Favorite, (economical) big game bullets for 223 and 22-250?

If you got some muzzle velocities I'd sure like to get that info too so I can ponder some trajectories with my exbal program.

Exit wound pictures? or descriptions.

Thanks y'all for the feedback. Forgive me if I am redundant; I is a slow plodder.

50 gr. Speer SP, no photos, the targets be blowed up.-Muddy

The Sierra 65 gr. Gameking BTSP has always given me excellent accuracy in four different rifles. I've taken 3 deer with it, the longest being around 190 yards.

It also behaves like a big game bullet.

Please bear with me as I am completely ignorant about 22/big-game but it seems from some quick research that the two best options I keep stumbling across are the Sierra 65 and the Nosler 60 partition... the Sierra being 20 cents per pop and the Nosler more than twice that.

I know the 64 grain power points are very economical and kill beyond all reasonable expectations.

I can't keep up with too many details in my complicated life... so my default mode is something from Sierra or something from Nosler.

Thanks for the replies.

break down and get some Barnes 62 g TTSX, assuming youve got the twist to spin em.

65 sierra game kings are one of the the best if price is a factor. They are very accurate for me. I can't get barnes to shoot tight groups for the life of me. I might still load some up for deer at closer ranges to see what all the fus is about. I'm sure that the barnes are probably the best performing 22 cal bul out there but the will cost ya.

Basic Hornady 55 grain soft point .

.223AI 1 in 12 twist 125 yds. Pass through DRT 3473 fps.

The Winchester 55-grain soft-points work too.

And Ive heard good things about the 64 grain Winchester�.

The 60 grain Hornady works too�..

.223 1 in 10 twist 60 grain Hornady soft point 100 yards. Pass thru. DRT.

55gr Remington PSPs work too in fireforming 223AIs!

http://www.shootersproshop.com/nosl...-solid-based-w-cannelure-blem-100ct.html

Anybody shoot these 64 grain nosler solid base bonded...

Are these a poor man's partition??? B/C .231

If anything they seem tougher than a partition. I killed two deer with them last year and frankly went back to TTSXs because they were too destructive.
I hear they work great on pigs.

Originally Posted by ingwe

If anything they seem tougher than a partition. I killed two deer with them last year and frankly went back to TTSXs because they were too destructive.
I hear they work great on pigs.

Too destructive???? I like that!

Seriously... thanks for that feedback. I really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Chrome

The Sierra 65 gr. Gameking BTSP has always given me excellent accuracy in four different rifles. I've taken 3 deer with it, the longest being around 190 yards.

It also behaves like a big game bullet.

This echoes my experience with the exception that my furthest WT killed was a shade over 300 yards.

Shoots well for me in 7, 8, and 9 twist rifles.

I've shot more than a few deer with Barnes TSX/TTSX bullets and all any deer has needed is 1.

BLC-2 with the 53 grain TSX gives me 3300 FPS. Makes 3 inch holes through Bambi. The same bullet with TAC gave me 3000 and the same hole.

30-06 holes, 243 holes, 270 holes, 308 holes 50 cal holes all also looked the same. They may not be as cheap as some bullets, but when it comes down to a difference of 35-40 cents per deer, they are cheap enough for me.

The TTSX is easily my favorite, but the OP was looking for economical bullets�

Though Im one that believes the bullet is one of the cheapest parts of the hunt�..

I assume y'all wait for perfect broadside presentation before shooting Bambi with 22 cals. Is that true?

Don't need them with a TSX or TTSX�.

They are desirable with standard CnC bullets.

62gr TSX

economical
adj
1. using the minimum required; not wasteful of time, effort, resources, etc

Oh, good. For a moment I thought you were gonna say CF .22s for deer are ineffective, illegal, immoral, and unethical�.

I've still never fathomed the 'cost' part when it comes to bullets for hunting.

If you're doing some crop damage etc stuff and killing 500 deer a night, maybe another matter, maybe.

Yeah, when it costs $55 to gas up the mini-pickup to go hunting�.

Great results with Hornady 60SP, including last year straight into the front shoulder from the front. It penetrated into the lung cavity and put the deer down.

