Has anybody else had any real life experience with the 223/556 68 grain BTHP? I have been reloading these pills and they are moving 2750 fps and shoot 1/2 inch groups but when used hunting varmints they are very disappointing. I have taken 5 coyotes and 3 foxes over the weekend and every one of them have needed follow up shots to get the job done humanely. All first round hits have been in the vitals. I expected a lot better results with this bullet but I think I will go back to shooting soft points after this weekend.
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Poor IRL performance of the 68 grain .223 BTHP
- Thread starter wyattgtx
- Start date
I could see that bullet performing poorly on varmints. In a .223 you probably just aren't getting the impact velocity you need to get it to really explode on contact. I'm personally not a huge fan of the .223 for coyotes, because I've just had too many runners, regardless of the bullet, but if you're going to shoot .223, those 53gr or 55gr v-max seem pretty hard to beat. The varmegeddon stuff performs really well too. I'll bet the new eld-vt offering will do a great job, but I haven't tried it personally..
Yes but it is a match bullet but a hollow point bullet is designed for accuracy, stopping power, and uniform expansion on impact.
I have shot thousands of rounds through this barrel and thinking about swapping it out for a 6 ARC in the near future.
Nope, the hollowed-out area is there to facilitate pulling the bullet out of the swage once the jacket is applied. Better terminology is "open-tipped."
Try some Speer TNTs if you want actual hollow-pointed bullets (no heavies, though).
I switched to 6arc about 5 years ago, and I will never go back. I shoot deer with it too, and they just die. Coyotes just go down..
I've found that H4895 (unobtainable right now) optimizes precision for 55gr. SBK's and 69gr. SMK's but Varget was best (awesome precision) for the 77gr. SMK's.
I built a 224Valkyrie a couple of years ago and although I FINALLY got it to shoot (90gr. SMK's w/ H4350) I think the 6ARC (and it's original forms from decades ago) is a far better cartridge for heavier bullets in the ar-15 platform. When my 224V barrel wears out, it will become a 6ARC(-ish).
I built a 224Valkyrie a couple of years ago and although I FINALLY got it to shoot (90gr. SMK's w/ H4350) I think the 6ARC (and it's original forms from decades ago) is a far better cartridge for heavier bullets in the ar-15 platform. When my 224V barrel wears out, it will become a 6ARC(-ish).
Moving to a faster expanding bullet pushed faster is what you need. Some flavor of the 53-60 gr VMAX or Varmageddon will be your friend. The 53 VMAX has the best BC of the bunch but is not as accurate in some barrels.
Your 68 gr bullets likely do expand but not fast enough to anchor a small thin skinned animal like a coyote or fox.
If you want more dramatic effect stepping up to a longer barrel, or potentially a faster cartridge is the next step after a bullet change.
It is my feeling that the terminal effects from 223 are better from a 20" compared to the typical 14.5-16" carbine barrels. The extra bit of velocity does seem to help.
Your 68 gr bullets likely do expand but not fast enough to anchor a small thin skinned animal like a coyote or fox.
If you want more dramatic effect stepping up to a longer barrel, or potentially a faster cartridge is the next step after a bullet change.
It is my feeling that the terminal effects from 223 are better from a 20" compared to the typical 14.5-16" carbine barrels. The extra bit of velocity does seem to help.
It is a hollow point but it is not designed for expansion. The hollow point is there because the jacket is put on from the bullet base and formed to at the meplat(point). Hornady does not make HP hunting/varmint bullets. Their entire hunting line is based on using tipped bullets to initiate expansion.
Match bullets are notorious for inconsistencies in expansion. IN some cases they pencil through and other times blow up and fragment.
Uniform expansion on impact IS NOT what those bullets are designed for as you have certainly learned. Some hollow points will expand or fragment reliably but the Hornadys don’t.
Buy better bullets, the Hornady BTHP’s are hot garbage. Berger and Lapua are the way to go if you want terminal performance out of a BTHP match bullet.
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