.223 Rem bullet weight

[ArchAngelCD]

I just came into a Howa Model 1500 in .223 and was wondering how heavy a bullet I could load for it. It has a 22" barrel and from what I can tell a 1-12" twist. That twist is a little slow from what I know and probably won't stabilize a heavy bullet well, although the barrel length will help a bit.

So, all you bolt action .223 reloaders, what is the heaviest bullet I should load for that rifle??

Thanks....

 

[nicholst55]

It will stabilize any 55 grain bullet out there, and some 60 grain bullets, depending on their length. I used to shoot 60 grain Sierra HPs through my 1-12" twist Remington with excellent accuracy.

 

[BADUNAME37]

I would say up to 55g comfortably, possibly 60g - however I think 60g would be maximum.

 

[243winxb]

55gr or lighter. Its the length of the bullet not the weight that matters. http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html

 

[Walkalong]

I found 60 Grainers iffy in my Sako .222 Mag, depending on which bullet. It is 1 in 12 or 1 in 14, don't remember which off hand. I stick with bullets lighter than that.

 

[Rollis R. Karvellis]

This would be a perfect place to start with a 52gn. match bullit.

 

[JASmith]

I have an old .222 Rem Mag (.223 plus 1 grain of powder) with a 1-14" twist. It works extremely well with 52 gr BTHP bullets. the 50 & 55 gr bullets work well too.

The 1-12" twist will probably be happiest with the 52, 53, or 55 gr bullet offerings.

 

[psyop]

55 or lighter is your safest bet

Hard to beat a 52 SMK in a 1-12"

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I was thinking about using a 55gr and 60gr Hornady V-Max bullet for Varmints. I'm guessing that will be fine with that rifle.

Anyone know if any of the Sierra bullets are any good for Varmint hunting? I'm looking at their 55gr BlitzKing but I don't know anyone who has used any of the Sierra bullets.

 

[JASmith]

I've used the Sierras over a lot of years -- the 55 gr Blitzking is one of my favorites in the 222 Magnum (~'65 Browning with Sako action, I think).

 

[ForneyRider]

I'd go with some 40gr, 50gr, 52-53gr, and 55gr bullets.

Hornady V-Max, Sierra Blitz King, or Nosler Ballistic Tip in 40, 50 or 55gr varmint bullets.

Hornady A-Max, Sierra Match King or Nosler Custom Competition in 52-53gr match bullets.

A 40gr in .223 Rem configuration will fly 3500-3800fps with warm to hot loads. Pretty close to a 50-55gr in .22-250.

I've shot all but the A-Max and quite happy with them all.

Nosler makes a 60gr Partition if you want a tougher bullet. But I haven't shot it.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Thanks everyone, glad to see I'm on the right track.

 

[tlen]

Shilen says for 1:12 you should be OK to 63 grains:
http://www.shilen.com/calibersAndTwists.html

 

[ArchAngelCD]

tlen,
I've seen up to 65gr bullets will be fine too but stabilizing the bullet correctly also depends upon how long the bullet is. A shorter bullet of 63gr may work well whereas a longer 60gr bullet won't. Thanks for the info and the link...

 

[GooseGestapo]

I have a Rem. M7 in .223Rem and it too, has a 1/12" twist bbl.

I have gotten normal accuracy with bullets up through the 63gr Sierra Semi-Pt. and the 65gr GameKing at 3,000fps. For these I'm using 26.0gr of Reloader 15.

They also did really well through my Bushmaster AR, with 1/9", of course.

However, my Rem. M700 in .22-250 with 1/14" twist won't shoot either the 55gr or 60gr Hornady V-Max, nor the 65gr Sierra. The 55gr V-max gives 4" groups at 100yds with key-holes. The 60's won't even hit the target.... It does however, shoot the 63gr Sierra SMP very well (near 0.5moa).

I think your Howa will do well with anything less than 65gr. The 65gr bullet is recommed by Sierra for twists of 1/10 or faster..... But it does work in MY .223. Your results my be different, however.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

GooseGestapo,
Your post goes to what I said above about different bullets, even lighter ones not stabilizing because of shape. I've heard the Hornady V-Max bullets were harder to stabilize that other bullets of the same weight like you just said. Thanks for confirming that info...

I think I'm going to try a 55gr Sierra GameKing SBT bullet first. Any info on the Sierra BlitzKing or Sierra Varminter bullets in the .223?