.224 diameter preference

[PBArcher8]

Trying some new loads and just wanted to get y'all's take on your preference of .223 rem bullets. They will be used on groundhogs so I'm looking for the damage inflicted. I use nosler ballistic tip now and they do fine but i'm looking for BIG holes in hogs, thanks to all

[Lycanthrope]

The Ballsitic Tips are good as are the Hornady V-Max. Of course any light spire point at a hot velocity is going to grenade. The lighter the better in your case if you want red mist.


Lycanpffffftwhhackthrope

[rwilson452]

I use the Sierra BlitzKing 55 gr. in my 22-250. It gives the "Ripe Melon Effect" on groundhogs.

Originally Posted by PBArcher8

Trying some new loads and just wanted to get y'all's take on your preference of .223 rem bullets. They will be used on groundhogs so I'm looking for the damage inflicted. I use nosler ballistic tip now and they do fine but i'm looking for BIG holes in hogs, thanks to all

[toadyoforangeville]

In the 223 rem the best I've seen goes to the 50grn v-max.WOW! OR the 36grain barns varmint grenade.both are amazing, specialy to a country boy who used a 22lr.Another good one is the rem 55powerlokt hp if you load them yourself.Now I'm on a mission to get one with a 10ga slug........

[cosmo05]

50 gr. V-Max does one right. If you REALLY want to blow one up, 110 gr. V-Max in .308, now that will blow up a hog!

[Tomcat088]

Others have listed some great bullets. The nosler ballistic tips and hornady v-max's are great. I have made alot of stuff explode myself with sierra blitzking, they're a bullet that I really like for varmints. I haven't messed with the varmint grenades, but one of my friends has experimented a little with them in .243. They DO explode really big when they hit stuff, but some people have had problems getting them to stabilize. They're a really long bullet and need a fair amount of twist to get them to stabilize. I have heard of a few people who can get them to shoot bug holes, but most guys are getting around .75 moa with those bullets. I'm surprised that you didn't get some explosions with the ballistic tips in your rifle, they usually go boom pretty well. As lycan said, if you were pushing a heavier bullet a bit slow, then they don't go boom the same way. Push the small ones at faster, but safe speeds, or the same with the blitz kings and v max's and they will explode.

[rwilson452]

Sierra bullet #1345 is a medium vel. bullet very thin skinned it should work in a 223 but will not work at higher velocities, they don't make it to the target.

[toadyoforangeville]

Originally Posted by rwilson452

Sierra bullet #1345 is a medium vel. bullet very thin skinned it should work in a 223 but will not work at higher velocities, they don't make it to the target.

Had that problem with 110 tips in a 300wby they only made it about 20' from the muzzle. go figure?????

[Tomcat088]

Realize that it's not really velocity that makes those bullets blow up. It's the combination of speed (which causes more wind resistance and friction) and twist rate. The bullet actually blows up because it's spinning too fast, not because it's flying too fast. If you had enough twist to stabilize the bullet at the proper RPM's, it might survive the trip at higher speed. When you have too much twist and combine it with speed, BOOM grayish/black puffs and jacket fragments, lol. Proper twist rate is important.

[Posit]

Another vote for Sierra Blitzkings. There are others which will do more damage, but I can't get the accuracy I can with the Sierra BKs.