gunboat57
Member
I recently bought a Handi Rifle in 22-250 with a 24" fluted bull barrel, 1 in 14 twist. Some reloads with 55gr Hornady V-Max bullets came with it. At 50 yards I was getting groups just under 2" which I was not happy with. I also noticed the bullet holes weren't round but slightly oblong. So the bullets weren't flying perfectly point first.
The reloads were at the low end of the recommended powder charge so I decided to increase the charge by one grain. I thought maybe they needed a higher rotational speed to stabilize. I also did a quick calculation with the Greenhill formula and figured my V-Max bullets were just at the point of being too long for my 1 in 14 twist barrel.
So I loaded up 5 rounds with the higher charge weight, and 5 more rounds with the higher charge weight and I snipped the plastic tip off the bullets to make them shorter.
The ordinary V-Maxes again formed a 2" group with oblong holes. The snipped bullets made a ragged hole with one flyer. Holes were perfectly round.
I guess I'll just have to use up my 55gr V-Maxes by snipping the tips. I don't think the varmints will notice the difference at 200 yards.
Oh yeah, I also loaded 5 rounds with Hornady 55gr SP bullets. They also shot a tight group with round holes. Amazing what a little difference in bullet length will do.
The reloads were at the low end of the recommended powder charge so I decided to increase the charge by one grain. I thought maybe they needed a higher rotational speed to stabilize. I also did a quick calculation with the Greenhill formula and figured my V-Max bullets were just at the point of being too long for my 1 in 14 twist barrel.
So I loaded up 5 rounds with the higher charge weight, and 5 more rounds with the higher charge weight and I snipped the plastic tip off the bullets to make them shorter.
The ordinary V-Maxes again formed a 2" group with oblong holes. The snipped bullets made a ragged hole with one flyer. Holes were perfectly round.
I guess I'll just have to use up my 55gr V-Maxes by snipping the tips. I don't think the varmints will notice the difference at 200 yards.
Oh yeah, I also loaded 5 rounds with Hornady 55gr SP bullets. They also shot a tight group with round holes. Amazing what a little difference in bullet length will do.