Heavy 223 bullets

[Shiftyk5]

Looking for some advise on heavy 223 bullets.
My gun is:
Origin action
Proof prefit

So far I’ve tried:
77gr SMK- it did pretty good
77gr Berger OTM tac- shoots amazing
60gr TMK also shoots amazing
75gr ELDM it doesn’t shoot consistent

I had to chance to shoot out to 1000 yards with it, and it was a blast. The 60gr TMK just couldn’t do the 1000yd mark very well but 800 and in it was a hammer.
So I’m looking for a high BC bullet to help make it to 1000 reliably.

I’m thinking of trying
80gr eldm
80 Berger vld
80.5 full bore
85.5 berger


So which would you all recommend I go with before I waste a bunch of $$$ testing bullets

 

[redbullitt]

Your barrel will tell ya what it wants.

The eldm bullets have performed well in all the guns ive use them in

 

[ma smith]

What are the spec of your barrel twist and length?

 

[Shiftyk5]

Proof research prefit 26” comp contour, 1/7 twist

 

[Kadams1563]

80 eld’s have done very well for us.

 

[n2ishun]

90 grain Bergers
/ thread

 

[supercorndogs]

I would just buy a bunch of the one you already know shoots amazing.

 

[MarkyMark007]

80.5 or 85.5 berger. calculate ballistics, if it will work with 80.5gr.

maybe even some older design for better group. like 82gr if you can get some.

 

[Shiftyk5]

I would just buy a bunch of the one you already know shoots amazing.

That would be the 60gr Tipped match king, I can’t find them anywhere and they can’t quite do the 1k yard very well

Want something with better BC and weight to make.
Guess I’m just going to have to pony up and by a bunch of different bullets and see what happens

 

[supercorndogs]

So far I’ve tried:
77gr SMK- it did pretty good
77gr Berger OTM tac- shoots amazing
60gr TMK also shoots amazing
75gr ELDM it doesn’t shoot consistent

 

[Campguy308]

Ive shot a truck load of 80 Berger VLD. With Varget or H4895 they were absolute hammers in my 7 twist.

 

[Lightning8]

80 SMKs

 

[padom]

That would be the 60gr Tipped match king, I can’t find them anywhere and they can’t quite do the 1k yard very well

Want something with better BC and weight to make.
Guess I’m just going to have to pony up and by a bunch of different bullets and see what happens

60TMK shoot amazing in my AR's, one hole. Excellent bullet!

I shoot 80's in my 26" Bartlein 1:7 TL3 at 3000. Absolute lazer.....80smk, 80 VLD and 80 Amax.

I shoot the 80 Amax the most because I stocked up on a bunch of those old 600 count boxes before they disappeared for the new ELD...

80 Amax are amazing with H4895 and Varget. Lights out....but 75 ELD shoot amazing too for me with these 2 powders.


80 Amax





75 ELD 26" Mullerworks Varget





75 ELD 26" Mullerworks H4895






75 ELD 26" Krieger Varget






75 ELD 26" Criterion Varget

 

[ICU22250]

Have you tried the 77TMK? You said the 77SMK done well right?

 

[Shiftyk5]

Thanks for all the info, think I’ll try to 80gr offerings from berger/Hornady

 

[Shiftyk5]

Have you tried the 77TMK? You said the 77SMK done well right?

I can’t find any Sierra TMKs in stock. And for the price of the 77gr sierra tmks i would rather buy the berger bullets with way higher BC

 

[ICU22250]

I can’t find any Sierra TMKs in stock. And for the price of the 77gr sierra tmks i would rather buy the berger bullets with way higher BC

I do agree that Sierra thinks highly of their 77TMK's, like $160 per 500.. I like them though..

 

[ma smith]

Thanks for all the info, think I’ll try to 80gr offerings from berger/Hornady

I tried out the 85.5 with an 8 twist and 2/3 shots per 3-shot group scattered...I think the 80.5 berger only gives up a point or two on wind, and with the flatter trajectory inside 600. Also, the 80.5 is used service rifle people shooting 20in bbl, whereas the load data for 85gr bergers assumes 30in barrel.

 

[Shiftyk5]

I’ve got the 80gr Eldm, 80 berger VLD, 85.5 berger on the way to test out in my 26” 1/7 twist to see how they do

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

For years we used 80 grain Berger VLD’s. ( in a .221 Fireball ). The bullets performed admirably, very accurate and carried good momentum downrange. It was a stretch for a case as small as the Fireball and stressed the gun pretty hard, but they would take down 65 pound steel rams.

 

[camotoe]

Necking up to 6mm is the easy button for 80and 90gr bullets on this case.

 

[Fred @ Bison Tactical]

I used 80gr AMAX and they shoot phenomenally well - so I bought up all I could find when they were discontinuing them. I am guessing the ELDM's will do just as well! 1 hole goups with the AMAX... I wish my competition rifle in 6mm shot as well...

 

[Shiftyk5]

In the process of building a 6gt, I can only hope it shoots as good as this 223 I have with the Sierra 60gr Tmk and the Berger 77gr otm

 

[Thorbeast]

I just started shooting 88 ELD-Ms out of a 26" Proof prefit for my TL3. I was going to switch to the 85.5 berger, but the 88s shot so well I have no interest in trying anything else.

I didn't really do any load development, I didn't feel a need to. The first load shot well enough that I'm not going to bother wasting time/components fine tuning it. This is the first hornady bullet I've shot that has actually impressed me. It's not a fast load, only 2750 FPS, but it's accurate and with a .274 G7 BC, it really doesn't need to move that fast. Windage and elevation is quite similar to a 6br, but you don't have to fight for 105 hybrids.

Lapua 223 brass, CCI 450, 23.5 grains of Varget, loaded to 2.500" OAL.

 

[Shiftyk5]

Thanks, I will add those to the next order I make to try out

 

[Greasegun]

Is your proof prefit a 223 rem or 223 wylde? How long can you seat your heaviest bullets before they are in the lands?

 

[padom]

I used 80gr AMAX and they shoot phenomenally well - so I bought up all I could find when they were discontinuing them. I am guessing the ELDM's will do just as well! 1 hole goups with the AMAX... I wish my competition rifle in 6mm shot as well...

You and me both! I have stacks of those 600ct 80 Amax packs that were being discounted to make room for the incoming ELD. They shoot one hole for me as well.

 

[Greenmoustache]

I shoot 77 SMKs for practice and plinking and 80.5s for competition. Ended up with the 80.5 purely by chance as I came across 1k at a steal and they shoot amazing in both my Proof .223 prefit and .223AI both 1:7 twists.

Looking into trying some 85/90s but I’d rather shoot what I have and spend the money on my 6mm projectiles than try to fix what isn’t broken.

 

[Shiftyk5]

Finally got around to shooting the 80gr VLDs and the 85.5 hybrids. Will update tonight when I get home

 

[Shiftyk5]

Is your proof prefit a 223 rem or 223 wylde? How long can you seat your heaviest bullets before they are in the lands?

The Berger 80gr VLD jams at 2.4920
Berger 85.5gr Hybrid jams at 2.5545
In my chamber.

 

[Shiftyk5]

So some results so far. I started by picking a speed I wanted to achieve then adjusted seating depth on the 85.5gr Berger. 5 shot groups

I haven’t started playing with the 80gr yet. Just picked a speed and saw how it shot. The first shot out of the group on the 80’s was the cold bore shot. It’s a 10 shot group.

 

[Shiftyk5]

Also shot these 2 groups.
The 77gr Berger OTM is 20 shots total, 2 shooters 10 rounds each.