Hello,
I'm just getting back to reloading after many years of kids/college. I bought a used Winchester mod. 70 22-250. I looked it up on Winchesters site and I think this is a Featherweight with a 1-14 twist. What weight of bullet and type would work best with this twist? I will be target shooting and hunting ground hogs and coyotes. I'm not a speed freak, I want accuracy.

Thanks

Tony in Indy

With a 1 in 14 twist barrel 55 gr bullets or lighter would be best. You might try a 60 gr but I doubt they will stabilize properly.
When it's time to rebarrel consider a 1 in 9 twist. This will allow use of all but the heaviest bullets. 75's and 77's may be okay but the 80 and 90 gr bullets are too long.
Good luck.

muck

I have a Win 70 HV 1:14 22/250. I'm having very good results with 55gr Hornady VMax bullets with a moderate load of Varget.

For both accuracy and economy ( good cheap price) and great on game performance.. I like the Speer 50 grain TNT, the 55 grain TNT, and the 52 grain HP ( not the Match HP)....each is very explosive but very accurate and a lot cheaper than the plastic tipped bullets...

for accuracy the 52 and 53 grain HP Match Sierras are good performers also.....
I also like their 50 and 55 grain SMPs... accurate and explosive on varmints...

The Nosler 55gr Ballistic Tip has shot the best out of my Rem 700 VS so far. My rifle also as a 14 inch twist & a 24" barrel. I have had several recommendations for H380 powder. You might want to start with it.

If you want to shoot heavier bullets, you might try Speer 70 grain Semi-Spitzers. I've shot them in 1:12 twist barrels in .222 Rem., .223 Rem. and .22-250 Rem. and they are good for 0.75 to 1 MOA in all. They also perform great on game to the size of deer even out of the .222.

I suspect a .22-250 with even a 1:14 twist barrel would push them fast enough for stabilization.

Thanks for the reply's. This should give me a good starting point. BTW, I've been lurking for about a week, very good info here!

RetiredFire with that 1 in 14 twist you will more than likely find your best accuracy with bullets below 55 Gr. and I suggest IMR 4895 as your powder.

My favorite for a 1-14 twist.......52 gr. Hornady Amax.

Ive had my best luck with 40 and 50 grn Vmaxes with Varget.

With a 22-250 with a 1 in 14 twist I think you will find your best acccuracy with a 50 grain bullet.

I have had a bunch of 22-250 rifles, I have three in the safe right now. While some of them have done darned well with 55 grain bullets, it has just seemed easier to get great accuracy with 50 grain bullets.

Not that you can't get some phemomenal accuracy from some of the 52 and 53 grain match bullets.
But ALL of them are erratic in performance on animals.

Try a 50 grain Sierra spitzer for a VERY accurate bullet that is pretty darned cheap. If you are into the new plastic tipped wonders, they all perform pretty much the same. I am currently shooting a lot of Nosler 50 grain Ballistic Tips because I can get their seconds so cheap.

For powders I would recommend either H 4895 or Varget. Forget the ball powders, they are all temperature sensitive and lot to lot sensitive.

If you ever heard of Bob Hagel, he says in his books that he always got the best accuracy in a 22 caliber rifle with a 1 in 14 twist using 50 grain bullets.

My 700 VLS is the second 22-250 I've had in the past 25 years, so it is safe to say it's my favorite varmint calibre. I reload at the top end, and when I need more I shoot the 220 swift.
With that said, it is my experience that 50&52 grain bullets seem to be the most accurate, followed by the 55 grain. Don't know why this is so, but that has been my experience. My favorite bullets are any Sierras, and 55 grain ballistic tips, which don't have to be throttled back like Hornady's "SX" does. I have not had trouble stabilizing 60 grain partitions, or 70 grain Speers with the 1:14 twist, however, if and when the time comes to rebarrel, I will go to a 1:9 or 1:7.7 twist so I can use the excellent 77 and 80 grain bullets now available.
IMR 4895 is my favorite powder as it works well in a number of rigs with great results. It isn't as temperature sensitive as some ball powders and doesn't always turn in the highest velocities, but it is almost always one of the most accurate. Favorite ball powders are H414 and W748 sparked by Federal, or W-W primers.

For really respectable performance at a great price the Mid South Varmint Nightmare bullet is just hard to beat. 39.5 gr. of compressed Dp86 has proven fantastic in 3 of our 22-250s. roger

Thanks for the replys. Like I said before, great info here!

Dido what bartsche said, except I am using 35 grains of Varget.

Unless you're hunting big game with your 22-250, I would stick with the bulk Varmint Nightmare bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
For really respectable performance at a great price the Mid South Varmint Nightmare bullet is just hard to beat. 39.5 gr. of compressed Dp86 has proven fantastic in 3 of our 22-250s. roger

I made a mistake!!!!! It was 41 gr dp86 at over 3600fps. roger

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
If you want to shoot heavier bullets, you might try Speer 70 grain Semi-Spitzers. I've shot them in 1:12 twist barrels in .222 Rem., .223 Rem. and .22-250 Rem. and they are good for 0.75 to 1 MOA in all. They also perform great on game to the size of deer even out of the .222.

I suspect a .22-250 with even a 1:14 twist barrel would push them fast enough for stabilization.

A 22.250 with the one in 14 twist will stablize them, I have taken several deer with that combo...

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
For both accuracy and economy ( good cheap price) and great on game performance.. I like the Speer 50 grain TNT, the 55 grain TNT, and the 52 grain HP ( not the Match HP)....each is very explosive but very accurate and a lot cheaper than the plastic tipped bullets...

for accuracy the 52 and 53 grain HP Match Sierras are good performers also.....
I also like their 50 and 55 grain SMPs... accurate and explosive on varmints...

Bingo.....the 50 grain TNT has been a mainstay for me in all the 22 centerfires. I've also used the Nosler Ballistic tip and Hornady's V-Max and they're excellent as well.

But for my money that darn TNT really works.

52 grain A-max and either Reloader 15 or IMR 4064.

I have great results with R10x using 52 grain A-max, 55 grain gamekings and 50 grain sierra blitzs.

Tony,

After you try all of the bullets above, try the Sierra 50 gr. #1330. My second choice is the Sierra 55 gr. #1360.

All of the guys that go out pd hunting with me have switched to these two bullets. We all shot others before and in tests we found these two bullets were the most accurate.

The other one we liked was the 52 gr. A-max but for punching paper only.

There are several powders that work well with these bullets. Our pet is IMR4350, with 4064 and then H380 coming in a close second and third respectively.

Jim

Thanks pdhntr1, I will try it.

I use my 22-250 for ground hogs shooting the Serria 55gr HP. I mean that rifle will reach out and get them

i,va had good grouping in a sako hb varmiter and a win 70 varmiter with 35.5 h4895 sierra 55gr spbt in both,my 2$

I have had really good results with Ramshot Big Game and 50 grain Nosler ballistic tips. I am really getting to like the ramshot powders.

Russ is the Ramshot Big game a ball or extruded powder? I've had some pretty spectacular results with the exterminator ball with 55 grain or less .223's and is it ever nice to reload. I have also learned to respect their powder but it is only available around here in a few locations.

Yeah the big game is a ball powder. If I remember correctly all of their rifle powders are ball. I know some have had good luck with varget in 22-250 but I get inconsistent results with it in everything I have tried it in. I have one and a half cans of it setting on the shelf and I dont know what I am gonna do with it. My second choice for 22-250 would be H380 (yup another ball powder).

If you order Ramshot Big Game fromwww.powdervalleyinc.com you can get it for $13.95 a pound or $98 for an 8 pound keg.