o your saying up the bullet to a 75gr to buck the wind a little better?
new caliber/new barrel/stock?
- Thread starter Axis II
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Not an issue with my skill as i have 100% confidence i can do it, my scope can do it and my laser rangefinder. My concern is the 223rem slowing down at those ranges and not harvesting the animal humanly. After seeing a few hit with the 223 past 200yards and running off into a hole leaving a blood trail i said i need something faster.
someguy2800
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o your saying up the bullet to a 75gr to buck the wind a little better?
Yes, the wind drift is a big difference. It's an even more dramatic difference if you compare a 55 grain typical varmint bullet from a 223. It's a lot more energy down range. The downside is that a 75 gr BTHP match is not a varmint bullet and does not kill as dramatically.
I have thought about switching to a 60gr v max or a heavier BTHP. My buddy used to shoot them with a 50gr SP from a 22-250 and i would watch them get hit through the spotting scope and then run off. He has had a few runners with 50gr v max too. I may have access to a 300yard range this spring so ill try some heavier stuff and make turret cards for those just in case. I am limited to what the heavy barrel can take due to a short throat so might just have to stick with 55gr.
someguy2800
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What bullet are you using? A body hit with a good varmint bullet like a vmax should blow them apart at 200 yards.
55gr v max under 24gr of benchmark. The one at 270ish i didn't go check cause the beans were up but when i hit him he dropped to all 4s. The one at 90yards was quartering towards me and went in the front shoulder/neck and pushed everything out the rear end and it crawled off. I felt like suck a Richard.
someguy2800
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The 60 vmax is not a really impressive bullet in my experience. A 75 bthp or eld really cuts the wind drift dramatically and carry a lot of energy but they don't expand like a varmint bullet, so it's a trade off. If you want the best of both, getting low wind drift with a varmint bullet you might want to look into ballistics with a 243.
Just out of curiousity why you didn't mention the 22-250 and went right for 243? Heavier bullets being the reason? I appreciate all the info.
Go for the .243, preferably in the new adjustable stock
but make sure the barrel is savage, ruger, or rem, at the very least, faster twist if you REALLY wanna launch some long heavies, but a 70 varmageddon or 85 varminter at 3300+ (each) will definitely do what you're wanting, and if you ever get to go 500+ you can run heavy ballistic tips too.I didn't see this by the time I replied, apologies, with the .243, the wind bucking high velocity varmint rounds are more plentiful, still not much recoil, variety of game capabilities will be greater, and you can play at VERY long ranges with the proper twist. With the .250, you still need a fast twist, rare but becoming more common slowly) and you can have varmint bullets OR long range bullets.......yes ORJust out of curiousity why you didn't mention the 22-250 and went right for 243? Heavier bullets being the reason? I appreciate all the info.
GooseGestapo
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Get some 53gr Hornady V-max. It's a VLD design and has the highest b.c. Of ANY .224" bullet under 67gr. (0.290) It's designed to do exactly what you want. It'll shoot flatter and hit harder than either the 50gr or 55gr.
We call it in N.Ga, "seeing the red mist".
Unfortunately we don't typically get to see them at 200+yds.
First one I ever shot was with a .357mag revolver with a 145gr Win SilverTip at ~45yds. He crawled in his hole with guts dragging. Two days later, I shot my first coyote with same gun/load trying to dig out the g-hog. He tipped nose foward into the hole too...
Last one I shot was at a whopping 35' with .22lr. CCI MiniMag HP made him a liberal. (Open-empty minded!).
We call it in N.Ga, "seeing the red mist".
Unfortunately we don't typically get to see them at 200+yds.
First one I ever shot was with a .357mag revolver with a 145gr Win SilverTip at ~45yds. He crawled in his hole with guts dragging. Two days later, I shot my first coyote with same gun/load trying to dig out the g-hog. He tipped nose foward into the hole too...
Last one I shot was at a whopping 35' with .22lr. CCI MiniMag HP made him a liberal. (Open-empty minded!).
