Was just getting ready to order a 22GT barrel and then started to consider bullet selection for my intended use... which leads to this post.
This build is going to be primarily a coyote and long range ground squirrel blaster. Unfortunately I have the added complication of being in CA, so I have to use non-lead bullets for hunting; it makes things way more expensive and harder to find components that will work well, as well as needing faster twist barrels for a heavy non-lead bullet.
In my 223AI's I run Lehigh 72s for ground squirrels which are extremely accurate and expand much better than I expected on such small targets, but they're currently not available (Lehigh told me they weren't discontinued, but since the 72s weren't a big seller they're currently concentrating on making more popular bullets.) I still have a stash left but would prefer to save them for the 223AIs. They used to be rather reasonably priced for monos at about $45/100, but that's not the case anymore.
IMO the 22GT is ideal with a bullet around 80-90gr to take advantage of all that case capacity, but there not many options for non-lead bullets in that weight range, and also that weight of non-lead bullet would require a somewhat uncommon 6 twist. Most lead-free 224 bullets seem to be in the 70-77gr range to run in more commonly available 7 twist barrels. I do have a gain twist 7.5 to 6.8 twist bartlein on my shelf, but 6.8 still isn't fast enough for the heaviest .224 non-lead bullets available from Hammer.
Bullets I'm considering for this build:
Cutting Edge 78gr MTH which is supposed to work in a 1:7 twist but cutting edge still hasn't published the BC on it
PVA 75 Seneca at .261 G7, supposed to work in a 1:7 but it probably won't expand well
PVA 77 Cayuga at .235 G7, supposed to work in a 1:7, also more hunting oriented than the Seneca
Lehigh 72 at .181 G7, work very well and are very accurate in my 223AIs, expand well on meat targets, but are currently not available and I don't know if they will be again.
Hammer makes 83s but they require a 6 or 6.5 twist and they're advertised at .236BC... makes more sense IMO to use the lighter but nearly identical BC 77 Cayugas in a more commonly available 1:7 barrel
While I was initially thinking of going 22GT so I could send 85-90gr lead bullets at targets from time to time and also for out of state varmint hunting, but since this rifle is primarily going to be a hunting rifle here in CA primarily using non-lead bullets so maybe I'm thinking about this all wrong. Given the non-lead bullet restriction for hunting here and the lighter weights the non-lead bullets are available in, maybe a 22 BRA or 22 dasher makes more sense than a 22GT as their smaller case capacities might be better suited to bullets in the 70-80gr range and more efficient overall. Of course the 22GT will send the 70-80gr lead frees down range too, but faster than the 22BRA / 22 dasher.
The other silly option would be to get a slow twist 22GT barrel and send 40gr or 50gr nosler ballistic tip lead frees around 4000fps... a friend has a 22-250 sending the nosler 40s at 4100fps and they are absolutely spectacular on ground squirrels, LOL.
Thoughts?
This build is going to be primarily a coyote and long range ground squirrel blaster. Unfortunately I have the added complication of being in CA, so I have to use non-lead bullets for hunting; it makes things way more expensive and harder to find components that will work well, as well as needing faster twist barrels for a heavy non-lead bullet.
In my 223AI's I run Lehigh 72s for ground squirrels which are extremely accurate and expand much better than I expected on such small targets, but they're currently not available (Lehigh told me they weren't discontinued, but since the 72s weren't a big seller they're currently concentrating on making more popular bullets.) I still have a stash left but would prefer to save them for the 223AIs. They used to be rather reasonably priced for monos at about $45/100, but that's not the case anymore.
IMO the 22GT is ideal with a bullet around 80-90gr to take advantage of all that case capacity, but there not many options for non-lead bullets in that weight range, and also that weight of non-lead bullet would require a somewhat uncommon 6 twist. Most lead-free 224 bullets seem to be in the 70-77gr range to run in more commonly available 7 twist barrels. I do have a gain twist 7.5 to 6.8 twist bartlein on my shelf, but 6.8 still isn't fast enough for the heaviest .224 non-lead bullets available from Hammer.
Bullets I'm considering for this build:
Cutting Edge 78gr MTH which is supposed to work in a 1:7 twist but cutting edge still hasn't published the BC on it
PVA 75 Seneca at .261 G7, supposed to work in a 1:7 but it probably won't expand well
PVA 77 Cayuga at .235 G7, supposed to work in a 1:7, also more hunting oriented than the Seneca
Lehigh 72 at .181 G7, work very well and are very accurate in my 223AIs, expand well on meat targets, but are currently not available and I don't know if they will be again.
Hammer makes 83s but they require a 6 or 6.5 twist and they're advertised at .236BC... makes more sense IMO to use the lighter but nearly identical BC 77 Cayugas in a more commonly available 1:7 barrel
While I was initially thinking of going 22GT so I could send 85-90gr lead bullets at targets from time to time and also for out of state varmint hunting, but since this rifle is primarily going to be a hunting rifle here in CA primarily using non-lead bullets so maybe I'm thinking about this all wrong. Given the non-lead bullet restriction for hunting here and the lighter weights the non-lead bullets are available in, maybe a 22 BRA or 22 dasher makes more sense than a 22GT as their smaller case capacities might be better suited to bullets in the 70-80gr range and more efficient overall. Of course the 22GT will send the 70-80gr lead frees down range too, but faster than the 22BRA / 22 dasher.
The other silly option would be to get a slow twist 22GT barrel and send 40gr or 50gr nosler ballistic tip lead frees around 4000fps... a friend has a 22-250 sending the nosler 40s at 4100fps and they are absolutely spectacular on ground squirrels, LOL.
Thoughts?
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