Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 30 & 35 gr. Bullet Recommendations For 223 Remington (1 in 9")

I got a "wild Hare" plan last week and bought a Remington 700 VTR in caliber 223 Remington.
My "plan" is to put together a "centerfire" Rifle for those few occassions when I might like to shoot along side my Varminting buddies when they INSIST on using "big guns" for Ground Squirrels.
Ranges will be out to a max of 300 yards.
Additionally I want to shoot as light a bullet as practical to keep recoil down (spot my own hits?) and to make sure there are no ricochets!
This Remington 700 VTR has a factory muzzle brake on it already and the rifled part of the barrel is 22".
I have never had anything to do with 30 or 35 grain bullets in 223's and am seeking advice/recommendations on same!
I have a Leupold 3.5x10 variable scope on this Rifle now and it has a custom fine crosshair and fine dot type reticle.
Any suggestions on powder, bullets and loadings will be very much appreciated.
Heck maybe the 30's and 35's won't shoot in this factory 1 in 9" twist barrel to begin with - if so I will revert to one of the very frangible 50 or 52 grainers?
TIA.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

30 gr. Bergers generally shoot decent; never ran them in 223 but have in both 1-14 and 1-9 222 Mag with a compressed load of Benchmark (30-31grs). They are long for weight, well balanced and care not for twist or the speeds the 223 can safely hit.

They are so long a 1-16 twist Hornet will not tolerate them.

Myself, I'd be working up to 29-30 grs. of Benchmark and should have one knocking on the 3,900-4,000 door with that tube.

Personally, 3,950 is where I'd stop.

I don't know about 35's.

Those VTR's are pretty dang loud...

I may very well be concerned misting 30's and 35's with a 1:9". Only 1 way to found out...

I'd try to get a 40 Vmax to shoot well and run that slug. No richochets for sure and you're getting a proven bullet all around...

GMoney: Well the new VTR sure likes 52 grain Bergers!
I just got back from the range and did some barrel break-in with factory Federal machinegun bullets (I think they are 63 grainers, IIRC) then I went to some bullets I have on hand that I handloaded for another 223 Rifle of mine.
These 52 grain Bergers gave me two groups (5 shots at 100 yards) measuring .551" and .685"!
Not bad for a new rig with a 10 power Leupold on it!
The .685" group had 4 shots in .271" by the way!
Thats probably good advice on the 40 grain V-Max bullets.
I do know this - I could not QUITE see the 52 grain bullet holes appear at 100 yards - to much recoil or muzzle snap - maybe I could ascertain this bullets impact point on Varmints and then again maybe not?
This Rifle weighs 8 pounds 10 ounces as scoped.
And I think I will have to correct myself - the Remington 700 VTR's barrel is not 22" long unless you measure the "muzzle brake" also - so I am guessing it is 20 1/4" long?
The trigger is very crisp though and the stock sure rides my bags well!
I was pretty impressed with the VTR's first trip to the range.
Not so impressed with my handloading attempts of the day for it.
I checked (while at home in my gunroom!) that the factory Federal machinegun bullets worked through the magazine and chamber just fine, as did the LaPua brassed 52 grain Berger handloads I made for another Rifle.
BUT I used the same dies as were used for the LaPua brassed handloads in an attempt to make some test loads from some previously once fired Federal machine gun cartridges - and the "machinegun" they were fired in apparently had a chamber that needs full length re-sizing of its shot brass!
Those handloads of this morning would not chamber at all in the VTR!
And I was not willing to change the lockring settings on the dies I was using to make them.
So, NO 40 grain handload firings today - maybe tomorrow?
I did find this out today, about my custom reticled Leupold 3.5x10 variable - its fine dot does not fully cover a .500" orange dot at 100 yards!
I am surmising that someone put a 3/8" or 3/8 MOA dot in that 3.5x10 Leupold.
Anyway I was able to achieve a rather "fine" aim point or point of hold for todays range session with this 10 power scope.
It is now beyond VERY obvious to me (even with todays limited range session!) that the Remington bolt action Rifles produced today are still capable of very good accuracy!
Maybe "excellent accuracy" would be more in line with what I have experienced with numerous Rifles over the last five years!
I simply can not come across a Remington centerfire bolt action Rifle that does not shoot well for me!
And believe me when I say I have bought and shot a lot of them in the last five years!
I have been perusing several online sites and threads and I may have a long row to hoe getting this 1 in 9" twist to shoot 30 or 35 grain 22 caliber bullets!
But like you said - theres only one way to find out - buy some and load'em up!
Wish me luck.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG you know I like the small bullets best myself. I've shot some of the Midsouth 22 caliber 34 Gr. bullets (Varmint Extremes) with some fair success.


Now this is a five shot group using 21.0 H4198 MV 3370 fps.
You know that flyer isn't me but say four good bullets out of five isn't bad when they are only around $40 for 500.

17ACKLEYBEE: That group reminds me of a personal policy I "invoked" on myself many (20+) years ago.
My policy now is: I do not tack up on my walls my best groups but I only tack up groups of the sort that you posted!
Its a form of self humiliation and punishment!
The objective being to remind me that I am fully capable of "pulling" one out of the group (sometimes way out!) if I don't completely, and intensely, concentrate on my shooting regimen!
On my large steel reloading component locker I have both doors and one side covered with taped up groups just like the one you posted - I denote on each group/target this credo "Famous Flyers I Have Shot"!
It may be working as my incidence of one way out of the group has gone down somewhat since I began this policy!
I literally sit at my reloading bench and that wall of "reminders" is there just in front of me galling me into improving my concentration.
Thanks for the reminder on the 34 gr. Varmint Extremes - that is a great price also.
I am really starting to panic about getting the smaller bullets to shoot in this 1 in 9" twisted VTR.
I also am a proponent of smaller bullets for much of my Varmint Hunting - but the 30 and 35 grainers in this odd twisted Remington just may not fly??? We'll see.
I tried to measure your "Famous Flyer" group and it appears the 4 shots are in about .330" then the flyer opened that up to 1.400" - I been there buddy - done that!
Keep an eye out for a low flying (in a Jeep Liberty!) redhead out there in Puget Sound country! The VarmintWife is out there for a family re-union, gobbling up fresh seafood and mall hopping!
It is just glorious here in SW Montana today - predicted 84 for the high. No wind right now but I am stuck waiting for the Culligan Man.
Got to figure out this problem with the once fired machine gun Federal brass!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

The 30gr. Bergers (concentric, well made) fly fine out of my 1-9 222 Magnum.

The 34 Varmint Extremes mist out of my 1-9....as do their 50 SP's; but then they are a cheaper bullet and both shorter to boot.

Then again, I've actually shot both of them from a 1-9.....

Good luck.