Part Two will be more of the same, a not-too-brief overview on developing accurate, safe handloads. The emphasis, of course, will be on getting the maximum performance out of varmint rifles and precision hunting rifles of all denominations. Also, while I'm surely no pistolero, the same set of rules apply when developing great handloads for hunting handguns (XP-100s and the like).

  With that said, let's continue with "Some Thoughts On Load Development."

Powder Selection

  Varmint hunting typically involves long range shooting. Because of this, we want to develop hunting loads that give us maximum velocity and fine accuracy. Proper powder selection is essential if we want to meet these goals.

  From a powder selection standpoint, handloaders have never had it so good. The range of propellants is staggering, ranging from sphericals to extruded to the new short-grain. It also is a fact that the quality of today's powder is the finest in the history of handloading.

  So how do you pick a powder? Actually, the answer has two parts; powders are selected for grain type and burning rate. Both are incredibly important concepts. We'll cover propellant grain type first and pick up burning rate later.

  When considering a prospective powder, the first thing to be deliberated is grain type. I believe that varmint hunters must take a serious look at the intended usage for a rifle and to make an estimation about his ammunition quantity needs. If a gun is to be used as a high-volume prairie dog killer, the hunter/handloader would be best advised to consider only spherical (ball) powders and appropriate short-grain propellants.

  The reasoning behind this suggestion is pretty obvious. In order to load massive amounts of prairie dog fodder, conceivably five to 10 thousand rounds a year, the efficient use of a powder measure is practically mandatory. The exceptional metering characteristics of spherical and most short-grain powders make them the best choice for the job.

  It is fortunate that powders have more or less evolved to fit the need. As an example, most heavy-volume prairie dog hunters use the .223 Remington because of its reasonably flat trajectory and very modest recoil. It's not too much of a coincidence that a host of spherical powders fit the need. Among them are Hodgdon's H-335, Ball-C(2), Winchester's 748, and Accurate AA2460. All of these propellants are ball-type and will go through a powder measure with no more than .1-grain deviation. Yes, some of the guys use stick powders, but most of them are short-grain (H-322, VarGet, and H-4198SG) and they meter almost as well as the sphericals.

  In other rifles, ones that the varmint hunter intends for low-volume usage, there are no such restraints. If the handloader expects to load less than five hundred rounds a year, literally all appropriate powders should be considered, regardless of grain type. Sure, the long-grain powders have to be dumped from a measure and trickled up to weight, but it also is possible that they might offer added performance in a particular rifle. Low-volume handloading offers extra choices that are simply not an open to those of us who count their output in the thousands.

  Varmint hunters who use large quantities of big cartridges (ouch) also have a good supply of the easy-to-measure spherical and short-grain powders. While the low-volume .220 Swift user might still cling to the classic IMR-4064 loads and weigh every powder charge, the rest of us would most likely take a different approach. Both Hodgdon's and IMR's 4895 have approximately the same burning rate as IMR-4064 and both 4895s meter significantly better. Personally, I find that H-414 and Winchester 760 usually answer all of my Swift needs and both of these spherical powders feed through a powder measure flawlessly.

  Let's talk about burning rates and their relation to powder selection for a particular usage. Basically, the proper burning rate is a function of case capacity, bore size, and, to a some extent, bullet weight. Given the same case and different bore sizes (e.g. .25-06 compared to the .35 Whelen), the small bore thrives on slow-burning powder and the large bore is more efficient with the fast-burners. Also, within the same cartridge case, heavier bullets do better with slower powders and light bullets are more efficient with faster powders. I would urge The VARMINT HUNTER Magazine readers, no matter how experienced, to spend time studying these relationships in any good loading manual.

  So how do you pick the proper burning rate for the cartridge? The first thing would be to do some basic background work, using several recent loading manuals. Generally, every appropriate powder (for the cartridge/bullet weight) will be listed by order of burning rate.

