22-250 (I Need New Input)

[Johncalloway]

I am looking to start reloading for my remington sps. It is chambered in 22-250. One day I want to step it up to a 308, but right now this is what I have. I have never tried to make a load for any rifle to get the best groups out of it. I have mostly loaded pistol shells until now. I was wondering what is the process to finding the best load for my rifle? Do I choose one bullet, or several? How much do I go up or down on powder at a time? I have about 140 hornady cases that I have shot through it. Is hornady brass ok for precision shooting? Also what is the longest range I should expect to get with a 22-250 accurately. And what kind of accuracy is considered good at that range? Sorry for the newbie questions, but I can't find anything on this by searching on the forum. Thanks.
Johnathan

 

[ofcrfs242]

Re: 22-250

There are lots of different ways to prep cases. For my 22-250 it gets ful length sized only because I shoot one load out of two rifles. Trimmed every second firing. Clean primer pockets and load from there.

To find a load I start near listed minimum and go up in 3/10 grain incriments until I start seeing signs of pressure. Once I know where the pressure signs are for the rifle I start backing the load down in 2/10 grain incriments shooting for groups. Best group wins.

I work loads for one specific bullet at a time. Currently have loads for four seperate bullets.

I have never shot Hornady brass but have never heard anything bad about it. I am sure someone on here will have info specific to Hornady.

I don't do a lot of paper punching with my 22-250's. However I regularly shoot prarie dogs at 400 plus. At 100 yards both of my rifles will group less than .75 MOA.

 

[brdeano]

Re: 22-250

First off, welcome to the hide.

I would suggest just getting a manual and spend some time reading it. Not saying that your questions aren't good ones....just that there is never anything wrong with actually spending some time reading over a loading manual, most all of them address these questions. You will likely even find the answer to a few questions that you haven't even thought of yet.

I see your from Alabama, you could even post up in the member link up thread and likely find a willing member to help you out, and get you started, in person. There's a bunch of helpful guy's here. Good luck!!!

 

[30378]

Re: 22-250

Neck size your brass to minimize chamber slop. 36.5gr of IMR-4064 and 52gr SMKs work like magic in mine.

 

[Phil1]

Re: 22-250

There are a couple good reloading sites;
http://www.handloads.com/
http://reloadersnest.com/index.asp

A reloading manual is in fact a book, usually from a bullet manufacturer i.e. Sierra, Nosler, etc that lists loads for all the popular calibers, but also lists exterior ballistics drop tables for how much a bullet slows down and drops from the barrel after the shot. A used one is just as good as new. Lots of good reading so buy one even though most everything else in on the websites above.

For $250 if you shop around you can have a RCBS "rockchucker" or similar(along with all the other misc stuff) and be off to the range with loaded ammo that will outperform anything thats loaded from Remington, winchester or whoever.

It's easy but you do have to pay attention.

 

[johngfoster]

Re: 22-250

Change one thing at a time. I remember how daunting the task seemed at first when I began reloading for my 22-250. If you have already shot the Hornady brass as factory loads, then the brass is fire-formed to your chamber. I would pick a bullet depending on what I was wanting to use the rifle for. I shoot coyotes and prairie dogs with mine, so I picked the 55gr V-MAX. I have worked up a good load for it and only just played around with the Sierra 52 gr SMK, but haven't finalized on a load for it yet. So:

1. Pick a bullet you want to use based on your shooting needs.
2. Get a reloading manual printed by the same company that makes the bullet you intend using.
3. Pick a powder you want to use. Many good choices here. I went with Varget. It is (was) readily available and temperature stable. Also, many said it provided excellent accuracy. Other good powders for the 22-250 include H380, H414, IMR4064 among others.
4. Start loading about 10% below max listed charge for that powder/bullet combination.
5. Be safe/have fun.

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

i will get to work on it. thank you for all of your help.

 

[pacomdiver]

Re: 22-250

my 4064 loads in my 22-250 rem 700 have taken chucks at 350+ yards. my bullet drops 1" from 100 to 200yds and cant drop too bad after that because i have lots of kills in the 250/300 range. maybe one of these days i better set a target up at 300 and 400 to measure what it drops

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

Sorry it's been so long guys, but I just now decided on powder, and found some primers. I got winchester primers, and H380 powder. I haven't completley decided on bulets. Either 50 or 55 grain v-max. What are our thoughts on this? Another question I had is about how far to seat the bullet off the lands. I want to make sure I have this correct. I need to work up the load by grains first, and then play with the bullet seating. If this is true, how far off the lands should I do my load testing with. Thanks.

Oh by the way my rifle is the rem700 sps (not varmint) the older one. Thanks in advance guys.

 

[johngfoster]

Re: 22-250

I don't have any experience with the 50gr V-MAX, but I do shoot the 55's. They have a slightly better BC, so would buck the wind at distance a bit better. And I think they carry a bit more energy downrange as well. I would give 380 a try. I have some but haven't gotten around to trying it yet. I've been told that 38.0gr of 380 behind a 55gr bullet is magic in a 22-250. Again, start low and go slow. I'm also told that H380 is a bit dirty. Again, no personal experience yet, but will give it a try sometime.

