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I recently ordered a 12FV .223 and am looking for some opinions on which factory ammo will give me the best accuracy. It will mainly be used for paper punching and groundhog hunting. I was thinking winchester white box or some type of black hills but with the 1 in 9" twist was wondering which grain bullet to start with. Also typically what range of bullet weights have you had good accuracy with from this barrel? Thanks.
I have a 12 FV that shoots Federal American Eagle 55gr FMJ and PMP 55gr FMJ to about 3/4 MOA . It also shoots hand loaded 55 sp from midsouth a little better than the factory stuff and it also shoots SMK 69 BTHP match even better.
I have a 10PC in 223 with a 1:9 twist - it will put Black Hills 60 grn VMax into one hole at 100 yrds.
I have a 12 fv 243 and everything from hornady custom shoots great in this gun from there 58gr moly v max to the 100 gr btsp.So i figure there 223 ammo will probably be pretty good too.
Been a very long while since I shot factory; when I did alway's had good result's with anything Federal Premium. Have heard good thing's about the Black Hill's but never tried them. Good luck !!
I also have had good results with Black Hills New .223 with a 1 in 9 twist 26" barrel. My 12 VLP likes the 52 grain match SPs. Black Hills come 50 to the box. To take advantage of the freight costs I would order at least one box starting with the 52 gr. but not under, the 60 grain and the 69 gr. but not over that for 100 yards. I would not try the 68 grain as it did not work that well in the Savage 1 in 9 twist. Price wise the 52 gr. Match SPs came out on top and that is all I use at that distance. If you can shoot out to 300 yards then try the 69 gr.Sierra Matchkings. The extra weight, coefficient and price make it the second choice for 100 yards. I think the 40 and 50 gr. would work better in a 1 in 12 twist as they are so light and fast that you can over spin them at closer distances.
Depending on your scope and reticule use a bright easy to see target say bright red against a bright white backer around 2" in diameter or so. Bring a few 3" or 4" just to be sure. You should have a solid rest. Start off with three shot groups and use the center of each group as you POA when adjusting. This will give you your best averages in case one or more of the three shots are flukes. Keep records with a fine marker pen on the targets as to what you were firing and maybe a short note next to you on how you thought you were aiming, holding, trigger use etc. Number each target and number your notes. Now you will have a good idea what each batch of ammo was doing, what you were doing right or wrong. You should be able to come to a decision pretty quick what you rifle loves.
Oh, If it is a new rifle you should carefully clean the bore before and between each different batch of ammo to make it a fair comparison. Take your time between rounds and don't heat up the barrel to the point where you can't hold it comfortably. Hot barrels change your results and use up to much ammo to fast.
http://www.fulton-armory.com/newammo.htm
Pete K.