So NO, we don't wait for broadside shots with 22 cal.

Taken a few frontal shots with CnC .22s, but they were always head or neck.DRT.

The 63 sierra smp is a whale of a bullet at any price point, it flat out kills stuff and will work well in about any twist.
I always judge other bullets performance next to it and always drift back to it after "experimenting" with other bullets now and then.

That being said, My 223 AI is gonna sling some 62 ttsxs this year. I guess i just like to tinker with stuff

60gn Hornady in all of my .22's - 222, 223, 22.250. Kills all sorta stuff, deer, tahr, chamois, goats, pigs. Doing 3623fps out of my 22.250

Originally Posted by Steelhead

I've still never fathomed the 'cost' part when it comes to bullets for hunting.

If you're doing some crop damage etc stuff and killing 500 deer a night, maybe another matter, maybe.

Well...

My dad worked his way through high school working two jobs and his parents more or less abandoned him so a family down the street let him live in a tent in the back yard. True story. He raised me a certain way... and it stuck.

But the real motivation is to stock up while components are in fact available. If there is a lull in the "values-wars" between us and the democrats and prices and availability get better... the opportunity won't be lost on me.

And... the guy that taught me to shoot was a ranger in Vietnam who went through a broken arrow. His mantra is "never run out of ammunition" So I look to buy in bulk as much as my blue collar wages will allow.

And... on my mother's side of the family there is some Scotch-Irish in the woodpile; so I am inclined to frugality because of my DNA.

Blah, blah, blah... Just start buying bullets. If you think you need thousands to get trough the apocalypse, truth is you'll be dead or starving before going through a hundred of them if that's what you're counting on.

Nosler seconds on the net are the way to go.

Originally Posted by Rancho_Loco

Nosler seconds on the net are the way to go.

If you got any sources I am all ears for a good deal...

Straight from Nosler:

http://www.shootersproshop.com/nosler-products/nosler-blemished-2nds/nosler-blemished-bullets.html

I wiped them out of the 55gr Varmageddons and put a nice hurt on the 55gr SHOTS in .224.

The SHOTS really are a great deal.

I'm sitting on a few thou of those.. they're deadly on beer cans.

Winny 64gr PowerPoint.....

Originally Posted by Robert_White

Originally Posted by Steelhead

I've still never fathomed the 'cost' part when it comes to bullets for hunting.

If you're doing some crop damage etc stuff and killing 500 deer a night, maybe another matter, maybe.

Well...

My dad worked his way through high school working two jobs and his parents more or less abandoned him so a family down the street let him live in a tent in the back yard. True story. He raised me a certain way... and it stuck.

But the real motivation is to stock up while components are in fact available. If there is a lull in the "values-wars" between us and the democrats and prices and availability get better... the opportunity won't be lost on me.

And... the guy that taught me to shoot was a ranger in Vietnam who went through a broken arrow. His mantra is "never run out of ammunition" So I look to buy in bulk as much as my blue collar wages will allow.

And... on my mother's side of the family there is some Scotch-Irish in the woodpile; so I am inclined to frugality because of my DNA.

Again, how many critters do you plan on killing?

If you want low cost bullets to stock up on that still kill well The best for the lowest price that I know of are hornady 55 grain softpoints with the cannelure. They are tough little bullets that do a number on deer sized game and are cheaper than the nosler SHOTS blems.
Powder valley has 500 of them for $50 or 2000 for $180. Thats hard to beat price wise and they have been very accurate in every 223 and 22-250 I have tried them in

Wait around a bit and the shots go for 8.95/100.. That's when I buy another thou..

Originally Posted by backcountryal

60gn Hornady in all of my .22's - 222, 223, 22.250. Kills all sorta stuff, deer, tahr, chamois, goats, pigs. Doing 3623fps out of my 22.250

My favorites have always been the 60 grain Hornady SP, the 60 grain Sierra HP, the 63 grain Sierra SMP, and the 70 grain Speer SMP...for use on deer sized stuff....

