For a .223 caliber rifle, is a 55 grain load better than a 65 grain load for Varmint Hunting ( ballistic Info)

the 55 is probably going to be faster

the 65 would probably be better for larger varmints

but it depends on manufacturer of cartridges and especially the construction of the bullet itself

before buying a large quantity of ammo, try it out first

different rifles may have different rates of twist that can definitely influence whether a particular gun prefers a heavier or lighter bullet

and some guns just simply prefer one bullet over another

As others have said, it is all based on the twist rate of your rifle. In general, for long distance flat shooting at small varmints you want a lighter grain bullet. You can actually go lighter than 55, but 55 is a good all around use choice

You can determine twist by putting the wire brush on, pushing it about an inch in the barrel, mark the rod with a sharpie where the barrel is, then put another dot at the handle end. Push the rod in, watching for when the dot at the handle end turns back around. Once you get one full rotation, mark the rod at the barrel again, push the brush all the way through, and the pull it back out. Measure how far between the two marks. Now you know 1 turn in X inches, so 1 turn in 12 inches is 1:12

1. 1:12 and 1:14 are good for 35-55 grain. This is the classic Varminter Twist. Some guys run up to 62 gr if the 1:12 rifle happens to like them, but in general 55 is the heaviest you want to go.

2. 1:9 and 1:10 This is the most versitile. It won't spin apart 45s or 50s, but NOT good for 35s or 40s. This is a good 55 grain twist, and the 62 grain bullets love it too. 65s do just fine. It will do decent with weights up to 70. Some guys get good performance on 77 grain, but that isn't reliable, it is more of an individual rifle issue.

3. 1:7 and 1:6.5 will handle up to 90 grain, and 1:6.5 up to 100 gr (if anyone even makes those anymore).1:7 the lightest you want to go is 62 grain.

Also, the military doesn't have any secret barrel strenghtening technology, they simply have the right twist for their grain. Any barrel can get trashed in much less than 10,000 if you shoot too fast for the barrel to cool off. If you get a heavier bull barrel, you will actually have a barrel that will last longer and heat slower than what the military uses. The military has to balance many factors, including something strong enough for long use, but light enough for easy carry.

All else being equal, the 55 grain load will shoot flatter and expand better. It will also shoot more accurately in most rifles since they usually have a relatively slow twist for lighter bullets. This is because the .223 is generally used on varmints and not larger game, so they are designed with 40-55 grain bullets in mind. However, some rifles, especially some of the AR's have fast twist barrels for bullets as heavy as 75 grains. In one of these the 65 grain bullets could very likely be more accurate. That being said, until you actually try it in your rifle, you won't know for sure which will be more accurate.

W W D - hit the nail on the head.

In terms of accuracy, rifles can be finicky and unpredictable. There's no way to know without shooting them in your rifle.

Heavier bullets are going to have a lower muzzle velocity but lose velocity at a lesser rate than lighter bullets. Again, you need to know a lot more about the two loads than just bullet weight.

Others have mentioned stabilization at different twist rates. While it's true heavier bullets and faster twists go hand in hand, it also has to be kept in mind that the design of the bullet has something to do with it, and it would also be good to know if one has a secant ogive and the other a tangent ogive design, just as an example. That will make a difference in terms of bearing surface.

Terminal ballistics are going to be dependent also on design. All else being equal, the lighter bullet will have less sectional density and therefore less penetration. Obviously, if you're using a bullet designed for quick fragmentation on small varmints, that's a completely different proposition from FMJ's that you might use for pelt hunting.

Sorry, this isn't much of an out-and-out answer, but there are just too many other variables to consider.

You can look at it two ways. The 55 grain bullet will move faster, and since it will be in the air for a shorter amount of time, the bullet will drop less, and get to the target sooner. However the wind will have a more drastic effect. The 65 grain bullet will move slower, and so it will be in the air longer, so it will have more drop, however, being heavier and longer will not be effected by the wind as much. If there was absolutely no wind then get the 40 grain bullets, but there is always wind, so for long shots use the heavier bullets, drop is easier to calculate than wind.

What is your rifle twist? Even fmjs will take down a coyote with a mediocre shot. Everything equal the 65 will do more damage. The 55 will probably be flatter.

Distance is a funny thing. The 55 will travel further. The 65 will retain its accuracy further.

Tell us your rifle twist and length and we can help more

After reading WWD's comments it makes me want to state the obvious. Before you buy 1000 rounds why don't you shoot 20 first?

That is entirely and completely dependent on the rate of twist of your barrel.

Without that number, any answer has a 50/50 chance of being wrong - there is no "across the board" accurate/effective round for .223's.

If you have a 1:12 twist, 55 grainers.

If you have a 1:7, or 1:9 twist, 65-ers.

This depends on the twist of your barrel. 1:12 will handle up to 60gr (at 60gr that is pushing the ragged edge). You are going to need a 1:9" twist to stabilize the longer heavier 65gr bullet. If you have an AR rifle you would be ok with the 65gr bullet. If you have a bolt action more than likely you are going to need the 55gr. Some bolt actions come in a 1:9" twist.

I myself shoot nothing but Hornady 50gr V-max or 53gr HP Match in my 223. (Remington 700VLS 6-18x40mm scope).

Your 55gr is the standard varmint bullet. These will produce the coveted red mist out to 250 yards on smaller animals. thoese 65gr will creat a lot of red mist as well.

Accuracy is going to depend on you your rifle and your condition. My rifle will shoot my handloads into .4" 5 shot 100 yard groups. The factory ammo I tried (Hornady) would shoot .8" groups. That to me is accuracy poor enough for me to get rid of the gun.

55 grain projectiles will expand quicker because they are traveling at a faster speed they will destroy varmints better than 65 grain projectiles. 55 grain projectile will get a tighter group and be better for long rang shooting.

I use 50 grain nosler projectiles

with 25.5 grains of Winchester 748 gun powder

in my .222 it is the best load that i could work out for my .222

and it takes care of all varmints very effectively.

For varmints the only rounds my guys and I use are "Nosler Ballistic Tips 55 grain" They'll explode the squirrel and they shrap up instantly after impact to insure the safest bullet in field that houses surround... Still be careful****