Looking for a good load (bullet/powder combination mainly) for a SPS Tactical AAC 1/10 twist. Trying to find a 200-300 yard varmint round- mainly for coyote hunting. A couple factory loads shooting 2+" at 100 yards, but a couple of reloads we got 1" groups. Never loaded 223 much for accuracy, so looking for some bullet/powder combos in the 55 grain area to play with to try to get sub MOA.

I have fount 55 grain hornady v-max to shoot and shoot well in nearly every 223 I have ever shot.

Chevy, you dead on that one
Love the v-max/varget combo
200 yd tack driver with this load

This is one of the bullets we got 1" groups with. Was hoping to get something a little better.

Any flat base hollow point bullet should shoot very very well.

I've shot a few coyotes with the 40 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip and it just destroyed em. I load them over H335 and get very nice groups. As for 55 grainers, I'll suggest the Nosler BT or the Sierra GK over Varget or IMR4064 or R15. Just choose your bullet, get a well matched powder and start testing loads. And, a little heavier bullet that seems to shoot great in any rifle I've tried it in is the Sierra 63 flatbase SMP.

I've had good results with 55 gr V Max in front of IMR4198

same thing here with the 60 grain vmax also.
I am running 23 gr of IMR 8208 XBR behind that 60 gr vmax and have gotten results as good as under .5 inches in my 20 inch upper

the 53 grain v-max and 60gr partition

75 grain Scirocco probably wont stabilize in 1:10 twist

Sounds like an awful pricey coyote round anyhow.

X2
I use 52 gr sierra HPs on varmints in the .223. Took a coyote last week w cheap 45 gr in my Hornet.

My brother shot a yote last weekend with our 60 grain nosler partition deer loads... it stung a little especially when he had a 22 mag pretty handy, but a dead yote is a dead yote if he would have shot every bullet I had and killed one with it I suppose I'd be happy.

Anyone use these - Dogtowns (by Nosler) via Midway?



Have been tinkering around with these some. No serious load just yet.

You chronographed that load by any chance - just curious what that is running at.

I tried them in an AR and 5R, still have a half box I don't need. Very thin jacket. Admittedly both were 1:9 twist.

I'm pretty fond of the Nosler 55g ballistic tip and Varget, with 205M primers.

I've had very good results using H4895 pushing 60-grain Partitions. It's not a cheap bullet but it's not that expensive. My AR likes my load.

I load 50 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips and 25.0 grains of Benchmark powder with Remongton Benchmark primers. I'm very pleased with the performance out of an AR and the round simply drops coyotes dead

I like 50 or 55 gr nosler ballistic tips. I'm using imr 4198. But when it's gone ill work up something else.

My favorite PD load features the 50 gr NBT as well, but fueled with H335. I've shot 2 or 3 coyotes with it...all DRT.

Have been messing around with some Ramshot powders, using barrel with a .223 throat leade. Those have a pretty good boom to'em. Haven't tried XBR with them yet. Any particular reason why you dropped using those bullets?

I saw better groups with heavier bullets in both rifles. I pulled a few of the dogtown bullets I decided not to shoot to retrieve them for later use and the bullet puller put a noticeable crease around the diameter of the bullet. So, I decided not to continue to use them. Your experience may vary. If you have a better experience with them, I would certainly continue to use them.

I've had good luck with the nosler hunting ballistic tips as the varmint ballistic tips are to thin of jacketed. Lost several coyotes with them. Hard to beat those hornady v maxes for coyotes! All I shot was the 55 grains.

*OUCH* - kinetic hammer time with those sort of thin ones


I haven't doodled around much with those bullets - messed around with Ramshot powders so far just to find the pressure points and back off from there. No chrono or accuracy testing so far. Two years ago during the drought we were having something akin to banzai charges of skunks, but that had run its course by the time I rushed this load into the field, so I haven't blasted anything with them just yet. Going by the comments up thread these are no doubt suited for little varmits and nothing coyote-sized anyway. Have some faster .224 calibers around but am not sure if the thin jacket would permit such use - probably end up blowing up in midair like an HE AAA round.