Reloading the .22-250

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joed

joed

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I've been reloading for 30+ years for all kinds of cartridges, both rifle and pistol. Recently a friend bought a Rem 700 SPS in .22-250.

Using H380, 55 gr Hornady Vmax bullets and Win LR and Fed BR primers I haven't been able to produce any accurate loads. The gun will shoot 2 shots that are quite good and then produce fliers that are off by 2". Remington factory ammo produces 1/2" to 3/4" groups so I know there is nothing wrong with the gun, it's the loads.

I've tried charges from 38.0 to 39.5 gr with the same results, the groups are all over.

Any suggestions?
 
Try 5 shot groups. If it gets worse, you may have the barrel touching the stock when it gets a little heat in it.

When I shoot groups that do that, it's usually me that's the problem.
 
Like guntech said. Just take a piece of paper (dollar bill works good) and slide it between the barrel and stock.

But then that doesn't explain the factory ammo, now that I've been thinking about it. Just try a different brand of bullets.
 
The part that has me stumped is factory ammo is fine. That gun will shoot a nice 5 shot group with the Remington factory ammo. My reloads on the other hand produce 3" groups best, most are worst. In 30 years I've never had this happen.
 
The 1:14 twist rate of your rifle isn't doing you any favors either. WIth my Savage in a 1:12 twist I have had very good results with RL-15 and Varget. You also may try a slightly lighter bullet maybe a 50. I know that sounds a little counter active. The speeds that are generated by a 22-250 a 1:14 just can't stableize a heavier bullet. Try another bullet or another powder and rework your load. Good luck
 
I use 38.0gr of h-380 with great results. 52gr Nosler BTHP seated to the book at 2.350 OAL and look out p-dogs! I would suggest backing down to 37.5gr and see what happens. If groups get better, you're going the wrong way.
This is with a Savage with sporter barrel.
 
Yeah, but it's only 55 grains Jbkebert. That's not the issue. 1:14 is fine.

I would certainly try a 50 grain bullet though. Just any other bullet. Heck, pull the Remington's and try those. You already know they shoot well.

I have had bullets shoot terribly from my savage12fv. The TXS's shoot like junk from it. But everything else I've tried yet shoot okay, including the remington factory stuff. Sometime's guns are like ladies. Or should I say teenaged girls. Picky for no apparent reason at all.
 
Ole Farmer, if I remember off hand, my 2 manuals call 38 grains as the min. for H380. (I only remember because I was using it a couple days ago for my 22-250, not because my brain is a harddrive:D.)
 
Joed, you could use the counter-intuitive idea of working your way up to the max of 41.0 grains....
 
I dont know but the older Hodgdon shows 38.0 was max. Now for some reason, they've gone to 41.0 as max. I do know i cant use 41 in mine though!! 37.5 to 38.0 and look out. Many many one hole 5 shot groups.
 
Ole farmerbuck, I just looked at their online data and they posted 41. But like you said, sometimes the posted is too much.
 
I've been shooting 22-250s since the 70s. I've never seen a 22-250 group that bad. At this point I would take a big swing at it.... Use different bullets and powder next time out since your 22-250 obviously dislikes both the bullet and powder choices with those kind of groups.

I generally have best groups with 50 - 52 grain bullets in the 22-250. The 50 grain plastic tips from Nosler and Sierra shoot well for me.

Usually 22-250 will give OK to good groups with many different powders. However not one 22-250 I own or have ever owned ever like H380. On top of burning very dirty H380 also tends to have wild ES in velocity for me. Well over 100 FPS is not unusual. My groups were never that bad with H380 though.

Do you have any Varget Powder to try? Varget is THE powder to use in the 22-250. If no Varget what other powders do you have?
 
Soak the bore in KG-12,, it will get the copper out. The buildup of which is why my .22-250 goes out of tune.
Try the accuracy loads in the Lyman 48th Manual, they work very well.
 
Do you have any Varget Powder to try? Varget is THE powder to use in the 22-250. If no Varget what other powders do you have?
Click to expand...
Runningman, I most certainly have Varget and it along with either a Nosler CT 55 gr bullet or Sierra 55 gr bullet are my next choices.

The H380 is just not working and I suspect the powder more then the bullet. I've tried different primers with no luck and that's what makes me suspect powder.

Crazy, I thought H380 was "The Powder" for the .22-250. I would nerver have believed it if I weren't shooting the gun myself. The bullets are all over the target with no set pattern, and fliers of 2".

I was also thinking maybe the gun doesn't like the hotter loads. I'm grasping for answers.
 
joed said:
I've been reloading for 30+ years for all kinds of cartridges, both rifle and pistol. Recently a friend bought a Rem 700 SPS in .22-250.

Using H380, 55 gr Hornady Vmax bullets and Win LR and Fed BR primers I haven't been able to produce any accurate loads. The gun will shoot 2 shots that are quite good and then produce fliers that are off by 2". Remington factory ammo produces 1/2" to 3/4" groups so I know there is nothing wrong with the gun, it's the loads.

I've tried charges from 38.0 to 39.5 gr with the same results, the groups are all over.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
I couldn't get 380 to shoot well in my 22-250 either. Try Varget.
 
I've never used H380, but back in the day, it was 37gr of IMR4320 under a 55gr Rem power-lokt flat base, which is over max now by a bit. Ive not seen a 22-250 that wouldn't group that combo under an inch.
Right now my Remington barreled Mauser in 22-250 is shooting the 52gr A-Max over 33.3gr of IMR3031, under 1/2" if I do my part. I could not get Varget to work at all with the A-max.
There are a lot of 52-53gr match bullets that will give you good groups, and often flat base bullets work great in a 1in14 twist.



Ncsmitty
 
H380 did shoot under an inch for me, but I was looking for half-inch.
 
I most certainly have Varget and it along with either a Nosler CT 55 gr bullet or Sierra 55 gr bullet are my next choices.
Click to expand...
Joed, you might try the Nosler CT 55 grain with Varget next. If your Remington has a typical Remington 700 22-250 throat. Make up a dummy round at 2.455 COL. See if it is slightly off the lands. Try this COL to start out, as long as the bullet is not into the lands.

Your very large groups have me wondering if you have excessive bullet runout. What brand of dies are you using? Are they a brand that will allow you to leave the expander ball stem loose when resizing?

If so you might try a universal depriming die. Than deprime in a separate operation. Than resize with the expander ball stem loose (lock nut not tight). This will allow it to float better when coming back out. This will usually bring runout down to around .002. If the expander stem nut is tight, runout of .004-.006 is more the normal.
 
I just bought some H380 too....I hope my 22-250 likes it....
Click to expand...

I wish you luck with it because after 2 tries I give up. First thought it was the scope being loose and re checked it. it's a friends rifle, wasn't till I shot it that I realized he is right. The factory ammo is accurate but anything I reload has fliers by as much as 2" from the group. Some of the groups are over 3".

Heck, I looked at every thing on this rifle and can't find anything wrong. It just won't shoot the H380 and 55 gr Vmax.
 
The dies are RCBS. I've been wondering if there is something going on with them too.
 
When you roll them on the table, do the bullet noses wobble? If you can't tell by looking, then your runout is OK.
 
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