Hornady Released Superformance Varmint Ammo Today

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GunsAmerica Actual

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Hi everyone. I don't come in to post links a lot to individual articles or blog posts but this is a pretty big deal. Hornady announced today that they are adding to their "blended powder" line of Superformance ammo with cartridges specifically for varmint hunters. You get terminal ballistics of a .22-250 in a .223 Rem at 300 yards, ideal for levelling your friendly neighborhood prairie dog town.

The link to the full article (this is not a press release this is an article I wrote) here:
http://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/hornady_superformance_varmint/

If you have an AR this is a huge big deal if you really want to explode those critters at long distances instead of them just falling over. Cool stuff. Here is the intro:

You don’t hear “game changer” much in the world of production ammunition. But once again, Hornady Manufacturing Co. has indeed changed yet another game. If you have ever considered hunting prairie dogs with your AR-15 platform rifle but thought the cartridge slightly underpowered for 300 yard dogtown decimation shots, you can now get close to .22-250 ballistics out of your .223 Remington chambered AR. The Superformance line of ammunition from Hornady now has a Superformance Varmint line (click here to download the PDF), and the possibilities that come from these “off the chart” new cartridges are truly amazing.
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Loader9

New member
I read a white paper on the development of their Super Performance powders from the tech who came up with it. Incredibly interesting comments in it. He really got my attention when he stated that 70-80% of the recoil of a firearm happens AFTER the bullet leaves the barrel. If you get the chance to read it, it's well worth the time to read. This is not yer grand fathers ammo, that's for sure.

But I can't imagine that this ammo is going to come out of a quick twist 223 AR correctly. Won't be the first time I've been wrong but it'll be interesting to see exactly how this works. I've got a few bolt 223s with 12" twist rates that this should really be a winner in.
 
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GunsAmerica Actual

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Well that is a matter of weight of the bullet, and the 53gr V-max they developed for this round is for the quick 1-7 or 1-9 twist that you will find in an AR. A 1-12 twist is for a longer bullet. -ph@ga
 
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GunsAmerica Actual

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Here is the chart of the actual velocities and downrange trajectories. It has the bullet weights on there as well.

varmint-chart-800.jpg
 
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Picher

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That's great, but if someone uses 50 grain bullets in the .22-250 and 58 grain bullets in the .243, they are giving up a lot of wind deflection and long-range energy inherent in the cartridges. I've used mostly 55 grain bullets in the .22-250 Rem and 85-90 grain varmint bullets in the .243 Win, but hunted mostly woodchucks.

We don't have prairie dogs in Maine, but woodchuck shots out to 400 yards require the best wind-bucking loads. About 40 years ago my best spring woodchuck load was a 6mm, 90 grain Sierra Spitzer BT. It was deadly accurate and bucked the wind better than any .224 bullets. Retained energy and trajectory were excellent.
 
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GunsAmerica Actual

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Yes, the ballistic coefficient is going to be higher on a heavier bullet. I just looked and the BC on the Hornady .243 85 grain is .395. That is why part of the story is that the 53 grain bullet has a BC of .290, which is really high for a bullet that light. I actually have a camper in York Beach and Kittery Trading Post is "my" gunshop and you are correct, there is no prairie dog hunting in Maine. In fact you see prairie dogs in the zoo up there. In the plain states and western states prairie dogs are a huge problem and hunting them for fun has become a big sport, similar to wild hogs in the southern and western states. They are nuisance animals with no season.

Perhaps there should be a parental warning on prairie dog articles, but the "fun" of prairie dog hunting is exploding them (I have never done it) with a light bullet traveling very fast. So while that 90 grain bullet may be flatter and have more retained energy, it will just pass through the little critters and they will fall over, which is no "fun."

Prairie dog hunters, for lack of a better term, really are looking to splatter the little critters and seeing parts of them fly in the air. Bullets in the 50s do that.
 
