20 Practical, Best Accuracy Varmint Bullet?

[sean68]

I won’t give my exact load data. Start low and work up.

 

[willyp19]

My 20P loves the combo of H4198, 40gr NBTs, and REM 7 1/2 primers. Consistently shoots 3/8" groups.

 

[Alguapo]

32 Grn Vmax pushed by 8208 ( very difficult to find right now) in 4 seperate 20 Practicals.

 

[TheCZKid]

My 20P loves the combo of H4198, 40gr NBTs, and REM 7 1/2 primers. Consistently shoots 3/8" groups.

Sound like you got a nice shooting gun. Curious about the details of your rifle: Bolt gun or AR? Barrel make, twist rate and length? Mine is an AR 24" 1:10 White Oak Armament bull barrel. I'm not sure with my set-up if I'm trying to get accuracy that it just will never deliver, or just that I haven't tried enough yet to arrive at the "best" it will do. It's hard to decide when I've gotten to best, because it might just be one more bullet / powder / load / primer / seating depth away to a better more accurate load.

 

[Mark M.]

What was your load with the H322

How about a good place to start

 

[TheCZKid]

32 Grn Vmax pushed by 8208 ( very difficult to find right now) in 4 separate 20 Practicals.

I did have good results with it too with 32 Vmax, around 24.5-24.8 was just under and over 1/2" groups

 

[willyp19]

Sound like you got a nice shooting gun. Curious about the details of your rifle: Bolt gun or AR? Barrel make, twist rate and length? Mine is an AR 24" 1:10 White Oak Armament bull barrel. I'm not sure with my set-up if I'm trying to get accuracy that it just will never deliver, or just that I haven't tried enough yet to arrive at the "best" it will do. It's hard to decide when I've gotten to best, because it might just be one more bullet / powder / load / primer / seating depth away to a better more accurate load.

My setup is a REM 700 with a 24" PAC-NOR (11 Twist) REM Varmint contour, the action was trued in an HS Precision stock. I'm using 223 REM Redding Type-S FL Sizing die, and Redding 223 REM Comp Seater. I do slightly neck turn all my brass, just for consistency.

 

[TheCZKid]

I ended wasting some time with a ladder test yesterday... I have a seating depth of 1.850 base to ogive for 40 Vmax bullets. I used that seating depth to test my Nosler 40 BT bullets and a ladder test with my new powder LT-32. All the groups sucked! And I realized, I didn't do a seating depth test for the 40 BT bullets, and perhaps that might be the culprit.
So, today I used my go-to load that gives me nice groups with the 40 Vmax, 8208 25.0 grains, and did a seating depth test. From 1.850, 1.845, 40, 35, 30 and 1.825... and all the sudden I had gone from almost an inch group to .26" group at 1.825" BTOL. So, all my testing of the LT-32 was for not, as the seating depth was way too off.


Now, I'll test more with my 8208 load, in the range of 1.825" in .002 increments, and see where it likes it best.

Then I'll start testing the LT-32 again.

 

[bobcat93]

I finally got my hands on another powder I'd like to test, LT 32. I have a 24" barrel 1:10 twist, AR rifle. Only bullets I've shot so far are the 32 and 40 Vmax. But I figured I might as well consider other bullet options, as I'm not married to only Vmax.

I see Berger has a 35 HP FB bullet, and that sounds promising, see some mention of it here by a few, but curious to hear about accuracy, and if you have a good LT 32 (or even VV N133). I've had good luck with 8208 with the 40's.

When searching for best price for those I seen there's a Barnes Varmint Grenade 26 grain, and on Midway it's got good reviews for tight accuracy, and for making things explode! Sage rats are my intended target (maybe coyotes too).

I'm curious what bullet you have had the best accuracy out of, speed is less important, sage rats are small so tight groups at 250 yards is my goal.

All I can say is I built a .20 practical..AR mid length gas system..it was a laser beam..just amazed me..but I had to sell it for another project..I miss that rifle..
The .223 rem. is a sloppy pig in my opinion and once its neck down to .20 cal..it becomes a race car with curb cutting performance...if your not in the military..ditch that 22 and grab a .20..
Any power issues is made up for in surgical shot placement abilities...hahaha..sorry..I really have a soft heart for the .20's...ive yet to see another caliber do what it can do...
I had best performance from Sierra bullets and 8208 xbr..I also had adjustable gas block on 18" barrel..it was sweet set up
Tears...boo hoo hoo..I miss her

 

[Alguapo]

I did have good results with it too with 32 Vmax, around 24.5-24.8 was just under and over 1/2" groups

25.5 was our tightest groups.

 

[searcher]

1) 39 grain Blitz king (Accurate LT-32 powder)
2) Berger
2) 40 V-Max
3) 32 V-max

 

[Mark M.]

5 shot group with N-133 with Sierra 39gr. Blitzkings

 

[JB10]

In my 204r i like the 35gr bergers, but also had good luck with nosler 32gr varmageddons ballistic tip.

 

[GLShooter]

This was 24" AR.

 

[GLShooter]

This is from a 24" REMAGE during load development. Through a suppressor. Barrel is a Tactical Ordnance polygon rifled tube.

 

[22vartarg]

This was shot with a Uintah Precision upper at 100 yards. 20 Practical using H4198 with the Sierra 32 gr BK. 5 shot group.

 

[Tommie]

I will say things a little different way in the hope that it helps.

Between the factory bullets like Nosler, Barnes, Berger, Sierra, and Hornady, etc., I was able to find the tune that each bullet weight liked the best.

Yes, there were times that a particular barrel really loved one or another batch of bullets in particular, but all of them could have been tuned to acceptable especially when you are saying 250 yards or less.

There is almost no point to trying to predict the performance of your barrel based on which bullet did the best in someone else’s gun. I have had fresh barrels that could show the difference between two different vintages of the ”same” bullets.

I usually recommend that folks who dedicate to this type of hunting to have ample quantities of a variety of bullets in hand. That way, you don’t have to wait or even scrub a trip due to waiting for the factories to deliver a particular bullet.
YMMV

Here’s the correct answer