crm3006
Well-Known Member
Lead sled for a .22-250?
Load development for ruger American 22-250
- Thread starter bayoubuck
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
BALLISTICJESUS
Well-Known Member
Calvin45
Well-Known Member
*690 grain maybe! No wonder they won't stabilize!!!Those 69gr bullets are Monsters!
MagnumManiac
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2008
- Messages
- 5,594
My 22-250AI is built on a switch barrel REM 700 VSSF II and has a 22-250, 22-250AI, 260AI, 6.5x47 and 7-08 barrels.
The 22-250 barrel is the original factory barrel 1:14" twist, running 50g or 55g Ballistic Tips and the 22-250AI barrel is a 4 groove 1:7" twist running 70-88g bullets mainly for short course F-class.
I would never run my rifle in a lead sled, don't see the need and the vibration they make is detrimental to accuracy and the scope internals…
Cheers.
The 22-250 barrel is the original factory barrel 1:14" twist, running 50g or 55g Ballistic Tips and the 22-250AI barrel is a 4 groove 1:7" twist running 70-88g bullets mainly for short course F-class.
I would never run my rifle in a lead sled, don't see the need and the vibration they make is detrimental to accuracy and the scope internals…
Cheers.
M1A1ABRAMS
Well-Known Member
I use my sled for swapping scopes & cleaning. Not much good for anything else. Maybe a boat anchor but I don't have a boat. I honestly believe that was the biggest waste of money I have ever spent. And that is really saying something. Because I have wasted a lot of money on dumb stuff.
Longrangers
Well-Known Member
Try IMR 4895
With either 55 gr Berger or Sierra blitz king
The death sled the place where rifles go to die
Try H414 i have had good luck with it in my 250
Try H414 i have had good luck with it in my 250
Husky user
Well-Known Member
I can't speak to the heavier bullets,but I used IMR 4320 with 52gr and 55gr bullets with good results!
I use a sled when working loads for my light weight 7mm rem.
I normally don't have trouble with recoil ,but that thing would give you a flinch!
I can see where it might damage a $300 scope ,but I would be real unhappy if it damaged the Swarovski!
I use a sled when working loads for my light weight 7mm rem.
I normally don't have trouble with recoil ,but that thing would give you a flinch!
I can see where it might damage a $300 scope ,but I would be real unhappy if it damaged the Swarovski!
Lenny Foffa
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2017
- Messages
- 1,519
You have received numerous excellent response to your issue, from some truly knowledgeable rifleman. I'm sure you appreciate their input. If it were me, I would START the process of correcting your Accuracy/ Precision issue by having the rifle professionally bedded. That would Step one for me. In this way, no matter what new load, new bullet , new cases , you may develop going forward, it will shoot its best in a properly bedded rifle. Second, I would stop using the Lead Sled. Its not helping . You can get a good cast Iron front rest and rear support bag . Sometimes, you can find good used rests. {Becnh rest guys are constantly upgrading stuff. } and lastly increase /decrease powder charges by 2/10th to 3/10ths of a grain. Increase COAL AND OGIVE lengths by 3/1000 th. to 5 /1000 th at a time. You will find the sweet spot your rifle likes the best. Listen to your Rifle. Just a parting thought here, but respectfully you should not set performance expectations far beyond what your factory rifle was ever designed for. We all have rifles that shoot SUB MOA, and we all have rifles that shoot 1 inch to 1 and 1/8th inch and in their present stock form will never be a 1/2 or 3/4 MOA rifles. At some point you must come to accept that fact. If it's your 150 yard Whitetail deer rifle, that may be just fine for its primary use. Shoot it and Enjoy it. However, you do still have two choices. #1. Modify and customize that rifle until its everything you want/wish it to be ,( Ex: Blue Print the Receiver and Bolt, New barrel, New trigger ,ect) or # 2. buy a new rifle that is Guaranteed to shoot Sub MOA top it off with a great scope and enjoy that. Welcome to the rabbit Hole!! Good Shooting Buddy!!!
