Gentlemen, I have a 22-250 AI that a smith talked me into doing when rechambering my 22-250

I have not been real enamored with the AI cartridges I have fooled with, and frankly don't want to go to the trouble of fireforming brass and buying special dies at this point. My question is, how big of a deal is it to re-chamber to standard 22-250? The barrel is a varmint contour and fluted for whatever that's worth.

Thanks for any feedback--Don

Cut the barrel to the shoulder of the chamber, rethread, chamber and install.

As Westpac said you will need to set the barrel back at in the order of 1.54"+ allowing for the fluting to line up I question if that will work much less how it will look in your rifle. If you give up on the AI I would sell the barrel and start over. Then next time don't let the smith sell you something you don't want.

Thanks gentlemen, I'll make a couple of measurements and make a call on it.

I didn't feel great about this from the get go, and I damn sure don't now...

I've got 2 280 AI's and I wouldn't do that if I had to do it again either--I am in the camp of it ain't a big gain to AI a cartridge, it sure hasn't been an accuracy enhancer to a noticeable degree in the ones I have.

quote:

Originally posted by Fish30114:
Thanks gentlemen, I'll make a couple of measurements and make a call on it.

I didn't feel great about this from the get go, and I damn sure don't now...

I've got 2 280 AI's and I wouldn't do that if I had to do it again either--I am in the camp of it ain't a big gain to AI a cartridge, it sure hasn't been an accuracy enhancer to a noticeable degree in the ones I have.

How much of a performance gain you get depends on the cartridge. The 280 Improved can be pretty good. Accuracy is dependent on more things than the shape of the case. If the gun is capable of decent accuracy before the conversion, then, provided it was skillfully converted, accuracy shouldn't suffer.

Westpac, as always I appreciate your feedback and sharing of your knowledge. The one 280 I had re-chambered didn't suffer accuraacy wise, but it didn't get any better, and load development was quite a bitch with this rifle, not so when it was a 'stock' 280.

The other one started life when the first one was being reworked, and it has always been a 280 AI from the get go, and it is fairly accurate, just not as easily as other cartridges I rate in the same category, such as my 270's.

I guess I'm just more of a vanilla guy with rifles, although I like chocolate ice cream!