  It doesn't take much study to see a definite pattern evolve, especially in the manuals that also include pressure readings. The powders that are on the fast end of the range usually attain maximum pressure before yielding the target velocity. On the other end of the scale, the slow powders fill up the cartridge case before achieving good muzzle velocity or maximum pressure. Generally there are three or four powders in the middle of the chart that really excel.

  To understand this we need to discuss the time/pressure curve. This is going to be bit technical, but it is a really important concept. Imagine a graph where the pressure is the y-axis (vertical) and time is represented by the x-axis (horizontal ). The curve would be tent-shaped with fast-burning powders, because there is a quick buildup of pressure, an instantaneous peak, and a precipitous drop. Slow burning powders have a longer curve, with pressure gradually building to maximum and a leisurely slide down the back side.

  Given the same peak pressure and a barrel length where both can reach potential, the amount of gas generated by a slow powder would be greater than that of a fast powder. This is true because the area under the time/pressure curve is directly proportional to the volume of gas generated by the propellant. It is pretty easy to understand that the volume of gas has a positive relationship with muzzle velocity.

  The trick in selecting the best-performing powder is to choose the slowest propellant that will reach peak chamber pressure and still fit within the capacity of the case. Ideally, the load would be close to 100 percent loading density, with the entire case full of powder, and the bullet just touching the top of the charge.

  Nosler's Chief Ballistician, Gail Root, says that the ideal choice of powder would be one that fills the case, flares the bullet base adequately, hits the target chamber pressure, and burns throughout the entire length of the bore. Gail also told me that the pressure should be something near 5,000 psi when the bullet exits the muzzle.

  There are some anomalies, of course, but generally speaking, the highest muzzle velocities are produced by high loading density charges that will get up to peak pressure. For some reason that I fail to understand, most loading manuals totally ignore load density data. Probably the finest source of information of this kind is contained in the Nosler Reloading Guide Number Four.

  Sometimes the powder that gives the highest muzzle velocity doesn't shoot well. Efficiency isn't everything, especially if it isn't accompanied by accuracy. Varmint hunting requires pinpoint accuracy and occasionally a handloader has to make some heart-rending compromises. When this happens, shift to another powder that is within the "sweet spot" and try again. Just be secure in the concept that it is better to sacrifice a hundred feet-per-second and hit the critter, than to go at full velocity and miss.

  On a practical note, many experienced shooters habitually use propellants that are on the fast side of the "sweet spot." These folks are taking advantage of the fact that powders that are slightly too fast often are the ones that give the finest accuracy. This is especially true with bullets that have heavy bases and boat tails. The reason for this is that faster powders flare the bullet base and provide a better, more consistent bore fit.

  Another practical comment, and one that few people think about, is that the time/pressure curve abruptly ends when the bullet exits the barrel. Because of this, it is often helpful to adjust propellant burning rate to the barrel length. Given the same chambering, short barrels give better performance with powders that are on the fast end of the scale and long barrels tend to prefer powders that are a bit slower to get up to speed.

  Another factor to consider is powder density. Big log-like extruded powders have lots of air space in the charge and take up lots of case capacity for their gas potential. The newer short-grain powders not only measure better, but they pack more efficiently in the case. The densest of all, of course, are spherical (ball) powders. By shifting to a short-grain or a spherical, it is sometimes possible to use a surprisingly slow powder in cases of comparatively small capacity. With a bit of experience, a handloader soon learns to use the positive aspects of powder density to his advantage.

  One invaluable aid in working with different propellants is a comprehensive cross-brand powder burning rate chart. I made my own and worked with it for many years. In 1996, during a visit, Editor Ned discovered my personal burning rate chart on my computer hard disk and asked if it could be published in The VARMINT HUNTER Magazine. Of course, my answer was a hearty "yes." An updated version of that powder burning chart is published in the magazine's Reference Section every now and then.

  Basically, the chart lists most of the powders that are presently commercially available by burning rate (from fastest to slowest). Like any burning rate chart, it should not be used to divining loading data. It can, however, be exceedingly helpful when "shifting gears" to the next burning rate or when going from one powder brand to another. Obviously, it is a good idea to employ the usual safety measures (like load reduction) when changing powders, chart or no chart.

