What high BC bullet for a Howa 1500 1:9 twist 223

[Nun_hunter]

As the title suggests can anyone recommend a good target bullet with decent BC (suitable for 500m) to reload for my heavy barrel Howa 1500 223 with a 1:9 twist. 

[Pat Allen]

Mine shoots well with Sierra match kings in 69g out to 500 yd. I’m not pushing that fast either. Personally think that with weight of projectiles in 223 high BC is not worth chasing but consistent performance  is better. But it’s personal choice .👍

[Nun_hunter]

21 minutes ago, Pat Allen said:

Mine shoots well with Sierra match kings in 69g out to 500 yd. I’m not pushing that fast either. Personally think that with weight of projectiles in 223 high BC is not worth chasing but consistent performance  is better. But it’s personal choice .👍

You are right, I'm currently getting through a load of 50grain Z-Max which are great and cheap but thinking ahead to when I get near the end of them.

[Pat Allen]

I have same rifle and 69g mk’s shoot really well. I use Bergers in all my other rifles but found that they shoot well enough to be consistent. Being able to read the wind and conditions will still beat any higher BC bullets in 223. You could push 70g plus heads but find that 69g is on the limit for 1:9 twists. I must say I’ve not tried many others and no doubt there are others who have good results with other brands. I do load mine for single shots so if you want mag feed then some load dev may show them not to be as good as others. 

[Dellboy]

not reloads but ive got the same rifle and it performs well with 77grain GGG MATCH . Had it out to 600 yards

[Pat Allen]

3 hours ago, Nun_hunter said:

As the title suggests can anyone recommend a good target bullet with decent BC (suitable for 500m) to reload for my heavy barrel Howa 1500 223 with a 1:9 twist. 

It depends also what performance your looking for ? If your shooting TR size targets then it’s very do-able . If it’s f class size then that’s a different story. So be realistic in what you want from a 223 factory rifle. 👍

[L B Jefferies]

My 223 9" twist likes the Berger 70gr VLD (g1 .371,  g7 .190). They seemed to be about the best BC that a 9" twist could handle when I was developing loads.

They have a reputation for being finicky regarding seating depth, but they shot well with no tweaking at all. I did use a seating stem suited to VLD bullets though.

[Charlts]

69gr TMK’s over N135 have worked great in every factory 1:9 twist Howa I’ve tried them in.

[Catch-22]

11 hours ago, L B Jefferies said:

My 223 9" twist likes the Berger 70gr VLD (g1 .371,  g7 .190). They seemed to be about the best BC that a 9" twist could handle when I was developing loads.

They have a reputation for being finicky regarding seating depth, but they shot well with no tweaking at all. I did use a seating stem suited to VLD bullets though.

I’ve always found the VLDs do exceptionally well when jumping them a huge amount...like Grand Canyon sized jump. I think lots of people get issues or call them finicky because they try and seat them near the lands. VLDs have a very small bearing surface, much shorter than most bullets, so seating long (to reach the lands) means there’s less bearing surface in the case neck...so poor alignment with the bore. Jump them and they shine. 

[Gungrinner]

Good advice for Berger on their vld's

https://bergerbullets.com/vld-making-shoot/

[Scrumbag]

I’m going through a similar conundrum. Looking for a longer range 223 load for my 1:9 CZ527.

someone did suggest the 60gr Sierra Tipped Match King as an option.

quite a good BC and should stabilise

Scrummy

[Nun_hunter]

Thanks for all the posts. I've loaded some 69grain TMKs for a ladder test, I'm just waiting for the weather to improve enough to do any testing.

[Scrumbag]

Hi Num_hunter,

What bullet length are you using? I couldn't the 69gr TMK to stabilise using the Berger Bullets calculator

Best wishes,

Scrummy

[ontoproofer]

75grain hornady eld's can hit the 1000 yard at eskdalemuir 

 

[Nun_hunter]

On 1/16/2021 at 10:09 AM, Scrumbag said:

Hi Num_hunter,

What bullet length are you using? I couldn't the 69gr TMK to stabilise using the Berger Bullets calculator

Best wishes,

Scrummy

I've not measured them yet. Once I get to test them and load more I shall let you know. 

[Scrumbag]

1 minute ago, Nun_hunter said:

I've not measured them yet. Once I get to test them and load more I shall let you know. 

Cheers.

I like the 160gr TMK in my 7x64 a lot (shot some of my best ever 600yd shooting with that).

Just didn't want to take the chance on the 69gr TMKs given how low the stability looked using the Berger stability calc.

Scrummy

[Nun_hunter]

23 minutes ago, Scrumbag said:

Cheers.

I like the 160gr TMK in my 7x64 a lot (shot some of my best ever 600yd shooting with that).

Just didn't want to take the chance on the 69gr TMKs given how low the stability looked using the Berger stability calc.

Scrummy

From reading the Sierra blurb it states a 1:9 twist is needed so it should be fine in the Howa and plenty of people have found it good. Saying that the PPU 69g HPBT would only group about 2moa in my rifle and a friend's CZ527.

[Scrumbag]

My 527 only shot the 69gr GGG (SMK) so-so when I tried it

[petesv]

sierra 69 mk shot very well in my howa out to 600yds 9x1 twist.

[Dr. Strangelove]

It’s been a while - any update on performance? 

[Nun_hunter]

8 hours ago, Dr. Strangelove said:

It’s been a while - any update on performance? 

I settled on the Sierra 69 grain TMK over RS40 with an OAL of 59mm (which is 1mm off the lands in my rifle) and last testing was giving 22mm group at 150m. 

It's frustrating now that nowhere has any of those bullets in stock though🤦🏻‍♂️

[Scrumbag]

20 minutes ago, Nun_hunter said:

I settled on the Sierra 69 grain TMK over RS40 with an OAL of 59mm (which is 1mm off the lands in my rifle) and last testing was giving 22mm group at 150m. 

It's frustrating now that nowhere has any of those bullets in stock though🤦🏻‍♂️

That's good to know, you find they stabilise OK? I'm thinking of using the 60gr TMK over X-Terminator.

Scrummy

[Nun_hunter]

5 minutes ago, Scrumbag said:

That's good to know, you find they stabilise OK? I'm thinking of using the 60gr TMK over X-Terminator.

Scrummy

I've only had the chance to shoot them at 150m so far and all seems good. I tried some factory ppu match 69 grainHP ammo and that was throwing bullets all over the place with not very good groups at all which surprised me. The same was in a friend's CZ527 too so I put it down to the ammo and not my rifle. 

[Dr. Strangelove]

2 hours ago, Nun_hunter said:

I settled on the Sierra 69 grain TMK over RS40 with an OAL of 59mm (which is 1mm off the lands in my rifle) and last testing was giving 22mm group at 150m. 

It's frustrating now that nowhere has any of those bullets in stock though🤦🏻‍♂️

Thanks, good to know!

I’m trying to get some 69 TMKs as well; none seem available even in the US!

[Nun_hunter]

Yep they certainly are hard to find at the moment everywhere that lists them is out of stock although I'm sure there are a few boxes sitting on dusty shelves somewhere!