Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .223 62 gr. Federal Fusion & 12" twist question

Question is what experience have folks had with 62 gr. Fed. Fusions in 12" twist .223's?

They initially shot quite well so I bought 4 more boxes to have 100 of the same lot for my 11 yr old to shoot for a couple years. The last couple times out they are wildly inconsistent. Went back to 55 gr SP Black Hills and things are right back on track.

Seems odd that first few groups were good and then subsequently not.

Is 12" twist in a 223 marginal to stabilize the 62 gr fusion??

Thanks!

Man, I don't know what to say. I am at a loss. Maybe someone can help explain this.

I think a 1/8 twist would be best for a 62gr bullet. Have you tried a 60 gr partition? They are pretty short bullets and you might be able to get away with that weight bullet accuracy wise and also be an excellent deer round. A mono metal would be way too long.

I suggested a partition to a friend with a slow twist .243 and it made a huge difference. He had a custom that was set up for light bullets.

What rifle is this with the 1/12? How long is the barrel?

Stability calculator

http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi

Rifle is a mid-1990s Rem M 700 stainless 24" standard sporter contour that I put in a synthetic youth stock that admittedly is not very stiff. As I mentioned it shoots 55 and 52 gr Black Hills loads quite well.

I need to get back to reloading and try some lighter Barnes that I have read some good things about here. I should probably PM Ingwe for guidance.

A 55 grain Barnes is longer than a 60gr Partition IIRC. You can probably get the lengths from the manufacturers. My 223 SPS didn't like Partitions.

Yes, a 62gr Fusion is probably marginal at best in a 1 in 12. Keep in mind temperature and barometric pressure can also impact bullet stability, so it's entirely possible that one day you were on the "good end" of the stability spectrum and the next outing you were on the other. Generally for 62's a 1/9 or faster is recommended. It could probably get by with a 1 in 10, but a 1 in 12 is sub-optimal. I have several 1/9 twists and have never had a problem with the longer ss109's out of them.

I have not tried those yet, but have shot 64gr Nosler BSB's successfully out of a 700 classic from about that same era. Length is as important if not more so. Load them a little faster working up, you'll probably find you can get them stable for close shots. If not try the 55gr Hornady sp with a flat base.

Thanks for the feedback! I guess the 62 gr Fusions just aren't the right choice for a 12" twist, despite some earlier promising, and yes, teasing results. I was able to scrounge a partial box of 55 gr SP Black Hills ammo from a friend to get by with for this fall. I had my boy shoot several practice groups of 50 Vmax from the bench, prone and with sticks on Saturday and I think he's ready for a hunt this coming week.

I really need to get back into reloading and work on a load for one of the lighter wgt Barnes tsx or maybe the 50 gr ttsx. If anybody has relevant experience along those lines, I am all ears. Thanks!

You could try some of the 55 grain Speer Gold dot LE Duty or personal defense ammo. The Gold Dots are the same bonded bullets as the Federal Fusions. The 64 gr. Winchester Power Points are another good option intended for deer and to stabilize in a 12" twist.

the 50 gr TTSX will stabilize in a 12 twist, but barely. And Im not sure it will work at lower elevations ( Im shooting at 4500 feet)

Meanwhile your garden variety Hornady 55 gr. SP stabilizes and performs well.

If you do get back to reloading the Speer 55 Gr. Gold Dot has been good

Lots of choices for deer in a 12 twist...you just gotta look for them.

FWIW- I have a Remington mod seven with a 12 twist that shoots the 62 grain fusions great. I’ve only shot enough to zero scope last year, then daughter’s one shot on a doe, and again to check zero this year. More than impressed so far.