22GT load data

Contemplating running the 22GT for PRS with 95gr SMK or A-tips in the 3050 fps range.

Is anyone running this setup and do you have to clean between days for 2-day matches to keep the barrel from speeding up?

How much speed up can be expected between 100 rounds on a cleaned/fouled broken in barrel?

Any reason this isn’t a good idea other than less time to spot shots?

On paper it looks really good.
 
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Contemplating running the 22GT for PRS with 95gr SMK or A-tips in the 3050 fps range.

Is anyone running this setup and do you have to clean between days for 2-day matches to keep the barrel from speeding up?

How much speed up can be expected between 100 rounds on a cleaned/fouled broken in barrel?

Any reason this isn’t a good idea other than less time to spot shots?

On paper it looks really good
I think you'll get more responses to this question if asked in the bolt action or competition shooting forum.
 
My second 22gt barrel is more varmint/utility rifle, 120 freebore, 7.5tw 237 bore hawkhill finished at 22" in Bow4 contour(small shank 3B essentially). It's cut to tl3 tenon but running it on one my origins with HLR recoil lug. Ultra7 supressor.

33.2gr N150 with 80eldm at 40k jump, they usually run 3190-3200. This 5 shot group at 300y is tiny, but es is crap!
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What are the recommended primers for 22GT, a buddy of mine is jumping into the deep end with a 22 GT. He hasn't done any reloading yet so I'll be teaching proper procedures while we work out the load for it. He was asking about primers and I didn't know if it was necessary to use 450's over 400's. He'll be starting out with 88 ELDM's
 
Magnum primers aren't required for positive ignition of most cartridges in this class but they're a good idea to prevent piercing. Remember you're shooting a high pressure cartridge in an action that is most likely designed for a large rifle primer cartridge like 308 or 6.5 CM. Unless your action has a bushed firing pin or is a custom designed to handle SRP cartridges magnum primers offer additional protection due to their harder cups.
 
What are the recommended primers for 22GT, a buddy of mine is jumping into the deep end with a 22 GT. He hasn't done any reloading yet so I'll be teaching proper procedures while we work out the load for it. He was asking about primers and I didn't know if it was necessary to use 450's over 400's. He'll be starting out with 88 ELDM's
I've have several cases of 450s, that's all I run in br, bra, gt, cm cases, no issues even in cold weather and always shoot pretty dang good! I've never even tried another srp.
 
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Srp is fine I’ve shot br4’s in -36f with 22 cm all night in a thermal hunt this year and everything was fine. My brother was using 450’s in a .204 and never had any issues either. Br4 is all I’ve ever used in the 22 cm from 100f to -36 and never had a problem. With lone peak and impact actions.
 
Srp is fine I’ve shot br4’s in -36f with 22 cm all night in a thermal hunt this year and everything was fine. My brother was using 450’s in a .204 and never had any issues either. Br4 is all I’ve ever used in the 22 cm from 100f to -36 and never had a problem. With lone peak and impact actions.
Kinda funny you mention the br4. I did a large primer test on a 65saum that was running 57.5gr H1000 and 135 jlk at 2940 from a 20" barrel with 210M. I tried br2, cci200, 210m and 215M. The br2 had the highest avg velocity of all tested. I'd be curios if you tested the same exact load with cci450 and had a noticeable velocity variation.
 
Lots of info here to go through.
What mags is everyone using? Any feeding issues with 22GT or other issues with this beautiful cartridge?
Thanks
 
Padom, your load development data was on the money!

22GT. Berger 85.5 Hybrid, CCI450, Alpha brass 1x fired, N550 34.3gr. Loaded .050” off the lands.

ARC CDG, PVA 22GT prefit, 26” 1:7 twist. 3125fps. SD 8.6 ES 29

Just shot it in a match this weekend. Took 4th out of 69. The rifle and load did not hold me back.
 

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Padom, your load development data was on the money!

22GT. Berger 85.5 Hybrid, CCI450, Alpha brass 1x fired, N550 34.3gr. Loaded .050” off the lands.

ARC CDG, PVA 22GT prefit, 26” 1:7 twist
This is very close to what I run except I’m using N555 at 37.4 gr.
 
I’m at 2996 fps same Alpha OCD brass. Still have room in the case, but that was the most consistent and widest node I had. Just ran up 150 more rds yesterday.
 
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Anyone tried N140 powder? I have been using H4350. running a low charge for barrel break in.
Would work with light bullets. I've had success with N150 accuracy wise with 80gr eldm, 33.2gr at 3190 from a 22", case fill is low and I'm not getting acceptable es/sd. Will likely retune with a slower powder. I have good luck with N150 in br variants giving good spreads, but hasn't been the case here.
 
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4350 has been great for me. 88's and 85.5's at 3180fps. Low single digit SDs and fantastic accuracy. Same MV everyime I go out, very consistent. A little spicy at 36gr.
 
For those who own multiple GTs, 22GT, 6GT, 25GT what's your favorite?

