Hornady 250gn FTX

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Hornady 250gn FTX

Postby Rocky338 » Fri Nov 03, 2017 11:00 am

Hi,
Just got my new Trident Armory 450 Bushmaster AR. It's has an 18" 1/16 twist barrel
with a Ross Break and solid billet upper and lower receiver. I have 200 rds of the Hornady 250gn FTX, 7 1/2 Rem
match primers, W296 and Lil'Gun powders.

Trident's favorite 250 FTX load is 41.5gns W296 and no info for Lil'Gun. Could anyone share there most accurate
loads with these bullets and powders.

Thanks
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Re: Hornady 250gn FTX

Postby Hoot » Fri Nov 03, 2017 1:21 pm

Welcome aboard Rocky!

There are many different hardware choices available in our caliber. No two are the same. The main reason for reloading is to tailor your load recipe for your particular hardware. A good starting point for Lil Gun is 36gr, seated to 2.25 COL and tapered crimped down to .476 at the lip of the case mouth. Start there and increase your charge 1/2 grain at a time until you get your best group. Many members achieve that around 38gr +/-. That does not mean start there however. You rig will tell you what it likes. The spent cases will tell you when to stop. The search feature here can hook you up with some common methods used to determine when you have stepped into overpressure. Try to avoid "fps envy". That 250 FTX is just as lethal at 2100 fps as it is at 2200 fps. Look for your best, repeatable group. Keep ambient temperature in mind. A max load developed at 45 degrees will be too hot at 85 degrees. That's just the nature of ball powders.

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Re: Hornady 250gn FTX

Postby Rocky338 » Fri Nov 03, 2017 1:34 pm

Thank you Hoot, sounds like a good place to start.
Do you favor Lil'Gun over W296 ?
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Re: Hornady 250gn FTX

Postby Hoot » Fri Nov 03, 2017 6:08 pm

Rocky338 wrote:Thank you Hoot, sounds like a good place to start.
Do you favor Lil'Gun over W296 ?


To be honest, I have always used Lil Gun for the 250 FTX. I have used W296 however for the 300gr bullets. What length gas system does your Trident have? If its Rifle length, it will probably favor 296.If its Mid length, it will do well with either and if its Carbine length, like original Bushmaster uppers, it may do a little better with Lil Gun. Again I emphasize, determine what your particular hardware likes with your particular reloading components. The good news is this caliber is very kind to the ego. Many recipes shoot well. For white tail hunting, I prefer the 200gr FTX over Lil Gun. Actually I prefer Barnes 200gr XPB over Lil Gun, but before discovering them, I went into the field with the 200 FTX. White tails aren't hard to kill. ;)

Post range reports. We love reading them!

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Re: Hornady 250gn FTX

Postby Rocky338 » Sat Nov 04, 2017 8:51 am

It’s a carbine length . I’m going to try some Lil’Gun loads, as you suggested, and let you know which one it likes.
Thanks again.
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Re: Hornady 250gn FTX

Postby Pnyhntr10pt » Tue Jan 16, 2018 8:49 pm

First post on here ever so hopefully I'm doing it correctly. I have a custom 450 bushmaster custom AR. Barrel is 18in and I've been extremely pleased with the accuracy of the Hornady black ftx bullets. However I shot 2 deer with this round and I'm extremely worried. I lost one of the two and the exit hole of the deer recovered was less than impressive. Can anyone give good reviews on the ftx bullet based off animals not targets?
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Re: Hornady 250gn FTX

Postby plant_one » Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:29 am

if you look at the thread about 450 bm hunting with the 250 ftx - i think you'll find that generally speaking if the shooter does their part, the bullet will do its.


i'm not saying it was your fault - deer are damn tough critters and sometimes just dont understand that they're dead already and are supposed to lay down and stop. I've seen this happen with a 12 gauge before - we tracked one of my cousins deer almost half a damn mile, and she was sooo bled out but still tried jump up and run when we finally found her.

however for the most part, given that we do ours, it'll do its part.


here's the link to the survey

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=15514
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Re: Hornady 250gn FTX

Postby Pnyhntr10pt » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:32 pm

Yes, deer are tuff animals. Shot placement cost me on a quality buck. In the past I would wait for shoulder back to get vitals and one shoulder. Meat hunters may not like that choice but it has always helped keep tracking jobs short on mature deer. After loosing this deer, not finding a drop of blood and recocering it 4 days later I started aiming for the lungs only as well as researching custom rounds. Still trying to gather info and will probably be custom loading soon.
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Re: Hornady 250gn FTX

Postby Jim in Houston » Fri Jan 19, 2018 3:07 pm

Pnyhntr10pt wrote:First post on here ever so hopefully I'm doing it correctly. I have a custom 450 bushmaster custom AR. Barrel is 18in and I've been extremely pleased with the accuracy of the Hornady black ftx bullets. However I shot 2 deer with this round and I'm extremely worried. I lost one of the two and the exit hole of the deer recovered was less than impressive. Can anyone give good reviews on the ftx bullet based off animals not targets?


The 250 FTX looses energy rapidly, so for that reason and for accuracy, I would limit my shots to a max of 300 yards and think carefully about shooting more than 200 yds.

There is a sad story (mine) somewhere on the board about my experience with an elk at 200 yards. I had two "solid" hits broadside behind the front shoulder that spun the elk around and a quartering away shot that I heard with a distinctive "whomp." The elk walked over a rise leaving a very light blood trail, then continued on to a neighboring property, where I couldn't hunt, about 700 yards from where he was first hit. He may have died later, but even two hits did not put him down for a confirmed kill.

Anyway, there are many examples here of successful deer hunts. Just watch your range as well as point of aim.
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Re: Hornady 250gn FTX

Postby Pnyhntr10pt » Sat Jan 20, 2018 12:43 am

Yes I read your story and understand your pain. I mentioned in another thread that I recently spoke with Barnes and they will be producing their own round as well as a partnership with Remington. I can't wait to see what they are I'm just hoping theybdint fall back on the big hammer design they had previously.
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