Hey guys~I've had my pet load for my .223 sorted out for a long time (53 gr. V-Max) but having spent a summer with a .204R, I've always been curious about ramping-up the speed of my 223 using lighter bullets. Without question, one of the most dramatic varmint hunting impact shots (groundhogs) was one I clipped with a 32gr. V-Max in the cheek. Got me thinking light/fast is worth exploring with my 223 and hey~Canadian winters are long. 
The lightest V-Max bullets are stumpy affairs without a great BC, but, the non-lead core of the NTX allows for a better BC/longer bullet, etc. Worth a try anyway.
My 20" barreled .223 will be a limiting factor, but, I'm prepared to play around with faster powders and see if I can maintain a similar level of accuracy. I have my doubts, but again...I want to know.
Question is this~have any of you played around with these 35gr. NTX? What twist is your barrel and how did they shoot? If it's a 20" 1:9"....I REALLY want to hear from you! I've combed through the Hodgdon data and know about where I need to be...but...do any of you have the latest Hornady manual? Do they list the 35gr. NTX? They load ammo using this bullet (Superperformance) that claims a 4,000 fps velocity, but the Hodgdon data tops-out around 3,800 fps.
The lightest V-Max bullets are stumpy affairs without a great BC, but, the non-lead core of the NTX allows for a better BC/longer bullet, etc. Worth a try anyway.My 20" barreled .223 will be a limiting factor, but, I'm prepared to play around with faster powders and see if I can maintain a similar level of accuracy. I have my doubts, but again...I want to know.
Question is this~have any of you played around with these 35gr. NTX? What twist is your barrel and how did they shoot? If it's a 20" 1:9"....I REALLY want to hear from you!
I've combed through the Hodgdon data and know about where I need to be...but...do any of you have the latest Hornady manual? Do they list the 35gr. NTX? They load ammo using this bullet (Superperformance) that claims a 4,000 fps velocity, but the Hodgdon data tops-out around 3,800 fps.
