spsx limits

[351 power]

bought some 50g. hornady spsx to load in .223. my load will give around 3000 fps from a 1 in 9" twist barrel. have heard they may not hold together in this application. any experience out there that is similar?

[rbergum95]

i have had problems with them in fast twist barrels at the velocities you indicated. i had them come apart at 3000 fps in a 1:9 .223, but i have also run them at 3700 in a .22-250 1:14 twist with no problems. the only way to know if your gun will handle them is to shoot them.

[Larry Gibson]

You might get away with just 3000 fps, only way to know is to try them.  Your 9" twist at 3000 fps cranks 240,000 RPM, a 12 " twist cranks 180,000 RPM and a 14" twist cranks 154,000 RPM.  See where the centrifugal force of the 9" twist just might spin the bullet apart?  Usually there is a little slip of paper in the bullet box that gives a maximum fps for the bullets and it is based on a 14" twist. If they leave a gray steak 'tace" behind them to the target then you're pushing them too fast. Obviously if they explode into a little gray "puff about 25-40 yards from the muzzle they are being pushed too hard.....only one way to know with your rifle.  BTW I still consider the 55 gr SPSX as "THE" bullet for use in a 12 or 14" twist .223 regardless of the current cost twice as much plastic tip bullets.  The 55 SPSX is every bit as accurate and as deadly if not deadlier on varmints.

Larry Gibson

[LaOtto222]

The super explosive bullets that Hornady makes are accurate bullets. They make the 45 grain Hornet, 50 SPSX and the 55 SPSX. If you can keep them together before they hit the target, they ARE explosive. I have found them to be generally accurate too. They used to be real cheap, not so much now. I have shot a lot of the 50 SPSX in a 1-14" twist 222 and they were the most accurate bullet I could find for it and they sure did a number on any thing I hit with them. The 45 grain Hornet was a close second. I even "red misted" a woodchuck hit in the head at 100 yards with a 50 SPSX. They say they are good up to 3500 fps and they were specifically designed for the 222 to get the same explosive results as heavier built bullets out of a 22-250. They have been around much longer than the V-Max bullets. 3000 fps in a 1-9" twist may be pushing them a little too much. Load up a couple and try them out to be sure. I have found the Hornady 50 grain V-Max in my 1-14" twist 223 to be very accurate. I also have a 1 - 9" twist and a 1 - 12" twist 223 guns and the 1 - 14" is the most accurate of the bunch with 45 - 55 grain bullets of course.

[351 power]

thanks for the replies. i tried them on weds nite and got great groups. my load says 3018 fps in the lee guide. chances are my actual speed is lower. the club has a chrono but i've never tried it. if there was a problem would they still make it to the 100 yd target? i didn't see any gray streak in the air

[LaOtto222]

If there was a problem, you would not find any target hits. They will perform very well for you. You will be surprised at how explosive they will be on critters. I was shooting them out of a 222 at about 2900 fps and they would blow up any thing. When I got out to 250 yards, they would go straight through, but any thing this side of 200,  they would literally blow up. Good Luck and good shooting.

[351 power]

LaOtto, thanks again. 200 yds would be about my limit to shoot. so that's perfect.