Are any of you shooting a 40gr bullet in your 22-250? I'm thinking of trying a 40gr V-Max in mine (1/14 twist), but I'm wondering how long range performance will be. It's gonna be fast, but is it too lite for those 300-500 yd shots? I don't see too many guys that shoot them.

Jethro:

I use Nosler BT in 40 grains for my long distance load for Prairie Dogs in a Ruger VT in 22/250.

My powder of choice is RL 7, 34 grains. Velocity is 4450 fps. Trajectory, at 500 yds, is 5.5 inches high at 100 yds. Should be a flat enought trajectory

I stumbled onto that load, in an older Lyman manual. It is 1 grain or more over what they list as max in the Lyman 47th Edition manual. Trajectory at 300 yds is 2.5 inches high at 100 yds.

These are figures out of the Nosler Manual # 4's trajectory charts. Time at the range proved them accurate.

With RL 7 I have pushed these bullets as high as 4750 fps. Brass life is about 2 shots at 4750. At 4450, it has a decent life span ( 10 plus reloadings, winchester brass used.)

Good Luck.

Seafire, do you notice considerable effects from wind, or is it pretty much a wash between the 40 and 50 grainers? How's the terminal performance at 200+ yds? I typically shoot groundhogs, so I'm wondering how they'll do on varmints of that size.

Jethro,

I would tend to agree with my fellow Oregonian, Oregon Born. However, with the bullet speed at 4450, it gets to the target so quickly, it must be able to buck the wind better because of the velocity.

With the 40 grain Ballistic Tip in this application it really surprised me on not having much wind drift in the field. This is based on two outings in Montana on prairie dogs. I have not shock a ground hog with it, but I have shot a rock chuck which would be similar in size.
The end result was not pretty. Made a mess of the Rock Chuck, look like it had been hit with a 30/06 instead of a 40 grain 22 caliber bullet.

A little experimentation on your own is the best advise. However, it did surprise me, on my results ( for the better!)

Good luck!

Bucking wind because of high velocity sounds right, but isn't. Turns out the wind deflection is proportional to the crosswind wind velocity component and the difference in time of flight of the bullet in air and the flight time in vacuum (maintaining constant muzzle velocity.) A very fast bullet of low BC can slow down quite rapidly and show a bigger flight time difference than a slower one of high BC, even though the actual flight time of the slower bullet may be longer. And the same bullet will deflect less in wind at a lower speed if its actual BC is higher at the lower speed. (Every bullet has different BCs in different speed ranges.)

Ricochet:

That is quite true and held as gospel by those in the know. However, If I have learned one think handloading and shooting, even tho there are a lot of ' experts', rifles and bullets don't always pay attention and behave the way they are suppose to.

Case in point, that is why I pointed out having less winddrift with the 40 grain BTip at 4450 MV.
Didn't think it would be so, but it has proven to be so, at least when I have carried mine in the field.

Thanks for the come back tho!!