I am getting ready to start reloading again after a break of a few years, and a new round of rifles and calibers.

I have 3 rifles I am looking to load for, all three use .224 bullets. 2 are .223 and one is 22-250.

Three Rifles are:

AR15 w/ 22" Varmint 1:10 twist (.223) (I built from parts)
Savage 25 Varmint 24" Barrel 1:9 Twist (.223) (factory original from Academy over xmas break)
Remington 700 SPS 26" Barrel 1:12 Twist (22-250) (purchased used last weekend)

All are heavy barrels.

I like to buy in bulk and prefer not to have a lot of different bullets and powders and different loads for each rifle.

What I am looking for is a good Ballistic Tip Bullet that will work in all three rifles well, keeping the best accuracy on the Remington.

Powder I am open, ideally I would like to keep the .223 loads identical for both rifles, but the 22-250 can be different powder but I do want to stick with a single bullet if I can.

MOST rounds will ultimately be used at the range (I practice with what I hunt with). Hunting will be South Texas White Tail and Javelina, and maybe if a hog comes along a hog too. Hunting rifle will be the Remington first choice and savage second. AR15 NEVER...

Hunting Ranges will be 0 to 150 yards w/ scope zero at 100 yrds and hold over for longer ranges. Target range will be 100 yards for practice, and eventually I would like to start practicing 200 and 300 yard shots. Not ever likely to take a shot at an animal at greater than 150 yards. (Age and abusing my body is catching up to me, and dragging dead weight is getting harder and harder every year.)

In my 30-06 I use Barnes BT's, I have tried the Hornady BT's factory 55gr in the Savage and didn't have the best of luck w/ 20 rounds fired. Jury is still out till this weekend though on the cause, might have been the scope/rails. I have a new Leopold on the rifle and will be taking it out this weekend to determine the accuracy issues.

Any suggestions for bullet/powder/primer combinations??? Give me a good starting load if you have one worked up. I will start about 5-10% lower than your load and work up to it obviously, but wouldn't mind knowing the rough target load.

Also any reloaders in the Plano area that also hit the local ranges and are looking for a shooting/reloading partner hit me up. I've been reloading off and on for around 15 years (more off than on), reload pistol and rifle and 12gu, still use a single stage lee press but that's changing in a couple of weeks. Finally gonna break down and buy a Rock Chucker single stage and probably gonna get a progressive press as well.

After getting my ego chewed up and handed to me over the christmas holiday I've decided it's time to get back out to the range on a regular basis and get my skills back up to parr for resposible hunting shots.

Funny how a little rassing from a future father-in-law can motivate the ego to do what it should have been doing for years.

I would nix the balistic tips and shoot nosler partitons in all 3 for deer and hogs they work great and at 150 and under will perform no worse than the BT's balisticaly.

in the 223 23 grains of benchmark and a 60 grain NP has worked wonders for me. No loading experience with the 250.

matt

Or if the 22-250 will be the main hunting rife at least in it. Im not a fan or believer of using bt varmit bullets for deer. Many prais it, you may too, just not my cup of tea.

I shoot a 700 Hvy Varmit 1in 14 twist loaded w/36.0 grains of TAC
55 grain X bullet and BR primer...Shooting all copper projectiles
the rifle must be cleaned of all fowling, copper and jacket build
up ect...I use Eliminator,Sweets 7.62, or the Barnes Product in
that order..You cannot leave Sweets in the bbl over 15 minutes..
and I use a nylon brush, not bronze as the ammonia and chemicals
will re-contaminate your bbl...I get about 3/8in to 1/4in groups
and 3810FPS on the chron w/this load...Any problems ctc Ty Herring at Barnes...Oh, you must use their reloading info or you
will never get a good load...Luck Don

I won't say that I praise the BTs or not, my first time shooting them for hunting was this past Christmas. I tend to lean towards them for the Theoretical benefits that they offer though.

In theory (at least in my thinking), they offer me a little more impact energy at longer ranges due to the better coeficiency, and higher muzzle velocities. Impact energy has never been an issue for me in the past with 30-06 and 300 wby mags being my choice hunting rounds, after this last hunting trip I was convinced to step down to 22-250 and 223 for white tails and Javelinas.

I am not too convinced that the 22 cal bullets will expand so well at higher velocities on soft tissue. I still think that they will pass through the tissue without expanding, and the lower coefficiency will cause less shock damage as they pass though. End result what should have been a kill shot being a tracking adventure.

Im not real sure what your saying with all that but I have shot several deer and my sister in law and brother have shot several deer with 223 60 grain np and it has no trouble expanding. Sister in law dropped a 100 lb doe with one shot in its tracks this past weekend around 100 yards broke onside shoulder and exited base of neck.

You are not going to have trouble getting any 224 bullet to expand at ranges within 150 yards at 22-250 velocities. Also the theoretical benefits of a Balistic tip and boat tail only come into play in long range situations, which 150 yards is not. Shoot what you like and have faith in and luck with, but there are much better options than .224 cal balistic tips for deer hunting! JMHO

matt

At the ranges you are talking about with 223 and 22-250 lack of expansion will not be your problem. Since you are looking for a bullet to shoot a lot, while not my favorites for deer and such the 64gr Winchester Powerpoint is often available in bulk sales and is better than any 55gr bullet currently available other than the Barnes offerings for use on Deer size game IMO.

One of your rifles might work with what I think is the best 22cal bullet for Deer, the 75gr Sirocco from Swift. Next best is the partition at 60gr.

I have used cup and core bullets, bonded bullets and partitions from the 22-250 and 223 over the years and the manufactures designed and are selling tougher bullets for a reason, they work better. Your milage may vary but been there done that in my youth when there were not that great of bullets for them, back when I shot the 22-250 a lot for deer the best bullet I found was the 60gr solidbase from Nosler. The partition is better than that one. The best 55gr bullet IMO is the Trophy Bonded and good luck finding that one, still do not think it is as good as the partition though.

Good luck and hope you find what you are looking for

In my experience the Speer 70 gr Round nose is the best .223 deer / hog bullet on the market. Keep the distance 150 yds or less and you will do fine, you can change it out with the Nosler partion and be just as good.

PS: Shooters pro shop has some .223 Partitions available

The Speer 70gr is another good bullet, it worked well for me but it took a whilt to find a load the 22-250 would shoot, for my Sako that was max loads before getting ok accuracy. Just my experience, yours may vary

I've loaded up a 45gr Barnes TSX with 38.0 gr of varget for my 22-250. My daughter and my wife have shot 7 deer with that load and only 1 of them has made it more than 20 feet. I have been very happy with this load for deer.

There is only one tipped option IMO for a 22250 and that's the ttsx or tsx

I don't think the 223 is fast enough to benefit from the ttsx or tsx

I agree, the 223 doesnt get them moving fast enough to get the same penetration with the lighter bullet. I shot a handful of deer and hogs with the 55 grain tsx out of a 223. While they did expand exactly as pictured, I couldnt get one to exit so I went back to the NP's.

My dad has been shooting 63g Sierra softpoints in his 22-250 since 1966

I can't tell you how many deer and hogs have died with that setup, you wouldn't believe me

Id probably believe you, shot several deer with 60 grain black hills softpoints as well. I prefer the partition and think/know from my own experience it does better. With me shooting the partition complete pass throughs are the rule not the exception. If you hit a shoulder they drop in their tracks if you lung them less than 40 yards with a good blood trail.

When I shot the 60 grain soft points they worked but I rarely got an exit.

matt