Hornady v max 55 grain

[andrew f]

Any one else had these not expand I thought these where suppose open up really well?

Edited May 7, 2016 by andrew f

[foosa]

Nope, always open up nicely. Are they drilling straight through?

[andrew f]

Right on though was expecting a good a fist sized exit perhaps it didn't hit anything hard enough to force it to expand

[foosa]

How many have you had do that? I either get the tennis ball size exit hole or no exit at all but give the fox a shake and it's mush inside.

[andrew f]

Three last night could hear the good thump of a boiler room shot and watch them run on 40 yards and die with hardly a exit closest was 60 yards the longest was 225. I'll have to give one a shake and see if it's mush inside when I go out tonight

[garygreengrass]

How many have you had do that? I either get the tennis ball size exit hole or no exit at all but give the fox a shake and it's mush inside.

That`s what I get.

[Paul223]

Never had a problem with them, rarely exit in .223

 

The 75's in .243 have either one big hole or multiple exits.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Paul223

[foosa]

Are you sure they are exiting in one piece without expanding, not staying within the fox,very unusual if they are.

[Bewsher500]

.224?

What velocity?

 

50gr in .222 often didn't exit at all but they certainly liquified anything inside

 

Are they reduced loads?

[Dougy]

53 grain vmax doing around 3750, don't get many exit wounds at all. Hit square in the boiler room they drop on the spot.

What caliber are you shooting ? It can depend on velocity, but the vmax are designed to fragment at quite low velocity.

[andrew f]

.223 hornady varmint using factory for the brass so I can start reloading when my kit arrives

[robbiep]

.223 hornady varmint using factory for the brass so I can start reloading when my kit arrives

 

Think that's listed as about 3600 fps ? (Can't be bothered opening the cabinet to check on a box).

 

I've never had any issues. Most don't come out the other side at all.

 

It's not surprising to get a fox run for a short distance. Adrenalin will do that to them, especially if they are alert at the time of the shot. But if they drop down dead after that short run, then they were dead when the bullet struck, it just took a few seconds for the brain to catch up with everything else.

[TONY R]

The 55 grain bullets in the .223 are under 3200fps in most loads, a few powders can get speeds into 3400 but even that is too slow for reliable expansion with these bullets too heavy too slow.

Drop your bullet weight and a more frangible bullet use an more suitable powder like H335 4198 or reloader 7 with a 40 grain bullet is when you start reloading and enjoy the little .223 for what it is. $0 grain at 3800 fps is quick enough for proper expansion.

People will tell you they handle 55s but you have seen what happens in the real world for yourself.

Just try the berger 35mefs or 40 grain heads with a fast load in that .223 and you will see what it can do not what some say it can do.

[Bewsher500]

Bad batch

3k in any vmax should vapourise and pole-axe any fox on the spot if hit central

[foosa]

Look what I just did with a 55g v max! About as far as I could safely see using a nm 800 on top a .223 zeroed for 200 yards, dropped on the spot with soup for lungs, same as every other fox I hit with the v max. And there was me starting to think the .223 wasn't up to the job as a foxing rifle!!

[TONY R]

Look what I just did with a 55g v max! About as far as I could safely see using a nm 800 on top a .223 zeroed for 200 yards, dropped on the spot with soup for lungs, same as every other fox I hit with the v max. And there was me starting to think the .223 wasn't up to the job as a foxing rifle!!

Give up its painful to watch This lad wants real answers to a real problem he knows what the bullets are doing and his findings are not rare in fact its what they do.

Edited May 7, 2016 by TONY R

[foosa]

Give up its painful to watch This lad wants real answers to a real problem he knows what the bullets are doing and his findings are not rare in fact its what they do.

I hear a lot of talk but not many foxes making the headlines, I KNOW what the bullets are doing because I use them and the results are there instead of talking about them!

[Paul223]

The 55 grain bullets in the .223 are under 3200fps in most loads, a few powders can get speeds into 3400 but even that is too slow for reliable expansion with these bullets too heavy too slow.

Drop your bullet weight and a more frangible bullet use an more suitable powder like H335 4198 or reloader 7 with a 40 grain bullet is when you start reloading and enjoy the little .223 for what it is. $0 grain at 3800 fps is quick enough for proper expansion.

People will tell you they handle 55s but you have seen what happens in the real world for yourself.

Just try the berger 35mefs or 40 grain heads with a fast load in that .223 and you will see what it can do not what some say it can do.

Sorry but that is a load of tosh, 55's work as they should explosively expanding on everything from crows to fox

 

I'd suggest the op takes a knife and pm's the next fox to see what damage was done.

