Light vs Heavy bullets...

220smoken

220smoken

New member
What do you guys think...would I be better off with a light 40ghp at faster speeds or a heavier say a 60ghp running slower but better in the wind...out to say 300 yds...out of a 223 with a 1-9 twist?
Fur friendly is not an issue...but would like to stay with a hp...used on coyotes.

KB
 
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You did not say what you were gunning for, but I have personally taken qround squirrels past 400 yards with those little 40 grain Vmax and Ballistic Tip bullets with my .223 rifles with great results. Fine blow ups even at this range.

I have tried bullets as heavy as 69 grain but was unhappy with the downrange results. For the most part on critters up to the size of prairie dogs bullets in the 50 grain range have worked best for me. Nothing seems to work very well when it is really windy as any bullet will get pushed around no matter what.

Your 1-9" twist gun may not like the 40 grain bullets all that well, but I have yet to see one that would not shoot 50 grain bullets well. You may wish to split the difference between the 40 and the 60 grain slugs.
 
I was wondering the same thing. What about the BC of a bullet. Does it make a difference if your shooting out 400 yards or not. Some bullets have a higher BC than others. Sierra bullet 1390 55 grain BTHP has a BC of 185 Where the Nosler 55 grain BT has a BC of 267.
 
Out to 300 yards I don't think you'll see much difference. The 40 would drop about an 1-3/4" less than a 60 but a 10mph cross wind will blow the 40 grain about 1-1/2" more. I agree that the 50's or 55's would be a better all around choice.
 
Originally Posted By: rem22250I was wondering the same thing. What about the BC of a bullet. Does it make a difference if your shooting out 400 yards or not. Some bullets have a higher BC than others. Sierra bullet 1390 55 grain BTHP has a BC of 185 Where the Nosler 55 grain BT has a BC of 267.

A bullet w/higher BC maintains velocity, shoots flatter and resists drift better than a bullet w/lower BC.

Now if you want to get really serious about bucking the wind, shoot 190 gr. SMK's w/BC of .533
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Regards,
hm
 
Quartering shots are another issue for you to consider when choosing a bullet...I like a bullet that will give some penetration.

The 223 with a 50g Bullet with N133 will yield 3500-3550+ with extreme accuracy, and the 55g Bullet will get 3450-3500+ with N135(use thick cup primers with these powders).

Sierra 50g Sp(tough and super accurate)
52 & 53g HP
55g Spt & BT
55g BTHP (toughest of all of these)
55g Hornady Sp(extremely accurate bullet & tough)

These are all supurb coyote bullets. Many people think of shooting 400 yards, but most coyotes that I have killed are under 125 with the vast majority 80 yards and under.

When I first started yote hunting, I used the Sierra 45g Sp at 3900+ out of a Rem 22/250. I never had any bad issues with this bullet on yotes, I started using the 55's because my buddies were using 55's.
 
Personally I think a 50 or 52 grain bullet is about perfect for the 223. Out to 300 yards you are not going to find much difference in the performance of most of the bullets in the hunting world. And I think 300 yards-maybe a tad farther is the limit for the 223 for the heavy varmints(not PD's). The 52 grain double hollow point made by Calhoon is a tough bullet to beat. Especially if fur is no issue. Tom.
 
I finally got the 50 GR SEI I bought to shoot good enough to try on yotes. With 26.3 gr Bench mark I'm getting 3264 fps out of my Colt HBAR 20" !! I wouldn't expect an exist with these bullets which is fine! I know the 63 gr SEI drops yotes like a wet rag!
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Next project is the find a load for the 55gr Noslers!
 
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Quote: Next project is the find a load for the 55gr Noslers!



Try working up to whatever your rifle tells you is a warm load of H335. Shoots great in my Bush. Pred.

Regards,
hm
 
I also have a question about heavy bullets vs light bullets and High bc vs low bc bullets.

Is it best to have the bullet with the best BC or the heaviest weight?

These are made up number but lets just say you have a 60gr bullet with a bc of .2 and a 50gr bullet of .26. Which onewould be better for longer range shooting? At targets and for hunting?
 
So even though the weight of the bullet with the higher BC is less than other it would still be better to shoot the lighter bullet? It was my understanding that they heavier the bullet the more energy it retains at longer range. Or will the higher BC allow it to hold more energy down range?
 
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Awesome site. Just tiyed in some hypethetical info and the higher BC is better. I typed in a 60 gr bullet with a .2 BC and then a 50gr bullet with a.3 BC and even though the hevier bullet had 10 grains on the lighter one the lighter bullet still had less wind drift and drop at longer distnace.

Thanks for the info guys.
 
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