.223 Advice please.

[Leezie 0]

Hi, I’ve just bought a new .223 and am taking it up the range this coming Tuesday to try out some new re-loads. I’m new to this calibre and along with my other Section 1’s, I have it on an open ticket (professional pest controller). My main target-species is going to be old-Charlie. I’ve reloaded .243 for Roe, but am new to .223. My test batch is a mixed load of VV N-130 with various 55 grainers. Can anyone advise me / share their success stories in relation to favourite / most successful bullets and charges.

 

Thanks, Lee.

[bshadle 5]

I don't reload and shoot only factory loads, so can't say much about charges. For most shooting within 300 yds I use American Eagle 50 gr. JHP. A few places I hunt offer shots in the 400-500 yd range. If I'm going those places I switch to Federal Premium VSHOK with 40 gr NBT.

 

Both group well from my Savage 12BVSS with heavy fluted 26" barrel. The 40 gr leave the barrel at 3700 fps compared to the 3325 for the 50 gr, so shoot flatter and carry a little more energy downrange. They cost about 3X the price of the American Eagles, but sometime you care enough to send the very best.

 

Your reloading manuals can probably put you in the ballpark for the charge, or you might be able to get that data on the Federal factory loads.

[Irish Lurcher 1,013]

Most of my fox control is with factory load, American Eagle 50 gr.

[Leezie 0]

I don't reload and shoot only factory loads, so can't say much about charges. For most shooting within 300 yds I use American Eagle 50 gr. JHP. A few places I hunt offer shots in the 400-500 yd range. If I'm going those places I switch to Federal Premium VSHOK with 40 gr NBT.

 

Both group well from my Savage 12BVSS with heavy fluted 26" barrel. The 40 gr leave the barrel at 3700 fps compared to the 3325 for the 50 gr, so shoot flatter and carry a little more energy downrange. They cost about 3X the price of the American Eagles, but sometime you care enough to send the very best.

 

Your reloading manuals can probably put you in the ballpark for the charge, or you might be able to get that data on the Federal factory loads.

Thanks guys. I've got a few manuals and i'm not really too worried about the loads themselves, it's the bullet that i'm most interested in. Have any of you fellas used the Speer spitzer on small game / vermin?

[bshadle 5]

Thanks guys. I've got a few manuals and i'm not really too worried about the loads themselves, it's the bullet that i'm most interested in. Have any of you fellas used the Speer spitzer on small game / vermin?

Speer spitzers are a classic and you won't go wrong with 'em. There're plenty others on the market that might outperform them slightly in specific circumstances, for example if you're shooting benchrest competition or stretching your shots out to where a .223 wasn't really designed to shoot.

 

Frankly, for general varmint work within 300 - 350 yard range just about anything I feed my .223 seems to work about the same. That's one thing I like about the caliber - it's not real fussy about ammunition. The American Eagles are dirt cheap over here, I'm still working on a couple cases I bought two years ago for < $5 USD for box of 20, but the prices have gone up almost double since then. For really cheap shooting, providing you don't want the cases for reloading, take a look at the Wolf 55 gr HP. Right now it's $150 USD for 500 rds here, and I can't reload for that price unless I buy powder and bullets by the truckload.. I still have some from two years ago that I think cost $99 USD/500. It performs well for the varmint shooting I do.

Edited January 21, 2008 by bshadle

[Deker 3,478]

Thanks guys. I've got a few manuals and i'm not really too worried about the loads themselves, it's the bullet that i'm most interested in. Have any of you fellas used the Speer spitzer on small game / vermin?

Speer spitzers are a classic and you won't go wrong with 'em. There're plenty others on the market that might outperform them slightly in specific circumstances, for example if you're shooting benchrest competition or stretching your shots out to where a .223 wasn't really designed to shoot.

 

Frankly, for general varmint work within 300 - 350 yard range just about anything I feed my .223 seems to work about the same. That's one thing I like about the caliber - it's not real fussy about ammunition. The American Eagles are dirt cheap over here, I'm still working on a couple cases I bought two years ago for < $5 USD for box of 20, but the prices have gone up almost double since then. For really cheap shooting, providing you don't want the cases for reloading, take a look at the Wolf 55 gr HP. Right now it's $150 USD for 500 rds here, and I can't reload for that price unless I buy powder and bullets by the truckload.. I still have some from two years ago that I think cost $99 USD/500. It performs well for the varmint shooting I do.

 

 

Hi

I actually have some of the 55g HP .223 Wolf (Steel cases) not easy to find in this country. I recon they are excellent value for money and work well in my Tikka.

 

Now... I know next to nothing about reloading but these are Boxer, so why is it you can't reload them..is it something to do with the steel case?

Cheers

Deker

[Leezie 0]

Thanks guys. I've got a few manuals and i'm not really too worried about the loads themselves, it's the bullet that i'm most interested in. Have any of you fellas used the Speer spitzer on small game / vermin?