  Working with propellants should be approached with patience, intelligence, and, most of all, a large measure of caution. Given these elements, however, an average varmint hunter should have no problem selecting the very finest powder for his handloads.

Bullet Selection

  One of the most difficult things in loading effective varmint hunting ammunition is the selection of the correct bullet for the job at hand. To make the choices easier, I believe it is helpful to consider three attributes of the bullet: accuracy, downrange ballistic efficiency, and terminal performance on game.

  There are times when one or two of the bullet's attributes will totally outweigh the remainder. For instance, a long-range prairie dog hunter needs a bullet of superior accuracy and ballistic efficiency. The bullet's expansion characteristics usually is a very distant third place because a high-speed hit on a prairie dog is usually sufficient for a clean kill.

  By contrast, a coyote hunter who calls his prey is primarily interested in terminal performance. Under most calling conditions, the shots are at relatively short range, so pin-point accuracy and "slick" bullet design is secondary. Coyotes can be tough hombres and you really need a bullet that will do major damage to the internals.

  A couple of years ago, my wife and I were traveling back to Oregon with the Hollands when we decided to stop off at Glenrock, Wyoming, for a little prairie dog hunting. The dogs were really plentiful and toward afternoon I ran out of my standard 6mmBR ammo. We had lots of ammunition on board, but I prefer to shoot 70-grain Nosler Ballistic Tips.

  So I scrounged around the back of the rig and came up with a case of ammunition that was loaded with 70-grain Famous-Name varmint bullets. Famous-Name Bullet Company (the name has been changed to protect the guilty) makes a great benchrest bullet and the version I was using looked suspiciously like their standard bullet, only with a larger hollow point. Anyway, the bullet boxes were marked "varmint" and the shot wonderfully on the range, so I expected they would work just fine. Hey, I was out of ammo and the use of Famous-Name bullets got me back in the killing business.

  The new lot of ammo nailed prairie dogs in a fairly satisfactory fashion. No, they didn't have the explosive, body-shredding qualities of the Ballistics, but they put a pleasant hole in the dogs and the cripples were minimal. All was well and good until we entered the Tree Line Town.

  We shot our way down one side of the tree line and were cutting across the end of a wash, when I spotted a coyote feeding on our freshly killed prairie dogs. The coyote was about 50 yards distant and completely oblivious to our presence. I settled the 6BR's crosshairs behind the shoulder and sent a Famous-Name "varmint" bullet on its way. The coyote never missed a munch, he just kept eating his free lunch.

  I was extra careful on the second shot and I saw the fur ruffle when the bullet struck precisely behind the shoulder. At that point, the coyote ran for the wash and sulked for a while. We never found any blood, but I saw him scooting out the end of the wash about 10 minutes after being hit. He looked like a healthy, unscathed yodel dog as he made a dash for the next ZIP code.

  It is difficult for me to believe that I could shoot from a dead rest and miss the vitals of a coyote from fifty yards — twice. I believe that the problem was not poor marksmanship, but rather the wrong choice of bullet.

  Had I shot the coyote with a 70-grain Nosler Ballistic, I have no doubt that the predator would have flopped over dead. Likewise, it is probable that if I had shoulder-shot the coyote, the Famous-Name bullet would have hit enough muscle and bone to have killed dramatically.

  As it was, the hard-to-expand bullets had hit very little resistance and they simply drilled two 6mm holes through the coyote's thoracic cavity. From his apparent health, several minutes after receiving the bullets, it is possible that he might not have died from the hits. Being a realist, however, I'm reasonably sure that he died a long, painful death. In retrospect, I wish I'd told Karen or Darrell to shoot him.

  The moral of the story, of course, is that bullets that are suitable for one form of varmint hunting might be wholly improper for another.

  Just to clear up some of the confusion, it would be a really good idea for us to look at the vast array of varmint bullets on today's market.

