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22-243 Load Data

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15 April 2002, 10:15
ROSCOE
22-243 Load Data
Need help with this one. Looking for any data. Gun has 1 in 14 twist. Want to shoot 50-55 grain bullets. Not sure is the heavier bullets will shoot with the slow twest.
15 April 2002, 11:42
<David Boren>
22-243? This is ultimately a 308 winchester necked down to 224 caliber. Nice. Im not thinking it will get too much of an advantage over the 22-250. You want a 22 that will out-shoot ALL others? Try Weatherby's 22-378. They made it. It was more of just kinda follin around, so it never got past the prototype rifle. But they made it. A 378 weatherby necked down to 224 diameter bullets. Feel the power.
15 April 2002, 19:00
<MAKATAK>
I had one with a 1-12 twist. The case has about 6% more capacity than a 220 Swift so you can start at the top loads for the Swift and work up.

I built mine 25 plus years ago and started with Nosler 50's seated into the lands about 0.005" and worked in and up on the length and charges by 0.005" and .5 gr increments.

I was getting near 4200 fps with the 50's and Norma 204 powder but I never got much below 3/4" groups. Piss poor Ruger action, and a heavy Douglas SS #7 taper 26" barrel. Never could get the action to bed right and the action was to limber for that heavy barrel. Finally shot out the barrel working on loads.

Sometime this year I will have Sharp Shooters Supply make me up one for my Savage 110.

It's a good cartridge. You'll get about 150fps more than a Swift at the same pressures and the cases will last a dozen or more reloads. I usually did 10 reloads and tossed the cases just to be safe.

Use 243 cases, don't use 308 cases and you will get another 10 thou or so added length when you neck down. I also used 6mm Rem, 257 Roberts and 7x57 case just for the experience. You need to be careful and go through a lot of gyrations if you do, though.
Don't hot rod it. 10% less pressure and you lose only 5% velocity and get 100% better accuracy and case life.

16 April 2002, 10:59
djd
Rosco, MAKATAK has good advice. I have played with it too, and am now doing the 224-284 thing. Stay with the lower pressures, don't push it and enjoy. I've found 55 gr. Ballistic-Tips to be exactly what I want. They don't fly apart at 4300 FPS. and fly as straight as I can shoot. Most other bullets come apart at 3700 FPS or in that range.
16 April 2002, 14:05
<MAKATAK>
He DJD. Talk to me about that 22-284. How do you find the larger case capacity acting in relation to powders, pressures, velocity etc? Are you gaining a large or small amount of velocity in relation to the amount of powder needed to get it up and running?

I've looked at the 284 case for a long time and have a long throated standard 284 just to seat out longer and a 6mm-284, that needs a new barrel, I liked very much.

Do you lose many cases necking down that far? I'm waffling between the 22 cal and a 6.5mm or both???? Haven't tried the 22 cal mostly because of the overbore problems, but with a 32" to 36" barrel it should work out OK. Let me know the straight scooby-do, hey, I'm one of the boys. : ) What do they call that, a Valkyrie, something like that??