Where do I go from here?

[DalesCarpentry]

I have a sort of dilemma. I don't know what I want to try to load next. I am sure most of you know  I am loading for my Remington 700 SPS Varmint with a 26" barrel in the 22-250. I have found a great load for it with 50 grain V-Max and it shoots 1/2" or less now with some playing with that took me to get there. Here is my dilemma now that I have found that load I don't what grain bullet I want to load next. For the most part I could use the 50 grain V-Max and be happy shooting Groundhogs for the rest of my life or until I shoot the barrel out using the current load. I have no problem at all hitting the 8" round steel plate at 300 yards with this load. I can hit 10 out of 10 times almost boring but still fun to see it move and hear the impact about a second after I pull the trigger. Now on the real side I have taken a couple Groundhogs out to about 500 yards with my 243 in the exact same rifle I now have in the 22-250. That is very rare though and I only take that kind of shot because there is nothing else to shoot at closer. If I hit him great if I miss oh well. Like I said it is rare. I have considered loading some 55 grain VMax with 4064 and see how they do. They would be better for the 500 yard shot but like I said that is rare. Now I am truly curious about the 35 and 40 grain V-Max bullets. I am sure these would be ample still out to 300 yards for taking Groundhogs. I could also get pretty close to 4,000 FPS out of them and I have always been a speed demon. I love fast and flat but beyond that I am searching for that one ragged hole group. I crave accuracy out of my rifles almost as much as I crave a cigarette. I really can't explain the satisfaction I feel shooting tiny little groups. I really feel like I have accomplished something. I guess you have to shoot a lot to understand how I feel about that. I have shot a few one hole groups in my life and feel great every time. I still have the targets some where. I kind of think loading a lighter bullet would produce the one hole groups I crave seeing as my rifle is a 1 in 14" twist and shooting the 55 grain bullets would be on the outward limit on weight of bullet that my barrel would stabilize. I guess that don't mean it won't shoot the tiny groups I want. I am stuck do I shoot a heavier bullet or a lighter bullet? What would you do? I think I have tried to explain my thinking the best I can. Thanks for your input and take care Dale

[Siskiyou]

Dale said
“I am asking these questions because I want to be safe. I am waiting to hear back from Hornady reguarding this. I am thinking it is best to start low probably around 38 or 38.5 grains of H-380 and work up from there. I am aslo looking for the best accuracy I can get out of my Remington 700 even if that means a light load. Another reason I do not want to shoot max loads or near max loads is I don't want to shoot my barrel out in a couple thousand rounds. Thanks Dale”

Ans.  When you start pushing 4000 feet per second you are going to eat up your barrel.

You have me looking at those Remington Varmint rifles.  Yesterday I was looking at a nice display of them in 22-250.  Had to slap myself alongside the head and walk out of the store with a glazed eyes.

[DalesCarpentry]

Dale said
“I am asking these questions because I want to be safe. I am waiting to hear back from Hornady reguarding this. I am thinking it is best to start low probably around 38 or 38.5 grains of H-380 and work up from there. I am aslo looking for the best accuracy I can get out of my Remington 700 even if that means a light load. Another reason I do not want to shoot max loads or near max loads is I don't want to shoot my barrel out in a couple thousand rounds. Thanks Dale”

Ans.  When you start pushing 4000 feet per second you are going to eat up your barrel.

You have me looking at those Remington Varmint rifles.  Yesterday I was looking at a nice display of them in 22-250.  Had to slap myself alongside the head and walk out of the store with a glazed eyes.

Yes I have contradicted myself there for sure!!!!!!I feel I can reach a high speed and still not burn the barrel out. I think if I keep it at just under 4,000 FPS I can get pretty good use out of my barrel. Beyond that I feel I will burn it up. Why did you not walk out with a new Remington SPS Varmint? Dale

[Autorim]

I would go with the 55 Nosler Ballistic Tip. I shoot 40 grain in the Hornet, 50 in the .222 and .223 and 55 or 60 in the 22-250. IMHO the heavier bullets are better at long range. IMR 4895 is also a great powder to try.

[Graybeard]

Wal Dale I think you are kidding only yourself. You have several misconceptions that likely time will resolve for you.

