Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Info on bullets and bullet weights

They aren’t here. I didn’t know about PA.

What would you recommend

Poly tipped or SP.

The only hollow point would be something loaded with Speers TNT bullet.

I’d pay $25 a box or so but can’t see spending much more than that. Twist rate I’m trying to figure out, it’s a savage axis, and I see a few different twist rates are offered. I’m also building an AR for night hunting that will likely be between 1:7 and 1:9

My savage axis is a 1:9 twist

Beyond a certain distance(usually where a fmj .224" bullet falls to around 2500fps and doesnt break apart as it yaws), it might. However, there is an above average chance it won't kill cleanly and the animal runs off.

Inside the distance where the velocity is higher, 55gr ball will frequently produce wounds similar to a .224" exposed lead bullet that will work well on whitetail deer.

53 grain VMax in Hornady Superformance ammo.

55 grain Ballistic Tip in Federal Premium.

The second will be more likely to exit than the first.

Hornady makes 2 different 55gr spire points for handloading that are both marketed as varmint bullets.

The 55gr SP SX supposedly has the very light jacket construction that is supposed to give the explosive bullet effect that is often assumed to be what every bottle neck .22 centerfire cartridge will do. I don't know if it can get there on .223, but I have seen claims that with a high enough velocity(charge weight and/or barrel length) and a faster twist barrel the SX can shed it's jacket.

The more common 55gr SP is of fairly sturdy construction and(based on personal experience and videos of others) will drop whitetail deer quickly.

Yep. In my experience about caliber sized exits.

Exits are ok, I just don’t want baseball sized holes. The Hornady Frontier HP Match have been good so far, only a few “runners” and they never made it 100 yards. As mentioned, I just always wonder what else is out there that might be better

Probably the "base disc" that's left on the way out.

When I shoot steel with my 223 and various 50-55 grain bullets there's no doubt which are the Ballistic Tip impacts.

If you don't mind small exits the Hornady 55 grain SP or any other SP for that matter will be fine.

Staying out of the shoulders will minimize exit size.

When I used to shoot varmints, back in Australia, I used a tikka triple deuce.

50gr sierra blitz, over 24.7gr (?) of W748.

Tore rabbits in half, turned crows into feathers, but don't remember getting exits on feral cats, foxes, small pigs or roos.

Fine fur bullet.

I also have some Prairie Enemy ammo, which is blitzking bullets. Haven’t tried it yet though

If you don't mind the small exits this is the bargain buy.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1165262200?pid=366197

How populated is the area you hunt?

The poly tipped bullets will/should retain less weight and have less chance of pass through if a ricochet is of much concern.

Killed several coyotes with that bullet in a 223, works very fine.

Not really.

The forward construction of that bullet is very light.

Shoot a 55gr NBT into a water jug and all you'll have is the 11 grain base. Everything forward of that will vaporize. And that's with a 16" 1/9 twist barrel.