Being new to the forum I did a fast run through on the Rifle Forum and did not find info for my question. I have the Predator in .223 and am working up loads. Most of my shooting has been with 55g. FMJ-BT. Tried some 60g. and was all over the place. I have some Hornady 68g HP-BT with IMR 4895 and W 748 powders and as soon as the weather gets better I plan to see how they shoot. At this time I have not gone lighter on bullets than the 55g. I am not looking for your favorite load but rather bullet weight and type for the 1:8 twist barrel that works best for you. Am honing my marksmanship skills on the 50 yard range and by end of summer hope to have some good results on the 100 yard range. Watched a bunch of video over the weekend and they were all over the place. Any insights will be appreciated. Thanks. WI Shooter
I shoot the 40 grain VMax. Very fast, flat trajectory, no ricochets, and explosive results. Stabilizes well in slower twist rate barrels and very accurate. I rarely shoot past 400 yards and don’t like to hunt in the wind, although calm days in Idaho are rare. I load it for ARs, Savage model 10, Contender and 223 Ackley Improved in a Savage.
Thanks for your post dw445. Shooting the 40 grain bullet in several different rifles with a slower twist rate, I was wondering what these twist rates are. Being new to the .223 I am always interested in information from the experienced shooter.
I've found a Hornady factory load to be quite accurate for me: Hornady .223 55 grain SP. It is available in 40 round boxes and is not too expensive, and also the bullet is available as a component. A 1:8 twist should work for this bullet. I believe Sierra still makes a 60 grain hollowpoints as well, which should be good for a 1:8 barrel.
Are these loads intended strictly for poking holes (in really tight groups) in paper for fun? Or are they also meant to be used for hunting of some sort?
