Need loads for 22-243 AI w/ 75gr AMAX

#1 02-27-2005, 12:02 AM

A friend of mine just received his custom Savage and we need to find some good starting loads for it. It has a 25" Douglas barrel that's .750" at the muzzle and is screwed onto a trued action with a heavy duty recoil lug bedded in a Richards laminated thumbhole stock. It will be used for mainly for longrange coyote hunting.
I read on the bullets, barrels and ballistics forum that reed mosser uses 7828 for the 80gr bullets so I will give that a try, any other info would be greatly appreciated.
TIA,
Wayne

Varmint Hunter · #2 02-27-2005, 12:14 PM

Here is what I use in my 22-243AI with 28" Hart, 8 twist bbl

Hornady 75gr A-Max (moly)
Lapua 243 case
Fed 210M primer
48.2gr RE22

I get 3,675 ft/sec and exceptional accuracy with bullets loaded .007" into the rifling.

reed mosser · #3 02-27-2005, 01:18 PM

boy your group is great. Who sad you cant' shoot 22's long range with good results. I use 7828 with a federal gold matct primer in my 22-243 imp 35 degree shoulder. with good results. I have a 27 inch barrel. With that 25 inch barrel you might have good luck with 4350 hodgen IMR or what ever you perfer. I would try 4350, 7828, and RL 22 and see what your rifle likes. I haven't had a fast 22 that I could shoot a-max in. If your lucky and have a good barrel you can. But if not your stuck with sierra and I also heard the new nosler 80 grainers are tough. Don't buy the old noslers on J4 jackets they sometimes come apart. If you need any info I will try to help you. Thanks Reed

#4 02-27-2005, 04:16 PM

Thanks guys for the input. I sure hope this rig will shoot the AMAX's as I think they will be better for killing coyotes at longrange than the SMK's. I've shot the Noslers out of my 22BR with a Hart 1-8" twist but they are only going 3000fps max.
Reed,
Have you shot any large varmints with the SMK?
I think they would punch right thru at longrange.
Wayne

Varmint Hunter · #5 02-27-2005, 06:58 PM

According to the guys at Sierra, the 80gr MK bullet does a poor job on varmints due to its thick jacket.
Assuming that you don't "dust" the A-Max in your fast twist barrel, they are a very deadly varmint bullet at any range.
This groundhog was killed with a single shot @ 840yds. The bullets do not exit, although sometimes frags blow through. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

#6 02-27-2005, 07:11 PM

VH,
Thanks for the info, that's exactly what I thought about the 2 different bullets. Hopefully the AMAX'S will work, they did when the barrel was a BR, it was just rechambered to 22-243AI.
Wayne

goodgrouper · #7 02-27-2005, 08:55 PM

Sweet pics and great shot Varmint hunter!!
You are a man after my own heart. Chuck dumping from the next zip code is THE BEST!
I shoot a .22-.250 AI 8" twist with the 75 amax. I have had them acually pick up and flip chucks out to 1100 yards, and my velocities are running just 3380 fps!