Hornady 22271 V-Max 22 Cal .224 55 gr V Max 100 Per Box

Unlocking Unrivaled Precision and Devastating Performance: The Hornady V-MAX .224 55 Grain Bullet for Varmint Hunting and Precision Reloading

For discerning shooters and handloaders who demand nothing less than exceptional accuracy and explosive terminal performance, the Hornady V-MAX .224 55 grain bullet (UPC: 090255222715) stands as an industry benchmark. This meticulously engineered projectile is specifically designed to deliver unparalleled results on small game and varmints, making it the preferred choice for those who prioritize precision and devastating impact. Whether you're a dedicated varmint hunter, a competitive small-bore shooter, or a meticulous reloader striving for the ultimate cartridge performance, understanding the unique attributes of the Hornady V-MAX is crucial to achieving your shooting goals.

Why Choose Hornady V-MAX Bullets for Your Reloading Needs?

Are you consistently missing those elusive long-range prairie dogs? Or perhaps your current reloading components aren't delivering the pinpoint accuracy you desire for competitive shooting or precision varmint eradication? The Hornady V-MAX bullet, particularly the highly popular 55-grain variant, offers a definitive solution. Its advanced design addresses key challenges faced by shooters:

• Achieving pinpoint accuracy at extended ranges: The V-MAX boasts a match-grade jacket and polymer tip, leading to superior concentricity and aerodynamic efficiency.
• Ensuring rapid, explosive fragmentation: For varmint hunting, clean, humane kills and minimal ricochet are paramount. The V-MAX's unique construction guarantees dramatic energy transfer upon impact.
• Maintaining a flat trajectory: Reducing bullet drop over distance is vital for quick target acquisition and fewer holdover corrections in the field.
• Consistency from shot to shot: Handloaders require components that provide uniform performance, enabling precise load development and predictable results.

This bullet isn't just another component; it's a testament to Hornady's commitment to innovation and quality, providing a distinct advantage for any shooter aiming for the highest levels of performance.

The Engineering Marvel: Hornady V-MAX Technology Explained

What exactly makes the Hornady V-MAX bullet so effective and widely celebrated? Its superiority stems from a blend of proprietary technologies and design principles, each contributing to its legendary performance:

The Signature Polymer Tip: Ballistic Efficiency Meets Explosive Impact

At the heart of the V-MAX design is its distinctive polymer tip. This isn't merely a decorative feature; it serves multiple critical functions:

• Aerodynamic Advantage: The sharp, pointed polymer tip significantly reduces air drag, contributing to a higher ballistic coefficient (BC). This means the bullet maintains its velocity more effectively downrange, resulting in flatter trajectories and less wind deflection—a crucial factor when engaging distant targets in varying conditions.
• Initiation of Expansion: Unlike traditional soft-point or hollow-point designs, the polymer tip acts as a wedge. Upon impact, the tip is driven back into the bullet's core, initiating rapid and violent expansion. This engineered sequence ensures reliable and immediate fragmentation, even at lower impact velocities, which is essential for comprehensive energy transfer into small, thin-skinned targets.

Gilding Metal Jacket: Precision and Integrity

The Hornady V-MAX utilizes a gilding metal jacket, a specialized alloy chosen for its optimal balance of strength and ductility. This jacket is manufactured with extreme precision, ensuring:

• Match-Grade Concentricity: The jacket's uniform thickness and concentricity around the core are critical for bullet balance and stability during flight. Any imbalance can lead to wobbling or spiraling, degrading accuracy. Hornady's commitment to match-grade quality ensures that each V-MAX bullet flies true, shot after shot.
• Controlled Expansion: While the polymer tip initiates fragmentation, the jacket plays a role in controlling the overall expansion. It allows for the explosive release of energy while maintaining structural integrity just long enough to ensure maximum effect within the target.
• Reduced Fouling: The specific alloy and manufacturing process of the gilding metal jacket also contribute to minimizing barrel fouling, which helps maintain consistent accuracy over extended shooting sessions.

