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?
With a 1:8 twist you must stay 52gr or less for any kind of accuracy. 1:6.5, 1:7 twist if you plan to shoot weight in the 60's and 70's. Notice how hot your barrel gets if you start shooting 60gr + in your 1:8 and you will really stress your rifling. I would shoot 52gr with IMR3031 out of my #1 1:8 and accuracy was supreme out to 400 yrs., In my 1:7twist I shoot 69gr out to 600ys. and score high 80's.
Where did all this come from? A 1:12 will shoot the 52 grain just fine. 1:9 will shoot up to 69 grains, 1:8 will shoot 77 grains. 1:6.5, 1:7 will handle the long 90 grain pills. All this assumes conventional lead core bullets. Monolithic bullets can very well need different twist rates. Remember that required twist rate is actually determined by the length of the bullet, not the weight. And while an understabalized bullet will start to yaw, an over stabalized bullet can still shoot well if you do not have coincentricty problems, which show up fairly quickly in overstabalized bullets. IMR 3031 under the Speer hollow point has always been a good accurate load for me, wether out of my 1:12 bolt or my 1:9 single shot.
Agree with Greg. My 1:9 loves 50 and 55 grain bullets above all else. But I've found that anything over 62 grains gets shotgunned all over the paper, even if it's expensive quality match ammo. Remember that barrel length and velocity can also affect stabilization, and rifles also have their own distinct likes and dislikes - I've seen fast twist guns that love superlight bullets, and slow twists that shoot accurately with long bullets that no one would believe will hit a barn wall from the inside...
