I would like to build a short heavy barrel bolt action in 22-250.
How far can i go bellow 22" before i start to lose to much velocity and effiency?

Not to rain on you, but why? Just curious. I'd say using the SWAG method that a 22" .22-250 is already losing steam. How 'bout a .223 at that length?

Whatcha gonna do widdit?

Redial
Inquiring minds ...

Better have some good hearing protection.

Bearlake---

That's like wanting to know how *small* a tires you can put on your Z-1 Vette.

Short barrels are for small capacity cases. Buy a duece and cut it to 18 inches. They only lose a couple hundred FPS.

A 223 would be a better choice. I just do not want any more dies and half used cans of powder on the bench. I have a few guns in 22-250 and really like it. I want a short rifel that i can sling carry through a mile or 2 of thick woods without getting hung up on every branch and twig i pass under. The gun must be quick pointing and handle a fast rate of fire, like 6-7 rounds a minute. The 26"heavy varmiter i have now is a tank and no fun to carry or shoot in the woods. The good thing is I can shoot a lot before it gets to hot. The standard 22" rifel is lite in weight and quick handeling but has a 5 round limit before it gets to hot. So i was thinking a combo of the two would work out ok.
A Ruger mini-14 with heavy 18" match barrel would be sweet but I was trying to stay with 22-250.

http://www.remington.com/firearms/centerfire/M7_LSS.htm

Remington is willing to go 20". Maybe the model 7 LSS is what you have been looking for.

MM

Thanks for the info on the Rem model 7 !!!

[ 09-26-2002, 03:38: Message edited by: bearlake ]

A lotta bunk here.

The 22-250 is a modest capacity case(even for it's bore size). She holds around 43.5grs of water,exact measurements will differ slightly,dependant upon brass Manufacturer. She's no fire-breathing dragon,as compared to many.

Anyhow,it doesn't REQUIRE an ungodly lengthed barrel,to keep on sizzlin'.

I've had them in 22",24" and 26". Velocity was never an issue(as none of those bullets bounced off any critters),but I built them for different purposes and all delivered nicely. Both my 22-250Ackley's are 24".

I just submitted the following to Quick Load: A 60K PSI loaded 22-250,employing Re-15(my favorite in this cartridge) and a 50gr V-max. A 24" tube will yield 3870fps. The 20" version will still clock 3692fps. A 50gr at 3700fps,is no slouch and in a compact/handy little rifle,the handling characteristics could more than offset the velocity discrepency. That is solely your call,as you know the purpose the rifle will serve.

Point I'm tryin' to make,is that a 20" barreled 22-250 is no slouch. If you have a role in which such a combo would bear fruit,I'd jump on that bandwagon.

All that being said,I think a 20" barreled 223Ackley is about as good as she gets...............

Bear - I once built up a .223 with 20" bbl for the same reason you are thinking of doing it. It DOES make a wonderful carrying and handling rifle, regardless of the caliber.

Frankly, I wouldn't worry for a minute about cutting the barrel length to whatever I wanted.
So what if you drop 100-150 fps? The .22/250 has got speed to spare. You can dump a little off the muzzle and STILL have a mighty hot rifle.

Go for it, my friend! I wouldn't be afraid to take it back to 18" if that's what turned me on.

I've owned several rifles with 18" barrels, including .308. They do fine for all normal hunting.

You WILL get some extra blast, naturally. (Wear ear plugs and enjoy! Nothing wrong with your idea in the real world.)

One final thought: WHY even bother to make it a heavy barreled rifle? Or are you cutting and crowning an existing rifle? If not, you may as well go whole hog and make the barrel standard weight and have a REAL delight to carry around and hunt with.

[ 09-26-2002, 06:27: Message edited by: Pecos45 ]

My T/C Encore pistol in .22/250 with 14" barrel is still good for 300 yard shots on varmints so 18/20" rifle barrel should be just fine.

Thanks for all the info guys!
Would the twist rate have to change with the shorter barrel? I like a 1-12" twist for 22-250. Would a guy need to speed the twist up in a shorter barrel to stabalize the bullet in 18 inches? I like the 60gr bullets, I have had the best luck with them.

HiWall,
You read my mind. I've got a XP100 in .223 and 700 VLS in the same caliber. The XP has a 14" barrel and the VLS is a 26". There's less than 75 feet per second between the two. In fact, my XP shoots faster than my buddies savage with a 24" barrel. There's a helluva lot more factors that are determining bullet speed than just the length of the barrel. A sloppy chamber with a long throat in a long barrel isn't going to normally shoot as fast as well chambered rifle with a barrel at least 2" shorter. Some may disagree, but I've seen it proved to me on more than one occasion.
Bearlake, go with the short barrel. I've built a similiar setup for a friend of mine a few years ago and he loved it. You won't be handicapped.

I know you said you wanted a bolt rifle but you could get a few extra inches of barrel out of a Ruger #1 and still have the same OAL.

FWIW

Chris

You can always go to a slightly faster powder to help out. What about going to something like the T/C Encore. With its super short action you can still have a 24" barrel and a short gun in one.