Weatherby 224 Wby Mag 55gr Spire Point Ammunition – Reliable 20 Round Box

Description

this Weatherby varmint load is the classic varmint load for one of the fastest .22 centerfire cartridges ever chambered in a production rifle. Catalogued by the factory as H22455SP, it pairs a 55 grain Hornady InterLock Spire Point bullet with Norma-made brass and a powder charge tuned to the belted case. Advertised muzzle velocity is 3650 fps with 1627 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, and every box holds twenty rounds.

• What This Ammo Delivers
• Specifications for H22455SP
• Field Performance and Honest Caveats

What Weatherby 224 Wby Mag 55gr Spire Point Ammo Delivers

The .224 Weatherby Magnum arrived in 1963 and is still the only belted .22 centerfire in regular production. this Spire Point load use that case capacity without pushing pressure to the point where throat life falls apart. At 3650 fps this 224 Weatherby Magnum ammo shoots flatter than a .223 Remington and sits between a .22-250 and a .220 Swift in practical trajectory, which is exactly where a long range varmint shooter wants to be.

The projectile is a Hornady InterLock Spire Point, a cup and core design with an internal ring that locks the jacket to the core as the bullet expands. On prairie dogs it is emphatically terminal. On coyotes it opens fast but still tracks straight, and that is the main reason people choose the H22455SP load over a thin jacketed frangible varmint bullet when a quartering shot is likely.

the 55 grain Weatherby load also gives handloaders a known starting point. Fired Norma brass from this load is uniform, holds up to repeated cycles, and provides a sensible baseline for working up 50 to 60 grain varmint handloads. Between factory consistency and reusable cases, the real cost per round of 224 Weatherby Magnum ammo comes down considerably over time.

Specifications for H22455SP

Weatherby builds this 55 grain varmint ammunition on Norma Precision brass with Norma powder and primers, the same component recipe used throughout the Select Plus line. The brass is reloadable and worth saving, because .224 Weatherby Magnum cases are not something you stumble across at a gun show. Published figures for Weatherby’s 55 grain Spire Point load are listed below.

Everything about this varmint load is built around a single job: putting a fast, flat, hard hitting 55 grain bullet into a small target at extended range. It is a purpose built hunting load, not a plinking round, and it was never intended to be one.

• Manufacturer part number: H22455SP
• Caliber: .224 Weatherby Magnum
• Bullet weight: 55 grain
• Bullet type: Hornady InterLock Spire Point
• Muzzle velocity: 3650 fps
• Muzzle energy: 1627 ft-lbs
• Case material: reloadable brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• UPC: 747115010103
• Primary use: varmint and predator hunting

Field Performance and Honest Caveats

Velocity claims come from a 26 inch test barrel. A 24 inch sporter will usually chronograph 60 to 100 fps slower, and a 22 inch barrel slower still. That does not change what this 224 Weatherby Magnum load does to a coyote at 300 yards, but it matters a great deal if you are building a drop chart from the box label instead of from your own chronograph.

Barrel wear is the real caveat with any .22 centerfire running north of 3600 fps. Throats erode. Shooters who run Weatherby 224 Wby Mag 55gr Spire Point ammunition through long prairie dog sessions should let the barrel cool between strings and stay on top of throat carbon. Treated with that respect, throat life is broadly comparable to a hot .22-250 Remington, which is to say good but not unlimited.

Twist rate matters too. Original Mark V Varmintmaster rifles use a 1:14 barrel and will not stabilise heavy .22 bullets. This 55 grain varmint ammunition is exactly what those barrels were cut for, which is a large part of why the Spire Point load has stayed in the catalogue for six decades while heavier .224 loads need the newer 1:8 twist barrels.

Availability is the last honest note. 224 Weatherby Magnum ammo is a specialty item, cost per round runs well above .223 Remington, and it can drop out of distribution for months at a stretch. If you shoot this cartridge seriously, buy Weatherby 224 Wby Mag 55gr Spire Point ammunition when you find it and keep every case.

Holster it under the right expectations and this load earns its keep. Zeroed two inches high at 100 yards, this factory load is effectively point blank to roughly 300 yards on a coyote sized vital zone, and wind drift stays manageable because the bullet is moving so quickly through the first part of its flight. Beyond that distance the light 55 grain bullet starts giving ground to heavier, higher BC projectiles.

Shooters running this cartridge often pair it with the other .224 Weatherby Magnum ammo we stock, including the 50 grain Hornady V-MAX load for explosive varmint work and the 80.5 grain Berger Fullbore load for 1:8 twist barrels. Factory ballistics are published on the Weatherby 224 WBY MAG caliber page.

Weatherby 224 Wby Mag 55gr Spire Point ammunition suits varmint hunters, predator callers and anyone feeding a Mark V Varmintmaster or a custom .224 Weatherby Magnum rifle. MAG5 Firearms is a family owned FFL in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and we stock H22455SP in twenty round boxes. Orders ship where state and local law allows.