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Nosler 69 grain Custom Competition
- Thread starter garryc
- Start date
m&p45acp10+1
New member
Used them once. They worked just fine. I used RL15 which is very close to Varget in burn rate, and use. I switched to Hornady 68 grain HPBT Match they work just as well for a lot less money.
I won most of my medals at Camp Perry shooting 69 SMK's and 69 Nosler's. Out to three hundred yards these things are tack drivers, and I shot knots with these bullets in the rapids. They are too wind sensitive for 600 yards; if the wind is still, you will murder the X ring at that distance, but if there is a Butterfly between you and the target, and it belches, (blaaaah) that crosswind will blow it into the eight ring.
Varget is an outstanding powder, just use John Holliger's load data for the 69 SMK http://www.whiteoakprecision.com/info-reloading.htm.
Varget is an outstanding powder, just use John Holliger's load data for the 69 SMK http://www.whiteoakprecision.com/info-reloading.htm.
"They are too wind sensitive for 600 yards; if the wind is still, you will murder the X ring at that distance, but if there is a Butterfly between you and the target, and it belches, (blaaaah) that crosswind will blow it into the eight ring."
And there you have it. I have one AR I've used with 69 BTHP "match type" ammo. While it's accurate on calm days, it's nearly worthless for first round hits at 350-400 yards if there's even a whiff of wind. I gave up and went back to .308.
And there you have it. I have one AR I've used with 69 BTHP "match type" ammo. While it's accurate on calm days, it's nearly worthless for first round hits at 350-400 yards if there's even a whiff of wind. I gave up and went back to .308.
"They are too wind sensitive for 600 yards; if the wind is still, you will murder the X ring at that distance, but if there is a Butterfly between you and the target, and it belches, (blaaaah) that crosswind will blow it into the eight ring."
And there you have it. I have one AR I've used with 69 BTHP "match type" ammo. While it's accurate on calm days, it's nearly worthless for first round hits at 350-400 yards if there's even a whiff of wind. I gave up and went back to .308.
With a 1:8 twist there is no reason not to use 80gr Amax bullets for the 600 yard line. The 0.331 BC of the 69gr bullets just doesn't do you any favors, but the 0.452 BC of the Amax will keep up with the 30 cal shooters. Load 'em long since the 600 yard stage is single load anyways.
Jimro
My 24" Bushmaster Varmint has a 1-9" twist barrel. 80's are not an option. I tested 77's with good success but again probably not the best choice. 69's shoot well at my 600 range. Yes the wind can be challenging at times, but the wind blows in all directions so it's a guessing game for holdovers. Shooting 69's accurately in the wind is great experience for me .
m&p45acp10+1
New member
Road Clam have you tried the Hornady 68 grain HPBT Match bullets? They are longer than the other's 69 grain bullets, and are close in length to the Sierra 75 grain HPBT. I switched to them and have been quite thrilled with the results.
My 24" Bushmaster Varmint has a 1-9" twist barrel. 80's are not an option. I tested 77's with good success but again probably not the best choice. 69's shoot well at my 600 range. Yes the wind can be challenging at times, but the wind blows in all directions so it's a guessing game for holdovers. Shooting 69's accurately in the wind is great experience for me .
A 1:9 twist in a barrel that long should handle the 75gr Amax just fine if you it is already handling 77gr bullets. That would bump your BC from .331 up to .413 G1, and that's still a pretty good improvement.
Jimro
FiveInADime
New member
And there you have it. I have one AR I've used with 69 BTHP "match type" ammo. While it's accurate on calm days, it's nearly worthless for first round hits at 350-400 yards if there's even a whiff of wind. I gave up and went back to .308.
What size targets were you shooting at? Looks like 10" drift for a full-factor 25mph wind at 350 yards with a typical 69gr load. I mean, if you're shooting at a six inch steel plate, that should be a fairly easy over/under game to get a hit. Not so much if you're shooting at an MOA size target, I guess.
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garryc said:I went with the V-max. Normally I shoot 27 grains of Varget or CFE 223 (That one is recent) I do the in my Wylde chambers and in my Remington 700.
This has what I called a Compass Lake Spec. I have no experience with that.
Well, there is a Wylde .223 reamer and a Compass Lake 5.56 reamer, both available from JGS. You can read the spec differences.
Garry,
Sorry. That was not the right illustration I linked to. I must have slipped the mouse, because the one under it is what you want to look at. It is here.
This time I checked to be sure it is the right one.
Sorry. That was not the right illustration I linked to. I must have slipped the mouse, because the one under it is what you want to look at. It is here.
This time I checked to be sure it is the right one.
FiveInADime
New member
Oh, I thought we were specifically talking about target shooting. I suppose in windy conditions 350 yards would be pretty iffy on a coyote with a .223Rem. But I think many could get by shooting steel plates or milk jugs in the wind with the .223."What size targets were you shooting at? Looks like 10" drift for a full-factor 25mph wind at 350 yards with a typical 69gr load."
Coyotes. If head on or tail on, the target area is under 6" and there aren't any windflags.
I take my .243 when coyote calling. My new .223 is 11 pounds and wears a 6-24x scope. Not ideal for predator hunting.
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The 69 grain SMK was the first real target bullet for 223 and 5.56, IIRC, but its ballistic coefficient is lower than that of a flat base 150 grain .308 diameter M2 Ball FMJ bullet. Same with the copies by other companies at this weight and the Hornady at 1 grain less weight. You have to go to the 77 grain SMK to match the M2 ball bullet. The 80 grain SMK matches the BC of the 168 grain .308 SMK, and will, therefore, perform as well against wind, but it needs to be loaded long and singly in the AR to achieve a performance match. If loaded short to fit a magazine, it eats up powder space and loses some velocity. The even longer 90 grain SMK has a very good BC of just over 0.5, but it's so long you can't fit enough powder into a 223/5.56 case under it to get enough velocity to let it shine.
It's just easier to get to a high BC with the greater mass of the 308, and the BC is what tells you how the wind will treat you in any given velocity range.
It's just easier to get to a high BC with the greater mass of the 308, and the BC is what tells you how the wind will treat you in any given velocity range.