Explosive bullet effect

[wildcat284]

Hey guys,

I used to shoot a Remington 700 VLS .22/250 with 55gr Sierra Blitzkings at 3700fps. I believe the twist is 1:14?

Terminal effect on the local bunny population was never that impressive. Never got the 'red mist' effect.

My mate shoots a .243 Sako varmint with 65gr Vmax's at 3500 fps. Rifle has a 1:10 twist. Every bunny he shoots at ranges out to 400 yards literally vaporise.

Can someone tell me if the effect is partly due to the fact that overstablilising a light projectile causes this violent effect, or are the v-maxs just more destructive?

Cheers,

Michael.

 

[Coleridge]

I did a little testing on the explosivness of .224 55gr blitzking, nosler BT, and V-max @ the top end of 223 velocities
,~3250). Everything concluded that the v-max was by far the most frangible & the blitzking was "hardest". From field
experience I have seen, it takes a step up in case capacity to equal the same explosive effect.

The .243 65gr v-max has the same sectional density as the 55gr .224 bullet,which completly comes apart) but has more lead to "unleash". I'm also pretty sure the centripetal force of the 1-10 aids in the unwrapping. Either way, the v-max is softer. My 223 shines with v-max bullets, however, my 22-250 will not shot the v-maxes that great but loves the Nosler BT. So that's what my crows eat...



--

 

[Buzzbee]

Since we are on this subject, don't mind if I ask...
Has any one try the J4 jacketed HP match bullet on critters? Such as the ones offered by Barts or Folwer, do they expand rapidly as well as the better varmint bullets?

 

[halfmile]

Hornady SX bullets were my favorite for explosive results. They can not be loaded much higher than 33-3400 FPS or they come apart. I had to put My rounds in the soda cooler a couple trips ago, to keep them from fragmenting in mid air.

But now I have discovered 40 grain Ballistic tip and V-Max, and it's just as great, and flatter shooting.

Barrel life might be better with the SX.

HM

 

[chino1969]

halfmile,
The Hornady SX bullets were always my favorite for explosive results. You are right about them coming apart much beyond 3300 ft/s. but if they managed to stay together long enough, the results were spectacular. I was using them in a .22-250 several years ago, without knowing about the velocity limitations, and the bullets would sometimes come apart before they connected. Those that did manage to connect, literally detonated on the target with impressive results.
Chino69

 

[AckleymanII]

I must say that I am really surprised at the rabbits not coming unglued with that bullet. I shot the 55g Sierra lead tiped blitz at 3600 and there was not much rabbit left to say the least. I also had good luck with the Speer 55g sp that is a cheap bullet. I shot a slug of Speer 52's with 39.5-41.5,depending on the rifle) and got rabbit slung for 30 feet.

You may have gotten a hard lot of bullets. I did a test for PMC some years back. We tested the 22/250 loaded with 50g Nosler, 50g Sierra Blitz king, and 50g V Max. We had 250 rounds of each brand of bullet that was loaded by PMC's ballistic's lab, and we were testing them on the Richardson's ground squirrels. The 50g Sierra Blitz king won hands down with the 50g V Max coming in a distant second. We shot all loads out of two Remington 700 V.

I'm not sure why you are having bad luck with the 55's, but most 22/250's that I have ever owned have shot better with the 50's, you may want to give them a try. The other bullets that I mentioned sure make a contorted gut pile out of the big jackrabbits.

 

[soldierofchrist]

Jump down to the 50 SBK and it becomes a grenade, you can push that bullet pretty fast with Reloader 15, Varget, or H4895.

 

[bheadboy]

i shoot the 55 sbk at 3750 out of a 26 in 22-250, they are explosive on pd, out as far as 600,

you may have a "hard" lot, but i am using a faster twist and the twist increases the explosiveness greatly, your 14, may be the source of the problem

Bob

 

[357Mag]

Wildcat -

I have always prefered the 55SX for use in my 1-14 .224" cal wildcat. They're a real " death ray".

My principle target was/is groundhogs..... the large industrial-strength " soybeanus digestus " that populate NE Indiana. These don't know they are suposed to die, and require some convincing.

I shot 55SX successfully out of a 24" SS 1-14 Hart, at vels past 3,500+ fps.
I NEVER had a 55SX fail to reach the intended target
( for those shots that I did not flat-out miss ), due to in-flight bullet break up.

Never had a bullet disintegration problem w/ the 55SX @ hyper-vel out of a good 1-14. Again, that was my experience w/ my gun; and my loads.

I've tried the 55BLitz and Nosler counterparts. These I DON'T consider equal to the 55SX, as regards terminal effects; and grouping potential.

I also don't believe the .224" cal 55 "V"-Max rivals the old-school 55SX, for ranges out to420yd... or so.
I used a prototype 55 "V"-Max to get into the 500yd club, albeit vel from my wildcat and a 24" 1-14 were at the low end of the practical energy scale for such a shot.

I'm aware of what the little paper slip says, that Hornady includes in every box of SX's. Too bad, 'cause they WILL work @ higher vel, when adequate consideration is afforded other components of the energy delivery system.

With regards,
357Mag

 

[stapher1]

I've tried a couple different bullets but the V-max bullet gives me the best results, on paper and in the field.

 

[338Lapua]

I have always had the biggest holes and disruption with the old soft point, spitzer type bullets in 22 centre fires, especially the sierra 50 & 55 gr.SPT Varminter and Hornady SX.

With the polycarbonate tips I get varying success…. that includes all the well-known brands. Shots on crows were billiard ball size holes one minute and the next it would be a small hole in and out on a fox.

My theory is they make the jacket thicker on the polycarbonate tips so the bullets will handle the velocities up to 4400 + fps and still hold together.

 

[navyrad8r]

i am not a varminter but enjoy reloading and load testing as much as competing. I loaded some barnes varmit grenades. i know these are not high dollar but i loaded them up for a buddy of mine going pdog shooting. i chose them over the vmax because of availability. he was using an M4 16"bbl 1:9 twist i cooked them to a modest ~3500fps using BLC(2). he said the sprays were awesome. i was glad to see he and his father enjoyed them, and were successful in reducng the pdog population. give them a try maybe?
cheers,
doc

 

[headhunter1111]

Have you tried the DRT (Dynamic research technology)bullets? Compressed tungsten powder, 79 gr that stabilize in a 10 twist. Pdogs at ranges under 200 yards were the only thing it wouldn't vaporize. Rock chucks, rabbits, and crows turn into clouds of fur and or feathers.

 

[Travelor]

Back many ears ago when it was legal to shoot most everything with feathers, scales, or shells - other than Eagles, we used to go down the the rice fields around Stuttgart, Arkansas, and hunt hawks and an thing else that might be seen. They were everywhere as this was before they started using DDT on the fields. At that time, the hot varmint cartridge was the 222 Remington.

We loaded 50 gr Sierra Blitz and you could literally hear the bullet explode when it met Mr. Hawk. We used these bullets as they were the same loads we used on snakes, turtles, and just about anything else that moved as they disintegrated when they hit dirt or water - so no ricochets.

I wonder if the Blitz Kings are thicker jacketed to allow them to be shot faster as the Blitz's are known to come apart if shot to fast (IE too high and RPM).

I know - not politically correct now but that is the way it was then and there were always PLENTY of hawks.

George