Hornet Bullets– Most bullet manufacturers make bullets specifically for the .22 Hornet, .218 Bee, and other cases of modest powder capacity. For lack of an official name for this class of projectile, we'll call them "Hornet bullets." The bullets usually weigh 40 to 45 grains and have relatively thin jackets that are designed to expand at low velocity. Semi-spitzer seems to be the most popular point style, but spire point, flat point, and hollow point Hornet bullets also are available.

  The manufacture of Hornet bullets has kept the .22 Hornet and the .218 Bee from obsolescence. Another side of these fine bullets is that they are perfect for reduced loads in .22 caliber centerfire modern cartridges. I've also used them in full-power loads in a light rifle that was chambered for .221 Fireball and they were devastatingly effective on rockchucks.

  I've had very good results using Hornet bullets in the .222 and .223 Remington. For several years, a friendly rancher near Enterprise, Oregon, allowed Karen and me to shoot rockchucks and gophers on his property. The only problem was that most of the shooting was next to the rancher's house, within the confines of his barnyard, outbuildings, and corrals. It was a hide-and-seek, close-up game, where we couldn't afford a single ricochet. The Hornady 45-grain Hornet bullet loaded to 3,400 fps splattered the chucks perfectly. Even more important, whether the shot was a hit or a miss, the little Hornady always blew up on contact.

  Obviously, most of the Hornet bullets are not built for .220 Swift speed, but most of them will take 3,400 to 3,500 fps with nary a whimper. I find them to be incredibly useful in the .223 Remington and .223 Ackley, when violently explosive expansion is needful.

  Also, if you happen to enjoy shooting the .22 Hornet (I do) or any of the other old-timers (ditto), it is nice to know that bullet companies continue to make bullets that exactly fit the need.

  Mid-Velocity Bullets – When I was a young man, I grew up with a Remington 722B - .222 Remington in my hand. I have no idea how many thousands of jack rabbits I blew up using 50-grain Sierra Blitz bullets. I settled on the Blitz because it killed dramatically and it shot just as well as its high-velocity counterparts. Basically, the Sierra Blitz (and the later Hornady SX) were designed to give devastatingly explosive terminal performance at what we now consider mid-velocity.

  Today, the Sierra Blitz and the Hornady SX are still going strong. Speer also markets the TNT which is, if anything, the most frangible of the bunch. My experience has been that the mid-velocity bullets are unbelievable performers when used in the .221 Fireball, .222 Rem, and .223 Rem. The top muzzle velocity for the 50-grain Speer TNT and the Hornady SX is listed at 3,400 fps, while the Sierra Blitz is red-lined at 3,600 to 3,700 fps. These velocity limits would have to be significantly reduced in fast-twist barrels.

  Personally, I've always experienced fine accuracy and superb terminal performance with the mid-velocity bullets in the .223 Remington and .223 Ackley. Driving them above the stated factory limit, however, is a fool's errand. Shot above their intended speed or rotational velocity, mid-velocity bullets will deliver sub-standard accuracy and occasionally will blow up on the way to the intended target.

  Actually, mid-velocity bullets are a pretty wonderful thing. Most of us who are into body count shoot .223s, or cartridges of similar capacity, simply because they have light recoil, adequate killing range, and are easy on barrels. This class of bullet is designed to give optimum killing effect at the velocity levels we use most. If a handloader uses these bullets wisely, he will grow to cherish them.

  Standard Production Varmint Bullets – In a world of specialty bullets, it's pretty easy to forget the old standards. Time-proven standbys, like the Sierra .224 caliber 50-grain Spitzer, the Hornady 55-grain Spire Point, and the Speer 52-grain Hollow Point have been with us for decades. Believe it or not, they still levitate prairie dogs and slay coyotes just as well as they did three decades ago.

  These bullets shoot well, they are attractively priced, and most of them will take .220 Swift velocities. These are the workhorses of the bullet trade and they should be included in any cartridge development project. It is amazing how one of the old standards proves to be the best shooting bullet.

