I have an AR-15 that I have developed 2 loads for. One load uses Hornady 55gr FMJ, and the other uses Hornady 55gr V-Max. I was curious of the performance of the Sierra GameKing 55 gr Spitzer boat tail vs the V-Max for the sake of hunting. I plan to use the gun for hogs and varmints. Will the V-Max have a quicker expanseion than the Gameking? That's not an issue with varmints, but if I take a 200 yard shoulder shot at a 300 lb hog, I'd prefer a more controled (slower) expansion. Will the GameKing expand slower? Any other bullets I should look at? My barrel is a 1:9 twist, so I cannot use much heavier bullets.
Bullet comparison for 223 - for hunting
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Yes, the GameKing hunting bullet should not explosively disintegrate like the V-Max varmint bullet is designed to do.
Gamekings are supposed to hang together and mushroom which will give deeper penetration.
But since you have a 1/9 barrel, don't limit yourself to 55 grain bullets for hunting.
There are a lot of better ones in the 60- 68 grain range.
IMO: 55 grain FMJ, or any FMJ for that matter, has no place at all for hunting. (Well maybe for hog blasting where a quick humane kill is not your major concern?)
rc
Gamekings are supposed to hang together and mushroom which will give deeper penetration.
But since you have a 1/9 barrel, don't limit yourself to 55 grain bullets for hunting.
There are a lot of better ones in the 60- 68 grain range.
IMO: 55 grain FMJ, or any FMJ for that matter, has no place at all for hunting. (Well maybe for hog blasting where a quick humane kill is not your major concern?)
rc
ClickClickD'oh
Member
55gr is way to light to be using on a hog.
What length and weight barrel are you shooting? You might be able to push up to 68 or even 75 gr depending on your setup.
What length and weight barrel are you shooting? You might be able to push up to 68 or even 75 gr depending on your setup.
My barrel is a Del-Ton 16" mid-length, regular barrel (not lightweight).
I know I mentioned a shoulder shot as a scenario in my original post. My first preference is a shot behind the ear. They've dropped every time with my 30-06, and I'm fairly confident they would drop every time with any 223 bullet. But sometimes that shot presentation isn't possible. I've made a 150 yard shoulder shot at a 125 # boar at dusk, and he ran 200 yards through the brush country of Texas. He was crossing a sendero and I had just a couple of seconds to shoot. My scope was dialed down to 4X and it was dusk so I went for the shoulder. We were turkey hunting 2 mornings later and I smelled something dead and saw buzzards roosting on a tree. At that moment I knew it was him. Sure enough it was. You can almost smell him thorugh your computer by looking at the picture below.
My whole reason for getting into this is that I know bullet selection makes a difference, and I want to minimize losing my hogs. So what is my best bullet selection for this application?
I know I mentioned a shoulder shot as a scenario in my original post. My first preference is a shot behind the ear. They've dropped every time with my 30-06, and I'm fairly confident they would drop every time with any 223 bullet. But sometimes that shot presentation isn't possible. I've made a 150 yard shoulder shot at a 125 # boar at dusk, and he ran 200 yards through the brush country of Texas. He was crossing a sendero and I had just a couple of seconds to shoot. My scope was dialed down to 4X and it was dusk so I went for the shoulder. We were turkey hunting 2 mornings later and I smelled something dead and saw buzzards roosting on a tree. At that moment I knew it was him. Sure enough it was. You can almost smell him thorugh your computer by looking at the picture below.
My whole reason for getting into this is that I know bullet selection makes a difference, and I want to minimize losing my hogs. So what is my best bullet selection for this application?
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
+1 to that!
Here is some interesting reading on hunting bullet performance that includes the .223 Nosler Partition.
http://www.gunsandhunting.com/Bullethitsbone.html
BTW: Remington Core-Lokt 62 grain PSP has killed a lot of deer too.
It is one reasonably priced load you can usually get that actually works quite well for bigger game.
rc
Here is some interesting reading on hunting bullet performance that includes the .223 Nosler Partition.
http://www.gunsandhunting.com/Bullethitsbone.html
BTW: Remington Core-Lokt 62 grain PSP has killed a lot of deer too.