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44 AMP

Staff
While making the little critters go "poof" is entertaining, the real satisfaction (the fun part) for me is making the shot. Reading the wind, judging the drop (I don't use a rangefinder), holding just right, and squeezing just enough, at just the right moment.

Wonder what Hornady could do for a super varmint load in the .25-06?
:D
 
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GunsAmerica Actual

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The problem is that you can't cover every caliber. I was surprised they even have the .222. Because they are blending powders for the optimum burn rate for that specific caliber and bullet its a ton of work, like months or years and there is no guarantee you are going to nail it. I wouldn't hold my breath on the .25-06. It is a necked down .30-06 with no other changes and it just isn't a caliber you see in factory rifles much. It was a wildcat for 50 years before Remington adopted in as a standardized SAAMI cartridge in 1969. So it wasn't designed from a physics standpoint. It was just an idea that Remington decided to standardize. Hodgedon is coming out with a Superformance powder though so watch for that. The caliber was made for handloading. -ph@ga
 
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It was a wildcat for 50 years before Remington adopted in as a standardized SAAMI cartridge in 1969. So it wasn't designed from a physics standpoint. It was just an idea that Remington decided to standardize.
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Very much like the .22-250. Not 50 years (30 some) and 1965, but other than that? Just an idea Remington decided to standardize.
 
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taylorce1

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Hodgedon is coming out with a Superformance powder though so watch for that.
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Any idea on when? I have a 6X47 Rem that I'd like to try a powder in if it can get my velocites up. Not that I'm complaining too much I'm getting 3060 fps with a 20" barrel and a 70 grain NBT bullets. If I could get another 100 fps I'd be happy and if it could get my 55 grain bullets above 3500 fps that would be a blast! Of course the powder would have to prove accurate in my rifle, because without accuracy all that speed doesn't do a thing for me.
 
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GunsAmerica Actual

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It is "in 2011" which could mean this december or june of next year. I will be doing an article on it when I can get it of course. If you google "hodgdon superformance powder" you'll see a lot of blog posts about it. Even Michael Bane covered it.
 
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300magman

New member
I wonder how exactly this new 53gr bullet is "optimized" for the 223rem chamber?
0.29 is a great BC for a bullet that light, if it would work in a 22-250 as well it could Really reach out there.
 
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GunsAmerica Actual

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I emailed into Steve Johnson from Hornady about this and he just answered. I knew the 53gr. is the same ogive as the 75gr BTHP, for which there is load data for the .22-250, but I didn't know about the length.
The 53 grain V-MAX has the same OGIVE or shape ahead of the main diameter as the 75 gr BTHP, the bullet is shorter and lighter so the overall BC is lower. The 53 grain bullet could be used in a 22-250 provided it has a 1-12” twist rate barrel (or faster) although the COL may end up too long to fit in the magazine, that will require some experimenting.

Let me know if you have further questions.

Best,

Steve
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CPTMurdoc30

New member
I don't see the big deal. With a 50gr V-Max and VV N133 I got my little 223 to rip right along at 3500+ fps. That was not a fluke unless the 50 rounds over the chrono were all wrong SD was 2fps and no signs of pressure. The load was not MAXED out either it was a mid range load in VV's load data.

That is my go to load for Ground Hog's I tell you what that little 50gr pill makes a tiny entrance and a rather nasty exit wound on a ground hog from 75 to 300 yards. The longest shot has been 329 yards on a Ground hog and he looked like he jumped on a grenade he had guts strung out 2 to 3 foot out of the exit wound.

I use 60gr V-Max in my RRA predator Pursuit Rifle. They do better for misting at the 250+ ranges on ground hogs.

Below is the 50gr VV N133 load performance on a ground hog at exactly 75 yards. (I know because he was on the range eating grass at the 75 yard marker).

SD530003.jpg
 
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GunsAmerica Actual

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Well the issue isn't really whether you can handload .223 over 3500fps. We all know how to look for signs of pressure and we all know actions are made to stand twice SAAMI specs. I'd like to see that load data that you speak of. The Hornady book I used in the article is not considered extremely conservative.
 
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