Specially Designed Lead Core: The Engine of Fragmentation

Nestled within the gilding metal jacket and behind the polymer tip is a carefully formulated lead core. This core is engineered to complement the polymer tip's action:

• Rapid Fragmentation: The core's composition and density are optimized to fragment violently once the polymer tip initiates the process. This explosive fragmentation ensures that all of the bullet's kinetic energy is rapidly dumped into the varmint, resulting in an incredibly devastating terminal effect. This is precisely what varmint hunters look for to ensure quick, humane kills and to prevent targets from escaping into burrows or dense cover.
• Energy Transfer: The rapid fragmentation maximizes energy transfer, minimizing the risk of over-penetration and reducing the chances of dangerous ricochets, particularly important when shooting in areas where backstops may be limited.

Streamlined Design: Cutting Through the Air

Beyond the tip, the overall streamlined profile of the V-MAX bullet is crucial for its ballistic performance. Every curve and angle is optimized to reduce air resistance, leading to:

• Flat Trajectories: Less drag means less velocity decay, which translates directly to a flatter flight path. This simplifies aiming, especially when dealing with variable distances in the field.
• Reduced Wind Drift: A high ballistic coefficient and efficient aerodynamic shape make the bullet less susceptible to crosswinds, which are a common challenge in open country varmint hunting. Maintaining a stable flight path in windy conditions is a hallmark of the Hornady V-MAX.

Real-World Applications: Where the Hornady V-MAX Excels

The Hornady V-MAX 55 grain .224 bullet is not just a component; it's a performance enhancer for specific shooting disciplines and hunting scenarios.

Premier Choice for Varmint Hunting

When it comes to varmint hunting, whether you're targeting prairie dogs, groundhogs, coyotes, foxes, or similar pests, the V-MAX is arguably the most recommended bullet. Its attributes directly address the needs of this pursuit:

• Prairie Dog Hunting: For high-volume shooting at small targets, the V-MAX's flat trajectory and explosive fragmentation minimize holdover and ensure dramatic, visible results, often referred to as "red mist" impacts. This makes spotting hits easier and confirms a clean kill.
• Coyote and Fox Control: While larger calibers are often considered for coyotes, a well-placed shot with a 55-grain V-MAX from a high-velocity .22 centerfire cartridge like the .223 Remington or 22-250 Remington can be incredibly effective, especially where minimal pelt damage is desired or where explosive energy transfer is prioritized over deep penetration.
• Groundhog Eradication: The destructive power of the V-MAX ensures that even stout groundhogs are dispatched humanely and quickly, preventing them from retreating to their burrows.

Precision Reloading for Small Caliber Rifles

Reloaders who use popular .22 caliber cartridges such as the .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, .22 Hornet, .220 Swift, or even custom wildcats like the .22-250 Ackley Improved, will find the Hornady 55 grain V-MAX to be an exceptional component. Its consistent quality simplifies load development, allowing reloaders to:

• Develop Sub-MOA Loads: With careful load work-up, many reloaders achieve outstanding accuracy, often less than one minute of angle (MOA), making these bullets suitable for precision target shooting or challenging long-range varmint engagements.
• Optimize for Specific Barrel Twists: The 55-grain weight is highly versatile and stabilizes well in a wide range of common .22 caliber rifle twist rates, particularly those from 1:9 to 1:12, making it a reliable choice for many factory and custom barrels.
• Experiment with Velocity Nodes: The V-MAX's robust construction allows for high muzzle velocities, which reloaders can fine-tune to find optimal performance nodes for their specific rifle.

