Bullet choiice for .223 - 200yds or more?

[jhansman]

Hi-
I have my 100 yd. load for my Howa 1500 1:12 bolt gun dialed in (60 gr. Sierra Varminter over 22.7 gr of H322), so I'd like to start working on a 200 yd. load, which I am thinking ought to use a heavier bullet (am I wrong here?) Can I get a bullet and powder recommendation from those of you who shoot your bolt .223s out that far? The powders I have are H335, H322, & IMR-4198, but am willing to try a new powder for this task. FWIW, my previous bolt .223 was a Savage 12VLP that I could never get to group at 200 yds. using a 69gr bullet. Many thanks.

 

[Canuck-IL]

1:12 is too slow a twist to stabilize the heavier (really, longer) bullets that you're thinking of. If the 60gr will shoot at 100, try it at 200 ... odds are very low that any heavier bullet will perform acceptably.
/Bryan

 

[Jim Watson]

200 yards is not far.
Benchrest shooters use things like 52 gr .224s and 68 gr 6mms out to 300 yards.
Better a 60 gr that shoots accurately than a heavy bullet that will keyhole from your 12 twist.

 

[jhansman]

Right. Since my op I have dug up info that squares with what you both say. I'll try the 60s. Thanks!

 

[68wj]

200 yards is not far.
Benchrest shooters use things like 52 gr .224s and 68 gr 6mms out to 300 yards.
Better a 60 gr that shoots accurately than a heavy bullet that will keyhole from your 12 twist.

Yup. My 200 yd load was with 53 gr SMKs (that's the flat base). Not sure what you are using it for (paper, game, etc), but they will get there quick and punch nice little holes in the paper.

 

[atblis]

50 gr Vmax

 

[788Ham]

Hornady 52 gr. BTHP

 

[ArchAngelCD]

jhansman,
I have the same rifle and I can't shoot anything over a 60gr bullet.

I mostly shoot a 55gr Sierra GameKing bullet (Part #1390) over 25.0gr Varget. I get sub 1/2 MOA groups @100 yards with that combination in my Howa 1500. For target practice the Sierra 52gr or 53gr MatchKing bullets are scary accurate in that rifle.

For very little money we bought a very accurate rifle just because we bought a Howa 1500 instead of a Weatherby Vanguard. (same exact rifle for those who don't know it)

 

[rcmodel]

Truth be known, a 50 grain V-Max or Nosler BT, or 52 grain HP will shoot flatter out to 300 yards then any other weight.

And I sure can't see complicating things by having a 100 yard load and a 200 yard load with different zero settings.

Just shoot 50's or 55's and you have a 300 yard load that will also work at 100 and 200.

rc

 

[KBintheSLC]

1:12 is too slow a twist to stabilize the heavier (really, longer) bullets that you're thinking of.

Ditto... I think that the 60g'er you are using is about the upper limit of that twist rate. You should, however, be good to go out to 300-400 yards with that load if you do your job. In other words, 200 yards should be well within the practical range of any .223/5.56 bullet... even the ultra light ones. Actually, the lighter bullet will have a flatter trajectory at 200 yards than a heavier one.

 

[BoilerUP]

52gr A-Max.

 

[jhansman]

Thanks for the bullet recommendations. I'll go lighter and see how she shoots.

 

[cataway]

55gr Sierra GameKing bullet Part #1390 my AR loves that bullet so does my savage

varget in the savage BL-C2 in the AR