53gr v-max in a 22-250?

W

W Allen

New member
I just recently acquired a Rem 700 in 22-250 and I've got some 53gr v-max's that I'd like to run in it due to the higher BC's but, my Hornady manual says that they won't stabilize in a 1:14 twist. I'd like to hear what some of the experts have to say about this in real world testing. If you've found good results please give me some insight on your specific load data. Thanks in advance.
 
sierra 53 gr. match & hornady 53gr. hp shoot one hole groups in my .220 swift. it is 1/14, or 1/16 not sure which. 1976 ruger.
yours should shoot them fine, with right powder, primer,& load.may have trouble above 63gr.
 
53's will not stabilize in a 1-14, I tried...1-12 is the mack daddy for the 53's.

Now, the Hornady 52's will shoot in the 1-14, also the fantastic 55g Nosler BT.

Old cat is right, the Sierra and Horn 53's are great.
 
I've talked to a Hornady rep/tech about the 53 vmax in my .223. He told me they developed that bullet for the 22-250 with a 1:14 twist barrel. The bullet rpm should easily be high enough to stabilize based on the velocity of the 22-250.

What he told me about my .223 is ill have to push it hard in a 1:12 because of the lower velocity of the .223 compared to the 22-250
 
Ran them from 3500-3800 fps out of a very consistent rem varmint barrel, shotgun patterns. About 1000 ft elevation here. Will use the rest in 1-9 ar.
 
I ran the 53 Vmax in my 14 twist rem 22-250 with 35 Grs of Varget at 3655Fps and it shoots nice little groups. Have not had a problem stabilizing them.
 
Thanks for all of the info guys. I guess I'll give them a try and see how they do in my rifle, hopefully my barrel will stabilize them. Would any of you be willing to share a pet load or two for the 53's?
 
When you talk about 53's, then folks get confused or do not pay attention to the fact that you are talking about Hornady 53's V max.

53g Sierra and 53g hornady match will stabilize in a 14 twist, but will not stabailize the 53g V max, it is a very long bullet.
 
Ackleyman is correct. The 53g V-Max is a boat tail and all other things being equal (ogive, etc.) it is a longer projectile. If it were a flatbase it would be a different story. Stabilization is all about length, not weight. Tighter twists stabilize longer projectiles but tend to overspin the shorter (also lighter) projectiles. I am amazed at the difference in length of bullets of the same weight when comparing Sierra to Hornady to Nosler to Berger and others. Check it out for yourself...
 
Todays 100 yard, 53g Vmax targets, 1/14" twist ERshaw bbl.
This is in a .223 build. Load some up for your rig & give them a shot.
Yes they do stabilized in that twist, well at least they do in my rig.
I had no issues at 400 yards printing a 2 1/2" group on steel in the 19mph breeze.
 
Your answers:
They will.
No, they won't.
Yes, they will.
Nope.

You won't know until you try them in your own 1:14 barrel.

A lot of people told me that the twist in my .243 was too slow
to stabilize 105 A-max's. One guy suggested to try a few "hot"
loads (but work up to it) and see if they would or would not
stabilize. A few 1/4" groups later, I found that the proper
load would stabilize them. If you know the ropes of building
up stout loads, I would try that. If not, get with someone who
does. Good luck!
 
Thank you guys for all of the info given. I guess I'll try a few of just to see how they run, if the don't I know my .223's will eat them up. Thanks again for all if the insight and differing experiances.
 


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