Speer spitzers are a classic and you won't go wrong with 'em. There're plenty others on the market that might outperform them slightly in specific circumstances, for example if you're shooting benchrest competition or stretching your shots out to where a .223 wasn't really designed to shoot.

 

Frankly, for general varmint work within 300 - 350 yard range just about anything I feed my .223 seems to work about the same. That's one thing I like about the caliber - it's not real fussy about ammunition. The American Eagles are dirt cheap over here, I'm still working on a couple cases I bought two years ago for < $5 USD for box of 20, but the prices have gone up almost double since then. For really cheap shooting, providing you don't want the cases for reloading, take a look at the Wolf 55 gr HP. Right now it's $150 USD for 500 rds here, and I can't reload for that price unless I buy powder and bullets by the truckload.. I still have some from two years ago that I think cost $99 USD/500. It performs well for the varmint shooting I do.

 

Thanks bshadle. I'm looking to use these rounds mainly on fox out to 200-250 yards. I don't mind spending more money on other, more expensive bullets heads, it's just that i'd have a to go on quite a drive to get them as my local dealers seem to stock sod-all. However, I can readily get hold of the spitzers! My main concern with the Speer spitzers is the possiblilty of over-penetration or not enough deformation as I can shoot in quite built-up areas and I really don't want much or any lumps of lead coming out the other side of the target-species if i can help it!

[Deker 3,478]

Thanks guys. I've got a few manuals and i'm not really too worried about the loads themselves, it's the bullet that i'm most interested in. Have any of you fellas used the Speer spitzer on small game / vermin?

Speer spitzers are a classic and you won't go wrong with 'em. There're plenty others on the market that might outperform them slightly in specific circumstances, for example if you're shooting benchrest competition or stretching your shots out to where a .223 wasn't really designed to shoot.

 

Frankly, for general varmint work within 300 - 350 yard range just about anything I feed my .223 seems to work about the same. That's one thing I like about the caliber - it's not real fussy about ammunition. The American Eagles are dirt cheap over here, I'm still working on a couple cases I bought two years ago for < $5 USD for box of 20, but the prices have gone up almost double since then. For really cheap shooting, providing you don't want the cases for reloading, take a look at the Wolf 55 gr HP. Right now it's $150 USD for 500 rds here, and I can't reload for that price unless I buy powder and bullets by the truckload.. I still have some from two years ago that I think cost $99 USD/500. It performs well for the varmint shooting I do.

 

Thanks bshadle. I'm looking to use these rounds mainly on fox out to 200-250 yards. I don't mind spending more money on other, more expensive bullets heads, it's just that i'd have a to go on quite a drive to get them as my local dealers seem to stock sod-all. However, I can readily get hold of the spitzers! My main concern with the Speer spitzers is the possiblilty of over-penetration or not enough deformation as I can shoot in quite built-up areas and I really don't want much or any lumps of lead coming out the other side of the target-species if i can help it!

 

Leezie

Help me out here if you can..not trying to hijack this one but I am curious on the reloading front.. which I know next to nothing about. The .223Wolf 55g HP as mentioned, and which I use, will go clean trough the side of any deer in this country at 200/250 yards (and went through a muntjac at about 70 yards a couple of weeks ago like it wasn't there) and of course is still reasonably flat out to that distance. How would you load a .223 to stop it going through a Muntjac without it having an arc of a rainbow......sorry if this all sounds daft but like I said..reloading is not my strong subject but I am curious.

 

Many thanks.

Deker

[rossandjet 0]

I use nothing but Berger 50g MEF bullets and have found them spot on but difficult to get hold of.

[bshadle 5]

Now... I know next to nothing about reloading but these are Boxer, so why is it you can't reload them..is it something to do with the steel case?

Cheers

Deker

It's the steel case.

 

Some folks over here are playing around with reloading steel with mixed results. First, the steel is harder than brass and will play h*ll with your dies and put more stress on your press. If you use carbide dies you might get away with it for a while, but dies and presses are expensive. Brass is cheap.

 

Second, steel doesn't have the elasticity of brass so you run into issues of both improper resizing and metal fatigue. IMO, it's not worth the risk.

[bshadle 5]

Thanks bshadle. I'm looking to use these rounds mainly on fox out to 200-250 yards. I don't mind spending more money on other, more expensive bullets heads, it's just that i'd have a to go on quite a drive to get them as my local dealers seem to stock sod-all. However, I can readily get hold of the spitzers! My main concern with the Speer spitzers is the possiblilty of over-penetration or not enough deformation as I can shoot in quite built-up areas and I really don't want much or any lumps of lead coming out the other side of the target-species if i can help it!

