Buffalo Bore 223 Rem 55gr Ballistic Tip – Precise Varmint Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 223 Rem 55gr Ballistic Tip is the fast end of their Sniper line. A 55 grain polymer tipped boat tail at 3300 fps carries about 1330 ft-lbs, which is a noticeable step above the 3240 fps most 55 grain factory ammunition manages, and the tipped boat tail profile holds that velocity further downrange than a flat base ever will.

• Buffalo Bore 223 Rem 55gr Ballistic Tip Overview
• 223 Sniper Polymer Tip Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 55 Grain Ballistic Tip Boat Tail Bullet Shoots So Flat
• Specifications
• Rifles That Take This Fast Varmint And Predator Load

Buffalo Bore 223 Rem 55gr Ballistic Tip Overview

Buffalo Bore item S22355 is part of their Sniper line. The 55 grain polymer tipped boat tail runs 3300 fps for roughly 1330 ft-lbs. Twenty rounds per box.

Buffalo Bore specifies it for barrels with a 1:9 through 1:12 inch twist, which covers most bolt action varmint rifles and a good share of older AR barrels. A faster 1:7 or 1:8 twist will overstabilise a light bullet.

This is the lightest of the three weights in the line. The 69 grain runs 2900 fps and the 77 grain 2800 fps, and each is matched to a different twist rate and a different job.

The Sniper name is Buffalo Bore’s label for their precision rifle loads rather than a claim about tactical use. What it means in practice is careful component selection, tight loading tolerances and honest published velocities, which is what makes a rifle shoot small groups.

223 Sniper Polymer Tip Ammo Ballistics

At 3300 fps a 55 grain bullet produces about 1330 ft-lbs, from grains times velocity squared divided by 450437. Energy is not really the point with a light varmint bullet; velocity and trajectory are.

The boat tail is what separates this from ordinary 55 grain ammunition. Tapering the base reduces drag meaningfully past two hundred yards, and the polymer tip adds a sharp nose without the deformation a soft lead point suffers in a magazine.

With a two hundred yard zero the drop stays small enough that a 223 Sniper polymer tip ammo load at this velocity needs very little holdover for a prairie dog or a coyote out to three hundred.

Wind is the other reason the boat tail matters. Light bullets drift, and a fast varmint and predator load with a good ballistic coefficient drifts measurably less than a 55 grain flat base at the same speed.

Why The 55 Grain Ballistic Tip Boat Tail Bullet Shoots So Flat

A polymer tipped boat tail does three things a plain bullet cannot. The tip keeps the nose sharp and undeformed, which stabilises the ballistic coefficient from round to round. The boat tail base cuts drag at long range. And on impact the tip is driven back into the jacket, initiating expansion immediately.

That last point matters most on varmints and predators. A 55 grain bullet arriving at 3300 fps opens violently and dumps its energy into a small animal rather than passing through, which is both more effective and safer on a farm or a ranch where the backstop is uncertain.

Twist rate is the constraint to respect. A 55 grain ballistic tip boat tail bullet is short, and a 1:7 twist barrel spins it fast enough that a thin jacketed bullet can occasionally come apart in flight. Buffalo Bore’s 1:9 to 1:12 specification exists for that reason.

If your rifle has a fast twist barrel, the 69 grain or 77 grain loads in the same line are the right choice. They are built around exactly that problem.

There is a practical safety benefit too. A rapidly expanding bullet that stays inside a small animal carries far less risk of a ricochet or a long range flyer than a solid that passes straight through.

Taken together the design is coherent: a 55 grain ballistic tip boat tail bullet built to leave fast, hold its speed and come apart on arrival.

Specifications

Rifles That Take This Fast Varmint And Predator Load

This load suits any rifle chambered in 223 Remington or 5.56x45mm with a 1:9 through 1:12 twist barrel in sound working order. That covers most bolt action varmint rifles, Ruger American and Mini-14 rifles, and AR uppers built on the older twist standards.

Check your barrel marking before ordering. Most modern AR-15 barrels are 1:7 or 1:8, which is outside the range Buffalo Bore specifies for this bullet. Bolt guns intended for varmint work are usually 1:12 or 1:9.

A 223 chambered rifle will not safely fire 5.56 NATO in every case, but the reverse is always fine and this ammunition is loaded to work in both. Precision AR platform rifle ammunition of this type is safe in either chambering.

Zero the rifle with the ammunition you intend to shoot. A 55 grain bullet at 3300 fps lands well above a 77 grain load at any distance past a hundred yards, so the two are not interchangeable in a sighted in rifle.

Precision AR Platform Rifle Ammunition Availability

This Buffalo Bore 223 Rem 55gr Ballistic Tip is in stock and ships from our Collegeville, Pennsylvania shop. MAG5 Firearms is a family owned FFL dealer, and orders of this precision AR platform rifle ammunition normally leave within one business day.

For a 1:9 twist barrel and heavier bullet see the Buffalo Bore 223 Rem 69gr BTHP. For a 1:8 twist barrel the Buffalo Bore 223 Rem 77gr BTHP is the match, and for a larger bore precision load compare the Buffalo Bore 300 Win Mag 180gr TTSX. Load data is published by Buffalo Bore Ammunition.