Ya gotta love the AI...

[Jorlcrin]

I was searching the net the other day, to see latest recommended projectiles for hunting small to medium game in .224 calibre.
Have a neighbour who's sole centrefire rifle is a Krico .222 Rem rifle, and I was looking around for projectiles that have a bit more punch than the varmint pills.
He's considering moving to .223 rem(baby steps..), which would open up his heaviest projectile weight in reloads, especially if he goes with a 1:8" twist barrel.
We've had a lot of success on large pics with the 69gn ADI match factory loads for pigs, in both our .223's.
Obviously, the match pills arent recommended for hunting, but we've found they hit hard enough for large pigs.

So I was interested to see what my neighbours' options might be if he sticks with the .222; with somewhere around the 60-64gn range being the upper limit.

Amongst various reviews, I did find eventually that the Nosler Bonded core in 64gn might be interesting to trial if I could find some, but rather expensive per shot.

But in amongst the search results, I get this review from "JoJoReviews", titled "10 Best 0.224 Bullet for Deer"...
I'd be reaching for something a bit bigger, myself, though there are plenty of deer around the world who have fallen to a .224.
But thought I'd take a look and see what they were recommending....

WASNT expecting a Nutribullet blender as the top pic!
In fact; the top 3 choices took me by surprise.
I wonder if you buy a box of Nutribullet belnders, and then wander out into the forest and throw them at the deer??

All I can suggest, is that SOMEONE left the AI running the website, while they went on holidays...

[ButchDDG41]

AI can get things so spectacularly wrong at times its hard to believe it ever gets things truly correct.

[niteowl]

What is your problem ? If you hit a deer at a couple of thousand feet per sec with the blender surely it would be effective. Get with it mate.

[Bugman]

I have heard of "blending in" but that's ridiculous.

[Die Judicii]

It's just plain scary that AI has been let off the leash.
Sooner or later it'll come back and bite people on the Rsse big time,, but who is gonna be able to stop it ,

My dear old Dad had a favorite saying,,,, "Not often your right sunshine,, but your wrong this time."

[Die Judicii]

I have heard of "blending in" but that's ridiculous.

Ha Ha,,,,,,,,,, Love it.
You are a funneeeeeee man.

[Jorlcrin]

What is your problem ? If you hit a deer at a couple of thousand feet per sec with the blender surely it would be effective. Get with it mate. :clap:

Heh; Now I REALLY want to see the launcher to shoot a blender at 2000fps...
"Yes, Officer; I'd like to apply to have my license endorsed for 'Category PB - Culinary Ordnance'!"

[Damo300]

What is your problem ? If you hit a deer at a couple of thousand feet per sec with the blender surely it would be effective. Get with it mate.

Heh; Now I REALLY want to see the launcher to shoot a blender at 2000fps...
"Yes, Officer; I'd like to apply to have my license endorsed for 'Category PB - Culinary Ordnance'!"

Picturing a steel pipe spud gun.

"Picturing" being the word to focus on here if any hall monitors are reading.


Ammunition would be expensive.
Have to get onto Alibaba or something and buy in bulk.

Again....for all the left wing Labor/greens voters....I am not being serious. It's called Aussie humour and afaik we can still partake

[bladeracer]

Speer 70gn SP is the heaviest bullet that works in the old .222 twist rates.

[Jorlcrin]

Speer 70gn SP is the heaviest bullet that works in the old .222 twist rates.

Bladeracer,

Is this from personal experience, and do you know what twist rate was that for?
I've found that .222rem were originally 1:14" twist, but then later rifles were sometimes 1:12" twist.
I would have thought that either of these would've been too slow for 70gn, but I'm happy to trial it, if there's a reasonable chance of success.
I have a thousand Speer 70gn on hand, so that might indeed be a handy projectile for the neighbour.
Annoyingly, I am yet to find any definite info on the factory twist rate in the Krico Model 601 (1st series).

Of the 6 reloading guides I have on hand, only one lists load data for projectiles above 60gn for .222rem(ADI 2014 guide).

I guess my first task will be to get the neighbour over here with rifle, so I can measure the twist rate.

[Wapiti]

Something in my rear brain storage remembers an article in an old Guns Australia about that projectile, because it flew in the face to other recommendations I'd read.
I remember it because I had a 1-12" twist 223 and was trying to work out how to up the anti on performance with a tougher bullet.
Everyone is ape on speed and fancy tips, but they just made performance erratic on the animals we encounter so I was interested in that bullet.

Is it the length and shape of the 70gn, BR, rather than the weight?
Years ago, there was a Taipan-made 70gn .223" soft point which worked very well too. I still have some 50rd plastic ammo boxes loaded with this bullet, because it was so good compared to the plastic-tipped ones at the time.
It was used in a real battered old 788 Remington .222, I'm sure from memory that rifle had a 1-14 twist? I wish I still had that rifle, damn it.

[bladeracer]

Speer designed them for 14"-twist .22-250 for deer hunting. Bullet length determines stability, not weight. The flat-base soft-point should be short enough to stabilise in 14"-twist.

Speer 70gn SP is the heaviest bullet that works in the old .222 twist rates.

Bladeracer,

Is this from personal experience, and do you know what twist rate was that for?
I've found that .222rem were originally 1:14" twist, but then later rifles were sometimes 1:12" twist.
I would have thought that either of these would've been too slow for 70gn, but I'm happy to trial it, if there's a reasonable chance of success.
I have a thousand Speer 70gn on hand, so that might indeed be a handy projectile for the neighbour.
Annoyingly, I am yet to find any definite info on the factory twist rate in the Krico Model 601 (1st series).

