One of the forum members asked a question on the reloading forum about starting loads with a 22.250 with a fast twist....

Since I did quite a bit of testing on this, when I put this rifle together this past spring.. I thought maybe a few of the varmint hunters might find some of this info useful...

If nothing else, save someone else a lot of duplicate work at the range... as this sort of stuff gets kinda spendy....

22.250 Addendum:

I dug out my info on this from Steve's site... and this is what I tested....

I took 5 shots groups, with 2 loads each, from the lowest to the highest charges.. with two grains intervals...

which translates to this:

H 335: 27 grains, 29 grains, 31 grains...

Hodgdon Powders:

H 335: 27 to 31 grs
H 380: 33 to 37 grs
H 414: 31 to 39 grs
H 4350: 34 to 36 grs
H 4831 SC: 35 to 39 grs
Varget: 29.5 to 33.5grs

IMR powders:
3031: 28 to 32 grs
4064: 29 to 33.5 grs
4320: 29 to 35 grs
4350: 33 to 38 grs
4831: 35 to 39 grs
4895: 28 to 32 grs

Reloader Powders
RL 15: 30 to 32.5grs
RL 19: 35.5 to 37.5 grs


Winchester 748 ( which is identical if not the same powder as BLC 2): 29.5 grs to 33.5 grs..

IN all bullet weights, all were acceptable...

I tried H 4985 and as usual, its accuracy was non existant..

Loads were tested with
1. Hornady 68 gr HP Match,
2. Sierra 69gr HP/Match,
3. 75 Grain Hornady A Max,
4. 75 Grain Hornady HP,
5. 77 grain Sierra HP/Match,
6. Nosler 80 grain HP Match,
7. Sierra 80 grain HP/Match.....

I haven't tried the new Hornady 80 grain A Max.. but am looking forward to... after Christmas financial crunch, I was looking to order 500 or so...

The test rifle was a Ruger 77 Mk 2, with a 24 inch heavy magnum contoured stainless steel barrel from PacNor, 1 in 8 twist.. with a Boyd's grey laminate stock....

Special thanks to Steve Riccardelli for all the fine useful information he shares with all the follow shooters!

The handsdown winner in my rifle, with all bullets was 33.5 grains of IMR 4064...

Second choices would be Varget, W748/BLC2, IMR 4350, H 414...in that order...

cheers
seafire

I have a 22/250 AI with a 8" barrel that i built to shoot the 80 gr sierras with 40 grains of IMR 4831 it shows great accuracy and trajectory like a streched rubber band. great long range PD gun

I'm not sure how a 2 grain interval test gave any insight into accuracy possibilities with any given powder? For instance, you listed H-335 and tried loads at 27, 29 and 31 grains. What if say 30.2 gr was the ticket? It was never even approached. Am I missing something? Indeed by this method, if any accurate load was stumbled upon it would be by more chance than deduction. Possibly I just misunderstand the test data, can you explain?

Thanks
Ricky

Well Rick....

Let me explain something this way....

H 335;

68 grain Bullet...

27 grains: 10 bullets

29 grains: 10 bullets

31 grains: 10 bullets

H 380:

33 grains: 10 bullets

35 grains: 10 bullets

37 grains: 10 bullets...

15 powders....7 bullet weights... times 30 bullets or more per powder type...

7 x 30 x 15 = 3150 bullets down range...

So yeah, seeing what works at 29.2 grains... 29.4 grains etc.. is getting kinda ridiculous...or more expense that I care to invest.. and more time than I have available...

half the life of the barrel was spent on this kinda testing.... but then I plan on replacing it with another barrel just like it when this one starts to wear out.... as I like this combo.. so the testing was worth it to me...

I do two different 5 shot groups with a bullet and powder combo, as one group may be bad and the next group not...

So to gather this info... consider the cost of bullets, primers and powder.... this posted info ran me about $600.00 plus just to share on line here....

anyone who wants to send me some donations for this type of testing to help defray the costs is more than welcome.. send me a PM....

For those that followed some of my Blue Dot testing, in a lot of different calibers, might get an idea of the investment I put into it besides the amount of time....... to share with my fellow forum members...at pretty much a no charge basis...

cheers
seafire

SeaFire! To satisfy my curiousity, do you have bullet, powder, load, velocity, accuracy data on the bullets over 75gr.? Also what length throat do you have? On the rifle that is. roger

Roger,

actually the throat is pretty tight on this chamber... it was chambered in 223, but after I picked up the Savage 12 BVSS... I took the barrel off of the 223, and had it put on a 473 bolt faced action and rechambered to 22.250....