Depends upon what weight you want, but there is plenty here. I prefer the 55 gr Barnes TSX for a couple reasons. 1. They are the minimum required weight for Oklahoma whitetail, so it's a legality thing. 2. They flat perform, which is all I can ask for.

http://www.shootersproshop.com/shoo...lets.html?caliber=5&manufacturer=348

Robert in this case just buy the 62 grain TSX and go hunting.

Sierra 63gr SMP is my go to for anything bigger than 'yotes. I even buy them as seconds at the Sierra plant.

I've been using 70gr Speers in the past. Will shoot in a 1:14" twist 22/250. They always worked well on deer here.

Switching to TSX this year.

[Linked Image]

I have been a fan of the 60 gr Hornady sp for about thirty five years. In 1979 I killed my first muley buck at 200 yds with one from a 22-250. 36.3 gr of IMR 3031 pushed it to about 3700 fps from a 26 inch Wea Mk V Varmintmaster.

I really like cheap bullets for the fact that I can shoot the schit out of em all summer long and then have full confidence in knowing exactly what the trajectory will be when I pull the trigger on game.

Of course that was all a lot more important in 1979 than it is today with the availability of electronic range finders, GPS, scope turrets, and ballistics apps on peoples' phones.

But even with all the modern toys, I usually stick with one bullet and load per rifle.

Originally Posted by 2muchgun

Winny 64gr PowerPoint.....

This^^^. And IME, this bullet will stabilize in a 1-14" twist .22-250.

Originally Posted by dawaba

Originally Posted by 2muchgun

Winny 64gr PowerPoint.....

This^^^. And IME, this bullet will stabilize in a 1-14" twist .22-250.

I just tried this bullet out of a Model 7 .223 with a 1-12" twist and it shot fine at 100 yards. I have not tried it at longer distances or on game.

53gr TSX. .223. 300yds. 3,200ish

53gr TSX. .223. 200yds (?). 3,300ish

Same. 100yds.

Same again. 150yds.

55gr TTSX. 22-250. 50yds or so. 3,600fps. No I do not have a FUPA. It was the only pocket I could use at the time:

62gr TTSX. 22-250 Not sure on speeds but I wanna say 3,500fps? Pushin' 400yds.

75gr A-Max.

22-250. 330yds. 3,300fps

[img]http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/deflave25_2008/DSCN0522_zps49746c36.jpg[/img]

Shrapnel and dead gopher:

[img]http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/deflave25_2008/DSCN1721_zps57e2d016.jpg[/img]

Travis

That's an awesome pic of Shrapnel.

Thank you.

It's pre-injury.

Travis

Is that BGG sporting the wool? Uber pic.

Did you see that picture of shrapnel?

Originally Posted by CrowRifle

Is that BGG sporting the wool? Uber pic.

That's actually part of his beard, but yes.

Travis

Deflave, I'm going to correct you. Feel free to tell me to GFY. The term FUPA is only used when referring to the female gender. When referring to the male gender the correct term is dick-do. You know when your gut sticks out more than your dick do.

As a result of my rather sheltered life, I didn't know what FUPA meant, so I Googled it.

.....wish I hadn't

Originally Posted by Zs84

Deflave, I'm going to correct you. Feel free to tell me to GFY. The term FUPA is only used when referring to the female gender. When referring to the male gender the correct term is dick-do. You know when your gut sticks out more than your dick do.

In general terms you are correct. But that water was so cold I sprouted a pussy right then and there.

Now, GFY.

Travis

Originally Posted by deflave

53gr TSX. .223. 300yds. 3,200ish

53gr TSX. .223. 200yds (?). 3,300ish

Same. 100yds.

Same again. 150yds.

55gr TTSX. 22-250. 50yds or so. 3,600fps. No I do not have a FUPA. It was the only pocket I could use at the time:

62gr TTSX. 22-250 Not sure on speeds but I wanna say 3,500fps? Pushin' 400yds.

75gr A-Max.

22-250. 330yds. 3,300fps

[img]http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/deflave25_2008/DSCN0522_zps49746c36.jpg[/img]

Shrapnel and dead gopher:

[img]http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj220/deflave25_2008/DSCN1721_zps57e2d016.jpg[/img]

Travis

Nice spine shot.
Nice spine shot
Nice neck shot.

