Varmint Grenade - experiences?

[Suputin]

Anyone actually used the Barnes Varmint Grenade, either in .224 or 6mm?

I have always used Ballistic Tips and VMax's for shootin gophers but the Varmint Grenades look pretty promising.

 

[jaywill]

Ive seen footeage , its pretty funny . gophers or whatever exploding. they say its good for saving pelts on wolves/coyotes b/c no exit wound on the larger varmints.

 

[Silverback]

I used some 36 grain Varmint Grenades in my 223 and couldn't tell the difference on gophers between them and the Speer 50 gr TNT's that I usually use, they both make gophers come apart very well.

 

[Merllin]

I think you need to go with the small grained bullets in the varmint grenades for them to be truly explosive as in the videos.

From what I heard from guys reloading, the 36 grain bullets would produce more "fun" results and the 50 grain bullets didnt really do much more then normal bullets.

 

[punkrockboy]

I have tried them, I have always had much better accuracy with Vmax, and I find that the Vmax has pretty explosive performance. My gun is 1-12 twist, the varmint grenades are long and Im pretty sure they need a faster twist barrel to stabilize.

 

[Suputin]

Looking at them I was thinking their length might be an issue with regards to accuracy.

 

[Mr.Dorito]

A buddy just shot 3 coyotes with the grenades in 22-250 ... they all ran away. No penetration.

 

[M12shooter]

Just somehing new for outdoor magazine writers to crow about... but VG's are lead free are they not?

 

[canucklehead]

55gr VMAX makes gophers come apart. Then again, my Tikka seems to love Hornady bullets, so that's what I use.

 

[Mr.Dorito]

Yes, they're lead free, certified not to kill things in California

 

[Griffoneur]

Got 50 loaded up, have yet to test them!

 

[TacticalDan]

Got 50 loaded up, have yet to test them!

well you coming on monday griff.

 

[Amphibious]

shot the 50gr in my .22-250. they were 1" at 200yrds with little load development.

 

[Jordan Smith]

I've shot the 36gr VG in the .22-250, and the 62gr in the .243. The 36gr VG pulls gophers apart quite nicely (slightly better than the 50gr V-Max), but the only coyote I shot with one rolled at the shot, but then ran off and I never did recover it. The 50gr V-Max drops coyotes instantly nearly every time IME.

The 62gr works well on 'yotes, and decently on gophers (but not as well as the 36gr version).

 

[bill c68]

I am using 36 gr in my 22-250 VERY accurate. So far I have blowed up some small pumpkins and killed one Coyote no exit wound as promised.

 

[Rick65Cat]

My .32 gr Vmax's simply nuke gophers. I bought a 100/bx of 36gr VG in .22 HP for my .223 700 SPS. I haven't made any up coz' I was told a freind who reloads a lot that the VGs don't expand fast enough to cause the damage that Vmax's do.
I'll still make them up, but they'll probably get used on 'yotes instead of gophers like I originally planned.

 

[Brownjoe]

A buddy just shot 3 coyotes with the grenades in 22-250 ... they all ran away. No penetration.

Are you sure he hit them? I have shot ground hogs and yotes with my 223 varmint grenades and they all drop on the spot.

 

[Ishodu]

I use them in my Savage .223 1-9" twist around 3500 fps for the 36g ones they are extremely accurate. I can put them in 1 hole groups at 100 yards. As for damage I don't really see any diff between them and a 40g V-max. No exit wounds on ground hogs, but will take the head clean off.

 

[bill c68]

Are you sure he hit them? I have shot ground hogs and yotes with my 223 varmint grenades and they all drop on the spot.

I have hit coyotes with various different rounds that ran away, still gotta hit em in the right spot!!!

 

[proonur]

My friend shot some out of his .223 at some gophers last year and I've never seen anything like it for explosiveness.
There were a couple of pieces that honestly took about 5 seconds to hit the ground after being launched on impact.