The action is a stainless Ruger...

I can chronograph the 80 grain load that worked best if you want...I was shooting to find out what was the most accurate....other things catch my time and attention, instead of chronographing the 33.5 grain load of IMR 4064... If I am going to take that load to the field to prairie dog hunt, then, I will chronograph it at that time.... I have my patterns for doing stuff.. that fit my needs, when I need it fulfilled...

Right now, I am working on another project "Varmint Loads, on the Cheap"... I am testing 223 loads, based on cost effectiveness... using powders like Blue Dot, 2400, IMR 4227....and what is the most cost effective bullets...

for blue dot, I can tell you that a real champ is 14.5 grains of Blue Dot, Winchester small rifle primer and a 50 grain TNT Speer!

If I head down to my folks this month for the holidays, I will try and remember to toss that 22.250 in the Camry and maybe we can get together and you can play with it yourself!

after next trip to the range, that should be about 1700 rounds down a barrel on a Ruger VT testing this out...going to try and web publish that on the net here....

I have found load testing with such large steps in charge weights to be hit or miss at best. I use the ladder method for all my initial load development, using .3 grain increments for 22-250 and similar size cases, and no more than .5 grain increments for my magnum cases. Seafire, I am curious as to what kind of accuracy you have found with this rifle thus far. I've considered a fast twist 22-250 for quite a while.

Seafire,
Any idea what weights a 1:9" barrel will stabilise in 22/250? Placed an order today for a Savage VLP-S in 22/250 with 1:9". Hopefully it'll be here by mid-January.
Cheers...
Con

quote:

Originally posted by cobrad:
I have found load testing with such large steps in charge weights to be hit or miss at best. I use the ladder method for all my initial load development, using .3 grain increments for 22-250 and similar size cases, and no more than .5 grain increments for my magnum cases. Seafire, I am curious as to what kind of accuracy you have found with this rifle thus far. I've considered a fast twist 22-250 for quite a while.

Brad,

This rifle has a Pac Nor barrel on it... so I highly recommend them... but overall the accuracy was great, except with the H 4895...

I am sure a lot of the other barrel makers would give the same results....

I do testing like this at times to get an overall picture of powder, bullet combos.. usually only in varmint calibers...

it gives you patterns.. if the groups are tight in charge weights like 27, 29, 31... that tells me that the powder is a good choice... I can then fine tune it if the need requires...

almost all the powders tested were more than varmint shooting accurate... in the lower and upper limits tested... so the 22.250 proved to be a good candidate for a fast twist barrel and match bullets...

But if I was looking at Benchrest accuracy, then 4064 gave the best results across the boards.... 33.5 grains gave one hole groups with all bullet weights out of my rifle...

We all have different ways of looking at things... but since the published info on fast twists 22.250s don't exist, with match bullets, I had to go and do my own research...

those are the results I got.... and yeah there is a lot of room left to get more incrimental about... but this provides and invaluable frame work in my opinion...

But I found out what worked best with those parameters.. and if I get a one hole group with all bullet weights.... ya can't argue with that, or get any better than that...

cheers
seafire

quote:

Originally posted by Con:
Seafire,
Any idea what weights a 1:9" barrel will stabilise in 22/250? Placed an order today for a Savage VLP-S in 22/250 with 1:9". Hopefully it'll be here by mid-January.
Cheers...
Con

Con,

gidday! I have a Savage 12 BVSS in 223, with a one in 9 twist and it stabilizes ALL match grade bullets I have tested in 75, 77 and 80 grains.....with MVs of 2700 and up...are all I have tested..

So if a 223 is doing it, it should be no problem for a 22.250 chambering...

So's I think you should be looking good mate!

cheers
seafire

Seafire/B17G: I do agree with you in this regard that testing powders for Varmint Rifles in tenths of grains or in two tenths or by a half grain at a time is a waste of effort and bullets and more importantly BARREL LIFE!
The only Rifles I can remember testing in HALF grain increments during load development were my 17 centerfires!
The pressure curve burps up pretty rapidly with those.
With my various 204's I did full one grain increments and that round is so inherently accurate that I did not do much testing at all until all three 204's were "shinin"!
I think I have seen the BR types (close range BR types at that) doing tenth and two tenth work-ups but a lot of those guys are OVERLY particular!
Save the barrels!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy