223 rem bullet choice 1-300

Dildobaggins

Dildobaggins

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    • Jun 26, 2020
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    #1
    Asked this question on a other forum, and got a plethora of answers, all seem justifiable from 52 grain to 80. just curious what the thoughts over here are from this crowd more geared towards PRS.

    Gathering parts for a 223 rem bolt action build.
    Just wondering what bullet you fellas would use for shooting between 1-300 yards?
    I was thinking a 9 twist and bullets from 55 to 73, but alot of folks seem to think the lighter ones will get blown around too much.

    Just shooting for smallest groups possible and plinking. 80 percent of my shooting will be down from 1-200 yards. Absolute max of 300.

    Edit: 20-24 inch barrel paper and steel


    Thanks fellas
     
    Last edited:
    #3
    I'd go 8 twist. Hard to go wrong with the 52 and 53gr sierras. The 8 would give you the option to shoot the 77-80gr bullets.

    I've got a 9 twist dpms 223 upper that I load the 52 and 53gr sierras for. It's shot a couple 1/2 groups at 200 yards. Typically it's a .5 moa gun with those bullets and H322. It's my go to around the house critter getter.

    The 77 smk or tmk is an excellent choice also.
     
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    #4
    XP1K said:
    I'd go 8 twist. Hard to go wrong with the 52 and 53gr sierras. The 8 would give you the option to shoot the 77-80gr bullets.

    I've got a 9 twist dpms 223 upper that I load the 52 and 53gr sierras for. It's shot a couple 1/2 groups at 200 yards. Typically it's a .5 moa gun with those bullets and H322. It's my go to around the house critter getter.

    The 77 smk or tmk is an excellent choice also.
    Click to expand...
    I put the Berger 55gr FB into bison ballistics bullet stability calculator and it said with an 8 twist the bullet would be over stabilized. I've shot a metric shit ton of 55 grain out of my WOA 20 in upper and they were great though. So who knows.
     
    #5
    Berger 80.5
    It’s my most accurate bullet on my :
    DTA 223 1/7.7 twist
    ARC Nuke 223 1/7tw
    22 Creed 1/7tw

    It’s not depth sensitive. It’s extremely consistent.

    I’ve shot 5 round groups in the 0.150in with the ARC nuke with that bullet and 24.3 varget in Lapua brass.

    Go 8twist. Or just grab a tikka 223 in 8tw.
     
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    #6
    Dildobaggins said:
    I put the Berger 55gr FB into bison ballistics bullet stability calculator and it said with an 8 twist the bullet would be over stabilized. I've shot a metric shit ton of 55 grain out of my WOA 20 in upper and they were great though. So who knows.
    Click to expand...

    Over stabilized doesn't necessarily mean inaccurate.
     
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    #7
    st1650 said:
    Berger 80.5
    It’s my most accurate bullet on my :
    DTA 223 1/7.7 twist
    ARC Nuke 223 1/7tw
    22 Creed 1/7tw

    It’s not depth sensitive. It’s extremely consistent.

    I’ve shot 5 round groups in the 0.150in with the ARC nuke with that bullet and 24.3 varget in Lapua brass.

    Go 8twist. Or just grab a tikka 223 in 8tw.
    Click to expand...
    What's the freebore on your 223s? Hawkins mags will go to 2.550 from what I saw. Is that enough to get the bullet out of the donut?
     
    #11
    Dildobaggins said:
    What's the freebore on your 223s? Hawkins mags will go to 2.550 from what I saw. Is that enough to get the bullet out of the donut?
    Click to expand...
    Plenty. I run mine at 2.495 on my ARC with the metal MDT AICS mag (2.5in limit but easy to increase by filling the plastic insert ) and 2.515 on the DTA.
    Don’t remember exactly what the freebore is. 20thou off the lands for both. There’s plenty of reamers out there optimized for the 223 80.5.
     
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    #14
    I shoot 55gr. SBK's for critters, but 69 and 77 SMK's for target/competition. All are incredibly accurate with tuned handloads. For MY rifles (3xAR-15's in 223 Wylde 8T) the 69 SMK's shoot a bit better, but you really need to forget this information and pick a couple of bullets and do careful load tuning/development in YOUR rifle to see which bullets give you the best precision (in light 100 yard conditions) and if any longer distance precision can be gained with a potentially heavier bullet. I'd start with the 69 and 77 SMK's though.
    Edit: Given this is a bolt gun (single shot or magazine fed?), the 77 TMK's would be a good bullet to start with if COAL can be longer.
     
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    #15
    Just 300 and in I'd personally be shooting the 69 or 77gr SMK. Their consistency isn't there for 600+ in competition these days, but that doesn't matter at the distance the OP listed.

    I've shot a lot of .223, and those just seem to work in every barrel.
     
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    #16
    Go down the middle, 69 smk, in the event you have a chance to shoot further, they will do well. From my point of view, zero sense slinging expensive heavies for that range. If you are certain you will live at the 1/200, maybe a chance at 300-do the low 50 range and pick a good twist. Flat based bullet do well at those ranges, ask guys that are shooting the short range benchrest--not "PRS" guys slinging heavies at steel at distance.
     
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    #17
    Rider47 said:
    I shoot 55gr. SBK's for critters, but 69 and 77 SMK's for target/competition. All are incredibly accurate with tuned handloads. For MY rifles (3xAR-15's in 223 Wylde 8T) the 69 SMK's shoot a bit better, but you really need to forget this information and pick a couple of bullets and do careful load tuning/development in YOUR rifle to see which bullets give you the best precision (in light 100 yard conditions) and if any longer distance precision can be gained with a potentially heavier bullet. I'd start with the 69 and 77 SMK's though.
    Edit: Given this is a bolt gun (single shot or magazine fed?), the 77 TMK's would be a good bullet to start with if COAL can be longer.
    Click to expand...
    My bad. It'll be Magazine fed.
     
    #18
    XP1K said:
    I'd go 8 twist. Hard to go wrong with the 52 and 53gr sierras. The 8 would give you the option to shoot the 77-80gr bullets.

    I've got a 9 twist dpms 223 upper that I load the 52 and 53gr sierras for. It's shot a couple 1/2 groups at 200 yards. Typically it's a .5 moa gun with those bullets and H322. It's my go to around the house critter getter.

    The 77 smk or tmk is an excellent choice also.
    Click to expand...
    This. The lighter sierras are both very accurate bullets. As is the 55gr berger; both the target and varmint variety. I've had some very good initial success with the 50gr Barnes varmint grenade too. And the 60gr vmax.

    The current trend is heavy high bc bullets but for the short distances that you are proposing shooting the flatbased target bullets are more accurate on paper and don't suffer much in the wind you will experience at 100-300. Load them seated into the lands and they will more than likely shoot very well.

    The lighter bullets are cheaper too, by a fair margin.

    8 twist will be a good choice as you can also go up to the 80gr class of bullets if you ever want to shoot them.
     
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    #19
    noremorse92 said:
    This. The lighter sierras are both very accurate bullets. As is the 55gr berger; both the target and varmint variety. I've had some very good initial success with the 50gr Barnes varmint grenade too. And the 60gr vmax.

    The current trend is heavy high bc bullets but for the short distances that you are proposing shooting the flatbased target bullets are more accurate on paper and don't suffer much in the wind you will experience at 100-300. Load them seated into the lands and they will more than likely shoot very well.

    The lighter bullets are cheaper too, by a fair margin.

    8 twist will be a good choice as you can also go up to the 80gr class of bullets if you ever want to shoot them.
    Click to expand...
    I was just thinking about the 60gr vmax today. I loaded 1,000 of them for general use and they shoot pretty good in several of my ar's. There's nothing sleek and flashy about them but they work. And they're fairly cheap.

    And like you say, out to and inside 300, the flat base bullets work just fine. I'd probably shoot the 53gr sierra benchrest myself if I had to pick just one.
     
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    #21
    For short distances a flat base bullet will be more accurate as the bc won’t matter that much at close range. There are many 53 or 55 grain bullets to choose from. Also use h 322 powder for that bullet weight. Don’t use some bullshit ball powder
     
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    #25
    XP1K said:
    I was just thinking about the 60gr vmax today. I loaded 1,000 of them for general use and they shoot pretty good in several of my ar's. There's nothing sleek and flashy about them but they work. And they're fairly cheap.

    And like you say, out to and inside 300, the flat base bullets work just fine. I'd probably shoot the 53gr sierra benchrest myself if I had to pick just one.
    Click to expand...
    The 60 vmax are very accurate in my 223ai. Good bc for the weight, flat based so no worries about boat tail inconsistencies, light enough to push at a ridiculous speed and hit small game very hard.
     
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    #26
    I like the Sierra 53s . I have a load I seat at AR mag length that shoots great in anything from my ISSF chamber .169" freebore with 7 twist in a bolt gun jumping a mile down to an old 700 12 twist . Never had a gun that would not shoot them . I just shot the old 12 twist at 300 and it held up fine even in some wind . Two rifles it really shines in is a Tikka varmint in 8 twist and a Rem 700 varmint in 12 . Tikka shoots great at AR mag length, almost exactly the same as when I seat them out closer to the lands so I just keep everything the same .
     
