I have recently realized that my rifle doesn't like the 39 and 40 grain bullets so much, but shoots the 32 V-Max quite well at 3950 fps MV. I havent been able to shoot my V-Max reloads past 300 yards, but with a BC of only 0.130 the ballistics dont look great. I would like to be able to reach out and touch a crow or other varmint to at least 500 yards. I just noticed that the Nosler 32 grain spitzer has a BC of 0.206 and the 32 SBK has a BC of 0.221! After running the #'s on the ballistics calculator, at the same MV it seems these higher BC bullets have only about half the drop and drift as the V-Max at 500 yards?! I am going to order a box of each for testing asap. Thought I'd ask what everyones experience was with these bullets.
-Neil
32 V-Max vs. 32 Nosler vs. 32 SBK
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jlc204
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Re: 32 V-Max vs. 32 Nosler vs. 32 SBK
The 32gr v-max has a BC of .210 per Hornady website. I believe Midway lists it as .130. This is maybe a typo by Midway...
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Rick in Oregon
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Re: 32 V-Max vs. 32 Nosler vs. 32 SBK
Neil: After spending over 30 days every year in the field ever since the 204 came out with four personal 204's, and shooting both 32 and 39/40 grain bullets, I'd say it would be a good day to hit a crow at 500 yards under field conditions with a 204 shooting a 32gr bullet. It can and has been done, I've hit ground squirrels at 485 yds so far with the 32's, but the wind really comes into play with these light slugs past 350 yards in the field.
You may want to consider trying more powder/seating depth tests with your rifle and the 39gr or 40gr bullets, as from experience, they really come into play with their much higher BC in the wind at extended ranges, and make those long range hits much more frequent.
I've found that during our all-day ground squirrel or PD shoots at ranges from 100 to as far as you can see yards, the best bet is to shoot 32gr bullets for as long as conditions will permit (read: wind), then switch to the 39g SBK or 40gr Nosler BT for the rest of the day while the wind is blowing (the 40 V-Max is not favored by my rifles). The 32's are fairly wind resistant, but once she really gets past 12-15 mph, they're about worthless past 350 yards for these small targets. Most of my 204's print both the 32/39gr to the same POI, so there's the best of both worlds possible for this caliber.
This is what I'm talking about....free space, bench, accurate rifle, lots of ammo, zillions of squirrels, and WIND! (note wind flag):
Don't give up on the 39/40's yet; you'll be missing the best of what the 204 has to offer: Speed AND Range. JMO
You may want to consider trying more powder/seating depth tests with your rifle and the 39gr or 40gr bullets, as from experience, they really come into play with their much higher BC in the wind at extended ranges, and make those long range hits much more frequent.
I've found that during our all-day ground squirrel or PD shoots at ranges from 100 to as far as you can see yards, the best bet is to shoot 32gr bullets for as long as conditions will permit (read: wind), then switch to the 39g SBK or 40gr Nosler BT for the rest of the day while the wind is blowing (the 40 V-Max is not favored by my rifles). The 32's are fairly wind resistant, but once she really gets past 12-15 mph, they're about worthless past 350 yards for these small targets. Most of my 204's print both the 32/39gr to the same POI, so there's the best of both worlds possible for this caliber.
This is what I'm talking about....free space, bench, accurate rifle, lots of ammo, zillions of squirrels, and WIND! (note wind flag):
Don't give up on the 39/40's yet; you'll be missing the best of what the 204 has to offer: Speed AND Range. JMO
Semper Fortis
Rick in Oregon
NRA Life/OHA/VHA/VVA
Oregon, East of the Cascades - Where Common Sense Still Prevails
Rick in Oregon
NRA Life/OHA/VHA/VVA
Oregon, East of the Cascades - Where Common Sense Still Prevails
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Fred_C_Dobbs
- Senior Member
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Re: 32 V-Max vs. 32 Nosler vs. 32 SBK
I am just as dubious of that .210 as I am of Nosler's .206.
Berger claims a G1 BC of 0.176 for their 35-gr .204 varmint bullet. It beggars belief that Hornady and Nosler's 32-grainer could have a higher BC than Berger's 35-grainer. It should come as no surprise that most of the bullet companies publish BC numbers that are based on computer modeling and not real-world measurements. However, I have put 32-gr Noslers on paper to 400 yards @4000 fps and they made nice, round holes.
Regarding reaching out to 500 yards, according to JBM ballistics calculator, your 32-gr V-Max (.210 BC) @3950 fps will remain supersonic to over 600 yards. More realistically, the 35-gr Berger will remain supersonic to 500 yards if you can get as much as 3700 fps MV out of it.
If you're doing this on paper (as opposed to experimental range data), one point to note is that "the wall" is not the speed of sound. This article at Wikipedia explains the technical details but the bottom line is you need to pad the SoS a bit, up to an arbitrary number that snipers and LEA marksmen call the "break velocity." 1300 fps is typically where they peg the break velocity.
Berger claims a G1 BC of 0.176 for their 35-gr .204 varmint bullet. It beggars belief that Hornady and Nosler's 32-grainer could have a higher BC than Berger's 35-grainer. It should come as no surprise that most of the bullet companies publish BC numbers that are based on computer modeling and not real-world measurements. However, I have put 32-gr Noslers on paper to 400 yards @4000 fps and they made nice, round holes.
Regarding reaching out to 500 yards, according to JBM ballistics calculator, your 32-gr V-Max (.210 BC) @3950 fps will remain supersonic to over 600 yards. More realistically, the 35-gr Berger will remain supersonic to 500 yards if you can get as much as 3700 fps MV out of it.
If you're doing this on paper (as opposed to experimental range data), one point to note is that "the wall" is not the speed of sound. This article at Wikipedia explains the technical details but the bottom line is you need to pad the SoS a bit, up to an arbitrary number that snipers and LEA marksmen call the "break velocity." 1300 fps is typically where they peg the break velocity.
Re: 32 V-Max vs. 32 Nosler vs. 32 SBK
jlc204- Thanks for pointing that out. I was indeed using Midway as a reference... I guess the difference between balistic coefficients of .206, .210, and .221 is not all that significant.
RIO- I originally wanted to shoot the heavier bullets to get longer range and better wind bucking. I have done much testing with the 39 BK with BL(c)-2 and RL-10x and gotten mixed/confusing results. I believe they just wont quite stabalize and I have shot some 40 V-Max factory ammo and it doesn't group too well either. Maybe I should order a couple different brands of 40 grainers and test those? Maybe 500 yards is a little too much to ask of the 32's in the wind... If all else fails I will be ordering a custom tube in a slightly faster twist when the funds become available
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Fredd_C_Dobbs- I hadn't been thinking about velocity out there at 500 yards, but your right it is a concideration any time you are approaching the transsonic region.
RIO- I originally wanted to shoot the heavier bullets to get longer range and better wind bucking. I have done much testing with the 39 BK with BL(c)-2 and RL-10x and gotten mixed/confusing results. I believe they just wont quite stabalize and I have shot some 40 V-Max factory ammo and it doesn't group too well either. Maybe I should order a couple different brands of 40 grainers and test those? Maybe 500 yards is a little too much to ask of the 32's in the wind... If all else fails I will be ordering a custom tube in a slightly faster twist when the funds become available
.Fredd_C_Dobbs- I hadn't been thinking about velocity out there at 500 yards, but your right it is a concideration any time you are approaching the transsonic region.