varmint bullets

[stephentri]

hi could any one recommend a bullet that is equivalent to the 75 grain a-max .224 for vermin shooting,as at times they are hard to get, will any of the other target bullets of around the same weight expand as well as the a-max.

 

thanks stephen

[pork chop]

i'm about to try the 60 vmax ,never used a target bullet for hunting may be ok for smaller vermin but not so much for fox

[onehole]

Only the new Sierra tipped match kings may come close to what your looking for Stephen,,,,when they ever turn up on our shores,,,,,,,presume your needy of longer range performance,60grain Vmax perhaps,,,other target bullets will just drill holes definitely not humane at all,,,,I regret trying,,never again,,,,,,,,,O

[gbal]

Varminters on here will pass on their actual shooting experiences. The 80g Amax might be close in performance to the 75A max,though unlikely to be more available.

PC's suggestion -the 60 Vmax-is sound,as would be the 55Vmax,though fox might be getting a tad big for these to be absolutely reliable.Remember these are US bullets,and Vmax are designed for their smaller varmints-coyote are getting transitional....fox....?

The Amax is pretty much a one off design-never promoted by Hornady as a game bullet,but it's design has a thin jacket,very wide hollow point beneath the plastic tip,and very soft lead core,all features that are consistent with effective performance on suitably sized critters. Amax are however,exceptional in their design,and you should not assume any other essentially target bullet will perform in a comparable way.

For small UK vermin,there are suitable varmint bullets from all the major manufacturers,often rather lighter in 224,but well tested-be advised by the practical advice on here.

Lack of convenient availability should not compromise your choice.

 

gbal

[Paddy_SP]

Why do you want such a heavy bullet?

[gbal]

From the very limited Sierra information on the 'new TMK' bullets,it does not hold a lot of promise that they will be much different from the untipped.The addition of the green ballistic tip does reduce drag,and therefore increases BC,along with the slightly modified ogives. Sierra say the green tip is smaller than the current untipped meplet-but that is a drag issue-there is no clear suggestion of a different meplet,rather the same meplet underneath the tip. So terminal performance won't be much different on that factor.

Velocity?...Well, the 77TMK has a BC of.420,which equals that of the untipped 80g HPBTMK-so "it is a lighter projectile that can be pushed faster.Big news for 223 and 22/250 shooters".Well,3g lighter doesn't seem like a "big deal' to me in possible fps,but they will be a tad faster....but of little help if the bullet construction isn't right.Target gains,yes.Varminting.....??

 

On Paddy's point-for 250 y work,there are options-always have been,and the soft point/Varminter/spitzer have been effective-often in the 50-55g weights. The heavier bullets are used to increase range (better BC) IF they can perform terminally,and the A max is one of the very few which has been accepted.Avoid the very light 'explosive' bullets for anything other than corvids,and don't push the range.You will,of course need FAC authorisation for any 'expanding missiles'.

 

gbal

[onehole]

From the very limited Sierra information on the 'new TMK' bullets,it does not hold a lot of promise that they will be much different from the untipped.The addition of the green ballistic tip does reduce drag,and therefore increases BC,along with the slightly modified ogives. Sierra say the green tip is smaller than the current untipped meplet-but that is a drag issue-there is no clear suggestion of a different meplet,rather the same meplet underneath the tip. So terminal performance won't be much different on that factor.

Velocity?...Well, the 77TMK has a BC of.420,which equals that of the untipped 80g HPBTMK-so "it is a lighter projectile that can be pushed faster.Big news for 223 and 22/250 shooters".Well,3g lighter doesn't seem like a "big deal' to me in possible fps,but they will be a tad faster....but of little help if the bullet construction isn't right.Target gains,yes.Varminting.....??

 

On Paddy's point-for 250 y work,there are options-always have been,and the soft point/Varminter/spitzer have been effective-often in the 50-55g weights. The heavier bullets are used to increase range (better BC) IF they can perform terminally,and the A max is one of the very few which has been accepted.Avoid the very light 'explosive' bullets for anything other than corvids,and don't push the range.You will,of course need FAC authorisation for any 'expanding missiles'.

