Anyone shoot the 55 gr V-Max in .223???

OregonMike

OregonMike

Member
I love the 53 gr V-Max. I was getting it from Fioochi and HSM, at a decent price. But now it seems to have "dried up" other than from Hornady at about $17 a box. The others shot great in my Mossberg, just as good as the Hornady.

I now see the Fioochi offers bulk 55 gr. Anyone try this??? Anyone try this in a Mossberg MVP Varmint???? LOL... thought I would ask.

Thanks guys...

Oh, On a good note I just got permission to hunt Geese on a small municipal air fieal for Plane Safety...
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A friend of mine owns Top Shot ammunition in Mt Gilead Ohio ,http://www.tssalesllc.com. he is loading 55 G V Maxes ,I picked up a box this week and shot a 3/4 " group at 200 yards with his loads in my 223.
 
I am shooting the Hornady 55 gr. VMAX and having gread results. Used to shoot the 53 grain but found the 55 gr 50ct boxes for around $20 and switched to them. Haven't noticed any difference.
 
I shoot them sometimes. I've been shooting Ultramax 55gr. V-Max here and there. They're plenty accurate out of everything I've shot them out of.
 
The 55gr and 53gr V max bullets are very similar. The 53gr is just a boat tail. They shaved a little weight off to give it the boat tail but the 53 and 55gr bullets are the same length. The main difference is a slightly higher BC in the 53gr. IME, flat base bullets are more explosive.

I’ve shot both and every rifle I have likes both. Hornady sells their varmint express which can be found around $13-14 a box loaded with the 55gr.
 
With this information I hit the range with some 53's and some 55's. The 53's shot 2 groups, both were right at 2/3 of an inch, the 2 groups of 55's were just at an inch, slightly under. The 55's were HSM reman, and are pretty affordable.

So now I guess I have a fall back for the 53's. I am not a total bullet/reloader/shooter guy, so would the boat tail make them shoot a tighter group? Or I guess I should say, COULD they shoot tighter compared to the flat based??

There was no wind at all today, but I was shooting off just bipod on a bench, so the variation could have just been me I guess. Was a beautiful day to shoot. Broke in the new AR pistol.... everyone says they are not good for much... they are good for much FUN!!!

Also shot some pistol... shot the Glock for the first time since I left LE about 6 years ago.... amazing how that sticks with you. 1911 was drilling tacks too....

Let me know what you think about the effect of boat tail vs flat.....
 
A "not-so-complicated" answer?

Yes...or No.
It comes down to what does your rifle like.

For example, rifles with a lot of free-bore shoot flat-based bullets "better", or easier.
A Boat-Tail on a bullet does require "one more step" in manufacturing, and could result in inconsistencies. Fortunately, manufacturers keep tolerances tight, which results in some nice bullets.

That all being said, the real question would be; How far does a person have to shoot to gain any benefit from a boat-tail bullet.
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Thanks Littletoes for the info. I know on paper they looked a little more open group wise, but again, with just 2 groups out of each, taking that with a grain of salt. The range I was at has a "squirrel" gong, like a 4" x 8" plate at 235 yards. I was able to ring that 5 for 5 with both, so I feel OK hunting with both.

Just feel better at .50c a round that almost $1 a round. I was looking the other day and they even have a 400 count of the 55C Vmax for 169.99 in an ammo can (Yes... another box to fill with crap and take up space in the shop!!)

Just need to get out there now.....
 


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