Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Recent Impressions With Hornady Bullets

I am re-assessing my policy of not going out of my way to use Hornady bullets in my Varmint Rifles.
Three main reasons that I would like to pass along to others so that it may save them some money, time or effort.
Last week I brought online a new to me Remington 700 Varminter - this is the stainless steel 26" heavy barrel model with the laminated thumbhole stock.
This Rifle is in 223 Remington caliber and I mounted a Leupold 6x18 variable scope on it.
The trigger appears to be factory stock and un-adjusted as yet.
Anyway I took the Rifle out for sight-in and to fireform some brass for "serious" load testing in the near future.
I get it sighted in and had enough ammo for a five shot group there at 100 yards.
I was just shocked when that group I fired was one roundish hole - the group later measured out at .389"!
I was using the Hornaday 40 grain V-Max bullets and W 748 powder and I guess my load development for this Rifle is about done.
This was a load I duplicated from the last 223 Remington I brought online last summer in which I found that Rifle to prefer Hornady 40 grain V-Max's as well.
That Rifle was a plain jane Remington 700 SPS-V in stainless steel - it has a Weaver V-16 variable on it and its best group (5 shots at 100 yards) to date, with those bullets is an amazing .307".
These two "accuracy" examples and a couple of other first hand experiences has me re-assessing my normal choices of Nosler Ballistic-Tips, Sierra Blitz-Kings and Berger Varmint bullets for my new Rifles.
Its not that I did not "like" Hornady bullets in the past - I just never used them.
Sierras and then Noslers were my first choices for Varminting and then Bergers when I could find and afford them.
Speaking of "affording" things I was at my local gun store a couple days ago and had occasion to do some "comparison shopping".
The Hornady V-Max 40 grainers (22 caliber) cost $18.90 per 100.
The Sierra Blitz-Kings 40 grainers were $25.50 per 100.
The Nosler Ballistic-Tip 40 grainers were $26.75 per 100.
The Berger 40 grainers were not in stock but I remember them being in the $28.00 per 100 range last time I saw them.
I have also been impressed with the lethality (explosiveness) of the Hornady Varmint bullets on Colony Varmints and Badgers.
I think from now on I will do my Varmint Rifle load development starting off with the Hornady V-Max's.
Might as well save some money while I'm Varminting with accurate and lethal bullets.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

The 40 gr VMax shoots very well in my Ruger American Predator as well. 9.0 gr Unique, about 2700 fps.

I find it very humorous that you just figured this out Varmintguy. You should try breathing through your nose sometime as well.

MontanaMarine: Wow you have that Ruger dialed in!
Great shooting there and great photo to boot.
I volunteered to repair the 100 yard stantion at our public range here in Dillon today and took my latest 223 and some more handloads along for shooting when I got done. But the wind was blowing to hard for any definitive results so I did not shoot today.
Did get the repairs done though so it was not a total loss.
Thanks for the load info - I am very timid about reduced loads.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

highbean: I and exactly NO ONE I know, respects the opinions of anyone stupid enough to live in, and publishes the fact, they live in kalifornicopia.
Try using your head for something besides a hat rack and move your idiotic ass OUT of kalifornicopia - then try learning some manners.
It may help you to win "A" friend and influence, someone?
Your blather is useless and stupid and frankly I could not care less!
I feel sorry for you.
If you have nothing positive to add then don't post.
Again I highly recommend you move your idiotic ass out of kalifornicopia - to begin with.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Never known that your opinion meant a chit anyways. Knucklephucker.

VG,

I didn't really have to put any work into this load, it just fell into place.

I was looking for a modest load with Unique that would fill the case to a little over 50% for safety. In case of a double charge I want the powder to overflow the case.

So I filled an empty 223 case to the brim with Unique, then dumped the powder into the scale and looked for about 55% load density, and rounded up to the next whole grain. That got me to 9 grains.

Quickload predicted about 36K psi, and 2700 fps. And I know a double-charged case will overflow (tried it), giving me a heads up before possibly seating a bullet on a potentially dangerous load.

By dumb luck, it's a tack-driving load.

Come on now, Varmintguy. I was just suggesting you try new things. Maybe you will learn to make paragraphs next. Or figure out the difference between caliber and cartridge.

Hornady V-max are great bullets and the price is obviously a bonus. With a handle like Varmintguy, it's kinda surprising you don't already love them.

You don't use Hornady bullets but you want to pass on some money saving tips for others? Right there would have been a smart choice to shut up and take notes, like another poster is fond of saying around here. SMH.

Fascinating. Another of your essays about something of no interest to anyone.

A long time ago when I could easily drive to the Nosler shop to buy direct I shot some 40 gr V-max. The Hornaday line became my go to manufacture. Not saying there are not a lot of great bullets out there but when I start load development I start wit Hornaday and seldom have to switch.

You should ignore my post above as business may make my move to CA therefore I now no nothing.

CA? My sympathies.

Easy six figure income with little or no work could make it worth the move. Thanks to the Ninth Circuit Cort CA may soon be shall issue.

Is Claiborne involved in this?

Higbean: I got to shoot again this morning with the 40 grain V-Max's and again had good results.
The fire formed brass today, did not improve on the best group to date, but it was good enough accuracy wise that the load development is now closed, on this Rifle.
I started out reloading 55 years ago (when I taught myself to reload at age 12!) and used Nosler bullets exclusively in my lone deer Rifle.
Then when I began Hunting Varmints a few years later I used Sierra bullets, exclusively, for MANY years.
Then I branched out to Nosler Varmint bullets ("Zipedos" - IIRC?) and more Sierras and much later began using Berger bullets for Varmints - just never tried the Hornady Varmint bullets until recent.
I am not swayed from my initial contentions - the Hornady's are accurate and less expensive.
I do have some 53 grain 22 caliber V-Max's that I bought on the suggestion of someone on this site about a year and a half ago but I have not tried them out as yet.
I have the winter quiet time upon me and I am going to give these 53's a try ASAP.
Anyway kudos to the folks at Hornady for the fine bullets they are making nowadays and I hope to mortify my first Coyotes with these bullets soon.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG, funny how we kind of get stuck in rut.. Now with so much on the market to try, it is difficult to keep up with all the new stuff.. Bullets, powder, calibers, rifles, tough but fun.. I have several rifles I must work up loads for. Owned them for several years and done little shooting with them

I have had great success with the .22 cal. Horn. Vmax.. Just before I retired, I bought a bunch of them and Blitzkings.. Both seem to be excellent.. I have recently bought a bunch of 40 gr. Vmax after reading how great they are on p. dogs,and gophers.
Most of mine were 50's because I only have 1-14 twist rifles..
Nice to hear you are getting some shooting done.. Sometime I would like come over and shoot gophers for a day.. Our populations have really slipped.. Maybe they will rebound this year.. Keep shooting.

I started reloading with a Lee Loader in 1963 at 14. No shooters in my family so I also am self taught.

When shooting sage rats with Ballistic Tips and V-Max in my hornet I found the V-Max much more destructive. It sage rats were all dead but the were dead over a larger aria with the V-Max.

Had a couple of friends try the same thing shooting jack rabbits with 6 PPCs. They both said the same thing, all rabbits were dead but the V-Mad really made them explode.