loads for a 1:9" .223?

the noobie

the noobie

New member
The new gun should be in tomorow.
But me and my dad have been looking for some good loads for a 1:9" barrel. From what small bit of knowledge i have of reloading i know i dont want to drop below a 55 grain bullet because one it may spin so fast it comes apart. but two will a 1:9" stabilize very well below 55?

Anyways were looking for some good bullets my dad loves his 52 grain calhoon DBL HP bullets but i dont think they would even hold up to a fast barrel twist? he shoots them out of his .22-250 but i have no clue its twist rate.

and isnt a 62 grain the "perfect" match for a 1:9"?

right now were just looking for lead so if anyone can point me in the right direction for a heavy coyote bullet. 55 grain or 62 grain.
 
I have shot bullets as light as 40 grain Vmaxes and Nosler BT (a lot of them) in my 9 twist loaded hot with zero issues.

That being said, the bullet that seems to tip the coyotes over most consistantly for me has been the Nosler 60 grain BT. Good balance of penetration and expansion. Good consistant exits, no wierd splash issues either. Its a natural in an AR as well, and in my 9 twist bolts and AR, the cannelure with a firm roll crimp has produced no accuracy issues either. I think the BC is around 270. Give 'em a try !!!!

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I doubt that you would have any problems shooting 40's from a 1/9 twist. My Tikka with 1/8 twist shoots them fine. I use both the V Max and Nosler BT's. The BT's are tougher and have given me better results on Coyotes.
 
Noobie, Your 1/9 should be able to handle anything from 40-69gr with the right powder charge.. It's probably the most versatile twist rate for the .223.. It's not really considered a "fast twist"....Those are usually 1/7-1/6 twist rates..

The 1/12 .223 I have will start getting erratic after 60gr and I used to have a 1/14 that topped out at 55gr..

I now have three 1/9 ARs that eat just about anything I want to put through them, including 68 & 69gr loads at decent speeds..

Hornady does put out some bullets in the "Super Explosive" range that are limited to 3300 fps to keep them together, but they are more an exception than the rule..
 
My 1/9 twist will shoot my reloads with a Hornady 52 gr BTHP real well. I get 5 shot groups that measure 3/4"- 1" consistantly. They do not come apart.
 
Originally Posted By: the noobieThe new gun should be in tomorow.
But me and my dad have been looking for some good loads for a 1:9" barrel. From what small bit of knowledge i have of reloading i know i dont want to drop below a 55 grain bullet because one it may spin so fast it comes apart. but two will a 1:9" stabilize very well below 55?

Anyways were looking for some good bullets my dad loves his 52 grain calhoon DBL HP bullets but i dont think they would even hold up to a fast barrel twist? he shoots them out of his .22-250 but i have no clue its twist rate.

and isnt a 62 grain the "perfect" match for a 1:9"?

right now were just looking for lead so if anyone can point me in the right direction for a heavy coyote bullet. 55 grain or 62 grain.

I've had explosive success with Sierra #1360, #1365 and #1390 - all 55grn. The #1360 are flat bottom soft points, #1365 are boat tail soft points and the #1390 are HPBT. All shoot under MOA out of my 1/8 AR, 1/9 AR and my 1/12 700 SPS Varmint.
 
As mentioned above you are good to go with just about anything.

My 1:9 Savage even groups 75 & 77 grn Match bullets quite well.

Pick a bullet that looks like it will work and start loading.
 
so since we have a few thousand of these calhoon 52 grain dbl hp do you think i could just shoot them? theyre good bullets theyve dropped more fox and coyote than i am old. i just dont want to spend the time money and effort on a load then have it be horrible.
 
Quote:so since we have a few thousand of these calhoon 52 grain dbl hp do you think i could just shoot them? theyre good bullets theyve dropped more fox and coyote than i am old. i just dont want to spend the time money and effort on a load then have it be horrible.

Yes, they will be fine
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ok thanks all i will sit down with dad and load some calhoons up see what they are like and also give the 60 grain nosler BT a try they are cheap enough and then if all works out ill try some 40 or 45 grains so i have a gopher load and two different coyote loads to see how they shoot and what my gun likes best
 
Well im browsing my old posts and pulling this thread from the closet. My dad has started reloading again (first time in about 6 years) and hes having fun! While hes interested in reloading im going to get him to help me load up some .223 ammo.

My wants have changed since my first time asking so im going to ask one time more.

Right now i want a Squirrel/ground squirrel round

Coyote round

and target/coyote round

For my squirrels im thinking a little 50 grain Barnes Varmint grenade

For coyotes im thinking about finishing up my 55 grain Speer TNT ammo and then trying some 52 grn Calhoon DBLHP, my dads had great luck with them out of his .22-250 so i want to give them a try.

Then for coyote/target round Im not sure, I want to try some Sierra 69 grn BTHP. BUT, will the larger 69 grain bullet work in my guns magazine? and would it kill a coyote without just punching through?

Any other bullets i should try? i was thinking the Nosler Balistic's but im not too sure as of yet.
 
I just loaded 200 rounds of .223 with 40gr V-Max and 27.8gr of Winchester 748 for a PD shoot coming up... I shot some of them at the PM Hunt prior to the Egg Shoot and they turned in some pretty impressive groups out of my 1/9 twist AR...

I've found that the Winchester 64gr PSP round is really good for hunting Coyotes and similar size animals...Shoots well out of a 1/9 twist barrel as well...
 
do those 69 grain hpbt destroy the pelt much?

OT, how do the V-Max's do on smaller critters? are they fairly explosive so one wouldnt get any run away squirrels?
 
first off is this a boltgun or semi? for my ar i factory crimp. and for my bolt and breech action i dont at all. but for my ar 55 gn game kings do amazing. bolt 60 gn nosler st kills em dead. but xbr 8208
powder gets the nod from me
 
these ones arent tree rats. We dont have any around me.

They are bigger than a ground squirrel but smaller than a prairie dog. Im not sure if they are just overly large ground squirrels or another species? anyways no i dont eat them or their ground squirrel buddies and in all honesty i dont shoot that many of them (10 a year?). I mainly go after ground squirrels, these larger ones are just bonuses when i catch them out.

 
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