What's your choice? I am comfortable selecting big game bullets but the choices between 40, 45, 50, 52, 55 for this little guy get pretty bewildering ... mostly I want something with a good record for accuracy and quick kills.

Hornadys' V-MAX in 55 grains is one hard bullet to beat. Also, Barnes has a new Varminator offering available in 22 (.224") caliber 40 and 50 grains and 6mm (.243") 58 and 72 grains 100 and 250 packs at a very attractive price... I'll be doing an article on these as soon as the "sample" bullets arrive at my doorstep... Dave

I've used the 50gr. V-Max, 50gr. Ballistic Tip, and Speer 63gr. SP.

On chest hits, the 63gr. puts 'chucks down right now!
The plastic-tipped bullets work very hell above the chest, but anything lower, and the 'chuck has enough vitality left to try to make it back to his hole.

Most of my shots on 'chucks come at under 200yds., so I don't lose much in terms of trajectory using the heavier bullets.

George

I've never shot any wood chucks, but I have shot quite a few rock chucks, which I believe to be about the same size. Using an AR15 with 50 grain VMAX at 3300fps. This slams them pretty hard, you can hear the impact like it was next to you. I've even seem some flips and somersaults and other quite humorous antics. As long as you put the bullet somewhere in the midsection forward, the chuck doesn't move after the landing.

Woodchucks can be tough critters & when using the 223 I like the 55gr V-Max. I much prefer a 243 with 75gr V-Max ar Ballistic tips.

If you have a 1/9" twist or faster rifle try the 75gr A-Max from Hornady. I used over 1000 rounds thus past season ina 22-250 and a 223 with great accuracy and great terminal affects.

I use the 50 g. BlitzKing at 3350 fps out of my 223 for groudhogs. But either the 60 Sierra Varminter or the 60 gr. Hornady VMax at 3150 works very well. My rifle has a 1 in 9 twist barrel. And if you are after coyotes either one of 60 gr. pills are better with the 60 Sierra bullet being my favorite for bigger varmints. You can hit them from any angle and get complete penetration with good expansion. The extra weight seems to help on coyotes. I am still of the opinion, the 223 is on the light side for coyotes. Maybe my 308 with a 125 TNT at 3160 has me spoiled, but load puts coyotes DOWN.

Shoot Safe, Shoot Straight.....RiverRat

I like the Sierra 55 grain HPBT in my .223. Its a good hunting hollowpoint for varmints. Never lost a groundhog to one. Super accurate.

55 gr. v max or ballistic tip.

I get excellent results from the Winchester factory load, 45 grn.hp. varmint pack @3600 fps.
Upper body hits at 300yds. are explosive. Worked well on 'yotes, pelt damage was heavy.

I shoot a good number of woodchucks every year with my .223 and have found that the 40 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip at 3800 fps does a excellent job on shots out to 400 yards. If the ranges are longer then that I use a 75 gr. A-Max in a 22 CHeetah.

I have used Hornady's Vmax and they are a good bullet and accurate bullet in the 223. I perfer the 22-250 and 6mm Remington on groundhogs. Nothing get away from that 6mm let me tell yeah up front.

Since the introduction of the Speer 50gr. TNT we have literally killed thousands of "rockchucks" with this bullet and it will open a 3-5 pound chuck,@250 yards, like he swallowed an m-80. Most of the rockchucks we shoot range from 3-12lbs. For long shots,over 300 yards, and bigger chucks, if we locate a spot that has not been shot for years, I use a 6mm Ackley Improved and an 87 gr. V-Max. We do not exclude the 223 with the 50 gr. TNT's the "6" just "loosens 'em up alot more" if you know what I mean. Good Hunting, "Z"

John, The 223 is a small cartridge and one should not count on bullet preformance alone when choosing a projectile for ground hogs. First of all when choosing a bullet for that 223 you should take into fact the twist rate of the barrel. You are not going make a heavy bullet stable with a 1 in 14 or 1 in 12 twist. So unless you have a rifle with a very fast twist forget the heavy .224 bullets. The second thing you should take in mind is bullet placement. Yes even with groundhogs bullet placement is important. I have nearly cut them in two with a 270 Winchester and 110-grain bullets only to watch a gut shot chuck crawl back into its hole. The critter was going to die for sure, but that is not the way that I want to make my kills. My best advise when it comes to the 223 in a 1 in 12 or 1 in 14 twist to try Sierra 52-grain MK bullets. They are available everywhere at a good price and they are accurate. They have not failed on groundhogs when placed where they should be. If you are looking for a bullet that is a little more explosive than the Sierra MK thy the Sierra 50-grain Blitz King. This little 50-grainer loaded over 26.4-grains of AA223 powder and a Federal 205M primer is a real tack driver. It will get kicked around in the wind some. However it is a real killer. Please feel free to email me if you would like to see a photo of what this load and bullet will do to a ground hog with a 178-yard head shot. The photo is not for those with a weak stomach.

I shoot rockchucks here in Utah, and some over in Colorado, but have never shot a groundhog. I assume they are close enough in size that my .223 load should work on a groundhog. I like the 55 gr. Rem. HP, Rem. brass, Rem. 7-1/2 primer, and 27.5 gr. BL-C(2). What I really prefer for rock chucks though is the 75 gr. Hornady HP from the 6mm. Rem. or the 87 gr. Rem. HP from the .25-06. Several friends and I score each other on the "acrobatics" of the chuck. The heavier calibers will consistently give higher scores.

Choose what you feel comfortable with that is accurate in YOUR gun. Most will work but the standard for this cartridge has long been in the 50-55 gr. range.

That said, I use the 63 gr. Sierra Semipointed.

Try not to get too done up in the b.s. of shooting. Buy the cheapest bulk 55gr bullets you can find in lots of 500 or 1000. Win, Rem, Horn, whatever. Then shoot a lot. You'll find that the more you shoot the better the bullets will perform. Avoid fmj bullets.

I have shot over 400 chucks with a 17 Ackley hornet with 20grn V-Maxes Of all those shot only 3 made it back to the hole. My terrier pulled the dead animals out of the hole. The only time it did not kill a chuck was when I missed. I shot a coyote at 230 yards in the chest he ran into the brush and I could not find him till the next day, by tracking him with my dog into the heaviest briar patch I ever walked threw. He was 20 yards off the field. I relized that the 17AI might be a little light for coyotes so I got a 223 and shoot 40grn V-maxes on coyotes and it has never failed me yet. Shot placement is key!