According to the hornady manual, a 1 in 14" twist barrel in 22-250 should stabilise a 55 grain bullet! Does anybody have a favorite bullet for this application because I get great accuracy with 40 and 50 grain v-max but 52 grain a-max and 55 v-max wont stailise! I am aware that different bullets have slightly different shapes for given weights so can anybody suggest a 50+ grain bullet that they KNOW works for them in a 14" twist barrel! I ask becasue i would like to have a go with something that will hold a little better in the wind and at range because i want to extend my shooting possibilities!

Many Thanks from a "Limey" english guy!
And yes it is true, we are alowed some guns in england............for now?

They say it's the length of a bullet that is the factor for a particular twist. Some of the new plastic tipped bullets are quite long.

What counts in the wind is the ballistic coefficient and not necessarily the weight.

When I saw how well the 50 Blitz King does in my 1-14 Swift I settled on it. I tried the 55 gr BK and it did not shoot well and Sierra confirmed that it may be too long for my rifle.

http://www.steyrscout.org/1722bc.htm
Download Pointblank here

Chris Parkin: Welcome to the A.R. Forum! And hello from across the "waters"!
I have several 22-250's and mostly choose my bullets for Varmint duty and that includes accuracy and explosiveness (lethality) on Varmint size creatures.
I want to suggest the fine Sierra 55 gr. Blitz bullet for you to try (#1345).
I use a lot of these bullets in many different cartridges and the accuracy has been about universal. One Rifle I use it in now is a factory stock Remington 40XB in 22-250 with 27 1/4" barrel. I am sure it is a 1 in 14 twist as are my other Remington 22-250's.
Anyway this is an economical and universally accurate bullet for me. And its very lethal on all size Varmints.
I also use the Nosler 55 gr. Ballistic Tips in some of my rigs and they perform well also. They are more expensive though.
Now to your posting I have a question about the way you posed your inquiry.
You stated the 55 gr. bullets you have tried "won't stabilize". Do you mean they are simply inaccurate or do you have other concerns?
Or are those 55's just not shooting as well as the 40's and 50's in your Sako.
Good luck in the search!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Thanks for the sensible replies guys, i did a search on the subject and found a lot of hot recipies but nobody was particularly stating twist rates and a lot of the guns used sounded like custom barrels might be aboard! I will try the bullets suggested and see how it goes. As to my posting and saying they wouldnt stabilise, that was the word i used to describe 1/2" groups with 40's and 50's to not even being able to describe the 52's as a group, i.e. they were all over the paper, the 55 gr v-max were a little better but 1 1/2" is unacceptable. Thanks Guys!

I'm what you might call an old type shooter I match bullet to barrel twist (gives me an excuse to have more rifles). In my 22-250AI with 1/14 twist I use 52 gr bullets in the 22-250AI with 1/12 twist I use 55br bullets . I've only got two rifles with 1/12 twist and all the others are 1/14 allows me to buy my bullets in bulk for the 22cal. Most of my 22 and 6mm rifles are for varmit shooting so I try and not wear out a barrel testing bullets.

A 22-250 should be able to handle any 55 gr bullet out there if its loaded to full power. I have a .243 that will not shoot a 75 V-max at all. I would try some other 55 grain bullets from Sierra and see how they do. What are you shooting? Targets or game? A Sierra 55 gr BTHP is a very accurate "short" bullet that shoudn't have any stability problems in your rifle. FNMauser

Hey Chris Parkin...here is another great site and a good bunch of guys with lots of info on "varmint" rifles such as yours. Lots of Sako fans on this board. Come on in.http://www.varminthunters.com/forums/ggvg/

The 1-14 twist in your Sako is not your problem. I have two Sakos in .22-250 and both shoot the 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip well. You might try adjusting your powder charge, seating depth, or state of mind But sometimes, certain guns just don't "like" certain bullets.

Not a slam on Hornady, but I have always had less luck with getting Hornady's to shoot accuratly than most other brands.

A 14 twist should shoot 55's just fine, but the best bullet I have found for this twist rate is the JLK 52 gr LD. This bullet has a BC of .302. I have shot quite a few groups with them at ranges as far as 650 yds. I am shooting a Cooper with a 14 twist barrel. I'm shooting 38.7 gr H380 for a chrono'ed speed of 3550 fps. Not scorching, but groups average 3/8". My best group with this bullet at 650 yds is a 5 shot 2.25", shot from a bipod in near calm conditions. In comparison the 50 gr NBT bullet at this range, on the same day and conditions, shot 2 MOA lower, and drifted another full MOA in the very slight breeze present.

Stonecreek...........
What is your recipe for that load, powder, weight, col etc?

quote:

Originally posted by Chris Parkin:
Stonecreek...........
What is your recipe for that load, powder, weight, col etc?

Chris,

My old standby for the .22-250 is 35.5 grains of either H or IMR 4895. I have been out of that powder for a while, so I have been using 35 grains of VV N-135. These are not "blazing" fast loads -- about 3500-3600 depending on your barrel length, but have always been dependable for me. In fact, I think you'll be amazed how many different .22-250 shooters have independently settled on 35.5 gr of 4895 as their favorite with a 55 grain bullet. I'm not where I can get you a LOA figure, but I almost always seat the bullet as far out as the magazine/rifling lead will allow.

Correction to the above-referenced load with V-135: I was shooting my Sako HB this weekend, which I had never shot before with the V-135 using the 55 grain Nosler B.Tip. Pressure indications were on the high side and velocities were running 3700 fps. For this particular gun, I'm going to back off to 34 grains of V-135. Good news is that groups were excellent, nonetheless.

By the way, L.O.A. on these loads was about 2.48 inches, much longer than the "book" 2.35", but with the generous Sako magazine and the long ogive of the Ballistic Tip, there's no reason to make them shorter.

i am a new member with an old gun. it is a ruger#1b in 22-250 with a 1/14 twist. I load a 52g speer hp, not boat tail, with 39g of hogden 414, and it is less than 3/4" at 100 yards. Hope it works for you. Speers are cheap at natchez. Plus it is not a hot load and knoks the snot out of ground squirrels.

I have 4 .22 centerfires, 2 are .222Rem. and the others are a .222Rem.Mag. and a .22-250Rem. All 4 are 1 in 14" barrel twist. My best accuracy comes with Sierra and Berger 52gr HPs, and the Nosler 55gr. Bal Tip. The Nosler is the only one that is not a HP. I find it the equal of the others. All 4 rifles shoot in the .3"s and .4"s. One of my .222Rems. is a Sako Varminter. It's a strange bird. The first 3 years I owned it the rifle shot around a half inch (5 at 100yds) which I didn't find that good for a varmint rifle. Two years ago it started grouping in the .4"s and last year was down to the .3"s. I haven't done a bloody thing to that rifle. It merely started performing better on its own, not even a trigger adjustment. Maybe Sakos are slow learners. I really don't know, but I'm glad I didn't part with it. Incidently, you might consider VV133 powder. It performs well in my rifles. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

I have found that the 55gr Nosler Ballistic Tips are some of the best performers in my 220 Swift. This a Weatherby, also with a 1-14" twist.