Nosler Custom Competition 22 Cal 80gr HPBT – Superb 250 Count Box

Description

Nosler Custom Competition 22 Cal 80gr HPBT is Nosler match bullet in the heaviest weight most .22 centerfire shooters can use. Part number 53080, .224 inch diameter, 80 grains, hollow point boat tail, with a G1 ballistic coefficient of 0.415. These are component projectiles sold 250 to the box for handloading, and they need a 1-8 twist barrel or faster to stabilise.

• What an 80 Grain 22 Caliber Bullet Is For
• Nosler Custom Competition 22 Cal 80gr Specifications
• Honest Notes Before You Order

What an 80 Grain 22 Caliber Bullet Is For

Eighty grains is at the top end of what a .224 bullet can be. The whole reason to load one is ballistic coefficient. At 0.415 G1 this bullet holds velocity and resists wind far better than the 55 grain bullets most people associate with the .223, which is why service rifle competitors and long range .22 shooters have used heavy .224 projectiles for decades.

The catch is twist rate, and it is not negotiable. A 1-9 barrel will not reliably stabilise an 80 grain bullet, and a 1-12 has no chance. You need 1-8 or faster, and in cold dense air 1-7 is the safer choice. Buying these 22 caliber match bullets for a standard 1-9 varmint barrel is money wasted.

The second catch is magazine length. An 80 grain .224 bullet is long, and in most cases it will not fit an AR-15 magazine at an overall length that also seats the bullet sensibly in the case. Service rifle shooters single load them for the slow fire stages. If you shoot a bolt gun with a long throat, none of this applies and you can seat where the rifle likes.

Nosler Custom Competition 22 Cal 80gr Specifications

Nosler builds Custom Competition bullets around a lead alloy core and a jacket formed to fit it tightly, which is what produces the concentricity match shooters are paying for. These are bullets only. No cases, primers or powder are included.

• Manufacturer part number: 53080
• Caliber: 22
• Bullet diameter: 0.224 inches
• Bullet weight: 80 grains
• Bullet type: hollow point boat tail, Custom Competition
• Ballistic coefficient G1: 0.415
• Minimum twist rate: 1-8 inches
• Quantity: 250 bullets per box
• UPC: 054041530804
• Product type: reloading component, not loaded ammunition

Honest Notes Before You Order

These are components, not ammunition. It is worth saying plainly because the listing sits in the ammunition category. A box of Nosler Custom Competition 22 Cal 80gr HPBT contains 250 projectiles and nothing else. You will need brass, primers and powder, a press, dies and published load data before any of them can be fired.

Work up your loads. Heavy for calibre bullets in a small case run out of room quickly, and starting at published maximum with an 80 grain .224 is a genuinely bad idea. Start ten percent below and work up while watching for pressure signs, and use load data from a current manual that lists this specific bullet weight.

Check your throat as well as your twist. Some .223 chambers are cut with short throats that force a long bullet deep into the case, which cuts powder capacity and raises pressure. A Wylde or match chamber handles heavy bullets much better than a standard SAAMI .223 chamber, and it is worth knowing which you have before ordering a box of 250.

Finally, be realistic about what heavy .224 bullets do at short range. Inside two hundred yards a lighter bullet shoots flatter and costs less. The advantage of 80 grains appears past four hundred yards and in wind, and if you do not shoot at those distances the extra cost buys you very little.

Nosler also builds the same line in 77 grain for shooters with 1-8 twist barrels and magazine constraints. Full bullet data is published on the Nosler product page.

Nosler Custom Competition 22 Cal 80gr HPBT suits service rifle competitors, long range .22 centerfire shooters and handloaders running fast twist barrels. MAG5 Firearms is a family owned FFL in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Components ship where state and local law allows.