Anyone load for the 22/284 ??

[Silvertp]

I'm looking for load development information for the 22 / 284.  After reading Seyfried's article in Handloader Magazine on this wildcat I decided to try one, however load development information has been hard to find.  I'd appreciate any references, links, or personal experience that any of you folks have with this cartridge.

Silvertp

[jhalcott]

  I sure hope you have NOT paid for this barrel yet! It is WAY over bore. You would be better off with the old .22 swift. Probably gain a few hundred rounds from the barrel to boot. It is ballistically similar to the .22/06. In a quick twist barrel with heavy bullets it's almost OK. Look for a 5.6x57 and think of that round hot loaded. The JAY bird is another hot round. The 22 newton (22x57) is about the maximum case capacity for the 224-228 bore. And then only with the correct bullets. Light bullets will blow up ,often before contact with the target. Uniform Ignition in these rounds can be tricky to get also. My grand dad had a hot rod .22 back in the '60's and burned the barrel out in about 5-700 shots. Todays powders are a little better than what he had but not all that much better. Bullets MUST be designed for the VERY fast speeds attainable, yet soft enough to work on game. I believe RWS still makes them($$)

[Silvertp]

Jhalcot   The barrel is paid for and Ive been pokin .22 cal holes in paper using loads from the Handloader magazine.  Problem is load data is very limited re: which bullets will hang together and what powders / charges provide the best results.  Guess Im willing to live with the short barrel life just to experience the flat trajectory. 

Silvertp

[roper]

Silvertp, one of the problems with the 22-284 alot of shooters don't want the expense of load development about the time you get a good load barrel is gone.  I shoot the 6-284 and 6.5-284 haven't tried a 25-284 yet.  I don't get handloader so cann't comment on that loading  data but it sure would be a good starting point and work up from there.  Might want to call Sierra tech line and see what they say?

[Silvertp]

Thanks Roper...appreciate your comments.  I know that I have spent as much on load development for some of my rifles as the initial cost of buying the gun.   

I'll give Sierra Tech Line a call and see what they have to say.

Cheers!
Silvertp

[Silvertp]

I called the Sierra Tech line.  They didn't have any load data for the 22 / 284.  I asked them which, if any, of their bullets they would recommend for use in that caliber.  They said he didn't believe any of their bullets would hold together given the anticipated velocities and 1 - 7 twist of my barrel, however added that their 80 gr. .224 bullet has the heaviest jacket of their production 22 cal. bullets.

Spurred by the concept of contacting bullet manufactures for info, I next contacted Barnes and spoke to one of their ballistics folks.  He was sure that any of the 3 TSX bullets would hold together.  While he didn't have loading data he did say that the Quick Load software may be a good starting point for developing a load.  I asked him, just for grins, to run the Barnes 70 gr. TSX bullet powered by IMR 7828 powder to see what the software would show.  QL came up with a 94% load density as the max load. at just under 3800 fps.   I think I'll keep searching.  I know someone out there has burned up a barrel or two working up loads for this cartridge.

Silvertp

[jhalcott]

  P O Ackley's Hand book for Shooters and Reloaders volume 2 ,Pages 137 to 139 has a good write up on this cartridge. he claims about he same velocity as the Swift ,but needs more powder to get there. On page 141 there is a .228R&M cartridge that uses .228 bullets and .284 brass. There is some data on page 142 using 70, 75 ,80 and 90 grain bullets that MIGHT be of use to you. H450, H570 and 4831 powders are used to achieve speeds of almost 4100fps(H450/70gr) and 3600+ (4831/90 gr). If there is a BIG difference in .224 and .228 I'm not sure what it is.  Hope this helps.

[Silvertp]

Jhalcdott...thanks for the reference.  Ive got Vol's 1 and 2 of P.O. Ackley's book so will check it out.  Interesting about the .228 bullet...Ive never heard of that dimension 22 bullet.  I'd like to find a combination that approaches 4000 fps with a 70 grain if possible. 

I appreciate your reply, as this may be another piece of info for learning more about the 22/284 cartridge.

Silvertp

[Lone Star]

The .227-.228" bore was almost common after the turn of the 20th century.   The .22 Savage Hi-Power cartridge used these diameter bullets, designed for big game.  Hornady made a 70-grain .227" bullet designed for varmints and medium game animals.  In the 50s and 60s Ackley and others played with the .228" bore in large capacity cases, using bullets up to 125 grains in weight.  Not much came of the concept.


.

[Catfish]

   I almost built a .22-284 but ended up going with a .22-6mm. The 80 gn. Sierras are what I`ve been useing. I tried some 75 gn. Hornady HP but blew them apart. Called Hornady and the tec. said that 3,500 fps with a 9 twist was as fast as you could push them, didn`t think to ask about the A-max. Got some of friends with the .22-284`s and they love them.
   So you burn alot of powder, but there is no way you can come close .22-284 at long ranges with a .22-250. If you want a long range hunting rifle for coyotes something like the .22-284 or the .22-6mm. will take them consistantly at yardages far behond what a .22-250 will do. In a hunting gun where you don`t shoot the barrel hot the gun will last you a life time. The guy that built my .22-6mm has 2 , .22-284`s out that have over 2,000 rounds through them and are still shooting accurately. They are used on grounghogs and never shot where they get over heated.

[Silvertp]

Lonestar....thanks for the background on the large for caliber bullets of the 22 persuasion.  Although I was shooting in the 50's & 60's I didn't get into reloading until 1970...been doing it ever since.  Maybe that explains how I "missed" knowing about those bullets....   (read this as an excuse)

Catfish....Thanks for the feedback.  I'll bet the 22-6mm is a hoot to shoot.  Not sure if you are interested or not, but the two bullets that Seyfried found that held together at hyper velocity / twist was the 60gr Nosler  partition, which printed tiny groups at 4100 fps;  and the Lost River Balistics 78 grain, which was the most accurate at just over 3700 fps.  Is there any chance that either of your friends or gunsmith might be interesting in sharing some of what they know about the 22/284??  Any way I could get in touch with perhaps your gunsmith?

Thanks Guys
Silvertp

[Silvertp]

Ive been seeing a lot of info about "hot" .22 calibers on the wildcat posts, so thought I would try and revive this thread.  Still interested in additional loading information if anyone has some.

Now that summers here Im getting interested in chasing the .22 / 284 some  more so I can thin the local coyote population.  They sure are hard on the deer fawns this year.

Silvertp