Who do you feel makes the most accurate varmint bullets?

[DalesCarpentry]

Who do you feel makes the most accurate varmint bullets? I know any rifle I have ever owned has shot better with Hornady V-Max and that is why I have gone with them in my 22-250. Now keep in mind I don't care if they are even the most expensive bullets on the market if you feel they are more accurate than any other tell me. I think Sierra claims to have won more matches with their bullets than any other company. I have to admit though I would have a hard time trying any other bullet just because Hornady has been so good in all my rifles. So tell me who do you think makes the most accurate varmint bullets? Thanks and take care Dale

[Graybeard]

Prolly Berger but then they are double the price of most of the rest. In reality your rifle is not up to the task of shooting better than Nosler BTs or Hornady V-Max are capable of.

Unless you go to a full custom bench rest rifle I doubt Bergers will shoot any better than BTs and V-Max. I generally start and stop with those two in my factory rifles. Sure Sierra makes accurate bullets as well but as good as they are I've never seen any improvement with them vs. BTs and V-Max. All are up to the job and it really depends on what your rifle prefers not which is a better bullet as all are capable of one hole groups if your rifle is.

You are shooting at huge elephant size ground hogs as compared to the prairie dogs and smaller that many shoot at. A ground hog's head is as big a target as a prairie dog is and I've shot them out to around 500 yards. Shooting at a ground hog is almost like big game hunting in comparison.

While the quest for super accuracy is a noble one it is also a bit of a foolish one in my opinion when using a factory rifle. My Remington rifles have always proven to be very accurate but they aren't bench rest guns and don't shoot like one. A full on custom bench rest gun has to put ten shots into the 0.1's to be competitive. That ain't ever gonna happen with a stock factory rifle like you and I both have.

Now mine just like yours can get down around a quarter inch at times for five shots but more often it will be closer to a half inch than a quarter and that's for five shots which to me is the standard I use on any varmint rifle. As I said I've taken PDs out to around 500 with it and unless the wind is blowing hard a 400 yard shot is not at all difficult with it.

[DalesCarpentry]

Wow I would never think of shooting groups in the .01's. I did shoot the best group of my whole life at 100 yards with my Marlin 17 HMR though. It only happened once but I shot a one hole group that measure 1/8" center to center. I may indeed try some of those Nosler BT's some day. I am just having a lot of fun right now loading and shooting the ammo I have rolled on my own. I really don't think I will be buying anymore factory ammo ever again unless I pick up a new rifle then I would buy some factory stuff just for the brass. Thanks and take care Dale

[necchi]

Well said GB,
 I like Noslers, but I try Hornady and Sierra too. Like Bill said it's what your gun likes, and not really what the guy buyin'm likes. And different bullets have different jobs. I guess I use Hornady that have a similar build as a Nosler I intend to use, then dial those in so I can have a closer "range" to work up the more expensive Noslers, I experiment with ALOT of different bullets. It's just fun to see what I can get them to do.
 I see alot of guy's at the range, I always wonder around while gun's are cooling and visit with folks if they'er up too it.  Sat down next to a feller with a full custom BR gun, it was a 22-250 AI, and he was shooting 40grn V-max, "too see if they hold together", . He was pushing them at 4100, . An sure enough when he went down I followed and you could see little schrapnel holes scattered randomly around his paper, some of them indeed where breaking up near 200. He wasn't suprised, and did say Bergers where his favored bullet. I was surprised when he said he likes them for hunting too.

You can read reviews by users/loaders on just about everything here;
http://www.reloadersnest.com/bullet_review.asp

[LaOtto222]

Every gun seems to like some thing different. But over all, I like the Hornady V-Max the best. They seem to shoot well in every gun I have with one exception. Maybe not the best, but well. Many of the benchrest folks shoot a flat based bullet for top accuracy. I like the Hornady V-Max because of price, relatively high BC, explosiveness, and decent accuracy. I try to keep plenty of the 50 and 40 grain bullets on hand. I have a smattering of other bullets to try out that include Speer and Sierra bullets of varying weights, but I usually come back to the Hornady bullets. The only other bullet that I keep large numbers on are the MidSouth Varmint Nightmare in both 36 and 50 grain varieties. They seem to shoot well also and are inexpensive. The 50 grain seems to be heavier constructed than the V-Max bullets. They shoot well, but have a lower BC and do not explode like a V-Max. I do get good accuracy out of them and they are about as cheap as you can buy. The 36 grain has become my favorite bullet for the 22 Hornet and 22 K Hornet. I have found there are compromises to be made, unless you do not make them like the benchrest crowd. Getting decent accuracy (.4 - .6 MOA), shooting cheap and quick kills have a high priority for me.