I was thinking of doing a 22gt and was wondering if you'd recommend the other chamberings over 22gt.
 
I have a 22 GT and a 6GT. I think they are both very viable. Right now I am favoring the 22 GT because it's my newest barrel and I'm having fun with it. It has been consistently more accurate for me than my 6GT barrel. But I would not attribute that to the cartridge. I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that that is variable from barrel to barrel . But I will say I like a 1000ct box of Berger 85.5 hybrids for $0.39 a piece. And they always seem to be in stock.
 
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I have a 22 GT and a 6GT. I think they are both very viable. Right now I am favoring the 22 GT because it's my newest barrel and I'm having fun with it. It has been consistently more accurate for me than my 6GT barrel. But I would not attribute that to the cartridge. I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that that is variable from barrel to barrel . But I will say I like a 1000ct box of Berger 85.5 hybrids for $0.39 a piece. And they always seem to be in stock.
That was a thing i'm taking into consideration. I've been shooting 6gt for almost 6 months now and don't have a steady stream of projectiles. I go from 115DTACs to 109 Bergers to Hornady 105BTHPs. I'd like to get more consistency within weights hence there is always a stock of 22 projectiles that i've noticed and cheap and that.
 
That was a thing i'm taking into consideration. I've been shooting 6gt for almost 6 months now and don't have a steady stream of projectiles. I go from 115DTACs to 109 Bergers to Hornady 105BTHPs. I'd like to get more consistency within weights hence there is always a stock of 22 projectiles that i've noticed and cheap and that.
115 dtac have been in stock for a few years now from TUBB. The bullet has had legit 313 g7 from my 7.5tw barrels to 1400y. They're 38¢ a piece, same as the 22cal 85.5 berger.

I have 2x 22gt, multiple 6gt, and a 25gt being cut atm. If you're going to run the rifle in competition, yes the velocity combined with a 90atip which has a 306g7(my 7tw barrel) at 3090fps is a ballistic hero. Unfortunately that speed makes it harder for me to tell where I hit on plate. It's a great cartridge, but in match scenario I think there are better choices.

I haven't gotten to play with the 25, but from what I'm reading 2800fps is top end with 135s from a 28" barrel. I'm really liking the low/slow lately with my 65cm using 154s at 2620fps. The 135 at 2750 holds same wind as the heavier 65cm with 2gr less powder and 20gr lighter bullet, should be less recoil. I know my 6gt with 115s at 2850 is def less than the 65cm load.
 
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115 dtac have been in stock for a few years now from TUBB. The bullet has had legit 313 g7 from my 7.5tw barrels to 1400y. They're 38¢ a piece, same as the 22cal 85.5 berger.

I have 2x 22gt, multiple 6gt, and a 25gt being cut atm. If you're going to run the rifle in competition, yes the velocity combined with a 90atip which has a 306g7(my 7tw barrel) at 3090fps is a ballistic hero. Unfortunately that speed makes it harder for me to tell where I hit on plate. It's a great cartridge, but in match scenario I think there are better choices.

I haven't gotten to play with the 25, but from what I'm reading 2800fps is top end with 135s from a 28" barrel. I'm really liking the low/slow lately with my 65cm using 154s at 2620fps. The 135 at 2750 holds same wind as the heavier 65cm with 2gr less powder and 20gr lighter bullet, should be less recoil. I know my 6gt with 115s at 2850 is def less than the 65cm load.

So in your experience the 6GT was easier to spot impacts than the 22GT? I’m still very new to this precision game but have no troubles spotting my impacts (most times)
 
So in your experience the 6GT was easier to spot impacts than the 22GT? I’m still very new to this precision game but have no troubles spotting my impacts (most times)
I see an impact, or a miss 95% the time unless it's a horrible position or heavy veg soaks up a miss. But I've found the slower the bullet, better chance my eyes/brain can see the first reaction the plate rocks L or R if off center impact. The 22 gets there so quickly, I was often catching the 2nd plate movement which is the wrong direction for making a correction, and more often than not, 0.2 mil adjustment would take me off the edge of plate. So I quit trying to make a correction to center with the 22gt. Throat erosion with the 22 is def faster rate than the 6. A guy could always back down the 22 velocity, but in thay case, it starts becoming a more neutral ballistic situation in the wind. Don't fret over drop, as that's the known variable, wind deflection advantage is where ballistics matter. However once you get used to a cartridge/bullet combo and get intimately familiar, it really doesn't matter.

Conditions from last match: 2600da 7mph @ 9 o'clock, ,no spin drift, wind deflection at 700y

22gt with 90atip at 3080 0.7mil
6gt 115dtac at 2860 0.8mil
25gt 135lrht at 2770 0.7mil
65cm 153.4 at 2620 0.7mil

Can I shoot that 0.1 mil difference of the 6gt off a prop VS the other cases? Likely not!
 