Most of my varmint shooting is on groundhogs and the shots are a fairly relaxed pace. I have the time to set up and make certain of my backstops, so pass-through isn't something I normally worry much about. If that's an issue for you, you might check out the Nosler Ballistic Tips (NBT). They just about explode after penetration and rarely exit exept for short ranges, <100 yds. Even then they tend to come out as a mass of fragments that don't travel very far.

 

On this side of the pond we can mail-order 'em if they're not available local. Not sure how that works on your side.

[Deker 3,478]

Now... I know next to nothing about reloading but these are Boxer, so why is it you can't reload them..is it something to do with the steel case?

Cheers

Deker

It's the steel case.

 

Some folks over here are playing around with reloading steel with mixed results. First, the steel is harder than brass and will play h*ll with your dies and put more stress on your press. If you use carbide dies you might get away with it for a while, but dies and presses are expensive. Brass is cheap.

 

Second, steel doesn't have the elasticity of brass so you run into issues of both improper resizing and metal fatigue. IMO, it's not worth the risk.

 

Thanks..

[Leezie 0]

Thanks guys. I've got a few manuals and i'm not really too worried about the loads themselves, it's the bullet that i'm most interested in. Have any of you fellas used the Speer spitzer on small game / vermin?

Speer spitzers are a classic and you won't go wrong with 'em. There're plenty others on the market that might outperform them slightly in specific circumstances, for example if you're shooting benchrest competition or stretching your shots out to where a .223 wasn't really designed to shoot.

 

Frankly, for general varmint work within 300 - 350 yard range just about anything I feed my .223 seems to work about the same. That's one thing I like about the caliber - it's not real fussy about ammunition. The American Eagles are dirt cheap over here, I'm still working on a couple cases I bought two years ago for < $5 USD for box of 20, but the prices have gone up almost double since then. For really cheap shooting, providing you don't want the cases for reloading, take a look at the Wolf 55 gr HP. Right now it's $150 USD for 500 rds here, and I can't reload for that price unless I buy powder and bullets by the truckload.. I still have some from two years ago that I think cost $99 USD/500. It performs well for the varmint shooting I do.

 

Thanks bshadle. I'm looking to use these rounds mainly on fox out to 200-250 yards. I don't mind spending more money on other, more expensive bullets heads, it's just that i'd have a to go on quite a drive to get them as my local dealers seem to stock sod-all. However, I can readily get hold of the spitzers! My main concern with the Speer spitzers is the possiblilty of over-penetration or not enough deformation as I can shoot in quite built-up areas and I really don't want much or any lumps of lead coming out the other side of the target-species if i can help it!

 

Leezie

Help me out here if you can..not trying to hijack this one but I am curious on the reloading front.. which I know next to nothing about. The .223Wolf 55g HP as mentioned, and which I use, will go clean trough the side of any deer in this country at 200/250 yards (and went through a muntjac at about 70 yards a couple of weeks ago like it wasn't there) and of course is still reasonably flat out to that distance. How would you load a .223 to stop it going through a Muntjac without it having an arc of a rainbow......sorry if this all sounds daft but like I said..reloading is not my strong subject but I am curious.

 

Many thanks.

Deker

 

Hi Deker, i've used the Noser ballistic tips and V-max and they just dump their energy on impact break up somthing fantasic. The v-max in my .17 rarely exits a rabbit with a single bit of lead any bigger than a grain of sand...they literally disinterate. I have had the Nosler ballistic tips (.243) blow a pretty large exit through Roe and foxes shot at 150 yards, but again, i don't think the particles would have been that large, except with the Noslers though, I've found that the base stays pretty intact and is a big enough "lump" to worry about! In answer to your Muntjac question, I'd use a charge producing aroung 2800 fps behind a 55 grain V-max...it wont appear out the other side!

[markbivvy 6]

deker you have an urgent pm.

 

baldie.

i am sure there is an issue with putting wolf military ammo in civvie rifles.

could you offer any info on it please.

 

bit of info here.

 

http://www.thegunzone.com/556v223.html

Edited January 21, 2008 by markbivvy

[Deker 3,478]

Hi Deker, i've used the Noser ballistic tips and V-max and they just dump their energy on impact break up somthing fantasic. The v-max in my .17 rarely exits a rabbit with a single bit of lead any bigger than a grain of sand...they literally disinterate. I have had the Nosler ballistic tips (.243) blow a pretty large exit through Roe and foxes shot at 150 yards, but again, i don't think the particles would have been that large, except with the Noslers though, I've found that the base stays pretty intact and is a big enough "lump" to worry about! In answer to your Muntjac question, I'd use a charge producing aroung 2800 fps behind a 55 grain V-max...it wont appear out the other side!

 

Leezie

Thanks for the response, I have a pretty good understanding of most factory loads but I know nothing about reloading...I keep avoiding getting involved, but I do hear a lot of good things about it!

Cheers