It is one reasonably priced load you can usually get that actually works quite well for bigger game.
rc
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I've had good success w/ both the 60g Part and the 55g TBBC. They get cross body penetration on lung shot deer. Hogs are different. On large hogs they rarely exit which IMO is not good. If you just want to kill them, okay, but if you want to eat them, shoot just below the ear.
rklessdriver
Member
Winchester also loads a 64gr Power Point in the .223 Remington that I have used with success on Eastern NC white tails. With proper shot placement it would have no troble on hogs but "proper shot placement" is key.
Will
Will
Probably the hardest bullet to find anywhere, but I've seen the 65-grain Sierra softpoint do some serious work on "heavy for 22" game. Worth a look.
That aside, the only two .224" bullets I'd take over that one in terms of tough terminal performance are the aforementioned Barnes TSX's and Nosler Partition 60-grainer.
The former I haven't used in 22's, but the partition IS a nasty, nasty bullet. Seems to kill a lot better than the size would allow. The (one) deer I took down with the partition looked no different than the several I've shot heart-lung with .243 to be honest.
I still prefer to stay away from 22-cal on deer (and hogs if I did) though - but I by no means discourage the skilled/able hunter from using them on such. Personal call for every man is all.
That aside, the only two .224" bullets I'd take over that one in terms of tough terminal performance are the aforementioned Barnes TSX's and Nosler Partition 60-grainer.
The former I haven't used in 22's, but the partition IS a nasty, nasty bullet. Seems to kill a lot better than the size would allow. The (one) deer I took down with the partition looked no different than the several I've shot heart-lung with .243 to be honest.
I still prefer to stay away from 22-cal on deer (and hogs if I did) though - but I by no means discourage the skilled/able hunter from using them on such. Personal call for every man is all.
So I was just looking at Barnes website and I want to point something out...
Barnes has a 62 grain and a 70 grain TSX in .223
They say the 70 grain is to be used in a 1 in 8" twist
They say the 62 grain is to be used in a 1 in 9" twist
Has anyone successfully used the 70 grain in a 1 in 9" twist?
Somewhere in their question and answers they specifically do not recommend using the 70 grain in a 1 in 9 twist but I really want to try it at least but I'm too cheap to waste my money when I'd be better off buying the 62 grain or 60 grain partition.
Barnes has a 62 grain and a 70 grain TSX in .223
They say the 70 grain is to be used in a 1 in 8" twist
They say the 62 grain is to be used in a 1 in 9" twist
Has anyone successfully used the 70 grain in a 1 in 9" twist?
Somewhere in their question and answers they specifically do not recommend using the 70 grain in a 1 in 9 twist but I really want to try it at least but I'm too cheap to waste my money when I'd be better off buying the 62 grain or 60 grain partition.
rklessdriver
Member
I have shot the factory loaded 64gr Winchester PP, and handloaded 60gr Trophy Bonded bear claws out of my little Weatherby (Vanguard VGX in .223) which has a 1 in 12 barrel. Both rounds shoot MOA at 100yrds out of this rifle.
I still have a good supply of the Troph Bonded bullets so I haven't had cause to try the Nosler Partitioned in it.
Will
ForneyRider
Member
We live trap hogs and I put them down with a head shot with a 41 mag. I angle the shot so it goes through head and heart. A head shot kills them but they are kicking hard until the heart stops pumping. That's the quickest I've seen them go down.
My dad has shot smaller feral hogs with .22-250 and 50gr V-Max and they have gone down quickly and are dead when we walked up the 200+ yards to the animal.
But some of those hogs are huge, mean and fight more than any whitetail. I'd take a pistol as a backup.
Nosler Partition 60gr, Sierra GameKing 65gr, Speer 70gr, or a Swift Scirocco 75gr come to mind. Or one of the Barnes.
My dad has shot smaller feral hogs with .22-250 and 50gr V-Max and they have gone down quickly and are dead when we walked up the 200+ yards to the animal.
But some of those hogs are huge, mean and fight more than any whitetail. I'd take a pistol as a backup.
Nosler Partition 60gr, Sierra GameKing 65gr, Speer 70gr, or a Swift Scirocco 75gr come to mind. Or one of the Barnes.
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