Has anyone had any first hand experience?

A guess a 308 necked to .224 could be a bit over bore.

But some ADI powders may give the 55 gn well over 4000 fps.

Just curious.

Have a loan of a mates Swift Ruger NO. 1 and I am falling in love

Wife will kill me. Ah, only live once.

Best use is with heavy pills and slow twist barrel.
Wildcat bullets in Canada have up to 107gr .224 available. High BC allows great long range wind bucking ability where this cartridge can shine.
How you get them here with the current Australia Post policy is another matter!
At very least run 75gr Amax Hornady or 80gr SMK.
Careful use of heavy projectiles will conserve barrel to probably an effective life of 12/1400 rds.
Specialist cartridge.
APB

I ain't being clear here.

I borrowed a mate's Swift as I think the 22-250 is the best thing ever. The Swift, with the loads I have been using, are damn near equal in POI an my 250.

The only reasaon I mentioned the Middlestead as there is a guy at our gun club talking it up.

For those who may have better memories than most, he was the guy who sold his 22-250 for a 223 WSSM with a Nightforce scope for our fox shooting season.


I just wonder what others think?

I think he was a tool for getting a WSSM over the 22-250, but now wonder what the necked down 308 can do that a 22-250 carn't.

He does shoot a lot of foxes in winter when it counts so he ain't a fool. He doesn't hunt foxes on purpose in summer as any one can get them.


And I agree with him there.


I think he is disillusioned with his 223WSSM. It isn't the step up he thought.

Ross

Hi GBB
If you shooting for fox skins at night then the Middlestead is not the cartidge required.
1. You will be shooting within the limit of the light and recovery.
2.Skin requires minimal damage.
Although I have never personally shot foxes commercially I always gathered that the .17Rem was almost ideal for this? Flat trajectory and no exit skin hassles.
BTW I have spotlighted foxes and called them in rabbit country as well.

What I was talking about with the Middlestead was - it is a specialist long range option having lower recoil than similar BC larger calibers.
APB

I have a .204 Ruger and it is a great round.

Pain to reload seeing components are hard to get and that .20 throat means trickling the powder in.

and my 204 is very fussy with powders.

I bouught a heap of projectiles from LSB a few months ago and I have been playing around wiith loads.

MY 204 loves BM2 and 2209. Haven't tried other powders besides ADI.


I was just thinking Middlestead because it is a bees dick flatter than the Swift, the 250 or the 204.

And the guy who was talking it up deserted the 22-250 for a 223 WSSM.


Poore taste.

r

Damn, doesn't my last post sound like a woman thing!

"I left James for Sam"

GBB..I SAW THIS POST on the subject on the 24 hr campfire/some impressive velocities there mate.......................

I have an old article here by James D. Mason that a guy photocopied for me from the Handloaders Digest 7th Edition.

The Middlested case is formed by setting the neck back into the shoulder to produce a 30 degree shoulder. The 22-243, or 22-308, is simply necked down retaining the original 20 degree shoulder, which apparently makes for a very short neck.

He quotes velocities of 4249 fps with a Nosler 50SB (solid base?)

60 gr Hornadys get 3795fps and Hemsted 72 grHP's go 3455 fps.

This was from a rechambered 40X 27-1/4" barrel.

Not easy log join up, that site.

But Aaron still reconds the Middlestead will be far more accurate than the 223 WSSM he bought.

I still carn't see the point with him. Any of these- 204, 22-250, swift, 223 WSM- and I like the 250- should be able to get any fox out to 300 plus yards.

As I have said before, he gets heaps in winter when I am home in bed enjoying the warmth.

The Middlestead just cannot be worth the cost and fussing around with dies ETC.

But Aaron reckons he is going to get more.

Wishfull thinking? I cannot see foxes being hit over 300 yards spotlighting with all thew over variables we face.

All hunting is fun, though.

BTW, are there heaps of cheap 223WSSM, 243WSSM Etc rifles in your gun shops at the moment?

quote:

Wishfull thinking? I cannot see foxes being hit over 300 yards spotlighting with all thew over variables we face.

dunno about that cobber with those cals above you mention no one is shooting for skins so get hold of some 115 hp`s and run them thru a 7 mill mag for shots way out past 300 hard hitting flat shooting..