Using that exact same bullet I've taken prairie dogs to that range and they are a bunch smaller than ground hogs. The difference between the 50 and 55 is not gonna make one bit of difference in long range performance. Yes your rifle will easily stabilize 55 grain bullets.

No you can't push bullets at 4000 fps and get long barrel life. Sorry that's not the real world. The faster you push them the shorter the barrel life all else being equal. How long will that barrel last? I dunno but do you wanna burn it out shooting paper or ground hogs? With such fast rounds you can burn them out punching paper in a year or two quite easily or if you get real fast like can happen on a PD town you can do it in one day by over heating it.

With milder rounds like the .223 I don't mind doing a lot of paper punching but with my hot rods like the .22-250, .17 Fireball and the .257 Weatherby I sure don't plan to do a lot of paper punching to see how long it takes to burn out the barrel. I'll use them mostly when I want to shoot critters. I have loads for them all that work perfectly so I won't waste too much more effort searching for others.

[DalesCarpentry]

Wal Dale I think you are kidding only yourself. You have several misconceptions that likely time will resolve for you.

Using that exact same bullet I've taken prairie dogs to that range and they are a bunch smaller than ground hogs. The difference between the 50 and 55 is not gonna make one bit of difference in long range performance. Yes your rifle will easily stabilize 55 grain bullets.

No you can't push bullets at 4000 fps and get long barrel life. Sorry that's not the real world. The faster you push them the shorter the barrel life all else being equal. How long will that barrel last? I dunno but do you wanna burn it out shooting paper or ground hogs? With such fast rounds you can burn them out punching paper in a year or two quite easily or if you get real fast like can happen on a PD town you can do it in one day by over heating it.

With milder rounds like the .223 I don't mind doing a lot of paper punching but with my hot rods like the .22-250, .17 Fireball and the .257 Weatherby I sure don't plan to do a lot of paper punching to see how long it takes to burn out the barrel. I'll use them mostly when I want to shoot critters. I have loads for them all that work perfectly so I won't waste too much more effort searching for others.

GB are you saying I should be happy where I am and look no further? I still like shooting paper. If that is the case it looks like I need to buy another rifle to play with. Oh by the way like I said I still plan on keeping it under 4,000 FPS. Dale

[DalesCarpentry]

In my first post I stated I could get close to 4,000 FPS. When I say that I really mean some where around 3,800 FPS. I bet I am pretty close to there now with 40.5 grains of H-380 and a 50 grain V-Max bullet. From most of what I have read this is still safe and good barrel life can still be expected. That is what I call close to 4,000 FPS. Thanks and take care Dale

[Graybeard]

GB are you saying I should be happy where I am and look no further?

No I'm not exactly saying that Dale but I guess I am kinda somewhat hinting at it. It's all a personal decision folks have to make. Me I don't really enjoy punching holes in paper so once I am satisfied with load development I prefer to limit the paper punching and shoot mostly reactive targets. That could be steel or critters or even a soda can filled with water. Punching paper just to make holes doesn't turn me on.

Barrel life is not an exact science and there is no fixed or finite number you can assign to how many bullets it takes to lose accuracy. Some say you begin to lose accuracy from the first bullet that goes down the barrel. I'm really not of that mindset.

Still with the faster rounds like the .22-250 and the other two I mentioned that I also have I'd be real surprised to see the accuracy not begin to go to pot after 2500-3000 rounds. If it's still shooting under an inch at that round count with either of the three I'd be surprised. How much less or maybe more might one get will likely vary barrel to barrel even on identical guns which we have in the .22-250.

For me at my income level these days I don't chose such fast rounds as target rounds but rather something milder like the .223 or one I'd love to have is a 6 TCU or 6mm/223 which due to the better expansion ratio should last a lot longer even than the .223.

It's your rifle so how you enjoy using it is a call you have to make. I'm just saying that if you keep on playing with different load combinations and shoot a lot at each range session that super accuracy you are seeking might be lost by the time you find it. Yeah I'd get a .223 for the paper punching and save the .22-250 for critters and in fact I do. I have the exact same rifle in .223 and a Model Seven Predator in .223 as well. It's a virtual twin of my .17 Fireball. So I have two sets of basically identical rifles one pair in hotrod rounds the other pair in .223 for longer barrel life and when I feel a need to punch holes in paper they are the two I take out.

