Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Range day bummer

Got to have a range day first time in 3 months. Took a Swift that I was wanting to play with using a new bullet. Did not go well. Proven 53 gr. flat base load, once fired brass in that rifle. ~3650 velocity. Anyways 5 shots each target





Won’t buy no more of them.

🤣

Tape a target to a liberals ass.... you'll have better results... guaranteed...

That is kinda bad. Now where’s the problem with the bullets? Not sized right? Weight all off??

Just wondering if it’s figured out.

Well kinda figured it out, weight was good, length pretty consistent but does the same in 3 rifles with 14 twist. Nosler 53 varmageddons stabilize in all 3. Nosler are within a couple thou length wise. 55 varmageddons stabilize in all 3.

Conclusion: 53 vmax look good, weigh good but they are just pure junk.

Correct conclusion: you’re on the ragged edge between stability/instability with all loads, but the Nosler has a longer plastic tip and is slightly more stable than the VMax. The Nosler is barely stable while the VM is barely unstable.

I didn’t spend a lot of time with the 53 Vmax, but I couldn’t get them to shoot either. They look good on paper but for some reason tougher to get accuracy with.

I have used the 53 V Max in a Savage ( Stevens) in 22.250 with a one in 14 twist.

I have had good luck with it.... yet in a conversation with Hornady's Tech Guys, they stated that they never had had any luck with a 53 V Max with a 14 twist Barrel.

Checked with Savage and they said the rifle came with a 1 in 14 twist, not a 1 in 12 twist.

Guess I must be at the right altitude, or right day of the week or something along those lines...

Velocity has been in the 3300 to 3400 Fps range... Last charged used was 33.5 gr of Benchmark, the most accurate in that rifle with that powder, with a wide variety of bullets.

But if your barrel is a factory supplied barrel in 1 in 14, the manufacturer says it don't look good...

Seafire, as I stated before 53 & 55 varmageddons do stabilize, so did some digging and interesting was that the Noslers had 49% of their length in front of the ogive plus flat base may also help. The VMax interestingly had between 53 and 54 % of it length in front of the ogive. That to me seems unbalanced.

Some rifles are more female than others. I sure miss the days when we could actually find a variety of bullets to try.

Its not the bullet swifty. Its your twist rate and rifle. Obviously your rifle doesn't like them. I have had good success with the 53gr vmax, but out of 223 rem's with faster twist barrels. They are an exceptionally accurate bullet. Just need the right combo. I'd likely not use them in my new slow twist 22-250 either. There are much better bullets out there for that. 40 and 50g vmax for instance. Even the 52gr speer hp's do well....

Well just so y’all know, tried them in a 12 twist 223 and they tumbled. Tried a 7 twist AR and they tumbled. Last 30 went to the trash where they belonged. Hornady regained the #1 spot on the total sh*t list.

Thanks for the replies

May have been a bad lot swifty. Sure sounds that way. But to say those bullets (53gr Vmax) are not accurate, is false. If they were bad in that many rifles, I'd be looking at that exact lot and contact Hornady. I've ran thousands of a particular bullet in some of my creeds and got a bad lot of bullets once. I contacted them and they replaced them at no charge..




Here's my experience with the 53gr v-max:







Those groups were shoot with 2 different rifles. They easily show the 53gr vmax is capable of sub moa 10 shot group accuracy. My buddies Savage 223 and 22-250 love them as well. Are these new bullets, or an old lot? I recently bought some 53gr V-max bullets and may give them a shot in my new slow twist 22-250. They may shoot like schidt, but I'll find out and report my findings. If they changed the shape of the 53gr V-max, I'm sure I'll notice right away after opening the box. If you find out you have a bad lot of new bullets, you should also let us know what lot that is..

Well, my 14 twist Sako 22-250 doesn’t like em either. Similar velocity as yours. My 1:9 twist 223 shoots em like a house afire.

Ya know BSA I have a lot of other reasons to put Hornady @ #1.
Now if the techs at Hornady knew they were iffy in a 14 twist their product description which has an area for such should have noted a 12 or better. They don’t which to me is a chickensh*t way to do business, but here again that seems to be the same MO from Stevie boy that caused me to dump everything Hornady and quit buying their products in the 90’s. Albeit I did keep the only thing of theirs that was decent(powder measure bought in mid 80’s). Gave em a 2nd chance and got burned again. Fugg em.

That really sucks. However, I just bought 2 more boxes of the 53gr V-max. They were $20.49/box. They may or may not shoot well in my new 22-250. We will see... The store I bought these from have another 20 boxes. I may buy more if they do well... When plinking with my bolt action 223's, that used to be the bullet of choice.

Twist creates RPM, faster twist makes more spin.

So will an increase in velocity.

you need to know what rpm your bullet likes and get there.

MV x (12/twist rate in inches) x 60 = Bullet RPM. Quick Version: MV X 720/Twist Rate = RPM.

HM

Well sh*t, maybe I should find a 22 cal rifle with a 3 twist that I can push a 53 VMax bullet to 4500 fps seeing how a 7 twist @3350 wouldn’t stabilize the damn things. Yep I am a smart azz since 3650 is close to top on a 22.250, mid road for a Swift.

Nah, just give up on sh*t bullets and go back to 53 varmageddons when I can get em for the 22.250.

I gotta pick up a box of new current 53 V Max....give them a road test...

Stuff I bought a year ago or so during varmint season, is not duplicating the problem you gentlemen are seeing...

has any one discussed this with the tech guys at Hornady?

Seafire, that is exactly what I am wondering. Have they changed it that much??? I remember buying them a lot almost 10 years ago because they were one of the least expensive bullets Hornady sold. I always wondered, Why 53gr when they had a 50 and 55gr v-max??? But nonetheless, the price was better and I bought a chidt load. Now recently I bought some and the store I found has them for about $20/box. By today's standards, that is a great deal on a box of bullets. I have some brass to load up some for my new rifle now, so we will see how they fare in the slow twist 22-250. It seems to like the 50gr v-max, and even the 55gr v-max factory ammo, so we will see.

I don’t know bud you be the judge.

53 varmageddon, middle well you know, right is 55 varmageddon. Both the noslers stabilize along with 55 blitz kings.