.224 Hornady V-Max Results

[StarMetal]

I thought I'd post this and the picture since I've been fooling around with my AR15. The load is a 60 gr Hornady V-Max and the target was a one gallon milk jug full of water and the distance was 200 yards shot from my window sill standing up. Yes with a scope. The rifle is sighted in for 100 yards. Give you an idea of what a high scope mounting does on a rifle, it's still dead on at 200. More impressive is the damage. Look at the jug and the bullet never went through it. Those V-Max's are sure explosive.

Joe

[imashooter2]

My AR likes the 60 grain VMAX too:



I have my scope in a RRA hi-riser and it works fine.

[StarMetal]

That's nice shooting. Those AR's can be very accurate. Mine likes the 69 gr Sierra too, in fact it likes just about anything.

Joe

[Herb in Pa]

I took my AR out to Idaho last spring for varmint hunting and had no problems either. I was using the Black Hills remanufactured ammo with the 60 grain Vmax's.

[Bass Ackward]

I took my AR out to Idaho last spring for varmint hunting and had no problems either. I was using the Black Hills remanufactured ammo with the 60 grain Vmax's.

Herb,

Atta boy. Got-t-a l-o-v-e that bubble!

[imashooter2]

That's nice shooting. Those AR's can be very accurate. Mine likes the 69 gr Sierra too, in fact it likes just about anything.

Joe

Mine favors lighter bullets. The 60 VMAX is about as heavy as I can go before accuracy falls off. A good friend has a Savage bolt that is just the opposite. It's funny, I keep buying heavy bullets to try and then hand him half a box after I give up on them. He does the same for me with the light pills.

[StarMetal]

Imashooter

Oh, your AR must not have the fast rifling twist. Mine has the 7 twist and I haven't found any jacketed it won't shoot decent.

Joe

[Herb in Pa]

Herb,

Atta boy. Got-t-a l-o-v-e that bubble!

You've got a pretty good eye for detail!!!!!!!!

[imashooter2]

Imashooter

Oh, your AR must not have the fast rifling twist. Mine has the 7 twist and I haven't found any jacketed it won't shoot decent.

Joe

I have a 1:9 DPMS upper on my target rifle. It should theoretically stabilize anything south of 75 grains, but I haven't found a bullet over 60 that it will get groups with. Strangely enough, my friends Savage is a 1:9 as well.

I have a 1:7 Colt R6600 too, but it has the A2 irons. With my eyes and irons, the 200 yard groups are very different. I generally use the Colt as a bullet hose for good old fashioned blasting fun inside 100 yards with cheap Russian fodder.

[Buckshot]

...............So what's the mould number on that V-Max dealie?

.............Buckshot

[XBT]

The Hornady 50 grn. V-Max is about the best all-round bullet I have found for coyotes. I use it in an older (about 1970 vintage) Ruger M-77V in 22-250. I am retired and hunt coyotes full time from Oct. through Dec. so the Ruger sees lots of use.

It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it……

[StarMetal]

Buckshot,

The mould manufacturer is Hornady. Numbers are .224 50 gr V-Max, .224 60 gr V-Max. hehehehehehe

I don't know about using those V-Maxs for larger vermin. Buckshot can tell you about what I told him. I had to dispatch a dog in my area. It was responsible for killing two of my goats. It was a cross of Rothweiler and something else and looked mainly like the Roth, just a tad lighter in weight. I'd say about 60-70 lb dog. I shot it with a 60 gr V-Max, broadside shot right behind it's right shoulder. Rifle was my AR15 with 7 twist. Well I hit him exactly where I was aiming and he run off about 1/4 to 1/2 mi. He didn't start leaving a blood trail until 50 to 75 yards and that was spraying out of his nose. Upon examination I couldn't even find a hole where the bullet went in and it never come out. For a test I lined up 3 one gallon milk jugs full of water and shot them at the same spot I shot the dog. The bullet totally exploded the first jug and only a tiny piece of the jacket put a hole in the second jug. V-Max do exactly what they are designed to do EXPLODE. That's what they did in that dog, exploded and probably wiped out his lungs thus him spraying blood. Had I shot him with an issue Nam 55 FMJ out of that 7 twist AR it would have blown an exti hole about the size of a grapefruit or bigger out of him. Me and Buckshot concluded those V-Maxs are probably best for small vermin like praire dogs, ground squirrels, etc, maybe groundhogs. I think they are too explosive for larger game. Oh, they will get the job done, but you may have some long tracking in hand if you want to retreiver the animal.

Now I mentioned my rifle has a 7 twist. That may explain why they are so explosive out of my rifle. If you are shooting them out of a 12 twist then maybe they work alot differently and I apologize for my theory.

Joe

[Herb in Pa]

Joe....I've not used them on anything larger than PA groundhogs and then not the 60 grainers. I load the 50 grain Vmax's for both my 223 bolt and 22-250 bolt guns, both with a 1 in 14 twist. I've never experienced an exit wound using either weapon. The AR I was using in Idaho is a Colt CAR A3 with a 1 in 9" twist and even on critters as small as "sage rats" it didn't really do much exiting..............

[XBT]

Joe, I am sure you are correct about using the V-Max on larger game. The coyotes around here average only about 25 lbs., with a very large one running up to 35 lbs. The V-Max works well on that size game, usually dropping them on the spot, with minimal hide damage.
I usually take around forty coyotes per season, so I have a reasonable size sample to work with.

Jim

[StarMetal]

Jim,

I certainly would believe minimal hide damage. That sharp plactic tip only leaves a pin hole and the bullets never exit.

Joe