As far as seating depth: each rifle is different. One factor that may force your hand with your Remington is the long throat. Remingtons have notoriously long throats, so if you are trying to get close to the lands, you may not even be able to use a bullet shorter than a 55gr. My Reminton 700 VSF 22-250 likes them less than 0.005" from the lands, but I would probably start at around 0.010" off for initial load work-up. The other consideration is that a lot of these bullets are pretty tolerant of jump. You may just load to factory COAL for starters. I believe it is 2.350", but don't have my manual in front of me at the moment. My load is all the way out to 2.520". It still fits in the magazine, so that is good. If you are going to try lighter bullets, then forget about trying to get close to the lands with a Remington. Just seat them at 2.350".

Another suggestion would be to get a Redding comp seater die. I struggled for a long time, trying to make fine adjustments to the seater die to get the bullets seated to exactly where I wanted them. Then I got the comp seater die. Money well spent. Not only does it load the bullets straighter, with less run-out, but it's a snap to change the seating depth--just dial it down a few more thousands of an inch and you're there.

Good luck in your quest, and keep us posted on how things work out.

 

[Swamper]

Re: 22-250

I sold my .22-250 recently and have a lot of virgin brass, several hundred bullets, a variety of dies including a nice older RCBS die set and a forster comp/mic seating die. PM me if you are interested.

 

[bigwheeler]

Re: 22-250

No one mentioned what twist you have. A 1:14 used to be very common and they
will not stabilize everything over about 52 grains. Some 55's will and some won't.
I have found the speer 50 grn tnt's to be the most accurate of the cheaper bullets.
You will find that flat base bullets will give you your best accuracy in general but
the BC is not as good. Out to 350 yards it really doesn't matter. A 1:12 twist will
get you up to the 60 grain range. One other thing a 22-250 doesn't have any leade
in it. So the diameter and taper of the throat determines how far out you have to
seat to get to the lands. I have a barrel being set back right now because of the
chamber reamer that was used on it.

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

I have a 1-14 twist I believe. Is there anyway to verify this?

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

I will have to check the twist when I get back home. I am spending some time with the inlaws this weekend.... It sounds like I have a lot of trial and error on the bullet part. It just sucks to have to buy several different ones to see which one squeezes the best accuracy out of. I guess that is the most rewarding part when you finally get that (one hole) load. I think I am going to start with some 55 grains, because that sounds like the best all around. I hope I can get them to fly right. What kind of groups should tell me don't waste your time on this bullet? I really appreciate all of your help. Soon I can put all lof this knowledge I have from yall to the test.

 

[bigwheeler]

Re: 22-250

With a jag on a cleaning rod, mark with tape 14 inches on the rod and a mark for
rotation. Pull it out 14 inches and it should turn 1 revolution. I would start with
50's if you have a 1 in 14. Remington shows the current production sps' with only
a 1 in 14 in 22-250.

 

[johngfoster]

Re: 22-250

bigwheeler, my 22-250 is a 1:14. This is standard for factory barrels for this caliber. They stabilize 55gr bullets just fine. You may even get away with a 60gr. Above that and you are probably going to get key-holing.

 

[Hasgun Willtravel]

Re: 22-250

The best load that I shot out of my 22.250 SPS was 35.0gr of 4064, BR2 primer, w/ a 55gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, @ OACL of 2.615, thats just off the lands of my rifle, I guarentee yours will be slightly differant OACL. My stadard deviations were 11-12 respectfully, balls on accurate. Average velocity was around 3615fps. Thats the best load I came up with. 500 yards it would shoot 4-6 inches, depending on conditions. Work up to that load, AL is a little warmer than the weather here, I was getting very slight pressure signs on the brass, cratered primers, and a light ejector mark.

Start around 34,0 gr and work up. That was a great load in my rifle.

Nick

 

[bigwheeler]

Re: 22-250

John, like I stated some will and some won't with 55's. My current barrel won't.
The gun shoots it's best groups at .2 and most 55's are at an inch + and make
obvious keyholes in the target. The berger 55 is one that shoots but why shoot
22.00 a 100 bullets @ 1 moa average when I can shoot 14.00 a 100 at .6 moa.
RSI shooting software has a gyroscopic feature for bullet stabilization and so far,
in 7 years, it hasn't been wrong.

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

do most people use hornady, sierra, or something else?

 

[johngfoster]

Re: 22-250

Not sure what "most" people use, but Hornady V-Max bullets seem to be very popular. Sierra 52 and 53gr SMKs are also pretty popular. I understand Nosler BT are also good but have not tried any.

Bigwheel: I would check the twist on your barrel if 55gr are key-holing @100. Which bullets are you using that do this? This is the first I've heard of 55gr bullets key-holing at 100yd. Not saying that it doesn't happen, but this is the first I've heard. What MV are you launching them at? If they are going too slow, then they won't get enough spin either.

 

[polter71]

Re: 22-250

50g V-max or 50g Blitz-king over Varget has wore out a couple barrels fo me. More than minute of grass rat.

