Q on .222 Rem. bullet choice

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powder monkey

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In a .222 Remington, would you use a 50 gr. Sierra Blitz or a Hornady 50 gr. spsx?Wondering if anyone has experience loading either of these bullets.I am looking for the MOST explosive kills on gophers.
 
I burned through thousands of Hornady 50g SX in my .222 Rem. They never failed to impress on varmints, and were very accurate with 0.5" groups at 100 yards.

BB
 
I'm another big fan of the Hornady 50 gr SPSX in my 222. I've shot my most accurate groups with these and they are very explosive even at modest 222 velocities.
 
50 SX and 50 Blitz both shoot bug hole groups with my 222. I shoot the Sierras infront of 20.5 IMR 4198. Bad medicine for gophers and prairie dogs out to 200 yards or so, blows them up real good...we call them "showdogs".
 
In the 222, I shoot mostly the Hornady 50 V-Max and the 50 Ballistic Tip. But the 50SX from Hornady has also worked well.
Another bullet that has stood the test of time in several 22 centerfires is the Speer 52 grain HPFB. Not as good a BC, but explosive as he**!! Regards, Eagleye.
 
Eagleye said:
In the 222, I shoot mostly the Hornady 50 V-Max and the 50 Ballistic Tip. But the 50SX from Hornady has also worked well.
Another bullet that has stood the test of time in several 22 centerfires is the Speer 52 grain HPFB. Not as good a BC, but explosive as he**!! Regards, Eagleye.
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I tried Hornady 40 grain V-Max with good results. Didn't shoot quite as tight as my pet load but were very explosive at 222 velocities.
 
50 gr Hornady spsx over 20.5grs of 4198. (way over max load in any modern load manuals, but it's listed in some old books) The 222 was a long time winning target caliber, and that load was the old faithful load for many shooters for a long time. It shoots amazing out of my .222. I also have a very impressive .204" 4 shot group at 100 yards using 36gr barnes VG. Groups well, but not the most impressive bullet on game.
 
50gr SPSX and Blitz Kings are both super accurate. I like the SPSX the best!

I have also had good luck with Winch 46gr HP's. I liked them better when they were about $7-8/bag of 100. Now that they're close in price to Hornady's, the SPSX is #1. The Winch's are good for accuracy but not as explosive. They do get the job done.

The Sierra 52gr HPBT (#1410) is another excellent bullet for accuracy. My rifle didn't like the 53gr HPFB as much.

H322 is my #1 powder choice but I used to use a lot of BL-C(2) in the 222.

SD
 
Both bullets will shoot accurately, your rifle will tell you which one is more accurate in your rifle. Both will expand when they touch a gopher, there is no practical difference in expansion or terminal performance on gopher sized critters in my experience. Buy a box of each and have fun!
 
Fire306 said:
50 gr Hornady spsx over 20.5grs of 4198. (way over max load in any modern load manuals, but it's listed in some old books) The 222 was a long time winning target caliber, and that load was the old faithful load for many shooters for a long time. It shoots amazing out of my .222. I also have a very impressive .204" 4 shot group at 100 yards using 36gr barnes VG. Groups well, but not the most impressive bullet on game.
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20.5 IMR4198/50 Sierra Blitz is indeed over max by todays standards...which is my pet load. According to Ken Waters Pet Loads all of the first accuracy records busted by the 222 in the early 1950's were done so with this load...20.5/IMR4198/50 gr Siera spitzer. ALL max loads should be approached with caution...
 
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