What ammo are you shooting in 223

The pigeon man

Hi everyone,

So I'm wondering what ammo people are shooting in their 223? I'm just after getting one so I'd like to get recommendations on ammo.

I would like to get an idea of what people find good and what people advise to avoid.

The gun will be used for fox control. Thanks in advance.

Vizzy

The pigeon man wrote: »

Hi everyone,

So I'm wondering what ammo people are shooting in their 223? I'm just after getting one so I'd like to get recommendations on ammo.

I would like to get an idea of what people find good and what people advise to avoid.

The gun will be used for fox control. Thanks in advance.

I am using Hornady Vmax and Fiocchi ballistic tipped ( both 55gr)

Was told by a RFD that Fiocchi was very dirty ( but they are selling Hornady so may be biased) but I don't find it bad at all.

Both makes are extremely accurate and will drop any fox on the spot if he is hit in the boiler room or head, out to 200+ yards.

Also have some 40gr Hornady that I haven't tried yet but it should be very good.

As regards what to avoid, my only advice is stay away from cheap stuff.
You will only frustrate yourself with missed shots and misfires.

tikkamark

The pigeon man wrote: »

Hi everyone,

So I'm wondering what ammo people are shooting in their 223? I'm just after getting one so I'd like to get recommendations on ammo.

I would like to get an idea of what people find good and what people advise to avoid.

The gun will be used for fox control. Thanks in advance.

Go for any plastic tip 55gr or 50gr such as hornady vmax or superformace or Norma vmax Sako also do them they put them down quickly....a soft point varmint bullet will also do the job find one that groups well and your good to go
Avoid fmj or match rounds as they don’t expand reliably and are very prone to ricochet’s

yubabill

That's a very big question because there is a huge range of 223 ammo available.

I always say buy a range of ammo you might like to use and find the one that suits your rig the best; but you may find more than one with the 223.

FMJ's are not going to do a proper job for fox control, so I recommend you look at hollow points (HP), soft points (PSP) and ballistic tips (BT).

These expand on impact, but watch out for target hollow point ammo which doesn't expand (e.g.; MatchKing) - they will pass right through the fox same as FMJ and that's not what is required to stop.

Then there's bullet weight to look at. even the lightest bullet will stop a fox from a 223, provided it expands and you are putting the round into the boiler house area or head/neck properly.
So you will mostly need to match the bullet weight to your gun. Rule of thumb; a barrel with 1:12 twist (marked on the barrel usually) will stabilise bullets up to about 55gr for best accuracy.
A 1:8 twist barrel will stabilise up to about 69 or 70 grains well, but 75gr is usable for hunting.
There are other twists, but these two are the most common.
Some 1:8 twist rifles shoot both light and heavy bullets well, Tikka is the one I know of, but some may not handle light bullets as well as the heavier ones.
If your barrel does not have a twist rate marked on it, it's probably a 1:12.

Hornady ammo has a good reputation, but it's expensive. Many lads like the 40gr BT because it has a flat trajectory to a good distance (and there are others making good BT ammo). I like PSP ammo, because I shoot at around 100yds through a lot of scrub and reeds etc., which can make the BT's blow up before getting to the target, although that's only happened to me once or twice TBH.

Expect plenty of other opinions and enjoy.

Lone hunter 22wmr

Hornady 40gr v-max , the foxes seem to love them.
Used fiocchi 50gr v-max and the tikka loved them the best and no complaints about them either on killing stuff.

Grizzly 45

Buy a bunch of different brands and bullet weights.Go paper shooting for the day,and then find which has the best accruacy for you and the gun itself,and then rate the brand ,weight and type of bullet ,accruacy and important too functionality in the gun1,2.3,4 [possibly?] in that order,so you have then 3 fallback choices if your favourite brand disappers or is in short supply.Needless to say,keep a log book too of how much you need to adjust windage/elevation and zero distance on each different brand.

tudderone

Vizzy wrote: »

Was told by a RFD that Fiocchi was very dirty ( but they are selling Hornady so may be biased) but I don't find it bad at all.

Yeah that old chestnut, "Its very dirty" is code for "I don't stock that, but want to give you this other stuff to get a sale".

Vizzy

tudderone wrote: »

Yeah that old chestnut, "Its very dirty" is code for "I don't stock that, but want to give you this other stuff to get a sale".

As far as I know the Fiocchi stuff is loaded by Hornady but with a Fiocchi bullet(I.e budget Hornady)

Czhornet

Myself and 2 other lads I shoot with all use Fiocchi 50gr Ballistic tip. Used in 3 different rifle makes they seem to be most consistent for grouping and knock down power!

pm.

Most lads in the range are using Fiocchi 50gr /55gr Ballistic tip with no complaints. I use them.myself in both my.308 and.223. Great value for money and solid grouping

Grizzly 45

I use Fiochhi,when I can get it in .308..Runs fine and is no dirtier than any other brands IMO.

tudderone

Is cheap plinking/bulk pack .308 available ? I know remmy do the freedom bucket in .223, is there a comparable round in .308 ?

Grizzly 45

There is alright.Surplus 7.62 NATO,if you can figure a awy of importing it from Europe,without being screwed to the wall with freight and import paperwork.:mad:

Next best is Hornady steel match. It is somewhat reasonable in price for the amount offered @about a euro a round. You could also try Pivi Partizan or Norinco,but I get a good few of FTE with them,and light primer strikes.

tudderone

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

There is alright.Surplus 7.62 NATO,if you can figure a awy of importing it from Europe,without being screwed to the wall with freight and import paperwork.:mad:

Next best is Hornady steel match. It is somewhat reasonable in price for the amount offered @about a euro a round. You could also try Pivi Partizan or Norinco,but I get a good few of FTE with them,and light primer strikes.

I used to get 7.62 ball, it came in little brown paper parcels of 20 rounds, marked M1A2. It was great through the Sako i had at the time. But that was a very unfussy in what it shot.

Cass

Howa 223, bolt action, 1:12 twist. I use anything from 40gr to 55gr. nothing more. Nest results were with the 53 & 55gr Hornady V-max. The 40gr V-max were also excellent, but hard to find and you need to be quick because when others find out an RFD has them they usually sell out quickly.

53 & 55gr will cloverleaf at 100, sub 1/2 MOA at 200 and the same at 300 once i do my bit. The 40gr will do excellent and is very flat at 100 and 200. I've also tried 50gr BT/HP and they will hold a 1/2 MOA at 100 and sometimes at 200. Still more than good enough for most of my shooting.

Remmie R15, semi auto, 1:9 twist. 62 to 69 gr which includes 64gr. These three are the only ones i've found. There is also Hornady 60gr TAP which surprisingly work very well, but are hard found. The other stuff works very well with very little difference in performance.

Anything under 60gr won't shoot out of it, nor will anything over 69gr. Groups at 100 to 200 are tight, but nowhere near as good as the bolt rifle. However she makes up for at distance and is a little more forgiving in the wind than the lighter stuff.