AusVarmint

hi guys could some one suggest a suitable weight projectile for use on goats when using a 223 ? cheers andy

I've shot em with 45g jhp Winchester hp's they don't like them much. But for reliability i'd go with 55gr soft points in any brand as long as they r accurate in ur gun.

60gr nosler partition if your gun can spin them

been playing with some 55gn sierra game kings... they aint doing a bad job

i use 63gr sierra,s soft points , very accurate in my 1 in 9 twist 223 savage , even use them on medium size pigs & big goats when i go to longreach ,good on foxes-hares ect around me farm & they shoot around 1/2 groups. cant go wrong with em.

thanks for the tips fellas i dont think my 77ruger would like the 60 grainers (wrong twist rate) my ruger shoots 40g vtips MOA and the 55grainers a fraction over so i'll try them +my 303 thanks for all the imput cheers andy

i use 63gr sierra soft points in my 1 in 12 twist 223. same point of aim at 200m as a 50gr vmax

I use the Sierra 55gn 1365's. I buy mine in bulk packs, $160/1000 and they work well in my ruger.

Steve

Used Sierra 55gr Gamekings and Hornady 60gr HP's with reasonable effect on goats. 60gr Partition should be a good choice too, and being a fairly short pill a 1:12 twist 223 barrel should spin them ok.

In order of my preference....50 grn bt,50 grn bk,50 grn vmax,50 grn shot or any 50 grn projectile slipped in behind the shoulder for a double lung shot .20 metres max and you have a dead Go at.

MISSED wrote:In order of my preference....50 grn bt,50 grn bk,50 grn vmax,50 grn shot or any 50 grn projectile slipped in behind the shoulder for a double lung shot .20 metres max and you have a dead Go at.

I was thinking the same. 50+gr bullet and got shot placement.
I would be going for a bigger gun if it was a big billy but have used the 223 for around 20goats so far with minimal problems.
Steer clear of WOLF ammo for shooting live stuff. Pinhole entry pinhole exit and 3 goats getting finishers quickly.

a lot of the 60 grain projectiles are flat base and will stabalise in a standard 1:12 twist- the 60 grain Hornadys ( both HP and SP) are like this and have a higher BC than the 60 V-Max so hold their speed and therefore their energy out further.

for factory ammo any of the 64 grain factory loads work great in the 1:12 twist
mine likes the Federal load

P

thanks for all the loads guys its appreciated ,i was in my lgs yesterday and i asked the salesman the same question and he said 55grainers would do the job with the correct bullet placement he also showed me these barnes bullets $60 for 50 projectiles wtf? he said that these are the bees knees in regards to stopping power and he said that using these projectiles is like going up in calibre i must admit that i thought about it for awhile but i decided against it as you know they have there own spefications as to powder levels ,pressure etc now i trust the guys at my lgs they are a good bunch of blokes who have looked after me well but i keep thinking about those dam barnes projectiles are they everything there cracked up to be ?have any of you guys ever used them ,if so how did they perform do they live up to all the hype ? cheers andy

Ive heard mixed reports about Barnes. i think some on here have tried the varmint grenades and had them not shoot. Personally for the price i dont think they offer that much more then a partion etc.

shotout wrote:i use 63gr sierra,s soft points , very accurate in my 1 in 9 twist 223 savage , even use them on medium size pigs & big goats when i go to longreach ,good on foxes-hares ect around me farm & they shoot around 1/2 groups. cant go wrong with em.

+1 on these 63 grain Sierra's. I have used them a lot out of my Sako .222. I had to drive them at 3000 fps to stabilize them so it was a hot load but it shot well. I have taken heaps of game with them, including Pigs, Fox, Rabbits, Goats, Fallow deer and a number of Sika deer in New Zealand. They perform very well and expand heaps, even at low velocity. I understand that they are very popular in Europe on the small deer.

They are also a lot cheeper than the Barnes which I think needs quite a bit of velocity to perform well. If you have already bought the Barnes, then just aim for the shoulder blade on the goats and they should do OK.