[DalesCarpentry]

Understood. I hope to build a AR 15 some time this summer. That one will be in the 5.56 and that should be fun to shoot at targets seeing as that is all I am alowed to shoot with it here in Pa. >:(Thanks Dale

[Siskiyou]

Dale the bottomline is that I am getting old.

I have an ugly Remington 788 that has been my dedicated varmint rifle for a long time.  I am not sure if I have 1500 or 2000 bullets on hand for it, and a lot of cases to go with it.  I do have some heavier bullets for deer, but I normally carry something else during deer season.

My accuracy load is down two or three grains from maximum giving a little over 3200 fps with a 80-grain bullet.  The bullet appears to hold up in the wind a little bit better than the .224 A Max at 300 yards.  Terrain and vegetation is a limiting factor so a shot over 400 yards would be the exception.  It is a good thing that I am not a hide hunter with the amount of hair that flies when a coyote is hit. 

So the economy of using an existing rifle and existing stores is a big factor.  My low budget rifle is not in the same league as your rifle. 

When my brother’s varmint hunting partner moved he sold one of his rifles and kept a 22-250 Improved.  It will shoot the standard case and in doing so the case will form into the improved version.  He has dies for the factory and the improved version.  The rifle is a Remington 700 with a fluted stainless steel barrel.  He has not used the rifle in a while and I believe if I was interested we could work out a fair deal.

His rifle may not be a good deal.  They hunted a ranch that had a large wood chuck population and they shot a lot of rounds on hunting days.  My brother took two rifles with him to allow for barrel cooling.  The rifle looks good on the outside but peak accuracy may have come and gone. 

I am currently locked down at home with my wife recovering from surgery, but it is the time of year I want to be out for coyotes.  The does should be dropping fawns the next couple of weeks and the coyote loves new born fawn.  I have a duty to curb Mr. Coyote.

P.S. I contradict myself about once a week!

[BBF]

To get 4000 fps the 220 Swift uses a 38 gr bullet if my memory is correct. The Swift was not noted for long barrel life.

[Lloyd Smale]

Dale i agree with greybeard. Ive once bought a new 22250 and started working up loads. I was anal like you and wanted one hole accuracy and wanted it with a couple differnt bullets. Well what happened was by the time i did all that benching id shot the barrel out of it and had to have a new barrel fitted and then guess what I had to start over. I shot that barrel out before it even claimed one kill. If i were you and i got 1/2 accuracy out of those 50s id call it quits and hunt with it. Personaly i do prefer 55s and 60s in the  22250 because then buck the wind a bit better but your load will definately git er done.

[Kurt L]

If you really want to have fun and save your barrel and barrel heat and easy on brass and noise . you can down load that 22-250 to shoot velocity of 22 mag ,22Hornet to lower to mid 22-250 velocity,etc with blue dot loads ,you can get 400-500 loads per pound of powder.I burn a lot of it in 223 11 grains gives around 2500 with 55 grain bullet and 204 Ruger with 12 grains Bluedot and a 26 grain varmint grenade gives 3500+ they are a blast. I also use it in others also ,you all know how a 30-06 kicks and barks,I load a 160 grain lead cast fn with x grains of blue dot and my 9 year old shoots one of my 1918, 03 Springfield's with no trouble at all he would rather shoot that than his 204 ruger.I load these for general to small game shooting etc and plan to shoot at woods ranges and test all loads at 50 yards and have several from all the guns I load blue dot in that shoot 1 hole groups at 50 yards. I started these to make quiet loads to shoot in 30-30 and 30-06 to shoot coons in the garden and have had a blast with them.
THESE  CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS they are not for the sloppy loader ,a double charge would be big trouble ,I have a pencil marked and gauge every case to double check before it gets a bullet.

[zoner]

If you are getting 1/2 " groups @ 100 yds, well, you're doing pretty darn good. That's way better than the average guy can hold,anyway. Next/issue is velocity/pressure. If you run it at max velocity,yeah it'll probly contribute to excess barrel wear. Since you are now reloading figure out how far away most of your shots are and what bullet weight and velocity you need to make the shots and kills you want to make on the critters you want to shoot, and that's all you really need.I f you must have max velocity so be it. Take your time shooting,let the barrel cool between shots when target shooting. Good luck