GBB ,
Have shot the odd fox further out than 300 at night but estimating range is very tough . Generally inclined to overestimate at night in my experience . That's the beauty of a really flat shooter , just aim dead on .
55gn Noslers out of my .243 AI at a mild 4030 fps work pretty well (4200 FPS is max. but less accurate) .The .243 55gn Nosler has better BC than most 55gn .224 projectiles too .
Using AR2206H the standard .243 can get 4050 FPS with the 55 Nosler according to Nick Harvey . What I'm saying is that a standard .243 will give a .22 Middlestead a run for it's money and shoot flatter than the .223 WSSM unless you go to 40gn pills in the .22's .
How about a 6mm/06 with the 55 Nosler at about 4400 FPS or the new 5/35 SMc with a 32gn 20 cal. pill at 4650 ?

How about a 6mm/06 with the 55 Nosler at about 4400 FPS or the new 5/35 SMc with a 32gn 20 cal. pill at 4650 ?

I`m not the reloader that you blokes may be but dont those really quick lightweights shed speed real quick IE impressive muzzle velocities but what are they doing out yonder/ Another thing is they will drift like buggery in the wind too...give me the 7 mill with a little less speed but a heavier bullet...........
yeah i know there is no fox left when they connect eh!

Gryphon ,
No doubt the light pills do shed velocity rapidly and drift more in the wind . Have their uses though for foxes at night . Some still have enough grunt for 400 - 500 yard kills and can shoot very flat to that range . Also less prone to ricochet which is particularly important at night if shooting in populated areas .
IMHO windy nights are usually a waste of time so the drift issue is less important .

Bushchook,

you are right about range. I have a real problem with it at night unless I know the paddock we are in and the map in my head lets me know the range. I tend to know the paddocks around here and on our farm fairly well so I know that, for example, a stump is 200 yards from where we are in the ute and the fox is near it so, booooom!


As far as destroying skins, I have tended to use "harder" projectlies in the 250, hoping they don't hit a decent bone and go to pieces.

It is surprising but the 204 with the 32 gn Hornady load is not as destructive on fox as I thought they would be. Particularly over 200 yards.

Even using most PSP 55 gns in the 250 doesn't destroy them badly over the 200 yards. Or I have just been lucky?

I know they are far worse that the 17 Rem.

Going to put put a new post on a couple of calibres mentioned.

Curious as anything as I haven't heard of them.

I would go this route: http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek061.html

Equals the 204 Ruger, with more brass available.

If you want something faster, I would go 22br or regular 6mmbr. 6br shoots 55grain BT at 3800fps og 105A-max at 2950, and is capable of 1000yards . Go with a 1-8 twist, and you should be able to shoot anyting. Se if you can find a Tikka 595 and use a 22-250 magazine, and you use the magazine instead of single loading..

Im thinking about using the new laupa cartridge 6,5x47, and necking it down to 22cal. Its betwen the 6mmbr and 243, so you should be able to push the 100 grain 22 cal bullets from richard at 3000+++ fps. And when the BC is up at .7-.8 it is a very capable long range caliber!

a complete eye opener.

Ok,educate me.
Why is there a "need" for this barrel burner when there are planty of more common rounds available?

The only answer to that is-

why do I "need" another varmint rifle when we own five very good ones already?

If you have a Tikka 595 available, I would go with the 6mmbr.. 55grain BT with a higher BC then the 22cal, and shooting it at 3800fps is pure bunny medicine out to 400 yards.. then use 105 A-max aaaaall the way out to 1000 yards. Its capable!!!

And barrel life should be around 4000. Tell me, why is the 22-250 any better? Its not..

Or, if you have a 223, ream it out to a 223 AI, 40grain v-max at 4000fps, 50grain v-max at 3750, and 75 grain A-max at 3100.. also capable at 1000 yards. The amax has a bc of .430! You are also able to see if you hit or miss, since its such a mild cartridge.