Help w/ rate of twist and bullet size.

[223 handi]

I have a .223 Ultra, that I have determined was produced in '04, S.N. NU 252XXX. Can anyone help me with the twist rate. Second, what is the rule of thumb for twist rate and bullet weight as far as accuracy. Is it 1x9 and lighter bullet or heavier bullet. 1x12 in lighter or heavier bullet. I don't reload so I'm trying to determine where to start with factory loads to acheive the best accuracy. Thanks!!

[FLNT4EVR]

Your 223 Handy is a 1 in 12 twist . T he 1 in 9 weren't in production until 05. Your rifle should do fine with bullets in the 45 to 55 grn  weights.The rule of thumb is the heaver bullets need a faster twist rate . Mine , (1 IN 12 ),even shoots the 60 grn Nosler Partitions quite well. Hope this helps.

[McLernon]

The Nosler BT in 55 gr. are long relative to a SP or PT. For a given caliber and weight of bullet the longer the bullet is, the less stable it will be. Also the colder the air the less stable the bullet will be. So a good summer recipe may be unstable under cold winter conditions. My Handi shoots the 40 gr. Vmax's best(correction).

Good shootin'

Mc

[mookster79]

I also like the nosler bt bullets the best.  the vmax bullets also worked well. anything 40 gr to 55 gr have worked  great.  I have settled on the ultramax 50 gr nosler bt rounds for cost, results and amount of ammo for a non reloader.  Blackhills reman ammo also worked well for me.   I am getting them for about $.40 a round, not sure how much cheaper i can load them for.  Good luck.

P.S. finding the right ammo for my .223 is about the most fun I have ever cutting paper with any rifle.  Enjoy

[greyling]

anybody ever used the "dogtown bullets" off midway? they sure are cheap.

[bigjeepman]

Both of my .223 Handi's liked the 50gr Nosler BT and 50gr Vmax bullets the best.