High BC .224 cal. bullets

[stewh]

Good morning list mates.
A friend of mine wants to have a 22-243 made for shooting Roe Deer & Foxes here in Scotland. We have noticed that Hornady lists the max. velocity for the 75 g A-max from a 1 in 9" barrel at 2800 fps & that is the bullet he was planning on using. If this is so then that bullet is out of the question at 22-243 velocities. Has anyone tried the A-Max & what where the results?
Can anyone recomend a suitable high BC bullet which won't blow up in mid flight & will perform on Deer?.
Also, how about a more frangible bullet for Foxes at 22-243 velocities/RPM?

Thanks Stewart

 

[H-BAR]

the listing in Hornady's manual is for a 223 which cannot push this bullet much more than 2800 fps. A 1:9 twist does not stabilize these bullets properly in a 1:9 twist!!! A 223 would need at least a 1:8 twist to do the job. The faster cartridge you have in mind might just stabilize them with a 1:9 but the only way to tell would be to shoot them!!!

 

[H-BAR]

Wow sorry for the 1:9 twice in one sentence!
Long day at work I guess!!!!!

 

[Troy]

Stewart I would not worry until the velocity gets over 3600. I have three friends shooting .22/.284s with 30" barrels and they shoot the 75 gr amax. They have also had good luck with the 69 gr Nosler J4.

I know that the A-max in 52 grain is quite explosive. I shoot gophers with them in my .22/.243, .220 Swift, and 22 BR Norma and the results are almost as gory as the vmax show. I shot a coyote with my .22/.243 and the amax and the exit hole was about the size of a large grapefruit.

 

[milanuk]

A number of people in the HP community seem to have had problems w/ A-Max's pushed too hard -- they sometimes don't make it to the target. Guess it'd be one thing when you are hunting and it just botches a shot, but in score shooting its 10pts and a possible X down the drain. If the manufacturer lists a max velocity for a given twist, I'd say it might be wise to take it seriously. Obviously, the bore condition has some impact on this as the bullet gets on its way, so some people can push things more than others. YMMV.

Monte

 

[H-BAR]

Troy what twist rate are your buds shooting to get good results? I could not get results with a 1:9 in my Colt!!!

 

[MAX]

Stewart, you may wish to consider the Nosler 60 gr Partition. Your 1:9 twist will work and they certainly will not blow up. What ranges do you expect to shoot at?

 

[LDO]

my experience with the 75g amax was in a 22br w/a 1-8 tw.they shot very well @ 3250fps and i took many fox,coyotes,pd's etc..the 22 cal. amax is quite explosive at closer ranges[under 300 yds]i realy dont think it would make a very good deer bullet for lack of penetration,i have have had good success on deer sized game with the larger cal. amax bullets which in my experience are much tougher than than their 22 cal.cousin-my 2-dave

 

[Guest]

i recomend 80gr smks , push them out at 3500fps.

 

[Peter Clarke]

Good morning list mates.
A friend of mine wants to have a 22-243 made for shooting Roe Deer & Foxes here in Scotland. We have noticed that Hornady lists the max. velocity for the 75 g A-max from a 1 in 9" barrel at 2800 fps & that is the bullet he was planning on using. If this is so then that bullet is out of the question at 22-243 velocities. Has anyone tried the A-Max & what where the results?
Can anyone recomend a suitable high BC bullet which won't blow up in mid flight & will perform on Deer?.
Also, how about a more frangible bullet for Foxes at 22-243 velocities/RPM?

Thanks Stewart

Stewart
Dont kid yourself - there is only one high BC bullet for deer size animals - the Swift Scirroco 75grain BC .419, bonded, expands and penetrates every time - I have tried most 224 bullets this is head and shoulders above the rest. The AMax is not recommended for game by Hornady, I have tried them and I agree.
Peter - New Zealand

 

[Peter Clarke]

Stewart
You will need a 1 in 8 barrel for 75g Swifts

 

[Jordan Smith]

A 1:9" twist will stabilize the 75gr A-Max as often as not. They shoot wonderfully from my 9" twist .223 pushing them out at 3060fps from the 28" barrel. The first generation of A-Max had problems with holding together at high rpm's, but the newer version (with the smaller tip), as well as the newest version with AMP jacket hold together nicely, and shoot very well. They penetrate really well through game, too.

 

[BEEMAN]

I am building a 22/284 and will be using the 75 gr swift. It is the only bullet that I thought would hold together at these velocities. have some 75 gr AMAX that I hope shoot in the same group to use for practice ( if they hold together).

 

[Outlaw6.0]

OP, Here in my neck of the woods (NE Wyo) the 22-243 is VERY popular, (yep I have one too ) Coyote hunting is taken pretty seriously by some of us & this little cartridge fits the bill nicely. The 75 & 80 Grn A-Max are THE go to bullets for pretty much everybody that shoots the 22-243 (except my rechambered 1-12 twist). As it is illegal to harvest deer, 'lopes & such with anything smaller than a 243 cal here, I cannot attest to the ability of the 22 cal A-Max to harvest deer.

I haven't heard of a single blow up or any failures to reach a target. Most velocities are in the 3500fps range safely & they do quite well even out to 1K yds (the Wyo wind really pushes them around out there ).

If you do intend to harvest deer, go heavy on the bullet side.

Good luck