Hunting & Fishing Lightweight lead free 223 bullets

[MLC]

Do any of you have experience with the Barnes or Nosler lead free bullets on groundhogs?
I'm using a 20" 8 twist 223AI well inside 200 yards.
I've read there are some weight/accuracy issues with the Varmint Grenades.
What I've found through Google is that the Ballistic Tips are as accurate as the leaded version but have read less than glowing reviews of the Varmint grenades.

 

[bohem]

Re: Lightweight lead free 223 bullets

I shoot the 26gr Varmint Grenades from my 204 Ruger around 4500fps if I really give the thing some gas.

The rifle shoots 40 Vmax's into ragged 5 shot holes, the 26 VG's are good to around 1/2" @ 100yd.

They vaporize thin skinned burrowing critters though. Inside of 200yd whatever varmint you're going for with a MOA load will be dead from the VG's.

 

[MLC]

Re: Lightweight lead free 223 bullets

FWIW, here are the first 12 Varmint Grenades through my rifle at 100 yards.
Before the group police start up, this is load development for others reference and not bragging.

My rifle is a trued 700SA with a 20" 5 groove Broughton, SWR Omega & basic Harris bipod on the front.

I just mounted a NF 2.5-10x32 in low Talleys and coarsely zeroed at 30 yards.

The first group was shot without a rear rest and the subsequent ones with a bead filled shot bag.

The first, unmarked group of three was a thrown charge of H-335 in LC virgin brass and Wolf Primers.
I was likely 27.8ish, they were considered fouling/zero rounds.
The bullets were seated to jam into the lands.

I dialed up one mil and corrected the windage(backwards

) and shot the next group, 27.8 grains, in the upper right.

Again, corrected windage and shot another group, 28 grains.

Finally I dialed down one mil and fired the last group, 28.2 grains.
I could not see the group with the 10x scope as it was nearly all in the black line I'd drawn.



I'm going to go up a bit more in charge weight and see if it gets any tighter.
That 28.2 group looks good enough for fireforming on hogs under 150.
I'm going to load the 40 grain Noslers that I bought in fire formed brass and will report on that as well.