 

I once had a fox cub that ran after a chest shot with a 55 Vmax, the cub made 20 may be 25 yards, on picking it up there was a hole bigger than my fist and an almost empty chest cavity, no heart remains of smashed lungs, adrenalin had carried it those few yards

[TONY R]

Well they are not doing are they or he would not have posted this up would he, we are talking reliable expanssion not now and again. Put a 35 mef berger in the .223 with 27.5 grain of 4198 under it and then you will see what should be happening with the 55s. WOW.

[Paul223]

Tony.... I've used 1000's of .224 55 grain and .243 75 grain Vmax, my nephew uses .224 55 grain Vmax, a mate uses .224 55 grain and .243 75 grain Vmax, again 1000's between them, non of us have pencil through type issues, we all see the same results, explosive expansion which rarely results in an exit in the .224 and internals turned to mush.

The 53 grain has a better bc and soon we will be moving to using them, otherwise we are happy with the 55's performance.

 

The OP needs to open his next pencil through up to determine if it is actually pencilling through or if the small exit is bullet fragments with the majority of the fragmentation still inside / internals mushed.

 

If it is pencil through then he possibly has a bad batch of bullets and should contact both his supplier and Hornady.

[TONY R]

Tony.... I've used 1000's of .224 55 grain and .243 75 grain Vmax, my nephew uses .224 55 grain Vmax, a mate uses .224 55 grain and .243 75 grain Vmax, again 1000's between them, non of us have pencil through type issues, we all see the same results, explosive expansion which rarely results in an exit in the .224 and internals turned to mush.

The 53 grain has a better bc and soon we will be moving to using them, otherwise we are happy with the 55's performance.

 

The OP needs to open his next pencil through up to determine if it is actually pencilling through or if the small exit is bullet fragments with the majority of the fragmentation still inside / internals mushed.

 

If it is pencil through then he possibly has a bad batch of bullets and should contact both his supplier and Hornady.

First what has this got to do with anything, tell you what i can play too if you like i have shot thousands of 75 v max in the >257 weatherby and the .2506 over the years, and thousands of 100 grain v maxes in the 7mm STW and 7mm Rem Mag, There but thats got nothing to do with this has it.?

I have not fallen off a bus i have been at this decades and i know that 55 grains in a .223 with some bullets are just not fantastic for expansion, a picture of a dead fox proves **** , all it means is it killed a fox and whats more its hardly soup is it? Man skin it curry comb it and STSBO could wear it to tiffanys tomorrow morning

55s are not good in the .223, in fact they are not that good in the .22250 they would not be my first choice.

.223 use Taipans or Berger mef type bulletrs 40 grain and down, then post up a picture, then lets compare the two pictures then decide.

Meanwhile i can only repeat what Andrew F found, do you know WHY. Because what he saw is what happens thats why.

Edited May 8, 2016 by TONY R

[Paul223]

 

Tony.... I've used 1000's of .224 55 grain and .243 75 grain Vmax, my nephew uses .224 55 grain Vmax, a mate uses .224 55 grain and .243 75 grain Vmax, again 1000's between them, non of us have pencil through type issues, we all see the same results, explosive expansion which rarely results in an exit in the .224 and internals turned to mush.

The 53 grain has a better bc and soon we will be moving to using them, otherwise we are happy with the 55's performance.

 

The OP needs to open his next pencil through up to determine if it is actually pencilling through or if the small exit is bullet fragments with the majority of the fragmentation still inside / internals mushed.

 

If it is pencil through then he possibly has a bad batch of bullets and should contact both his supplier and Hornady.

And your point?

I had a .223 for 10 years before the .243, 55 grain V max, 26.6 grains varget cci primers, lots of dead foxes and other vermin, never a problem with the V max

[TONY R]

Read The opening post in this thread for that answer. They dont work like they should at these speeds. Switch to a 55 hornaday SX and see the difference, they were made to work at these speeds and in their case they do indeed work.

[robbiep]

Read The opening post in this thread for that answer. They dont work like they should at these speeds. Switch to a 55 hornaday SX and see the difference, they were made to work at these speeds and in their case they do indeed work.

 

The opening post doesn't say much, however add it to the person's other 2 posts soon after, and says is that the person had a few runners - for 40 yards or so - which then dropped down dead, with no exit holes.

 

That sounds to me like a highly effective bullet, and the same sort of devastating kills that I'm used to on foxes from V-max.

[TONY R]

You can kill a fox with a 55 FMJ in fact sadly people get killed by them all over the world. If people are happy with just killing a fox then OK. I know i want more distruction from a bullet than 55 v max offers at .223 speeds.

Edited May 8, 2016 by TONY R