.223 55 gr VMAX load for p-dog hunt

[vonb]

What load do you load up if loading 1K rounds and going to use a 55gr VMAX for a p-dog hunt? What have you found to work best for you in multiple guns and have a low ES/SD?

 

[15Tango]

I'd go with Varget or R15 if it was a gas gun and I wasn't concerned about being economical, H335 or even H322 if I was going to for economical. If a bolt rifle I'd go with the H355 or H322. They're all good powders and will deliver low ES/SD if you do your brass prep right.

Wayne

 

[Rookie]

Benchmark. 23gr will do 3100fps and shoots good in a bolt or gas gun. Meters as well as a ball powder when your dropping loads, and handles temp changes with no problems.

 

[sdneil]

Varget is best in my Rem xr100--try 25.5 with 55 V max--you did not say what rifle you are using ( or Rifles) I usually jump .020 in my dog guns, trying not to have a problem in the field ! ENJOY

 

[1000yardstare]

Have tried them all in various .223s. Keep going back to H4895.

 

[effendude]

I like H335 as it meters well. Most of my dog shooting is within 400 yds so I don't spend alot of time on precision loading of my pd rounds. I just use a load that works well in both the bolt guns and also doesn't show pressure in the AR's. Too much ammo to keep seperate while hunting. I aim for the head/neck area and shoot out to 300 or so without adjusting. Past 300, I'll hold higher or click some elevation. I use H335 in both AR's and bolt guns with bullets from 40 to 55 gr. V-max and B-tips are great. V-max are my favorites. With me and my buddies, it is all about high volume spot and stalk, sniping from the ground using bi-pods. We'll shoot farther if a town cools off, but the wind always blows hard enough, hits are tough beyond 300 with the 223. A good day is 300+ rounds, many days are more.
Scott

 

[Ironworker]

+1 Bench mark. 26grs in my RRAs AR-15 coyote 20" BBl produces 3250 and big holes in coyotes

 

[coyoteklr]

24 grains of ramshot TAC

 

[areaone]

Ramshot X terminator or WW 748. Either works great in my three ARs. 25.6 748

 

[40X Guy]

Another vote for H335, that's all I used in my PD rifles and 6 trips to S. Dakota. I used H335 behind 40 to 55 grain bullets with very good accuracy. As was said, anything beyond 300-325 yards percentages dropped off on hits to below 50%. But I would just bring out the backup LR stuff.

Frank

 

[jonbearman]

+1 for h335 and benchmark and h322.They all meter well and give great accuracy!

 

[soldierofchrist]

H335 is easy to load with and shoots well if you don't like extruded, but i have found 27 grains of Varget with a Federal 205 primer shoots great out of an AR15 with 24" barrel.

 

[K22]

I have had a lot of success with 26.0 grains of Varget using the 55 grain bullets both VMax and Nosler Ballistics Tips, Federal 205 match primers. For my 26 inch varmint rifles I'm getting about 3100 f/s.

Since I weigh every load, powder metering is not an issue for me. If your loading high volume and metering is an issue, I'd try H335. It's an ball powder and very accurate with 55 grain bullets. I don't use it anymore because it's more temperature sensitive than the extreme extruded powders. Benchmark meters real well and is in the latter class of powders as is Varget.

I recently switched to 50 grain Noslers using Varget because it shoots flatter at about 3250 f/s. Accuracy is about the same as the 55 grainer in my 1:12 twist rifles with a slight edge to the 55 grainers.