You funny… and exactly correct!
Ryder12
Member
I spent years trying to get a 22-250 to run 55 gr bullets that should have worked. Even in this thread someone said they shot good groups with a 14 twist barrel, I measured it and 14 twist. I dropped down to 52 gr and bingo one hole. I suggest you determine what your twist is manually and drop down to a 52,53,55 gr. Some pictures of groups might help in determining you issue.
1. Use something other powders that work well in a 22-250. H414, IMR4064, W746, 4895
2. Make some sand bags and shoot off a concrete bench. If no bench then go prone with the bags.
3. ALL scopes fail. Especially Vortex, Weaver, Leupold and Chinese scopes.
4. Check the chassis for rubbing if there is some rubbing, bed the action.
Reduce all loads by 10% and work up.
Sierra 5th Ed "Accuracy" in their test barrel
52gr 34.1 gr IMR 4064
55gr 35.2 gr IMR 4064
My load and "most accurate" was in Ken Waters' Pet Loads ( a bit out dated but worth the money)
52-53gr 42 gr H414
Seek out a competitive shooter who has been reloading for at least a decade. Get his advise, in person.
My advise is to sell the Ruger and buy a Tikka. You can buy prefit barrels for the Tikka. CTR would be my pick in 6.5 CR and when it's burned out prefit 6mm CR.
So to recap, I had a 22-250 with a 14" twist that did not shoot 55 gr bullets when all the experts including SIERRA said it should. I finally listen to another shooter (after 2-3 yrs of fighting it) and shot very, very good groups with 52 gr bullets. 3 grs isn't much. Drop the bullet weight
and get some better powder.
1. Use something other powders that work well in a 22-250. H414, IMR4064, W746, 4895
2. Make some sand bags and shoot off a concrete bench. If no bench then go prone with the bags.
3. ALL scopes fail. Especially Vortex, Weaver, Leupold and Chinese scopes.
4. Check the chassis for rubbing if there is some rubbing, bed the action.
Reduce all loads by 10% and work up.
Sierra 5th Ed "Accuracy" in their test barrel
52gr 34.1 gr IMR 4064
55gr 35.2 gr IMR 4064
My load and "most accurate" was in Ken Waters' Pet Loads ( a bit out dated but worth the money)
52-53gr 42 gr H414
Seek out a competitive shooter who has been reloading for at least a decade. Get his advise, in person.
My advise is to sell the Ruger and buy a Tikka. You can buy prefit barrels for the Tikka. CTR would be my pick in 6.5 CR and when it's burned out prefit 6mm CR.
So to recap, I had a 22-250 with a 14" twist that did not shoot 55 gr bullets when all the experts including SIERRA said it should. I finally listen to another shooter (after 2-3 yrs of fighting it) and shot very, very good groups with 52 gr bullets. 3 grs isn't much. Drop the bullet weight
and get some better powder.
Last edited:
Ronald W Schaefer
Well-Known Member
My son runs a Remington 700 VTR with 1/12 twist. Shoots 63 gr Sierra and 60 gr Nosler partitions over 37.5 grs H380, CCI BR-2 primer and it shoots great. It would not stabilize the 65 gr Sierra game kings he wanted at all--just too long. By dropping down just two grs in the Sierra and 5 in the Nosler it dialed right in. He gets 3400 FPS out of it too with about a .6 MOA. He has it bedded and free floated and after-market trigger--I think a jewel or Timney, not sure which but its set about 2 lbs.
MagnumManiac
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2008
- Messages
- 5,594
The very best powders for my 22-250 have always been Benchmark and Varget. Same is true in my 22-250AI, but with the heavies, 79g and above, I found best performance with H4350 in the AI version.
Cheers.
Cheers.
I recently moved and went through everything. I found an old box of rifle bullets I had loaded more than 40 years ago. I had written on the box "H4350". My memory of reloading back then was to create inexpensive ammo, that was it. I just loaded by the book, tested by hitting a paper plate at 100 yards, and went hunting. Good'ol H4350!
