55 Gr Spitzer or Hornady GMX .223

[SlimySquirrel]

Hi Guys,

Looking for a load for these 55 Gr Spitzer Pills from Nosler for my .223.

Any one use these? rifle is a Model 10 Predator Hunter Max 1 and I am looking for a big more Knock down power.

Also the Hornady GMX look like solid pills...

I have seen a nice load of 55gr V-Max on top of 25.6gr of AR2206H that groups really well in a similar rifle.

[thomae]

Disclaimer: I have not used them.
GMX are are solid bullets and because the geometry of the bullet is different (longer, since they have no lead) they will shoot somewhat differently then the 55grain V-maxes. The only way to truly determine there accuracy in your rifle is to try them out.

[SlimySquirrel]

Ok, Yeah I was planning on doing some load testing anyhow. I was just wondering if anyone had actually tried either of the round I mentioned in their Model 10's... Or any load with the 55+ Grain Pills for a touch more stopping power?

[darkker]

"stopping power" for what? Never met a coyote that had trouble dying with a standard 55gr bullet.

[SlimySquirrel]

Fair Point.

I live in NZ though and we have no Coyotes.

I was thinking of Larger Goats at longer ranges and before anyone tells me to get a .243 I have thought of that! But was looking and asking for a "Hard Hitting" .223 Projectile.

Looks like the Barnes TSX could be a candidate?

[M.O.A.]

i would say take a look at the 60 to 70gn bullets for that

like 60 gn nosler spitzer, 65 gn sierra gameking,or the 62 or 70gn barnes ,

[SlimySquirrel]

Ok cool. I have some spitzers to try as got them for a good price and if I can get them to group then they can be a standard varmint load for some pesky Birds we have around here.

I shall grab some sierra and the barnes. Cheers

[M.O.A.]

yap happy loading to ya

[darkker]

In that case, Grab yourself a Nosler Partition. I have seen some amazing things happen with that bullet out of a 223.

[Stockrex]

In north America what can one shot with a 223 nosler partition legally?

[BoilerUP]

In north America what can one shot with a 223 nosler partition legally?

Anything that's legal in the state you happen to live in.

I could hunt whitetail in KY or Texas with a 223, while other states have a 6mm minimum bullet diameter for medium game.

[SlimySquirrel]

In that case, Grab yourself a Nosler Partition. I have seen some amazing things happen with that bullet out of a 223.

Sweet. Will do cheers!

[John_M]

My .223 Savage has A 1 - 9" barrel. I am currently accuracy testing some loads using the Speer 70 grain soft point "varmint" and Sierra 65 grain Game King bullets for use on deer this fall. There is no caliber minimum for hunting deer in our state but one must use a "center fire" cartridge. I've tried various combinations of powders, primers, and seating depths to get the 60 grain Nosler Partition bullet (one of my favorites) to shoot at least one minute of accuracy. So far, using RL-15, Varget, and TAC powders I have been a failure in this quest. It shoots plenty good enough for one- shot-kill deer hunting but I want to use it for 200 - 300 yd. varmint hunting also.

The 70 grain Speer bullet has shown the most promise as a deer load. I enjoy the experimenting and have a feeling the Sierra or Nosler bullets may begin to compete with the Speer for first place on my mid-sized animal list. Heck, all three might end up being my favorite(s).

[SlimySquirrel]

Nice, thats good info. A shame you cant get the Nosler to group. I really like the look of it.

Have you tried the TSX? or is that just a bit too solid?

[John_M]

Slimy,
I have not yet tried the TSX and probably will not. Any of the bullets I am currently using will easily kill a deer sized animal if hit in a vital area. There aren't enough hours in my day to expand the breadth of experimenting. However, I am not yet ready to give up on the Nosler Partition. Next, I'll probably load some rounds using different amounts of H335 and a magnum primer and some Benchmark using standard primers. Each group of six rounds will have 3 each seated at .015" and .020" jumps. I will fine tune some of these loads if I detect potential increase in accuracy.

I should add that the Speer 70 Grain spire point LOOKS LIKE it could be a great .224 cal. bullet for hunting in cover. The slightly shorter taper of the bullet LOOKS LIKE it will not be as easily deflected by small branches, etc. This bullet is currently delivering 100 yd, three shot groups in the .75" range. Additional fine tuning should shrink the size of these groups.

Good Luck.

[SlimySquirrel]

Thanks John,

There is no minimun Centrefire calibre here either so I want a round that can dispatch a Deer if I come across one whilst Culling Goats.

Gotta be said that some of the Big Billy Goats here are tough but I have found the Federal soft point in 55 works well out to 250 and I will try the 60 Gr Nosler "Vital Shock" version if it groups ok.

I have the same twist rate in my rifle so if I can get the Noslers Grouping I will message you. (I have a friend who is a re-loading Guru) Fingers Crossed.

One more thing, are you using Lapua brass or another?

[John_M]

Slimy, For consistency, I do use only Lapua brass and CCI 400 and 450 primers. My assumption is that mixing different brands of brass and different brands of primers will not only confuse me, but would most likely expand the size of some of my best groups. Using Sierra 55 grain Hollow Point Boat Tail (HPBT) bullets I can quite consistently shoot 100 yd., 5 shot groups measuring .25" -.27" using Varget powder and the bullet seated .015" to .020" from the lands. A "jump" of .015" SEEMS to provide SLIGHTLY tighter groups than a "jump" of .020" but the difference is essentially immeasurable by me.

In fairness, I should add that 55 and 60 grain Hornady V-Max and Nosler 55 and 60 grain Varmint bullets also provide excellent 100 yd., 5 shot groups using the same brass and primers but different amounts of Varget. Groups with these bullets are in the .35" to .50" range.

Good luck in your search for the "perfect" combination of components.

Edit: Using Varget, my best accuracy with all bullets seems to be in the mid to slightly below the maximum amounts of powder as listed in the Speer, Hornady, Nosler, and Lyman reloading manuals. I also use data provided by the various powder manufacturers. While at the range, after each shot, I check each case for difficult extraction, blown primers, split necks and other signs of excessive pressure. To date, there have been NO signs of excessive pressure in any loads.

[SlimySquirrel]

Thanks again John.

I shall "shut up and get on with it!" as they say.

Cheers.