I shoot 40 gr V-maxes out of my 221 Fireball, the most accurate load I could find at about 3150 fps.
I am finding that they are too soft, breaking up too easily on twigs and leaves and not penetrating sufficiently on small mammals.
I like it when they create damage, but fear that without a perfect shot they are dicey for a clean kill.
Anyone else find this and what alternative varmint bullets to use?
Thanks

The reason that I like the V Max bullets is because they blow up easily. I only use them on varmints though not small game that I want to eat.

i love the v max bullets i use the 30 grain 22 mag v max for coyotes here in canada under 120 yards... killed every single 1 so far then aagin under 100 yards it's nothing but head shots also use the v maxes in a my 270 some times for fun they accurate and work great for saving pelts but man do they eve tear up the insides wich is fine with me.

My experience with V-Max is 50 grains and at much higher velocities.....I have used the 40 grain BT however and again at elevated velocities with great success. If you're not satisfied with V-Max then try the BT...it works for me.

Karoo: If you want to stay with a similar bullet you might try the 40 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. It's nose is about as explosive as the V-Max, but its solid base of guilding metal holds the rear portion of the bullet together to provide surprising penetration. This is actually a drawback for some hunters who want the bullet to stay inside, but I've found these little bullets will penetrate and kill much larger game than you would otherwise expect.

Thanks for the input and I will give some other light bullets a try.
Incidentally, this Sako has a suppressor and is a pure joy to shoot.

I used the 50 gr VMAX on Jackal and Steenbok very effectively out of a 22 K Hornet.

I had problems with my VMax reloads. The RCBS seater plug scored the soft jackets causing them (some, not all) to come apart in flight. A call to RCBS fixed that problem. I've always been partial to Ballistic tips tho...

Grass and twigs are going to screw up any bullet. If you are trying to get a varmint bullet to perform shooting through cover, you are going to have your work cut out for you. Varmint bullets are made to come apart easily.

They aren't too soft for their intended use; I use 50 grain v maxes at ~3700 fps (I get the best accuracy there and didn't see the point in trying to go faster) out of my .22-250 and I love the results I'm getting on groundhogs, foxes, and coyotes. They are explosive bullets, but thats what I wanted.

You may want to consider going to a 50-55 grain softpoint.

I use 40 V-Maxs in my 220 Swift for woodchucks with great results. If they can put up with a Swift they aren't soft. No bullet will penetrate brush without being deflected in some fashion and a good varmint bullet will come apart on most any high velocity impact.

A little less explosive bullet is the Sierra 50 grain High Velocity SMP #1320. When I loaded more frangible bullets in the .22-250 they would begin to come apart on the way to the target, leaving a little smoke or vapor trail. These explosive bullets wouldn't even reach the target much beyond 100 yards. The Sierra 55 grain SMP solved that problem. I don't remember what I used in the Remington XP-100 pistol, it's been too long ago, but I do remember the .221 Fireball was very accurate and popped the ground squirrels with amazing results.

For all that they aren't going to bust through brush.