[Stape]

I echo the thoughts of others in that if your rifle isn't a custom rig, bullet differences are minimal. But.....that doesn't mean that they don't make a difference.  If cost were not an issue, I'd use only bergers, I get my best groups and best consistency using them across the board with all but one of my .223 cal rifles.  One rifle in particular, a Rem 700 VLS, absolutely loves Sierra # 1310's, they're just an inexpensive value varmint bullet, 45gr, flat based spitzer, nothing special at all, but those bullets shoot leaps and bounds better than any other bullet I've tried, I'm talking .4-.5 with minimal effort and usually .2's and such with careful loading, selected brass, every round trickled up and mic'd.  Sure it's a moot point for those differences and the dogs don't seem to tell the difference, just something else to keep busy, idle hands and all.  I see on here that many folks speak highly of Nosler, I've never cared for them, I don't know why but I can't get them to shoot as good as other bullets in any rifle or pistol I own, really not even close. I'm not bashing on them, got nothing against em, just been my experience, plus they're expensive as compared to Hornady and Sierra.

[Hairtrigger]

You don't hear much about them but more and more I am switching to Calhoun bullets

[the jigger]

I have four varmint weight rifles; two like V-Max and two like Sierra. One is a custom dedicated to Prairie dogs.
It shoots V-Max's very well. It did not like anything Sierra. I have never tried Bergers.
As several others have said ,the rifle makes the choice.
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!!!!

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Dale, the guys have pretty well covered it.. for varmit shooting I use mostly Serria Blitzking, because I have more of those...before  I retired, I bought up thousands of bullets, and a bunch of powder, so I have been slow to try newer products...did try Bergers, and some Calhoons. but for my shooting nothing beats Serria or Hornady...I bought several thousand Vmax in 40 and 50 grain....they are excellent also...my Swift loves them...so it is a matter of what your gun shoots best...developing super accurate loads can become a goal in its self....I had a friend who shot out his first .220 Swift just shooting groups...what can be achieved with good loads is amazing...I saw this guy tape a penny to a 100 yard target and shoot the head off of image...that is what he said he would do, and he did it..this was 40 years ago...He shot 53 grain Serria benchrest hollowpoints in that old 22-250...I would say for varmiting, Serria or Horn. plastic tips will be excellent..Noslers are good I have several thousand of those, but either of the two first mentioned have been my go to bullets since they first hit the market...

[myarmor]

For shooting long range I LOVE my Matchkings, but for my Varmint needs I usually load up V-Max's. I haven't tried the Blitzkings yet though... Seirra is a great company and I will always buy there bullets when it comes to real serious shooting. Great thing is they are awesome to work with and will talk to you as long as you have questions. If you haven't talked to them yet Dale, give them a call.




-Aaron

[Autorim]

I generally only shoot Sierra or Nosler bullets. I have been shooting them since about 1963 and they both give me such consistent good accuracy and performance that I have never felt the need to try any other brand.

I think that most manufacturer's now make bullets that will shoot very well.

[Lloyd Smale]

if you would have asked me 10 years ago i would have said sierras hands down and they still win a good percentage of competitions. But lately id have to say ive had even better luck with nos ballistic tips and even more with vmaxs. The 22250 really shines with the 60 vmax. It bucks wind well is still plenty flat shooting and hits like a ton of bricks.

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Lloyd,  This is one I have not used much, but my coyote hunting pal loves this in his .22-250's for c. dogs....as you said it is accurate and hits hard....his .22-250's are the std. 1-14 twist...and the bullet shoots fine...

[DalesCarpentry]

Lloyd,  This is one I have not used much, but my coyote hunting pal loves this in his .22-250's for c. dogs....as you said it is accurate and hits hard....his .22-250's are the std. 1-14 twist...and the bullet shoots fine...

According to Hornady the 60 grain V-Max will not stabilize in a 1 in 14" twist barrel. I have also heard of others saying they shoot fine in their 1 in 14" twist barrels. I would not mind giving them a try to see if they shoot out of mine but I am not going to buy a box of 100 to shoot 5 bullets that may or may not stabilize. Anyone out there want to sell me five 60 grain V-Max bullets to see if they shoot out of my rifle? Thanks and take care Dale

[PowPow]

I agree with not buying 100 bullets to shoot 5 and find out they are not any good.

What would be cool is a "cookie swap" of .224 bullets: you ante up with what you have, and get a sample of what others have.
I traded some brass for a smorgasbord of 30 cal bullets; hada good time loaded them up and trying them in my 30-30 and 30-06.
Found some were interesting and some weren't.