I can't really tell on the next three, but over all it looks like good shooting had a lot to do with dead critters....

Flave,

Given enough twist, pick one Barnes:

53TSX
55TTSX
62TSX

And why?

Originally Posted by Big_Redhead

I assume y'all wait for perfect broadside presentation before shooting Bambi with 22 cals. Is that true?

As Ingwe said not necessarily. The pic of me and buck that Dave posted was shot at 426 and he was broad side. However, the antelope below was shot facing me at 340, through the chest and through the heart and because of the angle several ribs on the way out. The whitetail was shot hard quartering away at a run at 125. In through the short ribs stopped under the skin on the offside. All three were shot with a 62 grain ttsx going 3500+.

[Linked Image]

[/quote]

Need to run those bullets through an exbal program first before I know they'll work.

They may be too big, clunky, slow and low B.C. Might not work.

I like the 55 grainers myself�.

And jfc, gruff... Has Belicheck called to get his hoody back?

So Gruff,
What are the specs on that rifle in your pics.
Looks like a 600 action.
I ask because I have a 660 I am thinking about building on.
Thanks

Originally Posted by antelope_sniper

Nice spine shot.
Nice spine shot
Nice neck shot.

I can't really tell on the next three, but over all it looks like good shooting had a lot to do with dead critters....

Keep guessin'.

Travis

Originally Posted by DakotaDeer

Flave,

Given enough twist, pick one Barnes:

53TSX
55TTSX
62TSX

And why?

62 because I think it penetrates the deepest (that's what she said) and has the highest BC.

But I have only witnessed the use of the 62. I'm still burning through the rest of my 53's and 55's. I over bought...

Travis

Originally Posted by Dude270

So Gruff,
What are the specs on that rifle in your pics.
Looks like a 600 action.
I ask because I have a 660 I am thinking about building on.
Thanks

It's a 600 that started life as a .243. As it sits in the pics it's got a 23" Douglas #3, 1 in 8 twist, in 22-250ai, Mcmillan Remington Hunter stock, Burris FFII 3-9 Tactical. It shot a number of loads well and darn close POI, but I basically had 2 loads for it. 75 gr amax's going 3350, and the 62 gr ttsx's going a bit over 3500.

I've since rebarreled to a saami 22-250, same twist, same barrel contour. I'm getting the same speeds with amax's and a little better actually with the ttsx's. I swapped the scope to a Bushnell 10X. Same stock though. Basically same gun just with a different scope. I went with the saami chamber because the ai brass would hang up in the reciever where the left bolt lug rides. Saami brass has enough taper that doesn't happen.

Thanks,
That's a nice rifle for sure.
I have a #4 lilja 8 twist waiting in the wings when torch the 12 twisted tube on my 22-250. Although The BC sucks I have been running 63 sierras out of it at 3425 and it swats deer quite nicely.

Originally Posted by Chrome

The Sierra 65 gr. Gameking BTSP has always given me excellent accuracy in four different rifles. I've taken 3 deer with it, the longest being around 190 yards.

It also behaves like a big game bullet.

Chrome - mind sharing the load you're shooting out of your SPS Tactical with the 65 grain Sierra Game King? If not the load, then at least the powder? I have the same rifle and just picked up a couple hundred of the 65 grain Sierras at a local shop on the way home tonight. My 11 year loves shooting that rifle and I'm hoping to put him (and likely myself) on some whitetails with the 65s in a few weeks.

I'm not chrome, but if you have TAC, Varget, or 335 laying around, you'll find something good without much effort.

Or Benchmark. Or any of the 4895s. Or RE15. Or about any powder with those approximate burn rates. 223s generally aren't real picky.

Yeah, but one of those powders will probably shoot a single 3-shot group will all the holes touching, and we all know one-hole accuracy is necessary for killing deer!

Originally Posted by Mule Deer

Yeah, but one of those powders will probably shoot a single 3-shot group will all the holes touching, and we all know one-hole accuracy is necessary for killing deer!

Haha. Yep! If you can't brag on the internet, what's the point?