 

gbal

George arn,t sierra talking about the "very" tip of the tip if you know what I mean?,,,,I,m hoping that the whole of the green tip is similar to "Hornadys" V and A max tips ie they are inserted into a gaping great metplat aiding with expansion when the tip is forced into and helping to rip open the jacket on impact,,,,?,,,,regds ...O

[stephentri]

It's a pity that no one makes a true vermint bullet in. 224 in the 70 to 80 grain weight with a high BC like the amax

[onehole]

It's a pity that no one makes a true vermint bullet in. 224 in the 70 to 80 grain weight with a high BC like the amax

Yea we have the same problem to some degree in 6mm. only high BC is the 105 Amax which is a "target" bullet,,haha! A 95g highBC Vmax would be nice,,,,perhaps Sierra would "tip" there 95grain match king for us,,,,mmmmmmmm,,,,,O

[gbal]

'O'- that would be nice for varminters,less so for Game kings! I was less than clear,just quoting Sierra,who comment on the 'reduced tip' wrt to drag,exactly as you say;I meant there was no follow up about any "new meplet' size underneath,only a tweaked ogive. BUt it was very brief,and non mention at this stage does not mean it won't happen.

Big meplet,thin jacket and soft core .....well maybe,but we may only get a better target bullet (the green tips seem focussed on 'target' favourites at the moment-77 and 80g 224,and some 308.

No 6mm heavy to remind these hot 224s what they can't do.... :-) (shoot 25 yards closer to 6mm)

 

Maybe some nice CSR shooter with a few hundred 'samples' will sacrifice one 77/80 green tip,to see what's underneath. Could be a market for 'em. And it will still be accurate enough 'sans tip' for..'government plinking",just as the old ones were/are. :-)

 

gbal

[Murph]

It's a pity that no one makes a true vermint bullet in. 224 in the 70 to 80 grain weight with a high BC like the amax

Try the hornady 75gr bthp for a surprise. These are my go to bullets for any shooting over 400 yards. These are the hardest hitting rounds I've used in my rifle to date. On foxes they usually leave no exit hole at all!. Very devastating round with a bc that's up there with the amax and they shoot very well in a 1-9 twist unlike the amax.

[Murph]

It's a pity that no one makes a true vermint bullet in. 224 in the 70 to 80 grain weight with a high BC like the amax

Try the hornady 75gr bthp for a surprise. These are my go to bullets for any shooting over 400 yards. These are the hardest hitting rounds I've used in my rifle to date. On foxes they usually leave no exit hole at all!. Very devastating round with a bc that's up there with the amax and they shoot very well in a 1-9 twist unlike the amax.

 

Forgot to say the bc on these is .395 vs .435 I believe for the amax. So not really that much in it. I've used 53gr vmax on rabbits to 670 yards and it was like hitting them with a 22lr. With the 75s they left a hole the size of your fist.

[CZ Varminter]

Nowt wrong with my 55gr SBK in .224. Shoot,on steel and vermin off al,description outmtomrange of 450 easily does the job, this rifle has now in recent months become my dedicated so no need for the range but still on same load.

 

Not read much about these new tmk bullets. Stick with what works.

[Alycidon]

For vermin shooting anything will do the job. I assume looking for a heavy weight bullet for the caliber you have a fast twist but my own experience driving lighter bullets in twists which are a bit to fast usually work well especially on feathered stuff where the extra rotational speed will mean the bullet letting go pretty well.

 

Interestingly I went to my normal bullet supplier this week to stock up and they only has 2 of the 5 bullets I was needing for various calibers.

 

A

[Brad Y]

Gents

 

I used the nosler 69gr custom competition bullet in a 22BRX 10 twist here in Aus on kangaroos and foxes. Results were quite devastating. I believe these bullets have a fairly thin jacket compared to other match bullets. While I wouldnt call them explosive live a vmax, ballistic tip, or blitzking- they did very well. I did have the odd pass through on body shots on foxes and that purely was my fault for the bad shot. When put into the chest or head it was game over instantly. Remember though, this was at 3400fps, so results might be different in a 223 at slower velocity.

 

This is whats left of one after shooting through a big jug of water.

 

And this is whats left of one shooting into a compressed pile of rags and wrapped in duct tape

 

Some of the damage and fragmentation of the recovered material inside