  Plastic-Tipped Bullets – Talk about a revolution in bullet making! The idea wasn't exactly new. The Remington Bronze Point and Norma Nylon-tipped bullets were first, but Nosler made it happen. Now we have even more choice, with the Hornady V-Max and the Sierra BlitzKing joining the Nosler Ballistic Tip.

  Basically, these bullets have an enormous hollow point, fitted with a pointed plastic (usually polycarbonate) tip. The plastic tip serves three main functions. First, it gives the bullet a streamlined shape, which aids ballistic efficiency. Second, the tip resists battering in the magazine box. Third, the terminal performance of the bullet is enhanced because the plastic tip facilitates expansion as it drives back through the gaping hollow point.

  I am a devoted fan of plastic-tipped bullets, especially Nosler Ballistic Tips. The kills from my .223 Ackley rifles resemble those made by the .220 Swift. My .223s don't shoot as fast as the Swift, of course, but from a forensic standpoint it is hard to tell the difference. Regardless of brand, plastic-tipped varmint bullets really kill cleanly and dramatically.

  From an accuracy standpoint, most of the plastic-tipped varmint bullets are absolutely top-drawer. Sure, they are not as accurate as the best benchrest bullets, but they kill better and the accuracy exceeds the need.

  Another great thing about plastic-tipped bullets is their total ability to perform well at just about any velocity range. I've literally "painted the prairie dog town red" with 40-grain Nosler Ballistics loaded to 3,000 fps in a .221 Fireball rifle. On the same hunt I shot a .220 Swift with (you guessed it) 40-grain Nosler Ballistics at 4,200+ fps. It never ceases to amaze me that the same plastic-tipped bullets seem to work perfectly in both large and small cartridges. The magic is probably a function of the tip driving back into a hollow point that resembles a flying ashtray.

  If I had to pick one bullet style to use for the rest of my hunting days, it would have a plastic tip on it.

  Custom Bullets – There probably are hundreds of custom bullet makers in the United States. Most of them grew out of the demand for accurate benchrest bullets. Others are a result of a search for a better varmint bullet.

  Berger Bullets is probably the most famous and well-distributed custom bullet. Walt and Eunice Berger are both top-ranked benchrest shooters and their business grew out of a need for a more accurate bullet. Not only are the Bergers accurate, but the MEF™ (Maximum Expansion Factor) bullets really clobber varmints.

  Starke Bullet Company came into being from a totally different direction. Clint Starke approached the custom bullet market from the varmint hunting aspect. Clint is a hard-core varmint hunter who knows what we need. Starke Red Prairie Varmint Bullets are superbly accurate and their terminal performance is simply awesome. I've used them for the last several years and recommend Starke bullets often.

  Starke is now making benchrest bullets and, from what I hear, the benchresters who use them are finding a great North Dakota product. It should be interesting to watch the stool-shooters, as they realize that a superior accuracy product can actually come out of our blood sport.

  Like I mentioned earlier, there are literally hundreds of custom bullet makers. In the confines of an article section I can't list them all, nor do I ever talk about a product I haven't personally used on game. I have used both Berger and Starke bullets in the field and they both have performed wonderfully.

  Most of the custom bullets that I've seen are beautiful examples of the bullet maker's art. Some are produced one at a time in a basement shop and others are manufactured on a semi-production basis. Either way, custom bullets are for varmint hunters who believe that their specific bullet needs are not being answered by the large, commercial bullet companies. Other users simply want the finest possible handmade bullet as a final crown to their lovingly-assembled handloads. And who could argue with that?

A Helpful Bullet Seating Chart

  Shortly after submitting Part One to The VARMINT HUNTER Magazine, I got a call from John Anderson. John is my good friend, my gentle Editor, and a fellow handloading archivist. After reading and editing Part One, John mentioned that he had a very useful bullet seating chart that I might include in Part Two. It would be up to my discretion whether or not to use the chart (unlike most magazines, The VARMINT HUNTER Magazine lets writers do their own thing).

  When the chart arrived, I was delighted with John's thoroughness. Properly used, the chart can add a good deal of precision to the use of standard seating dies.