The 53gr B.C. just makes it flatter shooting? I'm ignorant when it comes to this stuff.
someguy2800
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Just out of curiousity why you didn't mention the 22-250 and went right for 243? Heavier bullets being the reason? I appreciate all the info.
I'm not a 22-250 fan because of the bullets. The 22-250 was awesome when all there was availible was 50 and 55 grain varmint bullets with terrible ballistic coefficients. When you can't improve the ballistic coeficient the only way to reduce your wind drift and shoot flatter is to drive the bullet faster. So the 22-250 and 220 swifts and 25-06's made sense.
Now we have really good heavy high ballistic coeficient bullets in 22 cal like the hornady 75 bthp match that were developed for high power competition shooting, but they are not ideal varmint bullets because the don't have violent expansion like a v max. Plus almost no 22-250's can use these bullets because the twist is too slow. A 223 with a 75 bthp shoots flatter to 600 yards than a 22-250 with 50 grain varmint bullets and does it with half the powder and 5 times the barrel life.
I like the 243 better because you get a true varmint bullet like an 87 gr vmax or the nosler BT's that have as good of ballistic coeficients as the heavy match 22 bullets, but you can drive them faster than a 223 while still getting varmint bullet performance.
I've never owned a 22-250 but that's the way I see it. There are some people getting custom twist 22-250's to shoot heavy bullets but that still leaves you with no 75 gr varmint bullets.
GooseGestapo
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With the 53gr Vmax, it's the shape of the forward half of the bullet. It's the front half of a 75gr Amax without the mid shank weight. It's unlikely to stabilize in a 1/14" twist. My 1/14" .22/250 gags on it; 2-3" groups. But, a 1/12" or 1/9" will shoot it well.
(I only feed the .22/250 Sierra 50 or 55gr med or high vel bullets. It rewards me with .3-.4" groups. Most accurate rifle I've ever owned. A $250 pawn shop special Rem 700 ADL. Go figure!)
(I only feed the .22/250 Sierra 50 or 55gr med or high vel bullets. It rewards me with .3-.4" groups. Most accurate rifle I've ever owned. A $250 pawn shop special Rem 700 ADL. Go figure!)
Have you played with strelok? If not, play with different theoretical loads, you can see your sight picture and range ballistic tables depending on the loads being used. For example, in the first picture you can see the holdover for a 10 mph wind at 500 yds with my 86 gr etip Imr4831 .243 load (zeroed at 225 yds). Obviously, you have to test the results for sure, but it'll get you better ideas about b.c., wind drift, impact velocity, and new chamberings. The second picture is comparative to my .223 50 spsx h322 load (zeroed at 300) with same wind at same yardage. Download the app, it's free, play around with different loads and chamberings before you make up your mind.
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Varminterror
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I'm in the crowd which will say you really gotta put that 223/5.56 to work, and let it show you what it can do. I've taken coyotes past 500yrds, and prairie dogs past 700, even with the lame little 50 V-max. The 53 V-max is a flatter shooter, the 55 a better penetrator, but the 50 V-max is the most readily available, and has worked for me for thousands of prairie dogs, and hundreds of coyotes.
If I won the lottery, I wouldn't spend money to put a new barrel on an Axis. New rifle.
If I won the lottery, I wouldn't spend money to put a new barrel on an Axis. New rifle.
ourway77
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The 22-250 is a fine Varmint rifle I have one with a 1-7 twist I can shoot heavy bullets out if it The 22-250 is really subjected to the winds. I like a 6MM or 243 with a 1-8 twist mine shoots just about all the heavy weight bullets Most come standard in a 1-10 twist with will easily handle 100 grain bullets. Don't over look the new comer 6MM and the 6.5 Creedmore You really don't have to win the lottery save those dollars and get a VG barrel put pillars and glass bed a Boyd's stock The old saying is you get what you pay for Penny wise penny foolish LOL. Lou
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