes away and I must replace it. The critter reacts to the hit with instant colapse when struck by that bullet.

I must say that I agree with Reloader66. I have had excellent results with the Sierra 60gr bullet. I use 39gr of Reloader 19. No exit wounds and great for longer shots on windy days. Of course we don't have prairie dogs here, but I have used it with great success on coyotes.

Finally got some of the 50gr Varminters loaded and took them to the range yesterday. They shot significantly better out of my gun than the V-Max I was using. My group at 200yds with them measured in at .7". I used a load that I got from someone on loadyourown.com (36.0gr of IMR4895). It's on the hot side, but no serious pressure signs.

I was a bit concerned and confused starting with 36.0gr after looking at 3 of my manuals (Sierra, Lyman and Nosler). Here were the maxes listed for each:
Nosler - 34gr
Sierra - 36gr
Lyman - 38gr

Now I know each book is different, but 4gr is a hell of a spread! I like the way Nosler presents all their info, but really hate how conservative they are. Who's numbers would you go with?