Ballistic Performance: Understanding the Numbers

The ballistic data for the Hornady 55 grain V-MAX bullet showcases its superior downrange capabilities:

• Ballistic Coefficient (BC): .255 (G1): This number quantifies the bullet's aerodynamic efficiency. A higher BC indicates less air resistance and a flatter trajectory. A BC of .255 for a 55-grain .224 bullet is excellent for its class, contributing significantly to its long-range effectiveness and minimal wind deflection. What does this mean for the shooter? Less bullet drop and less wind drift compared to bullets with lower BCs, simplifying aiming solutions at longer distances.
• Sectional Density (SD): .157: Sectional density is the ratio of a bullet's mass to its cross-sectional area. While higher SD typically correlates with deeper penetration, for varmint bullets like the V-MAX, a moderate SD combined with rapid fragmentation ensures that all energy is expended within the target, preventing over-penetration and maximizing devastating impact rather than deep tissue damage. This design principle is fundamental to the V-MAX's "explosive" reputation.

When paired with appropriate propellants and primers, a handloaded cartridge featuring the Hornady 55 grain V-MAX can achieve muzzle velocities well exceeding 3,000 feet per second (fps) in popular cartridges like the .223 Remington and over 3,600 fps in the .22-250 Remington, leading to incredible downrange energy and flat-shooting performance that is unmatched for varmint applications.

Common Questions About the Hornady V-MAX Bullet

Shooters frequently have questions when selecting the right components for their needs. Here are answers to some common inquiries about the Hornady V-MAX:

Q: What is the best bullet for long-range prairie dog hunting?
A: For long-range prairie dog hunting, the Hornady V-MAX 55 grain .224 bullet is an excellent choice. Its high ballistic coefficient (0.255) ensures a flat trajectory and minimal wind drift, while its explosive fragmentation delivers decisive results on small targets, even at extended distances.

Q: How does the V-MAX compare to other varmint bullets on the market?
A: The Hornady V-MAX differentiates itself through its unique polymer tip and carefully engineered core and jacket. While other varmint bullets may offer good accuracy or expansion, the V-MAX is specifically designed to combine match-grade accuracy with rapid, reliable, and explosive fragmentation, a characteristic that often exceeds the terminal performance of many competitors for small game applications.

Q: Is the Hornady V-MAX 55 grain suitable for coyote hunting?
A: Yes, the 55-grain V-MAX can be highly effective for coyote hunting, especially from high-velocity .22 centerfire cartridges like the .223 Remington or 22-250 Remington. Its rapid energy transfer and fragmentation minimize pelt damage compared to through-and-through shots with more robust hunting bullets, provided shot placement is precise. It's ideal for situations where quick, humane dispatch without over-penetration is desired.

Q: What makes the V-MAX so accurate for reloading?
A: The V-MAX's accuracy stems from several factors: its precise manufacturing processes ensure a highly concentric and balanced bullet; the polymer tip and boat-tail design (common on many V-MAX bullets) reduce drag and improve stability in flight; and its consistent weight and dimensions allow for highly repeatable load development, leading to tighter groups on target.

Q: Can I use Hornady V-MAX bullets for target shooting or competition?
A: While exceptionally accurate, the Hornady V-MAX is primarily designed for varmint and small game hunting due to its explosive fragmentation upon impact. For paper targets or steel plates, this rapid fragmentation means the bullet may not create clean, measurable holes or provide sufficient energy to reliably activate steel targets designed for more durable bullets. For competition where precise holes are needed, dedicated match bullets are often preferred, but for general plinking or load development, the V-MAX's inherent accuracy makes it a joy to shoot.

Hornady's Legacy of Innovation and Quality

Hornady has been a trusted name in ammunition and reloading components for generations, known for its dedication to innovation and meticulous quality control. From their pioneering work in ballistic technology to their consistent delivery of high-performance products, Hornady maintains a reputation for excellence that shooters worldwide rely on. The Hornady 22271 V-MAX 55 grain .224 bullet is a prime example of this commitment, embodying the precision, power, and reliability that defines the Hornady brand. When you choose Hornady, you're not just buying a bullet; you're investing in decades of expertise and a promise of superior performance for your shooting pursuits.

Product Specifications: Hornady V-MAX 55 gr .224 Bullet

For detailed specifications of the Hornady V-MAX 55 grain .224 V-Max bullet, refer to the table below. This information is vital for reloaders to ensure compatibility with their components and to optimize their load data.