Heads Up on Hornady 68 grain HPBT

[BobinNC]

Back in March I was reloading for my new .223 Wylde upper with Hornady's 68 grain HPBT item # 2278C. This was a bulk purchase of their 68 grain bullet with cannelure. All mine measured 0.920" or so, but I kept on coming across literature that said they should be 0.980" or so.

So I emailed Hornady Support, and they said:

Robert the COL of the bullet is 0.917 +/- of 0.005. Thanks

I never asked about their non cannelured versions Item# 2278, 22785 & 2278B

A few days ago on TOS I saw a measurement of a 68 grain HPBT Item#2278 that measured 0.982", so I e-mail Hornady Support again:

Thank you for the email. The over all length of the bullets are different. The 2278B is 0.986" + or - .005 and the 2278C is 0.917" + or - .005

So anyone wondering why these bullets shoot so badly in some 1-9" twist barrels and better in other 1-9" twist barrels, is the fact that the cannelured one is stable (shorter) where the non-cannelured one is at best marginally stable (longer).

I use a 1-8 twist barrel, but I still find this a bit bazaar, that two bullets of the same weight from the same maker could be so different. Hornady tells reloaders nothing about this difference unless they ask.....

[markm]

That is odd. Hornady has gotten a little whacky in recent years. I don't think I've ever messed with either 68gr version though.

[tomme boy]

I have tried to get the reg 68gr to shoot in 5 different guns. The twist ranged from 1-7, 1-8,1-9,1-7.7 None of them will shoot the 68gr better than 1.25" All of these guns will do from .75"-1" with the 62gr hpbt from midsouth. 3 of them will go under 0.5" with 60gr vmax.

[jsbhike]

Their 55gr SP varies between flat base and boat tail. Consistent profile within the same box and they seem to shoot well.

[RDub]

Yes, I ran into the same issue last year. The shorter of the two shot well in my 9" twist. The other not so much.