After firing about 350 rounds thru a new T\C encore 22-250 i was never satified with my reloads accuracy. Also I was getting signs of a headspace problem. I took the rifle to 2 gunsmiths where they both put in the no-go tool and pronounced I diffentently had problems. I am thinking of going to a 223 after some experiences I have gained. For shooting prairie dogs why wouldn't I be better off with the 223? It is quieter and cheaper. Has anyone out there had this happen to them? I am calling T\C tomorrow to find out if they will change my bbl. for a 223 for free if indeed the chamber is too long. Any comments?

Why not see if T/C wouldn't change your barrel for a 22-250 with a proper head space? If you've already got your set-up for reloading the 22-250, why change? The .223 would indeed be much cheaper to reload for and we really, really reload for the economy of it but when you get new dies, brass, etc, its gonna be a while before you break even.
That said, I have both .223's and 22-250's
. I use the .223 around here to shoot crows and ground hogs but when I go west to shoot P dogs, I have the 22-250.

A 22-250 can always be loaded down to 223 levels but a 223 will always be just a 223. Question.... After your brass is fireformed how do you still have a headspace problem?

I only neck size for my bolt actions and even on guns that are a little loose that just meant a little more capacity and the brass just blows out to the proper size.

Unfortunately, TC barrels that have too much headspace are not a rare finding.

I shot a Contender with a 14 inch barrel on it that was chambered for 7-30 Waters for a while but finally gave up on it. I was shooting silhouette competition with it so I shot it a lot. No matter what sort of tricks I tried it would separate cases after about 4 or 5 firings.

It happened to me while shooting in the NRA National Pistol Championships (when they still held them). I marched right over to a gunsmith who had a table set up. He did some checking and said "man this thing has WAY too much headspace."

I tried using Federal Nickel Plated Premium brass at $60 a 100, I tried making 7-30 Waters brass from 375 Winchester brass, all to no avail.

I finally sold it to a guy who just wants to hunt hogs with it. He loads the cases only a couple of times and throws them away. The gun is really quite accurate.

So, I guess I too would suggest trying to get TC to just replace it. If you are shooting an Encore with a rifle barrel then I would stick with the 22-250 for the velocity and versatility. If you are dealing with a pistol with a shorter barrel then I would probably switch to the 223 cartridge.

Good Luck, R F

The break open design is not easy to fix the headspace on. Neither is it all that stiff. If a rifle for multiple targets is needed such as the prarie dogs you mention I would buy another bolt action rifle or a falling block SS if that's what you like in 223.

Then if the TC is in spec sell it as is. If the headspace is out of spec send it back and then sell it.