Thread: . 224 Frontier FMJ FP in 223, 62gn

Back a year before Covid when I first got my Ruger Ranch, I had a Club order going in for projectiles with Bill at Rusa. I got a 1000 55gn FMJ FP in the expectation of some cheap plinking and maybe even goat culling dependent on performance. The Ruger has a 16.5in barrel with 1.5:8 in twist. And is suppressed. I struggled to get any kind of decent group with any usual 55gn projectiles. The Frontiers were really poor. I still nailed a couple of close range goats and there was no issue with killing well in that situation. I eventually worked out that my rifle really liked weights starting at 60gn upwards. The Belmont ammo loaded with 62gn Hornady SP FB were cheap enough and performed really well so didn't reload much for a few years. However I did persuade Bill to bring me in some of the same Frontier projectiles in 62gn after discovering they made them. I made up some incremental test loads in 3 diff powders in 2021 but didn't get around to shooting them until yesterday.

One of the things I had read in my online research, from a forum in SA where Frontier are based, is that the jacket, being a copper wash application, like Berry's, is thin and so does not like higher velocity. My earlier testing of 55gn had been geared to around 2200fps which seemed to be the approved upper limit.

With the 62gn I did a ladder in 0.2gn increments starting a little above min and up to 1/2gn under max, expecting to see groups widen a lot at the top end but hoping for at least one accuracy node.

In fact what happened was I got what I regards as excellent groups at higher velocity at 50m from the bench shooting from a bipod only, no rear bag.

Below are three groups at around 2600-2700fps from 3 different powders. All are 4 shot groups.

Reading Nathan's comments on Ballistic Studies site, the most effective hunting round in 223 happens to be the original 55gn military FMJ designed to tumble on impact. Accuracy being the issue for hunting. My current thought on the Frontier Projectile is that with the thin copper jacket, it is kinda like a powder coated cast bullet with gas check, capable of higher velocity and giving both reasonable penetration and expansion with the flatpoint contributing to a decent wound channel. Other viewpoints are welcome.

Anyway, next step is to load some up and go participate in the goat-tail competition- cheap bastard that I am.

Here are the photos of three groups, three different powders all around 2600-2700fps. They are not max charge so may improve more, or not.

PS, my scope is sighted for a target round at 3000 fps with the elevation on bottom of black Square and Windage centered on black square at 100m zero

looks good enough as it is..... only one way to find out..find a goat and snot it...shoulders to offer a bit of resistance to upset projectiles.