22-250 Best Bullet Weight for a 1/14 twist

[marios7]

Hi, Happy New Year all,

Have a question, what's the best bullet weight minimum to maximum for this barrel twist. It is a Savage SS bolt action with a new Krieger 1/14 twist 26" straight taper, muzzle is .830

Just want to get off to a good start when I can find a stock.

Thanks

 

[SupressYourself]

Just about anything will work on the minimum side, but you'll be limited to about 55 grains on the maximum side for conventionally shaped bullets.
For VLD / ELD style bullets, the maximum will be less, maybe only 50 grains. For example, Hornady says the 53 grain V-max needs 1-12 or faster to stabilize.

 

[moosemeat]

I would start with something 55 grains or less.

 

[moosemeat]

Look up the projectile length of the bullet your interested in and put it in the berger stability calculator.
The limit on the low side is bullets spinning apart. That's bullet specific and probably not a problem with a 1-14 twist. Sounds like it may have been built around 40 grain range bullets.

 

[Billdoe708]

I run a 55gr Speer

 

[whatsupdoc]

That is a slow twist, I have a 222 with a 1:14 twist. It will shoot 53gr flatbase bullets fine but a 53gr BT will tumble
badly. 40gr to 55gr flatbase bullets will work.

 

[Nodakplowboy]

Almost all brand name 50 grainers are good bullets, just depends on what your barrel likes. Use a medium burn rate powder like 4895, 8208 or even good old 4320. The 22-250 is a very forgiving cartridge to tune a good load for. If you would like to pick up an extra 100 FPS without extra pressure score some VV 540.

Be safe, have fun.

 

[Potsy]

Never owned my own .22-250, but I’d start with a 50 V-Max. A buddy has two and they both get fed 50 v-maxes. Coyotes die right there and groundhogs are turned inside out.
FWIW, I’d roll 53’s with more RPM’s…..

 

[308Gunner]

I shot the 52 SMK out of a 14 twist and was running them at 3800, song dogs hated them.

 

[Nodakplowboy]

I shot the 52 SMK out of a 14 twist and was running them at 3800, song dogs hated them.

WW brass, CCI primer, 35 grs. of 4320, 52 SMK. First reload I ever made. Would turn P. dog or jacket rabbit inside out.
That was a long time ago.

 

[308Gunner]

that is the same load I used 35.1 gr

 

[bburnham]

38 grains H380 with 55 g varmint bullet. Classic load.

 

[KYAggie]

I had a Remington 788 with that twist and it would only handle 55 grain BT’s if I ran them as fast as they could safely be run. If they slowed 100 FPS below max, the groups would go from .75” to 3”. It ran any 50 grain bullet very well, usually less than .75”.

 

[QRE23]

I've yet to see a 14tw 22-250 that didn't like the old 52gr Amax or new 52gr ELD-M which is essentially the same built.

 

[mick243]

I got 60gn VMAX to work in dads 1/14 22-250….. they had to be driven real hard.
50 and 55gn ballistic tips worked so much better

35gn projectiles didn’t work at all, highly inaccurate, some exploded on the way out of the barrel

 

[tylerradke]

Mine likes 40gr nosler ballistic tips and the Hornady 52gr amax. Never had any luck with 55s that I have tried.

 

[300ATT]

Mine loves either 50gr SBK’s or 50gr Vmax. There are loads out there that will get you 3,900+ fps with these bullets. Some say the vmax are built a little more robust and needed for these higher velocities and that the SBK’s will come apart - I haven’t seen that happen. This combo will vaporize prairie dogs out past 300 yards.

 

[ccoker]

This is related to my dad's early 60s Sako 22-250:

A few years ago, after he had sold off all of his reloading gear he asked me to help him work up some loads for it. I couldn’t locate the 63 Sierras and got some 65s, worked up some loads of Varget and they were all over the place. We were quite perplexed and upon examing the target realised they were keyholing.. I ordered some 63s and did some research, turns out the barrel had a 1-14 twist, he always thought it had a 1-12, he told me had he known it was a 1-12 he would have never tried the 63s as he didn’t think they would stabalize it. Sometimes you just get lucky, and I easily worked up a load that was cutting one ragged hole.