Barrel twist

[north of 53]

I have a model 788 rem 22-250. I have had it for over 30 years and it is time for a new gun or a new barrel. I was wanting to go to a little faster twist if I could. I see that that savage lists there 22-250 with a 1in12 twist not the 1 in 14 that most other 22-250s come with. Does any know if the 1-12 will let you shoot much heavier bullets.
Also if I was to just get a new barrel for my old gun, has anyone tried a 1-10 or even a 1-9 twist barrel with a 22-250 or would I be even able to have that done.I do understand that it will probably cost more for a new barrel than it would for a new gun.
I know there are lots of other guns I could go to but I will be staying with a 22-250. Remember none of this is about needs its all about wants. I shoot because I like to and I like to shoot a 22-250.

 

[CatShooter]

A 12" twist will let you shoo the Hornady 60 gr V-Maxs. A 10" or 9" twist will let you shoot the 69 gr match bullets - for the 75 gr A-Maxs, you might get away with the 9", but an 8" or faster twist is much better.

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[James Jones]

Well barrel twist realy depends on what your wanting to shoot out of it. Are you gonna shoot 40-50gr bullets realy fast for work out to say 400yds or are you wanting to shoot this gun long range with heavier bullets? The 22-250 shooting a 75gr A-max can get you out to 1000yds with a 1-8 twist barrel. If your wanting to shoot just factory loads up say 55-60grs then the 1-12 would work fine.

The 788 is a neat little gun and if its somthing you like then by all meens rebarrel it , if you like the 22-250 in this little old gun then your gonna love it with a good barrel thats fitted up properly.
Also if you reload then I would recomend going with a
22-250 Ackley improved , you'll get a little more velocity but alot longer case life with alot less trimming. The ackley version realy shines if your wanting a fast twist long range rig. And remember that just because the chamber is cut for the Ackley Improved round that doesen't meen that you can't still shoot factroy ammo and in most cases the fireforming loads will shoot right close to the fire formed loads.!!

 

[308 nate]

north of 53,
The 1 in 12 twist is definately better than the 1 in 14 for the 55's, but if you want to push the 68-75's I would definately go with a 1 in 9 twist. Savage is currently chambering some of the .22-.250 with a 1 in 9 twist barrel.

I have also opened up several 1 in 9 twist Savage .223 barrels to .22-.250 AI with awesome results.

the 788 would also be a good receiver to build on, other than they can have a weak bolt handle.( I have heliarced several handles on the 788s')I will also second what JD Jones said about the .22-.250AI being a good choice.
I have build a .260 ackley on a788 receiver using a .308 clip and it fed like a dream! I have not build a .22-.250AI while using the clip for a 788 so I can't tell you how it would feed.

Re-barreling the 788, depending on the barrel you would be looking at $350-$450 for barrel and chambering,threading and crowning.

FWIW,
308nate

 

[north of 53]

Thanks for the advice, I was just looking at the new savage web site and I did find that they do have a 22-250 with a 1-9 twist. But then again I do love that old gun My father gave it to me new, many many years ago. Some of the things I did with and to that gun when I was in my teens I don't even want to think about, but they always bring a smile when I do think about them. So I may have it rebarreled.
I guess this is just like I always say, "you can have any attitude" you can afford". I guess either way I should end up with a very nice long range varment gun. I have taken a few timber-wolves with it in the past but that was mostly luck. With a few 100 yards added to it there will be some new opportunities.
Thanks again people this was my first post and you have all been helpful. As my handle says I am from north of the 53rd so we have some long winters with little to do but dream about new guns.

 

[James Jones]

If your gonna be shooting bigger critters like wolves then I would definatly get a fast twist and shoot the heavier bullets like the 55gr at a minimum. I've seen a few deer killed with a 22-250 Ai with 75gr A-max bullets and they worked very well out to 300yds which was the longest shot.

one of the first guns I rebarreld (#4 I think) was an old Mauser 98 that was rechambered to 30-06 and had the old military barrel cut back to 24" The owner wanted to pass it alog to his son when he turned 16 just like his dad did with him so the boy could take his first buck with it just as his dad and grand dad did. We got Duglas to copy the conture with one of their CM XX barrels and we chambered it for 30-06 , I have a buddy that took the gun and parkerized it and gave it a weathered look. It looked just like it did 30 years earlier and it shot better than it ever had.

Moral of the story , if the gun ahs feeling to you then give it a new lease on life with a new barrel ,heck you can even have the barrel shapped just like the one thats onit now. And I'll just ad that Nate does awsome work if your looking for a smith