# 55gr. 224 cal. Hornaday A max bullets



## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Picked up a box the other day to try in my swift. Has any one tried them and with what results.
Price was right I felt.

 Al


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

Hornady offers a 52g A-max, the 55g are V-max.

I've never tried the A-Max, but they should hold together a bit better than the V-max's. They'll probably be the ticket for shooting coyotes. The jacket is a bit thicket and might not open up as much as the V-max. Match bullets do a very good job on coyotes, contrary to what most people think.

xdeano


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Problem with getting old is your eye sight starts going so you have to learn to shoot with glasses, or change to peep sights and scopes.
Next to go is the memory, could have swarn those 224 bullets were A max's. But when I went and looked the 224 bullets were V max's as you said. In defence I will add that I did buy at the same time some Hornaday 120gr. 7mm A max bullets.

I din't think either bullet were match grade bullets. I'll check out Hornadays web site.
Thanks

 Al


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

LOL
I know what you mean about both going, i'm still young but have crappy vision and my memory sucks. The things that I should remember I don't, example is any think my wife tells me to do, I'll forget, but when it comes to useless facts it is stored in long term for future babble.

The A-max is a Match bullet and the V-max is just a thinner jacketed varmint bullet.

I use 50g Nosler Ballistic tips in my 22-250 that are basically identical to the v-max in construction. They work very well on coyotes. So the 55's should do the job just as well.

xdeano


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

I used to use a lot of Nosler bullets. For some reason Nosler got to thinking that nobody made a bullet as good as theirs and doubled the prices.

50 Nosler 120gr. 7mm BT bullets were $24.35 plus tax Thursday.
100 Hornaday 120gr. 7mm A Maxs were $14.83 plus tax.

I loved Nosler partitions in my Muzzle loaders to. Speer Gold dots are all I use today as they are bonded and half the cost of the Noslers.

:lol: :lol: Isn't hard to forget what the wife says. Consider how may times it is just complaining that we havn't did some thing the way that they wanted or did it faster than they thought we could. Figure MAYBE 40% of the time they are talking they are complaining about what some is wearing, doing or not doing, how they let the kids do as they want. 
Just sort of learn to shut them off and still look like you are really lisnening to them :lol: .

 Al


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

alleyyooper said:


> :lol: :lol: Isn't hard to forget what the wife says. Consider how may times it is just complaining that we havn't did some thing the way that they wanted or did it faster than they thought we could. Figure MAYBE 40% of the time they are talking they are complaining about what some is wearing, doing or not doing, how they let the kids do as they want.
> Just sort of learn to shut them off and still look like you are really lisnening to them :lol: .


LOL, I believe you hit it on the head! :lol: :lol:

I agree Noslers prices have gone way up since I started to shoot them 10 years ago or more. They cry inflation, just like their pocket books. The next batch I do will probably be v-max also. But I'm still sitting on 400-500 or so rounds right now. I use to live in an area that had plenty of prairie dogs, but moved recently to a spot that doesn't have to much of anything. So i'm not to worried yet. Maybe someday i'll get back there.

xdeano


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

I might try some of these next time.
Sierra .224 dia. 55 gr. HPBT GameKing.

I use the 85 grainers in my 243 and love how they work.

Also have them in 308, .308 dia. 165 gr. HPBT GameKing . Have only shot targets with these and pails of wet potting soil. I like how well they expand but will wait and see how they work on a deer before I buy more.

 Al


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

The HPBT's are a proven winner.

165g for your 308 should put a deer down very well.

You're using IMR 4350 for your 85g from what I read in Fallguys post, but what is your charge weight?

xdeano


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

I have shot the 50 gr .224 v max in my 222's and they were ok, rifles just didn't quite like them as well as the Noslers.

I seem to be able to load the noslers out a bit farther than some of the hornadies due to the bullet taper.

In the 224 caliber, they are within $3 per 100 on midway.

I believe the noslers are higher due to the use of an impact extruded jacket instead of the cup and draw method, which supposedly produces a more uniform jacket and accurate bullet, but have seen many rifles shoot superbly with Hornady's as well as others. So if it shoots well, use it and smile, as long as you are happy go with it.


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

I really don't like to list the charge weights I use even though they are not anywhere near max loads. I've seen to much miss readding of what a person really post.
I just try to keep the speed of the 243 near that 2800 FPS range.

I don't remember off the top of my head what the 220 Swift list out at but I think in the 3800 range with ?IMR 6470. Got to get one of my manuals near the computer I guess.

 Al


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

No problem Al, I don't blame you a bit for not posting charge weights. I do ladder tests on all my worked loads any how, so it wouldn't have mattered what you were weighing anyhow.  It's just fun to see what other have found that works, just as a general comparison.

Deano


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Grabbed the 50th Anniversary edition Sierra reloading manual, looked up the 85gr. HPBT game king bullet.
 I'm loading 4 gr. of IMR 4350 LOWER than their starting load. :eyeroll: Now I have to go look up the manual I used when doing the load testing back in the late 1970's. I know I am impressed with the bullet and found it to be the best performing bullet I tested back then. I have shot several deer with it, in a Remington 700 BDL and a Ruger 77 tang safety, the latter my dads I was given a year before he died. 
Wrote a story about dads Ruger and the deer I shot with it, story got published. 
I was stupid and was going to surprize him with a copy of the magizine but he died before it came out. Should have let him read the story and see the check.

 Al


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

wow, 4 grains less than minimum in your load book. For 2800fps my load give 37.4g and that's a minimum load. I'm guessing you're right in that ballpark anyhow. They haven't changed much, but the accepted loads back then are a lot less than they are now. I've noticed this in some of my fathers manuals from the early 70's. 
But if it shoots great, why fix what's not broken.

That's really to bad about not letting him see that article. That probably would have ment the world to him.

xdeano


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

:roll: Remember me telling about the menory going?

I went and got the old manual I used when testing the 243 85gr. HPBT bullets. It is a Sierra Manual no number on it just a black and green binder type. 
I load to 2900 FPS by the book. I also tried IMR 4831 powder for the same speed. My notes said I didn't like the powder because it took 10gr. more for the same speed and that powder at that time didn't work well with any other rifle I loaded for. Cost wise made it unexceptiable.

 Al


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

:lol: I've been there. if it doesn't conform, it's unacceptable.  Thanks for all the info. Great stuff. Sorry I kind of hijacked the thread. 

xdeano


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

No problem about the hyjacking. Were talking about my favorite round the 243 Winny. So much you can do with it to.
Can't decide if the 7mm08 or the 220 Swift is the second favorite.
Always wanted a 257 Roberts but this late in my life I don't see that happening really. Better yet a wild cat 25 caliber off the 308 case.

 Al


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