a-maxes coming apart???

[B Jordan]

i went prariedog hunting over the weekend and noticed after 25 shots or so my bullets were never reaching the target i am shooting 75gr a-maxes at 3525fps out of a 22-243 with a 1x8twist .when i clean the rifle it shoots fine for just about 25 shots then they come apart again i dont let the barrel get hot and i usually clean it every 20 shots but was going to clean every 30 on this trip rifle shoots great otherwise its just like an alarm clock telling you to clean it

Is this normal for a fast twist .22?

 

[James Jones]

Not normal for a fast twist 22 but it is common with some barrels , usualy 3 grooves are harder on barrels than the 6 or 8 and if its a cheaper barrel like a Shaw or Adams and Bennit then the bore could be rough.
But if its not blowing them up untill it get dirty then its probably just the bore getting tight from copper buildup. I heard of a fella that was blowing up 105 A-maxes out of a 28" barreled 6mm-06Ai , if I'm not mistaken he tried moly coating and it helped but still lost one now and again , his barrel was a 3 groove Pac-Nor super match that had over 1000 rounds through it as a 6mmBR then was set back 2" and rechambered to 6mm-06Ai. I'm sure that after 1000 rounds going through it and that much cleaning that it should have been plenty broke in.

you might want to try the Sierra Match Kings in 77 and 80 gr or some Bergers. I have had cases that the 50gr Bergers would hold together when the 52gr A-maxes were blowing up.

 

[goodgrouper]

Blown up a few amaxes in my time. Carbon fouling and throat wear were major factors in my blowups.

Clean her good with a brush and some good solvent and then have it borescoped. There are two tools which help shooters dispell more myths and folklore than anything else in the world and one of those tools is a borescope!

 

[Fiftydriver]

GG,

The other is a rangefinder /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif!!!

Kirby Allen

 

[reed mosser]

I blew up more heavy 22 cals than I care to say. To put it short if your particular barrel is hard on bullets you are going to have to shy away from the a-max and any other bullet on a j-4 jacket. Try the 80 grain sierra, I have pushed them over 3750 in 8 twist barrels with no problems. The new nosler 80 grain bullets are supposed to be pretty tough to, don't buy the old one on j-4 jackets trust me they will come apart to. Fast twist 22 cals shooting heavy pills are great long range cartidges but you have to shoot pretty stout bullets.

 

[B Jordan]

does it hurt anything as long as i clean it every 20 shots or so? the problem i have is i have about 500 of the 75 a-maxes left and i am going pdog hunting in 2 weeks and i dont have enough 80s to go and no load worked up for them anyway
we have a new place to shoot out to about 1400yds and i have read that the 80s dont open up very good at longer ranges and me and some of the guys i go with put in several dollars a peice and have a longest dog competition and it would be really bad to find a prariedog blood trail all the way to the hole and it would not count, its a sick feeling.

they already call my 22-243 " a long range gun for children "they razz me that it is to light and i sure dont need any more jokes about it not having enough power to kill a pdog they seem to think that 107gr sierra should be the smallest bullet ever used at long range and they dont need much of an excuse to start razzing a guy

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I shoot the 75gr A-Max's all the time in my 22-243AI with a 28" Hart 8 twist bbl. I have never lost a single one and am getting 3,670 ft/sec at the muzzle.

Here is what I think helps (other than having a smooth bore and a good throat):

1. I load all of my bullets .010"-.015" INTO the rifling so that they dont slam into the lands when leaving the case.

2. I moly coat every bullet using the NECO kit. Moly coating bullets greatly reduces the stess on thin jackets that engraving causes. It also helps out with the 8 twist barrel which is harder on jackets than a 9 twist, which is all this bullet needs.

My overall best group shooting the 75gr A-Max moly bullet and 48.2gr RE22 was .625" ******and that was @ 600 yards. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

After nearly 1,000 rounds this barrel still does not dust A-Max bullets. It doesn't shoot as good as it did - but it doesn't dust bullets. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[davewilson]

.62 at 600 yds....can't believe you're not trying different loads!

 

[reed mosser]

I found out about dusting bullets on my first prarie dog trip. Your right the 80 sierra,nosler,berger will boke tiny holes in prarie dogs. It won't hurt to clean often, but when your barrel gets hot it will hard on the 75 a-max. I shoot 22 cals out to a 1000 a good bit and you won't have any problems. The 75 a-max has a B.C of .475 according to my drop chart when you figure your shooting them at 3500 FPS, you would have to 6-284 with 105's to do the same thing. Fast twist 22's don;t get the credit they deserve. One thing that help you out more than anything is to but a muzzle break on so you can spot your own shots. You will shoot a dog at a 1000 with your stick, no worries /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[Bart B]

The rifling angle presented to a bullet in a 22 caliber 1:8 twist barrel is the same as a 30 caliber 1:11 twist; 5.047 degrees. I don't think it's a fast twist as far as the bullets are concerned.

Bore condition may be the culprit if the bullet jackets are decent and thick enough not to crack from swaging in by the lands. Clean it good with stuff that'll dissolve/remove the powder and jacket fouling. Most any of the aggressive cleaners will do; Shooters' Choice, Sweets 7.62 or an old favorite is 28% ammonia mixed 50-50 with Hoppe's No. 9 bore solvent. One good thing is standard tooth paste mixed with light machine oil; dental pumice is the finest non-abrasive cleaning stuff there is.

 

[B Jordan]

[ QUOTE ]
You will shoot a dog at a 1000 with your stick, no worries

[/ QUOTE ]
got one at 973 last week with it which was about 20 yds short of the end of the pdog town , well it ranged between 967and 973 with the swaro so i called it 973 your right i dont think the fast twist 22s get enough credit

 

[reed mosser]

A good shooting fast twist 22 is hard to beat. With dry conditions you'll make 1200 to 1300 yards. I love 22 cals with brakes so you can spot for your self. Most of my spotters don't see the bullets hit the same as the man behind the trigger. When you shoot up those 75's try the 80 grain a-max they even better. Good shot more dead dogs to come.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

As your throat gets a bit more ragged it will probably dust A-Max's faster.

Try the 80gr SMK or the newer 90's if they'll stabilize in you barrel. They don't have the same "red mist" performance but they are deadly.

I shot a groundhog @ 600yds the other day. He was only half out of the hole when the trigger broke. I saw a cloud of dust erupt when the 142gr SMK slammed into the ground, but no sign of any groundhog.

When I walked out to the hole I found a dead chuck which was drilled through the shoulders. Small hole in & out. Bullet just flew through and blasted into the ground. Chuck was quite dead though.