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I see an impact, or a miss 95% the time unless it's a horrible position or heavy veg soaks up a miss. But I've found the slower the bullet, better chance my eyes/brain can see the first reaction the plate rocks L or R if off center impact. The 22 gets there so quickly, I was often catching the 2nd plate movement which is the wrong direction for making a correction, and more often than not, 0.2 mil adjustment would take me off the edge of plate. So I quit trying to make a correction to center with the 22gt. Throat erosion with the 22 is def faster rate than the 6. A guy could always back down the 22 velocity, but in thay case, it starts becoming a more neutral ballistic situation in the wind. Don't fret over drop, as that's the known variable, wind deflection advantage is where ballistics matter. However once you get used to a cartridge/bullet combo and get intimately familiar, it really doesn't matter.

Conditions from last match: 2600da 7mph @ 9 o'clock, ,no spin drift, wind deflection at 700y

22gt with 90atip at 3080 0.7mil
6gt 115dtac at 2860 0.8mil
25gt 135lrht at 2770 0.7mil
65cm 153.4 at 2620 0.7mil

Can I shoot that 0.1 mil difference of the 6gt off a prop VS the other cases? Likely not!

Great insight here! Didn’t know that the 22GT had a faster throat erosion than the 6GT. Definitely taking that into consideration as well.
 
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I think most of the people on sniper's hide would disagree with me, but I think the "slow bullet, spotting trace, seeing impact better" concept is really overblown. First the TOF difference is ridiculously small. My 6.5CM 130gr load at 600yds is 0.67secs. My 22CM 88gr load is 0.75secs. We are talking about .07 seconds difference here. You're going to see that? I shot a match Sunday and one of the guys was shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor with a 153 grain at 2675 fps. In this particular match, every single target was a strap hanger off rebar A-frames. Seeing which way his plates spun was no easier. Especially on his edge hits. And that was for us spotters. Not even a guy shooting. Heavier bullets spin plates harder, more so than velocity. The harder the plates spin the harder to tell which side was the first in the spin. This is just one of those matches where everything hangs off a strap. Most of the PRS matches I shoot are using t-post hangers, and targets on those set-ups don't spin So it is a moot argument on most of the targets you shoot at.
 
I don’t shoot matches but I would think recoil has more to do with it than bullet speed. If I back my loads off a little the recoil impulse is significantly different. I shoot very light hunting rigs though. I don’t think anyone can see the difference in speed to target. Unless you’re shooting a BB gun! Haha
 
I think most of the people on sniper's hide would disagree with me, but I think the "slow bullet, spotting trace, seeing impact better" concept is really overblown. First the TOF difference is ridiculously small. My 6.5CM 130gr load at 600yds is 0.67secs. My 22CM 88gr load is 0.75secs. We are talking about .07 seconds difference here. You're going to see that? I shot a match Sunday and one of the guys was shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor with a 153 grain at 2675 fps. In this particular match, every single target was a strap hanger off rebar A-frames. Seeing which way his plates spun was no easier. Especially on his edge hits. And that was for us spotters. Not even a guy shooting. Heavier bullets spin plates harder, more so than velocity. The harder the plates spin the harder to tell which side was the first in the spin. This is just one of those matches where everything hangs off a strap. Most of the PRS matches I shoot are using t-post hangers, and targets on those set-ups don't spin So it is a moot argument on most of the targets you shoot at.
The average human eye sees between 30-60 frames per second. A cartridge at 3000fps VS 2600fps at 600y is near 0.1 seconds difference in flight, that's 3-6 more frames of data to see for the brain to compute. I know the flight time variation sound so small that it's no difference however that's enough time to see more. Consistency of recoil management and knowing where the target lands in the reticle in the recoil impulse and training the eye to look there, will give the most improvement in this aspect. I still feel the slower bullet gives a better chance of seeing more data.
 
The average human eye sees between 30-60 frames per second. A cartridge at 3000fps VS 2600fps at 600y is near 0.1 seconds difference in flight, that's 3-6 more frames of data to see for the brain to compute. I know the flight time variation sound so small that it's no difference however that's enough time to see more. Consistency of recoil management and knowing where the target lands in the reticle in the recoil impulse and training the eye to look there, will give the most improvement in this aspect. I still feel the slower bullet gives a better chance of seeing more data.
Yeah, I still think it's PRS "monkey see, monkey do" trend stuff. You can watch these things go in waves
 
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New to 22GT, I have a 6GT RCBS Matchmaster FL size / Bullet seater die with the capability of using bushings.

My question to get set up is, Is all I need is a .249 Bushing and a .222 mandrel?
I will be using old Alpha 6GT brass.
 
New to 22GT, I have a 6GT RCBS Matchmaster FL size / Bullet seater die with the capability of using bushings.

My question to get set up is, Is all I need is a .249 Bushing and a .222 mandrel?
I will be using old Alpha 6GT brass.
I think it really depends on what you prefer for neck tension, ultimately.

I prefer .002 and find that Alpha brass is typically .028. You can do the math.
 
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