Originally Posted by Mule Deer

Yeah, but one of those powders will probably shoot a single 3-shot group with all the holes touching, and we all know one-hole accuracy is necessary for killing deer!

Not only that, but from then on it will be a "quarter inch rifle."

I get a kick when folks will try a dozen different powder combinations to find that single 1/2" three shot group, but when asked if they shot multiple groups with the good load, or even a single five shot group, shooting any more rounds suddenly becomes a waste of ammo.

Originally Posted by jds44

Originally Posted by Chrome

The Sierra 65 gr. Gameking BTSP has always given me excellent accuracy in four different rifles. I've taken 3 deer with it, the longest being around 190 yards.

It also behaves like a big game bullet.

Chrome - mind sharing the load you're shooting out of your SPS Tactical with the 65 grain Sierra Game King? If not the load, then at least the powder? I have the same rifle and just picked up a couple hundred of the 65 grain Sierras at a local shop on the way home tonight. My 11 year loves shooting that rifle and I'm hoping to put him (and likely myself) on some whitetails with the 65s in a few weeks.

Not Chrome, but I put that bullet over 27 grains of Varget in Rem cases with a CCI 400 primer and a COAL .010 short of what will work in an AR mag (I think 2.250 w/o looking it up.) It shoots bug holes out of a 9 twist 700 Remmie XCR/CTR as well as some other rifles with 7 and 8 twists. This is a compressed load, powder comes a little way up the case neck. It chronographs right around 3000 fps.

Originally Posted by ingwe

And Ive heard good things about the 64 grain Winchester�.

The 60 grain Hornady works too�..

.223 1 in 10 twist 60 grain Hornady soft point 100 yards. Pass thru. DRT.

Bullets and guns aside Ingwe, I like the camo you guys are wearing...

Here is a wealth of info on the 223 for deer, lol: http://www.tndeer.com/tndeertalk/ub...;page=1&fpart=all&gonew=1#UNREAD

JFC, there's a big pile of stupid on that forum.

Dude, they are going too fast to expand and they can be deflected by limbs and they don't have knock down and you can't make bad shots with them while still killing the deer..........

I'm liking the way my handloaded 64gr Winchester Power point shoot, but haven't tried them on a whitetail yet. Does anyone know if the bullet in the 62gr Federal fusion load is available as a component?

Got to talking to a Sierra rep on the phone and he was saying that the game kings compare nicely to any premium bonded bullet. But I never heard anyone say that a gameking is in the league with premium bonded bullets.

Originally Posted by Chrome

The Sierra 65 gr. Gameking BTSP has always given me excellent accuracy in four different rifles. I've taken 3 deer with it, the longest being around 190 yards.

It also behaves like a big game bullet.

I've had good results with it too and the Winchester 64 grain PP as well.

65grn Sierra. After I found a load I went to the Sedalia factory and bought 2 lbs out of a 55 gallon drum. Should have bought more. Ruger American rifle.

[Linked Image]

75grn Amax is also nice for 3 shots.

[Linked Image]

Old thread but a good yarn...

The 75g Hornady BTHP Match has worked well for me on feral goats. I've also tested it in wet newspaper alongside the 65g SGK, 55g SGK and a small handful of others.

The 75 BTHP penetrates about 4 inches into the newspaper like a knitting needle, then it expands very rapidly and leaves a huge wound channel. It's done the same thing on goats for me.

In the wet newspaper test it out penetrated the 65g SGK by a very large margin, and caused similar - if deeper - "wounding". Not sure if newspaper can be wounded though...

For bulk buying and bulk general purpose shooting I quite like the 55g SGK which are available here in bulk Super Roo packs of 1000. But the 75g Hdys can be bought fairly cheaply too.

I have and old BDL 22-250 with a 1-14 twist. Anybody know if the 50gr TTSX will stabilize with a 14 twist?

Greg

Originally Posted by DuckScarer

I have and old BDL 22-250 with a 1-14 twist. Anybody know if the 50gr TTSX will stabilize with a 14 twist?

Greg

Never tried the 50 grain, but for sure a 53 grain TSX will stabilize.

