Bullet weight for Remington 700

[Infidel4life11]

Checking out a Remington 700 26" heavy barrel chambered in 223. Wooden Bench style laminate stock.

What bullet weight would be best used for target shooting 100-500yds?

Hunting small game?

Sorry I don't know the twist.

 

[jmr40]

Looking at Remingtons website I'd guess it is a 1:12 twist. With that in mind I'd think you'd probably do better with bullets in the 55 gr and under range. Conventional wisdom says heavier bullets won't shoot as well, but conventional wisdom is not always right. You never know until you try different weights and see what happens.

 

[quartermaster]

I agree with jmr40. Try a few different heads and go with what shoots best.

 

[helotaxi]

You're limited to 55gn conventional (not lead free) bullets and lighter. Some of the light lead freee bullets will be ok as well.

It's not a matter of it not shooting them well, its a matter of the bullet not getting to the target traveling nose first or being able to hit the target at all. A 1:12 twist barrel simply can't impart enough spin to get a longer bullet stable. The good news is that there are a lot of very good bullets in the 50-55gn range.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

Or you could re-barrel the rifle with a faster twist and use heavier bullets. Some lighter bullets may give you issues if you go with too fast of a twist.

 

[Infidel4life11]

I understand 223 bullet weights when shooting them through AR's 1:7,1:8,1:9. Does this apply to bolt gun twist? If it is a 1:10 should I still stick with under a 62gr bullet. Thank you all for the comments

 

[courtgreene]

You should probably just go ahead and measure the twist rate with a cleaning rod and some tape (I believe a marker may also be involved). Then you won't have to wonder. If not that, then look at the specs for your rifle, or if it's used and you can't find the specs, give remington a call.

 

[Reloadron]

I understand 223 bullet weights when shooting them through AR's 1:7,1:8,1:9. Does this apply to bolt gun twist? If it is a 1:10 should I still stick with under a 62gr bullet. Thank you all for the comments

Yes, the barrel twist rate also applies to bolt rifles as well as all rifles in general. There are also other considerations as to the bullet design but in general for a given caliber as the bullet weight increases the bullet length increases.

I also agree with jmr40 in that you likely have a 1:12 twist rate suitable for 55 grain and lighter bullets. You can slug your barrel using a cleaning patch and a jag to get a pretty good idea of what your twist rate is.

Personally I would try several loads and see how they group.

I have an old Remington 725 originally a .222 that I rebarreled in .223. When I start getting above 55 grain bullets I just do not get good stabilization of the heavier bullets. However, that is just my rifle and your mileage may vary.

Here is what Sierra spells out on their bullets:



Then when we get into 80 grain match bullets:



You can give 62 grain bullets a try with various loads and see what you get.

Ron

 

[Infidel4life11]

thank you

 

[witchhunter]

hunting small game? does that mean hunting to eat? or blasting prairie dogs? Edible game means a non-expanding bullet, but if it is p-dogs, use the most accurate bullets. This mean lots of trial and error. Your .223 hould shoot well with a lot of bullets. Good luck.

 

[MAKster]

The Remington varmint barrels are 26". With a 1-12 twist that's over two rotations. An AR barrel that is 1-9 but only 16" long wouldn't rotate the bullet twice. Shouldn't that mean the heavier bullets would be more stable out of the Remington since the barrel is so much long?

 

[Reloadron]

The Remington varmint barrels are 26". With a 1-12 twist that's over two rotations. An AR barrel that is 1-9 but only 16" long wouldn't rotate the bullet twice. Shouldn't that mean the heavier bullets would be more stable out of the Remington since the barrel is so much long?

No as the stability of the bullet is a function of the rotational speed of the bullet when it exits the muzzle. Longer barrel will not increase bullet rotational speed. Read in part what Barnes has to say about their bullets:

*Many different rifling twists are available in this chambering. It’s important to know your rifle’s twist
rate before selecting a bullet.
*To stabilize in flight, 45-grain Banded Spitzers and 53-grain TSX bullets require a 1:12” or faster
twist; 62-grain TSX and 55-grain MPG bullets need a 1:9” or faster twist.
The 36-grain Varmint Grenade works fine in barrels with a 1:14” twist, while the 70-grain TSX
needs a 1:8” or faster twist. The 50-grain Varmint Grenade requires a 1:10" or faster twist.

This is close to being inline with the Sierra bullet pictures I posted. So while a longer barrel may increase bullet velocity it will not change bullet RPM as it leaves the muzzle. It's about bullet rotational speed for different bullet weights.

That being how I see it. The best solution is knowing your barrel twist rate and experimenting off the bench with different loadings.

Ron

 

[joed]

Nothing wrong with being limited to 55 gr bullets at all unless you plan to shoot very long distances. When I buy a .223 bolt action my intended use is primarily varmint and small game and I plan to shoot the 55 gr bullets. That is the purpose of your rifle with a 12" twist.

The last .223 I had was a Savage with 1-9 twist. That rifle could shoot 69 gr bullets with uncanny accuracy but the lighter bullets would not shoot as well. The rifle was purchased for hunting groundhogs and light bullets were used. Ended up selling that rifle, and I swore I'd never own another .223 unless it was an AR designed to shoot the heavy projectiles.

 

[quartermaster]

Shilen rates a 12" twist for bullets up to 63 grain in a .223.

My gunsmith (Bob White-Shooters Corner) makes primarily benchrest rifles and his claim is that sometimes, a bullet shoots best at the verge of instability.

Who knows. I would try different heads and see what shoots best out of your rifle.

I have a friend that shoots PDs with a 6BR which has a 12" twist. His longest kill was somewhere around 1700 yards. He shoots 95 grain heads which are supposed to be way too long to work in that twist rate.

Go figure.

 

[helotaxi]

The 63gn .224cal bullets are flat base semi-spitzer soft points and are actually quite short. Shorter than a Hornady 60gn Vmax and definitely shorter than the standard 62gn bullet which is the SS109 which thanks to its steel penetrator and boat tail is quite long for its weight.