For a .223 caliber rifle, is a 55 grain load better than a 65 grain load for Varmint Hunting ( ballistic Info)
by admin on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 | 14 Comments
i am going to buy about 10,000 rounds of .223 amunition, and for ballistics, is a 55 grain load better than a 65 grain load. I am looking for distance, accuracy, tight grouping, and power. (i also want to know which one will destroy the target( varmints) better. NO STUPID ANSWERS PLEASE.
the 55 is probably going to be faster
the 65 would probably be better for larger varmints
but it depends on manufacturer of cartridges and especially the construction of the bullet itself
before buying a large quantity of ammo, try it out first
different rifles may have different rates of twist that can definitely influence whether a particular gun prefers a heavier or lighter bullet
and some guns just simply prefer one bullet over another
55 grain projectiles will expand quicker because they are traveling at a faster speed they will destroy varmints better than 65 grain projectiles. 55 grain projectile will get a tighter group and be better for long rang shooting.
I use 50 grain nosler projectiles
with 25.5 grains of Winchester 748 gun powder
in my .222 it is the best load that i could work out for my .222
and it takes care of all varmints very effectively.
a 55 gr. bullet is good for rats, ground hogs, and coyotes. and any type varmints. but, NOT enough bullet for self defence. i would go with a little heavier one, like the 65gr..
for the difference in price, it’s worth having the stopping power. this time next year you’ll be lucky to be able to buy ammo. your choice. experience with 223.
That is entirely and completely dependent on the rate of twist of your barrel.
Without that number, any answer has a 50/50 chance of being wrong – there is no “across the board” accurate/effective round for .223′s.
If you have a 1:12 twist, 55 grainers.
If you have a 1:7, or 1:9 twist, 65-ers.
What is your rifle twist? Even fmjs will take down a coyote with a mediocre shot. Everything equal the 65 will do more damage. The 55 will probably be flatter.
Distance is a funny thing. The 55 will travel further. The 65 will retain its accuracy further.
Tell us your rifle twist and length and we can help more
After reading WWD’s comments it makes me want to state the obvious. Before you buy 1000 rounds why don’t you shoot 20 first?
.223 is NOT known for its stopping power at any grain. It is a weapon meant for incapacitating the enemy.
Yeah, blah blah blah, its great for shooting rats and stuff and I can poke your eye out at 500 yards…blah blah blah…..
I would certainly ensure the barrel on your weapon is truly designed for 65 grains. The military 5.56′s are reinforced properly to take 10,000 rounds of 65 grains but NOT all .223′s will.
Best of luck either way. This forum has beaten this question to death so you might have some great luck searching the question.
In terms of accuracy, rifles can be finicky and unpredictable. There’s no way to know without shooting them in your rifle.
Heavier bullets are going to have a lower muzzle velocity but lose velocity at a lesser rate than lighter bullets. Again, you need to know a lot more about the two loads than just bullet weight.
Others have mentioned stabilization at different twist rates. While it’s true heavier bullets and faster twists go hand in hand, it also has to be kept in mind that the design of the bullet has something to do with it, and it would also be good to know if one has a secant ogive and the other a tangent ogive design, just as an example. That will make a difference in terms of bearing surface.
Terminal ballistics are going to be dependent also on design. All else being equal, the lighter bullet will have less sectional density and therefore less penetration. Obviously, if you’re using a bullet designed for quick fragmentation on small varmints, that’s a completely different proposition from FMJ’s that you might use for pelt hunting.
Sorry, this isn’t much of an out-and-out answer, but there are just too many other variables to consider.
As others have said, it is all based on the twist rate of your rifle. In general, for long distance flat shooting at small varmints you want a lighter grain bullet. You can actually go lighter than 55, but 55 is a good all around use choice
You can determine twist by putting the wire brush on, pushing it about an inch in the barrel, mark the rod with a sharpie where the barrel is, then put another dot at the handle end. Push the rod in, watching for when the dot at the handle end turns back around. Once you get one full rotation, mark the rod at the barrel again, push the brush all the way through, and the pull it back out. Measure how far between the two marks. Now you know 1 turn in X inches, so 1 turn in 12 inches is 1:12
1. 1:12 and 1:14 are good for 35-55 grain. This is the classic Varminter Twist. Some guys run up to 62 gr if the 1:12 rifle happens to like them, but in general 55 is the heaviest you want to go.
2. 1:9 and 1:10 This is the most versitile. It won’t spin apart 45s or 50s, but NOT good for 35s or 40s. This is a good 55 grain twist, and the 62 grain bullets love it too. 65s do just fine. It will do decent with weights up to 70. Some guys get good performance on 77 grain, but that isn’t reliable, it is more of an individual rifle issue.
3. 1:7 and 1:6.5 will handle up to 90 grain, and 1:6.5 up to 100 gr (if anyone even makes those anymore).1:7 the lightest you want to go is 62 grain.
Also, the military doesn’t have any secret barrel strenghtening technology, they simply have the right twist for their grain. Any barrel can get trashed in much less than 10,000 if you shoot too fast for the barrel to cool off. If you get a heavier bull barrel, you will actually have a barrel that will last longer and heat slower than what the military uses. The military has to balance many factors, including something strong enough for long use, but light enough for easy carry.
For varmints the only rounds my guys and I use are “Nosler Ballistic Tips 55 grain” They’ll explode the squirrel and they shrap up instantly after impact to insure the safest bullet in field that houses surround… Still be careful****
All else being equal, the 55 grain load will shoot flatter and expand better. It will also shoot more accurately in most rifles since they usually have a relatively slow twist for lighter bullets. This is because the .223 is generally used on varmints and not larger game, so they are designed with 40-55 grain bullets in mind. However, some rifles, especially some of the AR’s have fast twist barrels for bullets as heavy as 75 grains. In one of these the 65 grain bullets could very likely be more accurate. That being said, until you actually try it in your rifle, you won’t know for sure which will be more accurate.
W W D – hit the nail on the head.
Either one is fine, because we are only talking about a 10 grain difference between them.* Not even worth considering.*
This depends on the twist of your barrel. 1:12 will handle up to 60gr (at 60gr that is pushing the ragged edge). You are going to need a 1:9″ twist to stabilize the longer heavier 65gr bullet. If you have an AR rifle you would be ok with the 65gr bullet. If you have a bolt action more than likely you are going to need the 55gr. Some bolt actions come in a 1:9″ twist.
I myself shoot nothing but Hornady 50gr V-max or 53gr HP Match in my 223. (Remington 700VLS 6-18x40mm scope).
Your 55gr is the standard varmint bullet. These will produce the coveted red mist out to 250 yards on smaller animals. thoese 65gr will creat a lot of red mist as well.
Accuracy is going to depend on you your rifle and your condition. My rifle will shoot my handloads into .4″ 5 shot 100 yard groups. The factory ammo I tried (Hornady) would shoot .8″ groups. That to me is accuracy poor enough for me to get rid of the gun.
Look it up, this is Federal’s ballistics search.
Stick with 55 grain. It’s a good weight to get the job done and will still be fast yet handle wind better than a forty grain bullet. It will drop less than plus 60 grain bullet.