22-250 reboot

17remfreck · Rookie Member Joined: Feb 08, 2012 Posts: 1

Hi all
I em giving my kimber varmint 22-250 a boost
im thinking 22-250ack-imp , 22-243 , 22-243middlestead , 22-6mm remington ?
has anyboby got any thoughts on this wildcat ?
Im also going to run a 1-8 twist barrel so i can
use 60-75gr pills
as with reloading data is hard to find
Powders
Bullet seating depths (COL)
My mag is 2.460"
Thanks guys

Elvis · Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 3:12 am Post subject: Re: 22-250 reboot

man you must love your gunsmith!!!
or he must love seeing you.
from what Ive read the 22-243 is a very very hot number and I cant see a barrel lasting too long. the 22-250 is a great cartridge as it is why is it not enough???
I dont do alot of varmit shooting myself but my stock standard .223 was going great on bunnies out to around 200yrds last month the 22-250 would have struggled to do any better and other than burning more powder and causing more barrel wear I fail to see what advantage a further 1000 fps (maybe) would have given me.
just my 2 cent worth.

slimjim · Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 5:52 am Post subject: Re: 22-250 reboot

I think your magazine length is going to limit your project to the 22-250 case. Long bullets in a .243/6mm go well past 2.5". Plus load data and reloading equipment will be much easier to obtain. I'm with Elvis, don't think the extra velocity of 22-250 vs 22-250ack-imp will be worth the cost and inconvenience. I always have thought that a 22-250 with 1:8 twist would be great combination.

I love the 75gr A-Max and 77gr SMK in my 24" AR. I load the A-Max at 2.39" COAL which has the bullet 0.63" past the case mouth (.223 case length is 1.76"). That would make in a 22-250 load have a COAL of 2.54" which is just a little long for your magazine. I think the 75gr A-Max is a must for your new configuration and will give you a 1000 yard capability. Thus, you better make sure you get the freebore right even if you won't be feeding them through the magazine.

I researched all the wildcat cartridges for a new AR build and I just decided to go with the 6.8 SPC II because of the availability of parts, dies, and information (you already have the dies). That has already paid off. The knowledge base on the forums has been critical in my efforts to resolve issues and optimize my loads.

SingleShotLover · Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:10 am Post subject: Re: 22-250 reboot

I have always thought that the manufacturers have made a terrible mistake by standardizing on 1-14" twist rate for the 22/250. If you are going to the effort and expense, and really don't mind forming cases, I like the idea of the 22/250 Improved. You do gain a little in velocity, but if it wasn't for you thinking of rebarreling to begin with it wouldn't really be worth the effort. By rebarreling, as long as the chamber is properly cut, you should be able to shoot standard 22/250 loads too (with a loss in velocity compared to the improved version of course).

Ominivision1 · Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:55 am Post subject: Re: 22-250 reboot

SSL

My first 22-250 was a rem M700 that had a twist of 1 in 14 and shot bullets under 55grs good but not so good with anything heavier. I later bought a Savage 110 which has a 1 in 12 twist and is a tack driver with the old Speer 70gr spitzers.

Back to the OP, I also agree with Elvis, there is not much to be gained by using any of the wildcats except the 22-250AI which will shoot factory 22-250.

Pumpkinslinger · Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 11:00 am Post subject: Re: 22-250 reboot

The faster twist sounds good but I think I'd stick with the regular .22-250 chamber. That said, part of the fun of all this is trying something new!

SingleShotLover · Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 5:54 pm Post subject: Re: 22-250 reboot

Ominivision1 wrote:

SSL

My first 22-250 was a rem M700 that had a twist of 1 in 14 and shot bullets under 55grs good but not so good with anything heavier. I later bought a Savage 110 which has a 1 in 12 twist and is a tack driver with the old Speer 70gr spitzers.

Yep, that's been my experience with a multitude of 22/250s over the years; great with 55-60 grain bullets, not so hot with anything heavier. While I haven't tried the Savage (didn't even know that they offered a faster twist since I lean strongly toward Ruger #1s), it's about time that someone recognized that this fine old varmint cartridge can do a lot more than just chuck 55-60 grain pills downrange! My current 22/250 is a Ruger #1B (1-14") that is extremely accurate as long as I don't go over 60 grains. I have been thinking for quite sometime that I would like to have it rebarrelled to a 1-8" twist and sort of figured "well, while I'm at it..." have it chambered to 22/250AI just for kicks. I've played with a few wildcats over the years, but not that one.

PaulS · Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 7:12 pm Post subject: Re: 22-250 reboot

I like wildcats when I can't find what I want but when you ar starting with a 22-250 you already have as close to a magnum 22 as you could want. If you need to have more velocity then go with the improved version and have a ball. The 1:8 twist is a good idea - in my book you can never have too much spin but too little will wreak havok with the longer bullets.
There is a practical limit to how much velocity is good and the pressure it takes to get you there and the 243 is already near too much powder at 6mm and taking that down to a 22 you will have to burn some real slow burning powder and lots of it to get reasonably higher velocities. I think I would stick with the 22-250 AI and reap the benefits of that. You will get another 50 - 100 fps out of it and that will only marginally influence the trajectory. The varmints will be just as dead as if you hit them with a 22 Swift but you won't have to replace your barrel every other year.