Been trying to work up a load for the 50gr vmax in my 223 and not having much luck. Thought about trying some of the non-plastic tip bullets as it does shoot the 55gr midsouth nightmares fairly well, but not much splat factor.

Anybody have any to recommend?

Here are the ones I was looking at
Sierra 50gr blitz (1340) or (1330) or (1320)
Speer 50gr TNT (4705)
Hornady 50gr SXSP (2240)

The Sierra 55 grain HPBT is my favorite bullet in a Swift.

Has to be the first .22 cal rifle I 've heard of that won't shoot a 50 gr. Vmax. In every rifle I've tried them in they were as reliable as sun rises and dark nights.
50 gr. Speer TNT would be my next choice or nearly any Sierra 50-55 gr. bullet.

the 50 gr blitz is very explosive but it may not take max loads in a 223. it's designed for 32-3300 fps max. sometimes it works beyond that, and sometimes it doesnt

Thanks. I don't know what I might be doing wrong, but none of my 3 223s seem to care for them much. 1.25 to 1.5 inch is the norm while other bullets stay under MOA all the time. If I can find something that will hover around .75 moa, I'd be fine, should work for pdogs.

The 50 SPSX is an fantastic shooter. I would also agree about it being rare for a gun not to shoot the 50 V-max. What are you using for powder? What twist? Either way a 9 or 12 twist, should shoot the 50 V-Max.

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:
The Sierra 55 grain HPBT is my favorite bullet in a Swift.

This is a classic bullet for the .224's. It was my go to bullet until the BT's and A-Max's hit the market. I would think it's still a great option.

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:
The Sierra 55 grain HPBT is my favorite bullet in a Swift.

It's the best bullet in my 22-250 also.

Other 50 grain bullets that shoot well in 223's, 222's, and 222 Magnums I have are:

Speer 50 gr TNT
Speer 52 gr HP
Speer 52 gr HPBT
Sierra 50 gr SP (1320)
Nosler 52 gr HPBT
Nosler 50 gr BT

There are other variables in the accuracy equation besides bullets, and you might want to sort them out with your particular rifle/scope and load.

Don

Thanks. Just ready to try something different, gun shoots fine with two other bullets.

The 34gr HP Varmint nite mare has been driven below MOA,safely, at OVER 3950 fps.

Probably the least expensive varmint bullet on the market today. (Mid South).Splatter ? I don't know but bet it will. roger

The t-n-t bullets will splat if you drive them fast enough.Good Luck

Bartsche,

does 39,000 fps out of a 223 give new meaning to the word "oomph". Are you getting any pressure signs?

GWB

Do not know if they still make it, but in my 223 the Hornady 55gr SX [Super Exlosive] was very acccurate and had a great splat factor on prairie dogs.

quote:

Originally posted by Geedubya:
Bartsche,

does 39,000 fps out of a 223 give new meaning to the word "oomph". Are you getting any pressure signs?

GWB

Caught me cold on that one. roger

I have a lot of luck with the Speer 50 gr TNT, 55 gr TNT and the 52 grain Speer HP... accurate, explosive and not finicky at all... works well in twists from one in 14 down to one in 7 in my rifles...

+1 on the speer TNT line up.

muck

I use the Remington 50gr PLHP in my 222's, and a couple buddies use the same in their 223's. Accuracy in our rifles is excellent as well as the splat factor.

You could consider the MidwayUSA Dogtown bullets or the Midsouth Shooters Varmint Nightmare bullets. I believe they are the same bullets but packaged in different boxes for the different companies.

TNT is on the list for sure.

+8 for the 50 gr. Speer TNT's.



Also second the reco of the Sierra 55 gr. HPBT's or SPBT's but the "Splat Factor" won't be anywhere near as vivid as with the Speers unless you step up to a 22-250 or 220 Swift class Varminter.

Gotta say I am surpised though; out a .223 Rem. Hornday A or V-Max's in pretty much any weight from 35 grains to 55 grs. in a slow twist .224" bore in virtually any chambering are normally, well.....really good boo-lets.

try the hornady 50 grain sxsp. order in bulk from pats reloading.

I've shot close to 1k of the 55gr midsouth varmint nightmare extremes as pdogs, but not enough splat factor out of the 223 much past 200 yds. Plenty lethal, no crawl offs, but looking to up the splat factor.

quote:

Originally posted by jb177:
Been trying to work up a load for the 50gr vmax in my 223 and not having much luck. Thought about trying some of the non-plastic tip bullets as it does shoot the 55gr midsouth nightmares fairly well, but not much splat factor.

Anybody have any to recommend?

Here are the ones I was looking at
Sierra 50gr blitz (1340) or (1330) or (1320)
Speer 50gr TNT (4705)
Hornady 50gr SXSP (2240)

I used to buy Sierra BK in the 500 packs. Haven't bought or used them in years.

I use either the Sierra 1330 or 1360 for pds. More accurate in all of our rifles and much cheaper.

Jim

I really don’t worry about the “splat factor”. A kill is a kill. If I shoot a PD at 500+ yards and it manages to drag itself back to the hole, I don’t loss any sleep over it.

The lower I can keep the “Splat Factor”, the fewer hawks I have. Hawks pretty much end my setups. Hawks Respond to the sound of varmint shooting and can smell blood in the air. Free food with no work on their part. Go figure!

If your .223 doesn't like longer projectiles like the V-max, it may not like the TNT's which need to be pushed rather fast to obtain reliable expansion.

The Hornady SXSP's are a good idea as the normal SP can be substituted for larger game.

I have had great success with bulk W-W 46 HP projectiles at all velocities from the Hornet to the Swift over the last 28 years. For a slow twist barrel, they may work for you.

Also they have an awesome 'Splat' factor.

I've had 50 grain TNTs become quite explosive at lower velocities on sage rats and prairie dogs..

I concur on the 46 grain Win HP....

I normally load in the middle of the spectrum, no need for hotrodding a 223.

To be honest, I've always wanted to try the tnt's. I was hoping to gain some information on various bullets from you guys' experience in the field. I only shoot pdogs once a year and prefer red mist. I only shoot my 223's out to 300 - 350 yds.