I've tried both,no big accuracy difference between HP's and ballistic tips.I finally settled on the 60 gr Nosler in my AR.It has a cannelure and is always under the magic MOA.Tried one on a whitetail a couple of weeks ago and it worked as it should.There are a lot of really great bullets out there for the 223 and doing the research is the fun part.
Ballistic Tips VS Hollow Points
- Thread starter Ben86
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Jeff F
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Most of these hollow point match bullets are not designed to expand. They behave more like FMJ.
Maverick223
Member
I suppose that they behave somewhat like M193, but that isn't typical performance for a FMJ round either. At any rate the 5.56/.223 OTM tend to deform and fragment nicely, whilst maintaining good penetration, and are better in most any respect when compared to most any FMJ projectile. IMO they compare better to a good SP bullet or the like.
Kachok
Member
That is a trick question, some HPs are not designed for targeted expansion, others are. I load BTs for all my hunting rifles, they have nasty expansion, and open every single time, though in the .223 cal they are designed for varmint hence have much higher fragmentation and less penatration then my .264/.277/7mm and .30 cal versions. Optimum termanal performance on humans is aprox 14" penatration don't expect varmint bullets to reach that.
2ndtimer
Member
Why don't you try a couple boxes of these:
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/fiocchi-ammunition-223hvb50-remington-hornady-polymer-3650-rdbx-p-110280.html
The price is unbeatable and I have had good accuracy in my bolt guns, and reliable functioning in my M&P 15 Sport. Realize that price is for a box of 50, not 20, and they are 40 gr Hornady V-Max bullets that chronoed 3650 fps out of my 26" barrel 700 SPS Varmint.
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/fiocchi-ammunition-223hvb50-remington-hornady-polymer-3650-rdbx-p-110280.html
The price is unbeatable and I have had good accuracy in my bolt guns, and reliable functioning in my M&P 15 Sport. Realize that price is for a box of 50, not 20, and they are 40 gr Hornady V-Max bullets that chronoed 3650 fps out of my 26" barrel 700 SPS Varmint.
2ndtimer
Member
I just thought for SD, overpenetration might be a concern. I figure a 40 gr V-Max at 3400+ fps would most likely stay in the target and not endanger non-targets in the next room (or next door, if you are loading 62 gr penetrators). I have watched some You Tube videos of guys getting two hogs with one shot at 100 yards or more, demonstrating that the .223 Rem is capable of some surprising penetration with the right bullet. ( I think they were shooting 55 gr SP of some kind)
But I am with you, Joe. I certainly wouldn't volunteer to take a 40 gr V-Max from a .223 to try to demonstrate how ineffective they are!
happyret65
Member
Ballistic Tip if you are hunting for meat. Never had a bad experience on a deer kill with a ballistic tip. If you don't care about how much meat you take home or drag - use a bronze tip (pure meat ruining kill!)
Maverick223
Member
^The OP is asking for recommendations regarding a home defense (HD) role...I certainly hope that he isn't worried about saving the meat. 
Eww...I'm not a cannibal.
I think I'm going to go with ballistic tips. I thought about picking up some Hornady Z-max bullets, but I'm worried that could come back to haunt me in court or something if I have to use them in defense. (them being "zombie" bullets and all)
Does anyone have a list of what various police departments carry in their patrol rifles?
Maverick223
Member
Ben, the Hornady Z-Max are just rebranded 55gr. V-Max cartridges (likely loaded to TAP specifications, but I don't know that for certain). I, too, would be leery of using it specifically for HD, despite the low probability that it will be used against me, it simply isn't worth the risk IMO. That said, 55gr. TAP works great for me, it is reliable, consistent, accurate, and retains a trajectory very similar to my target ammunition, so I'd not be a bit worried about it's performance (even if it is loaded to Varmint, rather than TAP specs., which includes a flash suppressant). I do know that TAP is preferred by several LE agencies, but I don't know precisely what projectile weight they prefer (I'd bet on either 55 or 60gr. BT).
hirundo82
Member
2ndtimer said:
The issue is balancing penetration vs over penetration. I wouldn't use any type of varmint bullet for HD-- they are too likely to blow up in the first couple inches and not reach the vitals. I use M193 in my HD rifle as an apartment dweller
From what I've seen reading after-action reports, 75gr Hornady TAP seems to be a popular law enforcement load.
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