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

The reason I chose h380 is the guy in reloading at my local gun shop said that it is going to be the easiest to get right now. (that's out of the top powders that everyone reccomends).

 

[Hasgun Willtravel]

Re: 22-250

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bigwheeler</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> John, like I stated some will and some won't with 55's. My current barrel won't.
The gun shoots it's best groups at .2 and most 55's are at an inch + and make
obvious keyholes in the target. The berger 55 is one that shoots but why shoot
22.00 a 100 bullets @ 1 moa average when I can shoot 14.00 a 100 at .6 moa.
RSI shooting software has a gyroscopic feature for bullet stabilization and so far,
in 7 years, it hasn't been wrong. </div></div>

Can I see pics of your targets that are keying? Thats the strangest thing I have ever heard of. What type of rifle are you shooting? Bullet? Whats the twist of your barrel?

The 22.250 was designed around a 55/60gr bullets..I am as baffled as I am curious about your issue there...I assume you are using the Berger 55 match bullet?

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

Well I picked up my first reloading manual today, up until now everything was read off of the internet. It is a nosler, and has a lot of good reading in it. It also has h380 as most accurate load tested out of the 50 grain bullets. (I know that is out of whatever rifle they had), but the rifle tested was a 1:14 twist.

 

[hershey]

Re: 22-250

i have experienced problems w/ 55 gr bullets in my 14 twist douglas barrel, granted, they are slower loads, 50gr bullets are 1/2 moa, 55gr open up to an inch, 62gr bullets are real ugly.

on the other end of the arguement, 30gr bullets don't make the paper about 50% of the time in my 9 twist, when they do, they group well. and 69gr hornady's are basically just one hole, so matching the right bullet to a barrel makes a huge difference.

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

Hi just to confirm I just checked the twist, and it is 1:14.

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

i am going to neck size my brass, what is the one I need to get. Are micrometer sizer dies something I really need, or just a micrometer seater die?

 

[johngfoster]

Re: 22-250

You don't NEED any of the micrometer dies, but they are really nice to have. It makes fine adjustments much easier, especially seating. If you can swing it, get the Redding comp seater die. Money well spent. Of course it is possible to make accurate ammunition with standard dies as well. You just have to fiddle with them a bit to get them adjusted where you want. The comp seater die will help make straighter ammunition though.

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

I am thinking about going with noslers, since that is the reloading manual I got. I should get my dies in tommorrow and I will start sizing and priming. I am going to start with the 50 or 52 grains. Does anyone like any of there bullets better than the others? (Ballistic Tips, HPBT, or any of the others)

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

ok I have 1 more question. I am going to use a 50 grain nosler ballistic tip. The min load in my book is 37 grains, the max is 41. It was said that I need to start near minimum, and work up in 3/10ths of a grain until I see signs of pressure. My questions are. Where exactly should I start, how far should I go up the powder scale, and how many bullets should I load at each charge? The reason I ask how far I should go up at a time is because I can't load one and go in my backyard and shoot. I will have to load these and then drive out into the country and test them. Then I will have to load some more, and start coming down for accuracy. When I get the max pressure load should I do like a ladder test on the way back down? Thanks.

 

[kyreloader]

Re: 22-250

John,

I would shoot a ladder test with the loads you are making to shoot originally. Chronograph your ladder test also if you have that capability.

Load 3-4 shells at 37g to get rifle zeroed to the load at 200 or 300 yards and also as fouler. I would then start my ladder test at 200 or 300 yards.

Load as follows:
37, 37.3, 37.6, 37.9, 38.2, etc up until 41.8 or 42.1. Shoot a ladder using those loads and keep track on your target where each shot lands. Just stop when you start getting pressure signs (tight bolt lift, primer changes, extractor swipe, etc) and pull the bullets above that loading.

After you find the nodes where the shots cluster, load up more rounds at those loads and shoot 5 shot groups to verify which is most accurate.

Hope that helps.

 

[Johncalloway]

Re: 22-250

thanks I will get to work on that.

 

[RH4540]

Re: 22-250

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kyreloader</div><div class="ubbcode-body">John,

I would shoot a ladder test with the loads you are making to shoot originally. Chronograph your ladder test also if you have that capability.

Load 3-4 shells at 37g to get rifle zeroed to the load at 200 or 300 yards and also as fouler. I would then start my ladder test at 200 or 300 yards.

Load as follows:
37, 37.3, 37.6, 37.9, 38.2, etc up until 41.8 or 42.1. Shoot a ladder using those loads and keep track on your target where each shot lands. Just stop when you start getting pressure signs (tight bolt lift, primer changes, extractor swipe, etc) and pull the bullets above that loading.

After you find the nodes where the shots cluster, load up more rounds at those loads and shoot 5 shot groups to verify which is most accurate.

Hope that helps. </div></div>

+1

My 40XB just kind of yawns at 55 grain bullets, but, I've found that with Combined Technoligies, 40 grain, silver ballistic tips, it will put them in one hole at 100 yards.