Some guys have reported a difference in the ogive so the jury is still out as to whether Hdy just changed the tip color.
The A-Max is a great bullet regardless. The Z-Max captured out cash because it also asked LESS of it! And we are hooked.
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From what I've seen yes, the same. I do not see much if any difference in shooting. For that matter I use the same recipe for Nosler Ballistic 40 grain as I do for Vmax and Zmax. Point of impact is nearly the same.
Hmm, went looking and saw a cut-a-way of the two side by side and the zmax jacket was a tiny bit thicker. For my load data, it is the same on what works.
Bummer they are not making any more.
Finally got to the range and 50 grain Vmax load, .388 MOA. I use Zmax and Vmax as the same and have a bunch of Zmax so I needed to find 'The load'. Was grouping 13/16" for 5 shots at 200yds. Had some other loads but the best they could do was .70 MOA. Barrel was getting a little warm is probably the only reason it was starting to do a string instead of a cloverleaf and a bit better than .388. 1st 3 shots before it started getting warm were closer to about 3/8" at 200yds.
Going to be some very sad prairie dog families in May.
Bummer no more Zmax available at the good deal.
http://i.imgur.com/5vmRApPl.jpg
Seems like a year since I last went after PDs... and it's STILL 3 months away!
I salted away a few thousand 50-Zs and have a couple thousand rounds loaded...
and I feel the loss anyway..."bummer no more Zmax available at the good deal."
Well I needed to run some more because well, why not! I needed a few to keep my stock right. Zmax on Speer nickel. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ae8e12ef91.jpg
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That's an epic picture right there!
Just reading through this thread..
Used zmax in my x39 rifle.. they grouped great, so used them for deer hunting. One shot and the deer was down in 20yrds.
Haven't browsed through the store, any available for the 223 ? https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...666a74ccb1.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...63c8a6b2f0.jpg
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Thanks for sharing! And good eatin'!!
Nice!
Had a very interesting thing happen at the range today. I'm getting final sight-in for my prairie dog hunt and with my most accurate load for 40 grain Vmax with H335 at 3400fps for my AR I was going to also bring my 50 grain Zmax load with Benchmark shooting 3435fps and their points of impact at 200yds was nearly identical. Close enough to not change the dial, under 1/2" higher and still centered left/right.
I think Wes put some sort of curse on my old 40 grain super accurate load. They are not working as well as they used to and now the 50 grain vmax/zmax loads are more accurate. Better go figure a way to dig up some more of those 50 grain Zombie bullets at the crazy good prices. Only got a couple thousand or more left and a lot of prairie dogs that need to have a lead sandwich.
Good news!!
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The brother-in-law and I went to his range and was doing some 400yd shooting with a handful of rifles. At the end I plopped him down to shoot my AR with 50 grain Vmax (to me Zmax and Vmax shoot the same) and he shot a 1-1/8" group of 3 at 400yds. I had 2 under an inch but had a flyer that pushed it to 3". I didn't weigh cases as these were random out of a box of 100 made up. I thought I had my 40 grainers which trade off on which batch is more accurate but found out it was a box of all shot cases I forgot to pull out of my range box so no shooting them. I did put a couple of my 58 grain .243 just over an inch at 400yds, my rock chuck gun.
https://i.imgur.com/PErRDUIl.jpg
Pretty damn good!
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Picked up a chrono recently (magnetospeed v3) and ran the numbers on my pet load with TAC. Avg velocity 3378 SD 14.2 ES 26
I'm pretty excited with those numbers, 26" 223 bolt action, 1:9 twist.
Just shot my AR 50 grain Zombie load in what sounds like the same gun, maybe a Savage 112 bull barrel, and with Benchmark I was getting 3445fps and the first 5 were 3/4" at 200yds. Liking them still and hope they start making them again. In my AR with 24" and 1:12 they are a 3405fps load.