I have a standard contour, 1 in 12 inch barrel on a Handi. I have shot mostly 55 grain fmj from various manufactureres with poor to fair results. Is there a bullet weight or manufactuer that on average performs better in standard contour 1 in 12 inch barrels?
Best of the shelf .223 bullet/weight?
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Conventional wisdom has it that the slower the twist, the lighter the bullet & vice versa.
Might try finding some of the 200rd Federal value packs at Wal-Mart. They are a 50gr HP. Around here they run $57.88/200. My local China-Mart has a limit of four packs/day/customer because some ammo whore bought them out of 10k+ rounds on the last shipment.
Might try finding some of the 200rd Federal value packs at Wal-Mart. They are a 50gr HP. Around here they run $57.88/200. My local China-Mart has a limit of four packs/day/customer because some ammo whore bought them out of 10k+ rounds on the last shipment.
My standard 1 in 12 twist 223 likes the Black Hills remanufactured 52gr match HP. It shoots the Winchester 45 hp pretty good too. The 55gr bullets I have tried have been hit and miss, mostly miss with the fmj's. It did not like 60 gr Nosler partitions at all. I'll stick to 52 and under...although I do want to try some Winchester 64 gr PP. I've heard they can sometimes shoot well in slower twist guns because the are short for their weight.
Tim
Tim
Every gun is a thing onto itself. You will have to try different bullet, powder combinations until you find what works for you. This is the case with any gun, any type, any caliber. Personally I am partial to 50 grain bullets. I think they have a decent weight for varmints and they have decent B.C.. They are a compromise between really light bullets and the heaver bullets. I have found that the Hornady V-Max to perform well in most of my rifles, but not all. The 50 V-MAX will shoot in all of my 224 caliber guns and stabilize including my 22 Hornets. With that said, not all of my guns will shoot it well. I have 3 223's and one likes a 40 grain bullet better. You will have to do like everyone else and try different combinations until you hit "gold". I always start with the 50 V-MAX and work from there. I currently have 15 different .224 bullets on the shelf to try in different weights, configurations and manufacturers from a 36 grain bullet up to a 60 grain bullet. I like the Hornady because they are cheaper than a lot of brands and I can usually get good results from them, but not always. The Speer 52 grain Hollow point is a good bullet too for accuracy, but it has a tougher jacket and will not blow up as easily as a V-Max. Good Luck to you. 
I must apologize I was talking about hand loading. Off the shelf ammo is a little different, but not different. I would try the premium bullet choices first. There is a reason you pay more for them. Better bullets and more care in construction. Like Remington premier series for instance. But again, what works in one rifle will not work in another. The Winchester White Box 45 grain bullets worked well in lot of Handi Rifles, but the supply has dried up. Some have gotten good results with the Black Hills ammo. They make different grades and again they make a premium line that features top of the line bullets. Just stick with domestic manufacturers for the better results. I think that you could get good results from Federal, Winchester, Hornady, Remington, Black Hills for instance. Buy one box of each and do some experimenting at the range to find which your gun likes the best. If you want cheap, try the re-manufactured Black Hills or Remington UMC brand. If you could get your hands on the Winchester 45 grain USA JHP (Winchester White box), they may do well and they are of reasonable cost. I would try 55 grain bullets and under. 60 grain bullets may or may not stabilize in your 1 - 12" twist. Do not be afraid to try 40 grain bullets. The important point is accuracy not bullet weight.
Maybe I just missed this but here goes - What are you looking to do with the round? Target shooting? Varminting? Deer hunting? Is relative cost important? All of the above comments contain good recommendations with good logic, but there are different bullets for different reasons. By letting the group know specifically what you are wanting to do, you will probably get better details. For example, I wouldn't recommend a 45gr HP if you were hunting deer, but neither would I recommend a 60gr Partition if you were simply plinking.
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