I probably should have said that I found 62 grainers to stabilize marginally out of 12 twist at ~3000 FPS and I could not stabilize 70 grainers at all. In a 14 twist 22-250 if you work up to max velocity with 62 grainers and ignore accuracy untl you get there, the top end should give you stable (read accurate) out of most rifles and powders.

Originally Posted by DuckScarer

I have and old BDL 22-250 with a 1-14 twist. Anybody know if the 50gr TTSX will stabilize with a 14 twist?

Greg

Yes, it will....

Thanks guys

I recently had a brief email exchange with a Sierra technician about the suitability of the SGK .224 65 grain bullet for hunting Whitetail Deer. The feedback was essentially that they were initially manufactured for an Australian company for use on Kangaroos. Afterwards this bullet was made available to the public in 2004. He noted that the SGK 65 grain is the toughest .224 bullet in the Sierra lineup.

Also offered the sound advice to first test the bullet on heart/lung shots and go from there.

We have a lot of good bullet options.

I have killed several hundred pigs, and a couple of does with the 62 Barnes in a Rock River AR with a 1 in 8 twist barrel. The 62 Barnes will not stabilize in my Rem 700 with a 1 in 14. I have a box of 53 Barnes. I'm going to try them in the Rem 700 Swift 1in14. I have a hundred 55 grain Bear Claws. Going to see if they stabilize in the Swift.

Originally Posted by woods_walker

I recently had a brief email exchange with a Sierra technician about the suitability of the SGK .224 65 grain bullet for hunting Whitetail Deer. The feedback was essentially that they were initially manufactured for an Australian company for use on Kangaroos. Afterwards this bullet was made available to the public in 2004. He noted that the SGK 65 grain is the toughest .224 bullet in the Sierra lineup.

That surprises me as its always been the 55 grainer marketed under the Super Roo label here, and sold in packs of 1000.

Pro roo shooters ONLY shoot in the head as the chillers will not accept anything shot from the neck down. You would sooner a softer bullet for that job.

I wonder if at that time (2004) they realized that the 65 grain was overbuilt for the intended purpose and decided to repurpose it. For my use I hope the technician was correct and it is a stout design.

Out of curiosity does anybody have a photo of a sectioned side by side of the SGK 55/65 bullets?

I posted this on the Nosler site in the bullet test section which is a wealth of knowledge....

Originally Posted by "bobnob"

I had the opportunity to cull a few feral goats today. I thought I'd test the three bullets I've been doing a lot of testing with of late, in the form of the Hornady 75g BTHP Match; the 65g Sierra Gameking and the 55g Gameking.

Luckily I got onto a couple of mobs in some brushy spots on a hill. None of the shots were further than 30y and the below were the results of 4 bullets I recovered from under the skin on the far shoulders of these fairly modest sized animals (between 25 and 35kg in weight)...

Retained weight is the first figure and expanded diameter is the second. There were two of the Hornady and one each of the 55 and 65g Sierras

75g Hornady:
1) 30g 0.504 2) 14g 0.420

55g Sierra GK
1) 14g 0.436

65g Sierra GK
1) 22g 0.462

Launch speeds of the bullets were 2750fps for the 75g, 3100 for the 55g and 2900 for the 65g, so impact speeds would not have been diminished much from those velocities.

Here's what the recovered bullets looked like; 2 x Hornadys at left, 55g SGK at centre and the 65g Sierra on the right.

[Linked Image]

Kind of surprised the Hornadys did not exit, given in wet newspaper testing they've penetrated a lot further than the other bullets. Then again animal skin is so tough and elastic, it it amazing how well it pulls up bullets of all sorts when their speed has been slowed down by going through a couple of shoulders.

Not sure what may be deduced from these results. Pretty harsh tests on little bullets: close range double shoulder bone shots. All bullets killed well though.

Thanks.

- Bob

The surprising thing was that none of the bullets exited. Should be mentioned that range was short and speeds for impact were high inasmuch as a 223 with an 18 bbl can deliver.

Nothing like real world results. Good information.

I have a limited supply of 70 grain Speer bullets. They are quite accurate in my 8" twist Browning stainless gold medallion. I wanted to use them last Fall but didn't get an opportunity. Hope to use them this deer season.

Jim