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Posted: 8/24/2012 6:16:21 PM EDT
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I saw the Z-Max 55 grain bullets on sale at MidwayUSA, and since they appear to be identical to the V-Max (which I love), I thought I'd give them a whirl. Some claim that the plating is different, but, during the seating and crimping process I couldn't see any obvious differences. Both are listed as having: Sectional Density 0.157, Ballistic Coefficient:0.255. The only difference (other than the slime green tips) is that the Z-Max's have a cannelure.
I loaded them up in Winchester casings (new - sized, trimmed, deburrred inside and out), CCI No. 400 primers, 2.250" OAL, powered by Varget. Fired at 100 yards out of my DPMS Sweet 16 Bull Barrel. Best group with the V-Max's was 0.724" with 24.0 grains of Varget. Chrony'd at 2539 fps to 2629 fps. Best group with the Z-Max's was 0.564" with 24.2 grains of Varget. Chrony'd at 2583 fps to 2609 fps. Condsidering the cost difference, I'm sold. FWIW. |
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I was already looking at them because of their reviews for 22-250, but at the price, I would not see a problem with using them for my .223 as well.
Going to be rolling with varget as well so I hope I can duplicate your results. (edit) not varget for the 22-250. (/edit) |
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I started a thread about this several moths ago Here
i love these things, been waiting for midway to get them back in stock. Off to go make a purchase 
so far my most accurate load has been with 27.5 gr of Varget @3070fps |
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I am curious about the variation in velocities between the two bullets and the two powder charges.
How did you weigh each charge, and how many rounds were in each test group? Would you be willing to load twice as many of each bullet and compare the rounds again? Have you compared the two bullets with any other powders? |
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I am curious about the variation in velocities between the two bullets and the two powder charges.
Honestly, I can't explain the variation in velocities other than possibly barrel heat expansion, new barrel characteristics, wind shifting the chrony, etc. Your guess is probably better than mine. I shot the V-Max's first. How did you weigh each charge, and how many rounds were in each test group? I dropped charges through Lee Perfect Powder dispenser, weighed each charge on a Lee scale, and trickled them to the desired weight. 5 rounds were fired for each group. Would you be willing to load twice as many of each bullet and compare the rounds again? I would, but, that exhausted my supply of V-Max's. Have you compared the two bullets with any other powders? I only use Varget as I have a large quantity from an earlier bulk purchase. Edit: Sorry that I can't be of more help. And, FWIW I'm not purporting my simplistic evaluation to be anything other than an anecdotal observation. I was just pleasantly surprised to find the Z-Max's to be so accurate. |
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Quoted:
Apologies, my error, you are correct. Still a good price though. That is OK. I bought 3,000 of them and if they were on sale I would get more. I have loaded ZMax and VMax and they both are accurate and I can't much tell the difference. I use 25.5 gr of H335 and 27.3 grs of CFE223 and get good results. |
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Quoted:
I am curious about the variation in velocities between the two bullets and the two powder charges. Honestly, I can't explain the variation in velocities other than possibly barrel heat expansion, new barrel characteristics, wind shifting the chrony, etc. Your guess is probably better than mine. I shot the V-Max's first. How did you weigh each charge, and how many rounds were in each test group? I dropped charges through Lee Perfect Powder dispenser, weighed each charge on a Lee scale, and trickled them to the desired weight. 5 rounds were fired for each group. Would you be willing to load twice as many of each bullet and compare the rounds again? I would, but, that exhausted my supply of V-Max's. Have you compared the two bullets with any other powders? I only use Varget as I have a large quantity from an earlier bulk purchase. Edit: Sorry that I can't be of more help. And, FWIW I'm not purporting my simplistic evaluation to be anything other than an anecdotal observation. I was just pleasantly surprised to find the Z-Max's to be so accurate. Thanks. I was wondering what the difference was between these two rounds and appreciate your data. My questions are not being critical of your methods, just wondering how far you have gotten in the testing process with all the variables. If you get a chance to load more and compare them in larger groups, I would be interested in the results. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I am curious about the variation in velocities between the two bullets and the two powder charges. Honestly, I can't explain the variation in velocities other than possibly barrel heat expansion, new barrel characteristics, wind shifting the chrony, etc. Your guess is probably better than mine. I shot the V-Max's first. How did you weigh each charge, and how many rounds were in each test group? I dropped charges through Lee Perfect Powder dispenser, weighed each charge on a Lee scale, and trickled them to the desired weight. 5 rounds were fired for each group. Would you be willing to load twice as many of each bullet and compare the rounds again? I would, but, that exhausted my supply of V-Max's. Have you compared the two bullets with any other powders? I only use Varget as I have a large quantity from an earlier bulk purchase. Edit: Sorry that I can't be of more help. And, FWIW I'm not purporting my simplistic evaluation to be anything other than an anecdotal observation. I was just pleasantly surprised to find the Z-Max's to be so accurate. Thanks. I was wondering what the difference was between these two rounds and appreciate your data. My questions are not being critical of your methods, just wondering how far you have gotten in the testing process with all the variables. If you get a chance to load more and compare them in larger groups, I would be interested in the results. No problem, I wasn't taking offence, just wanted to make it clear that I wasn't asserting any particular reloading expertise. I'll definitely post an update if I do another re-test. |
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