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    #27
    I just shoot the 53gr Vmax in my "AR" for inside of 300Y. Supposedly the BC is high for the weight at .290?? They still hang at 1.1" or so at 100Y out of my AR and at 300Y it's easy to hit a kitty cat sized and shaped steel in windy-ish conditions. This is my mixed brass plinking ammo that I use a small base die on. Some FMJ factory ammo I've bought in the past is more than twice less precise than this 53gr Vmax load is and my best reloads using 70gr Berger VLD in Lapua brass are only .25" better than the Vmax load is at 100Y. Honestly I've not been disappointed so this has been my go-to since the bullet came out.
     
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    #28
    Got this off another site years ago. It’s a decent generalization.

    IMG_0644.png



    I handload 75 gr ELDM at 2900 fps in my Tikka Varmint with great accuracy.




    P
     
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    #29
    XP1K said:
    I'd go 8 twist. Hard to go wrong with the 52 and 53gr sierras. The 8 would give you the option to shoot the 77-80gr bullets.

    I've got a 9 twist dpms 223 upper that I load the 52 and 53gr sierras for. It's shot a couple 1/2 groups at 200 yards. Typically it's a .5 moa gun with those bullets and H322. It's my go to around the house critter getter.

    The 77 smk or tmk is an excellent choice also.
    Click to expand...
    THIS,^
     
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    #31
    80.5 fullbore target berger. Ramshot tac or varget. Easy to tune, pretty forgiving with seating depth. I’m using a 26” barrel with 1/7 twist. I’ve loaded them just off the lands, down to 2.26” mag length, with good results. I’m a big fan of the light flat based bullets, and the 69 and 77 matchkings, but could not get them to shoot well with this particular rifle. Switched to the heavier 80.5 full bore target bullets and never looked back.
     
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    #35
    I've got a 24" 1:8 twist remington 700 in 223 and regularly shoot out to 550 yds at steel with 68gr hpbt.if you're staying within 300 yds I don't think it matters as long as your twist rate is good for the bullet weight you plan on shooting.

    I prefer the 68gr because they're enough to knock down the steel at my local range and they're pretty affordable. 55gr doesn't knock down the farther targets so I tend to not bother with em. I also run an MDT AICS pattern mag so length isn't an issue and I can load to a specific jump instead of worrying about COAL.

    At 300 yds and paper I wouldn't agonize over bullet choice, its not very far. You could punch holes with 40gr running hot in a 1:12 barrel or 90gr lumbering along in a 1:7
     
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    #40
    Dildobaggins said:
    Asked this question on a other forum, and got a plethora of answers, all seem justifiable from 52 grain to 80. just curious what the thoughts over here are from this crowd more geared towards PRS.

    Gathering parts for a 223 rem bolt action build.
    Just wondering what bullet you fellas would use for shooting between 1-300 yards?
    I was thinking a 9 twist and bullets from 55 to 73, but alot of folks seem to think the lighter ones will get blown around too much.

    Just shooting for smallest groups possible and plinking. 80 percent of my shooting will be down from 1-200 yards. Absolute max of 300.

    Edit: 20-24 inch barrel paper and steel


    Thanks fellas
    Click to expand...


    If you are "Just shooting for smallest groups possible" at 100-300 yards then shoot Berger 52 gr flat base bullets with a
    1-12 barrel twist.
     
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    #43
    inertia said:
    In a gas gun N135 tested against many powders slightly outperformed Varget, the best alternatives are Varget and N140 which may be better in a bolt gun.
    Click to expand...
    I've got a 6BR I'm re-barreling to a 12 twist to shoot 55-80gr for varmint, and I was thinking about trying N135 or varget. Good to hear it worked well in the gasser!
     
    #44
    Dildobaggins said:
    What powder is everyone using for the 69smk?
    Click to expand...
    For 3gun and gas gun matches my go to is the 69gr SMK with a stout load of H4895. I've also used Tac, friends of mine swear by Varget and N140.

    To answer the OP: I used to use the 53gr V-max for 3gun with good results. Most of our "long range" targets were 2-400 yards. I could get enough velocity from an 18" barrel that the ballistics were flatter and less wind than the 69-77gr at their slower velocities. The 77gr didn't gain an advantage until 600+ yards at the 18" barrel velocities. The 53gr Nosler FB Tipped Varmageddon also has a high BC for weight. Those would be good lightweight options if wind is a concern.

    Otherwise I've shot some really tiny groups with the Sierra 52gr HPBT and 50gr V-max from my old Rem 700 VS, 1:12 twist, 26: barrel. I shot that barrel out and replaced it with an International Ballistics 22" 1:8 twist and it shoots everything from 35gr Nosler BT to long loaded 75gr ELDM very well.
     
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