Of the 6 reloading guides I have on hand, only one lists load data for projectiles above 60gn for .222rem(ADI 2014 guide).

I guess my first task will be to get the neighbour over here with rifle, so I can measure the twist rate.

[bladeracer]

As far as I can recall from over 40 years ago my .222 788 was 14"-twist. The 52gn and 53gn Sierra and Speer BTHP bullets were outstanding in it. I wish I still had mine as well.

Something in my rear brain storage remembers an article in an old Guns Australia about that projectile, because it flew in the face to other recommendations I'd read.
I remember it because I had a 1-12" twist 223 and was trying to work out how to up the anti on performance with a tougher bullet.
Everyone is ape on speed and fancy tips, but they just made performance erratic on the animals we encounter so I was interested in that bullet.

Is it the length and shape of the 70gn, BR, rather than the weight?
Years ago, there was a Taipan-made 70gn .223" soft point which worked very well too. I still have some 50rd plastic ammo boxes loaded with this bullet, because it was so good compared to the plastic-tipped ones at the time.
It was used in a real battered old 788 Remington .222, I'm sure from memory that rifle had a 1-14 twist? I wish I still had that rifle, damn it.

[Wapiti]

Yes thought so mate, thanks for that.

Those 70gn bullets worked in that 1-14" twist .222 (I think everything did in those budget Remington's, and the 700's after it.
Makes a mockery of the rear locking word-of-mouth rubbish that has gone on forever.
We used them even in a AAA SAR (anyone remember those? The Tasmanian made copies of the AR180?) that we lent to friends who came out prior to 1996. many pigs fell to that bullet, and the Taipan 70gn soft points, without a fuss. The rifle had a 2-8x32 Jap Tasco compact on it, from memory.
They transformed the 222/223 into a medium pig dropper, was smarter option than the plastic tipped micro-hand grenades.

So often, despite the marketing and the self-appraisals, things have gone backwards for numbers and fashion.

[bladeracer]

Yep, mate of mine had the AAA SAR20 in .223, until Police took it off him.

Yes thought so mate, thanks for that.

Those 70gn bullets worked in that 1-14" twist .222 (I think everything did in those budget Remington's, and the 700's after it.
Makes a mockery of the rear locking word-of-mouth rubbish that has gone on forever.
We used them even in a AAA SAR (anyone remember those? The Tasmanian made copies of the AR180?) that we lent to friends who came out prior to 1996. many pigs fell to that bullet, and the Taipan 70gn soft points, without a fuss. The rifle had a 2-8x32 Jap Tasco compact on it, from memory.
They transformed the 222/223 into a medium pig dropper, was smarter option than the plastic tipped micro-hand grenades.

So often, despite the marketing and the self-appraisals, things have gone backwards for numbers and fashion.

[Wapiti]

Ours was the 16, and there was a 12 as well. Gee, they threw fireballs, especially with the PMC ammo that was around at that time, remember that stuff? It came in the camo 20rd boxes.

We'd been shooting some targets down in a gully once with that FMJ stuff, and this boar, probably only 50kg wet walked down past us. I didn't have time to change ammo, so I drilled it with the camo-boxed stuff behind the shoulder.
16" barrel, so it was probably around 3000fps or so. I'd been so used to the (for a pipsqueak 223) good results when we used a proper bullet for medium pigs, the 70gn, I was surprised when it never reacted at all. Maybe it did, but I never saw it. It kept walking until I regained my brains and shot it behind the ear.

Pretty sure they had a 1-7" twist, in fact I'm super sure, way ahead of their time and a super accurate rifle. They took AR15 mags, only ones around then were the aluminium and steel too, 20 shot only. Plenty of ammo for anything then, even the big mobs of pigs around at the time. But by the time you'd got close to firing 20 aimed shots, the rest had bolted anyway.

I've read plenty of wannabe's ragging these rifles, but all I get from that is yep, another loser and a reason to find someone has a personality.

[Jorlcrin]

Speer designed them for 14"-twist .22-250 for deer hunting. Bullet length determines stability, not weight. The flat-base soft-point should be short enough to stabilise in 14"-twist.

Speer 70gn SP is the heaviest bullet that works in the old .222 twist rates.

Bladeracer,

Is this from personal experience, and do you know what twist rate was that for?
I've found that .222rem were originally 1:14" twist, but then later rifles were sometimes 1:12" twist.
I would have thought that either of these would've been too slow for 70gn, but I'm happy to trial it, if there's a reasonable chance of success.
I have a thousand Speer 70gn on hand, so that might indeed be a handy projectile for the neighbour.
Annoyingly, I am yet to find any definite info on the factory twist rate in the Krico Model 601 (1st series).

Of the 6 reloading guides I have on hand, only one lists load data for projectiles above 60gn for .222rem(ADI 2014 guide).

I guess my first task will be to get the neighbour over here with rifle, so I can measure the twist rate.

Bladeracer,

Many thanks for the info; absolute gold.
In my net searches on the subject, I had missed the fact that bullet length also plays a big part in stability.
Who knew that short dumpy things would be better at something than the tall ones??

Found my Nick Harvey book, and it indeed lists the 70gn for the .222 running a 1:14" twist barrel.

Looks like it might be well worth testing out a batch of these 70gn pills, and see how the neighbour takes to them.

Thanks again for helping clarify that puzzle..