Favorite .223 competition bullet

[freakshow10mm]

What bullet are you guys using for .223 Remington competition? The big three seem to be the Hornady, Nosler, and SMK bullets that make match bullets. Oh, and Berger. Figured there was a poll done but I couldn't find anything.

[Jadeslade]

60gr Vmax.

[pjb45]

I was new to reloading the .223/5.56, so I asked a bunch of seasoned shooters that same question. Their responses were pretty much the same, you should try different combinations to find the right one for you gun. A anal-retentive friend told me Hornady 68/69/75 grain bullets shot best out of his barrel. I know a lot of sponsored shooters using Hornady.

I get incredible accuracy out of my Sabre Defense barrel, as well as a JP gun with 69 grain SMK. My accuracy is less than a 1/3 MOA via a hundred yard enclosed tunnel. I have shot this load out to 400 meters and the accuracy holds up. Laupa is a very fine bullet but more expansive than I want to pay. I have standardized on 69 SMK for all my shooting needs. It just works easier for me to load up a few thousand at a time and not have to adjust anything.

[caspian guy]

Hornady 55gr FMJ BT WC cheap and acurate

[D.Hayden]

The best bullet - is the cheapest one for your rifle that will let you hit the targets at your max distances.

There's no perfect bullet. You could pay big money for bullets, with no gain in performance, and that's just wrong.. lol

I use Winchester 55s. really cheap.. but they shoot really well in my Tac-Optics rifle. They're terrible in my Limited rifle

I know 3 people with the same JP barrels as I have (18" mid, 1/8 twist) - of the 4 total, mine was the only one that shot them well enough for competition - and I use them to 350 now.

I really like using the same bullet for hoser close stuff and then to long distance.

I always have some 69s on hand too, but more for extra power.

If I wasn't so cheap, I'd use V-max's 100% for all my rifles.

[jaredr]

inside of 100 yards, hornady 55 gr ball may be sufficient - i've seen that bullet produce well under MOA with AA2230 (and there are many other suitable powders as well. 2230 is just what I'm using). SMK's or hornady open tip match bullets may be "more" accurate (i.e. less variation in weight, more consistent in manufacturing uniformity) but I'm not sure that you would see any tangible benefit from that until you move out to 200-300 yards. I know some folks have mentioned that they use inexpensive ball rounds for practicing or competition inside of 100 yards and save the match kings (or other pricier alternatives) for further out but that may be more effort than it is worth, depending upon how much you'll actually have a chance to shoot.

Edited to add: other relevant point is that the heavier match bullets will help beat the wind, but again, unless its a gale force I'm not sure there's a enough drift on a 100 yd target to make much of a difference. According to JBM's ballistics calc - a 77gr SMK @ 2700fps will drift 1" @ 100 yards ina 10mph full value wind. A 55gr hornady fmj @ 3150 fps will drift 1.2" under the same conditions. Speaking only for myself, I've got a lot of stuff I need to work on before I need to start worrying about that 0.2" difference in wind drift

Edited December 15, 2010 by jaredr

[steel1212]

I use mg's 55 grain for around here out to about 200 yards. Past that and I go with 68/69 SMK or hornadys

Edited December 15, 2010 by steel1212

[Sudden Death]

55g Hornady

varget 26.5

69 SMK

varget 24.0

[outerlimits]

55gr Nosler Ballistic Tip...unless there's a compelling reason to have heavier bullets, at which time 69 SMK's.

Your mileage will vary...

[gose]

Close blasters are loaded with 55gr Montana Gold FMJs or Hornady 55gr FMJs in front of H335.

For longer range I switch to 69gr SMKs in front of VV140.

[DanielW]

Hornady 55gr FMJ BT WC cheap and acurate

+1 this....for these reasons. Especially the "cheap" one!

[MarkCO]

There are a lot of reasons to choose a bullet, cost, accuracy, availabilty, good company, wind drift, etc.

What has not been mentioned, and is a large factor, is what kind of target you will be shooting. Probably a non-issue inside of 300 yards or so. Some bullets carry more energy and cause the range steel to react in a more positive manner. I've seen a lot of targets hit in a variety of conditions, and the heavier bullets make for a better reaction, regardless of type, than light bullets.

[Fullauto_Shooter]

Montana Gold 55gr (really cheap when you buy in bulk) gets the job done for me out to 200 yards; anything past that is getting 69gr SMKs.

[trickpony]

Sierra 69 gr. Match king for everything

[twodownzero]

I use M193 bullets now, but I've been toying with playing with 75 or 77 grain loads for a while, just never got around to it.

[Ken Kwiat]

77 gr. SMKs for everything (Tac powder). I agree with Mark's point that I like wacking the longer range steel with more energy. And, here in CO (or NM or WY), wind is always a consideration. Sure, at 100 yds. no biggie. But, at 400+ in a 30 mph cross wind, definitely a factor (real world match condition at '09 RockyMtn). Depends on the types of matches and general shooting that you do. If your typical match is a 200 yd max match, I'd go with 55 gr'rs too.

Why 77s over the 68s/69s? If I'm going heavy for the above reasons, 77s are the max for reliable magazine length feeding. Slight bc advantage but I'll agree it's a cost/benefit trade off. I seem to have gotten better groups from 77s than 69s but that's probably my problem as I just didn't find the optimal accuracy node.

Edit note: this tends to be a "religious topic" with the light/fast vs. heavy/slower arguments. I personally think both are correct. In my case, I don't mind taking into consideration the trajectory curve as I know my dope and am accustomed to accounting for it. If that's not you, that's OK. Many, many top shooters subscribe to the light/fast philosophy too. What I'm not willing to do is switch mid-match like some suggest. I see POI differences too great to want that complication in my life.

Edited December 20, 2010 by Ken Kwiat

[Corey]

for longer range things, Im going to be playing with 73gr Berger BTs. looking forward to seeing their results

[Ken Kwiat]

for longer range things, Im going to be playing with 73gr Berger BTs. looking forward to seeing their results

Corey,

Definitely post your findings. Bergers always seem to have some pretty high BCs and a loyal following. Interested to see what you find out.

K2

[jmurch]

+1 77 SMK + TAC pretty much same reasons max weight for mag length.

Jeff

[gose]

for longer range things, Im going to be playing with 73gr Berger BTs. looking forward to seeing their results

Why not the 70 VLDs? They have better BC than the 73 BTHPs.

[slavic09]

I've been using 69 gr SMKs and TAC for everything recently.

[freakshow10mm]

for longer range things, Im going to be playing with 73gr Berger BTs. looking forward to seeing their results

Why not the 70 VLDs? They have better BC than the 73 BTHPs.

BC isn't everything.

[gose]

for longer range things, Im going to be playing with 73gr Berger BTs. looking forward to seeing their results

Why not the 70 VLDs? They have better BC than the 73 BTHPs.

BC isn't everything.

True true, but if you can push it faster and get a higher BC, it sounds like a winner to me (assuming you can do it with good accuracy).

You gonna start offering some match ammo?

Edited December 25, 2010 by gose

[freakshow10mm]

PM on the way.

[tunakilla]

Montana 55's out to 150 and 69 SMK's both with H335