[Hairtrigger]

I don't think 5 is enough to tell if a bullet is liked by a barrel.
5 bullets for each 3 or 4 kinds of powder maybe

[DalesCarpentry]

I don't think 5 is enough to tell if a bullet is liked by a barrel.
5 bullets for each 3 or 4 kinds of powder maybe

I would think 5 would be enough to see if they stablize. You should really be able to tell if they are key holing after the first shot or two. Don't you think? Thanks and take care Dale

[PowPow]

It only took me one to see keyholing at 25 yds.
It was a 65 gr SIE GK, marked for 1:9, out of a 1:14, so I was looking for it.
Probably would not have hit the paper at 100.

[myarmor]

Like I said Dale give Sierra a call when you have a few extra min. I love talkng to these guys...
http://www.sierrabullets.com/index.cfm?section=techservice

[huntducks]

I like anything that cost the least and will shoot MOA or less out of my 22-250 there are way to many variables in the field shooting at P-dogs or GS to worry about a 1/2" in a 30 mph wind.

My two 22-250 will shoot both 50gr NBT or V-max about the same using H-380 and the sage rats don't seem to know the diff dead is dead.

I will say this about 4-5 years ago when Midsouth came out with there 34gr HP nightmare extream I bought 5000 for dirt cheap 2 weeks ago was my first time using them hot damn do they turn P-dogs inside out and they shoot very well and every afternoon was a 20-30-mph wind, so you might want to try the Midsouth bullets I wish I would have bought more now.

In the morning lite wind I shot my 17-250 using 20gr Berger bullets this gun is a custom built on a 40x action and will shoot 1/4" to 3/8" groups on a lite wind day.


2-picture is 17-250 and one of my favorites is circle shot with 22-250 and 50gr NBT reminds me of the old cowboy art done with a 22         

[DalesCarpentry]

I like anything that cost the least and will shoot MOA or less out of my 22-250 there are way to many variables in the field shooting at P-dogs or GS to worry about a 1/2" in a 30 mph wind.

My two 22-250 will shoot both 50gr NBT or V-max about the same using H-380 and the sage rats don't seem to know the diff dead is dead.

I will say this about 4-5 years ago when Midsouth came out with there 34gr HP nightmare extream I bought 5000 for dirt cheap 2 weeks ago was my first time using them hot damn do they turn P-dogs inside out and they shoot very well and every afternoon was a 20-30-mph wind, so you might want to try the Midsouth bullets I wish I would have bought more now.

In the morning lite wind I shot my 17-250 using 20gr Berger bullets this gun is a custom built on a 40x action and will shoot 1/4" to 3/8" groups on a lite wind day.


2-picture is 17-250 and one of my favorites is circle shot with 22-250 and 50gr NBT reminds me of the old cowboy art done with a 22         

Wow!!!!! That 17-250 must be blistering fast. What kind of speed do you get out of it? I bet the barrel won't last long on that one. Thanks and take care Dale

[huntducks]

Dale

I load it right at 3900-4000 fps I have cranked it up to 4600+fps, hey when the barrel goes i'll put another one on.

I bought the rifle used from a friend 20 yrs ago and it came with a 5lb coffee can filled with Berger bullets i'm about 1/3 way thru the can the wind does play heck with it but it's fun to shoot and super accurate.

You really need to try the Midsouth bullets.

[Bubber]

I shoot a Savage 12vlss in 22-250. Not a high end rifle by any strech of the imagination. Because I live in the same town as the Nosler plant I have shot and will continue to shoot Nosler's products in everything I own. They shoot well and I like thier preformance. But really it comes down to it being a home town thing.

That being said, the one load that really shines in that rifle uses imr4320 and Sierra 53 gr HP. Right now I could take it and put 5 rounds into one oblong hole at 100yds. The rifle just likes it.

With all the vodoo and black magic that goes into making a rifle shoot very small groups, I really doubt that 90% of people could say one bullet is more accurate than any other. Besides, when someone tells me a story like what I just told all of you I seldom put much faith in it untill I can see it. The web is so full hot air, bullcrap, and fan boys, that I won't trust any one thing I read.

[Lloyd Smale]

dale pm me your address and put in the pm what this is about and ill send you a few. The slowest twist ive tried them in is 1-12. Theyve been accurate on paper out to 300 yards in that gun. Just keep in mind that velocity is your friend when trying to shoot heavys in a slow twist.

[eye shot]

 My .17 Rem. likes the 25gr. Rem. HP the best and the Hornadys a very close second.