Barnes Varmint Grenades

Testing Bullets in Several Calibers

- John Haviland

The full lineup of tested Varmint Grenade bullets: (1) .204 Ruger, 26 grains, (2) .221 Fireball, 36 grains, (3) .223 Remington, 30 grains, (4) .223 Remington, 36 grains, (5) .223 Remington, 50 grains, (6) .22-250 Remington, 36 grains, (7) .22-250 Remington, 50 grains, (8) .243 Winchester, 62 grains and (9) .243 WSSM, 62 grains.

Back in 2007 Barnes Bullets introduced its Varmint Grenade (VG) bullets made with a copper/tin powdered metal core surrounded by a gilding metal jacket. VGs were mainly intended for shooting in areas that require lead-free bullets. However, because they shoot so accurately and instantly fragment on contact, the bullets have become popular everywhere game from ground squirrels to coyotes are hunted.

VGs are traditionally shaped with a flat base and hollow tip. The bullets are made in .20, .22 and .24 caliber. Even with their flat base, the bullets are relatively long for their weight because of their copper/tin core. The length of the .20-caliber, 26-grain VG measures, .636 inch. In contrast, Berger .20-caliber, 30-grain Flat Base bullets measure .539 inch in length and 35-grain FB Varmint bullets are .606 inch. VG 36-grain, .22-caliber bullets measure .697 inch in length. In comparison, Nosler 40-grain HP FB Varmageddon bullets are similar in shape and measure .560 inch in length. All VGs except the 50-grain, .22-caliber version stabilize in standard rifling twists.

The ballistic coefficient (BC) of VG bullets is comparable to lead-core bullets of similar weight and shape. The .22-caliber, 36-grain bullet has a .149 BC. In comparison, Nosler Varmageddon 40-grain flatbase hollowpoint bullets have a .158 BC. The .24-caliber, 62-grain VG has a .199 BC while Sierra 60-grain flatbase hollowpoint bullets have a BC of .182.

Lots of handloading data for VG bullets is available from several sources. The