22-250 ai

[Caleb85]

Im debating on building a 22-250 AI iv got everything but the barrel (doing it with the Rem. 700 short action ,HS shock, and timmny trigger) anybody have any experience on this cartridge? should I set it up for heavy bullets? whats a good barrel to go with?..thanks

 

[benchracer]

My experience is with the standard 22-250. I started with a 14 twist barrel and went to a 12 twist in frustration. I like the 12 twist a lot better.

Where the AI is concerned, I have wrestled with the same question myself. I would think the answer would have a lot to do with how you intend to use the rifle and what other rifles you own. If I were to build an AI, I would definitely go with an 8 twist and shoot bullets like the 75g AMAX.

For me, though, the rub is that I also own a .243 and various 6.5's. Yes I can go with a fast twist 22-250 AI and shoot heavies, but that just puts me at the lower end of 6mm type performance. I still think a fast twist 22-250AI has a lot of cool factor going for it and I will probably wrestle with the question again when it is time to re-barrel. Given the other rifles that I have, though, I just have a hard time coming up with a reason to do it other than,"Hey, it's cool!"

 

[2g5mk]

Caleb:

I have the rifle that you intend to build. I started with a Remington VS in 22-250. I had the action trued, the crown recut and the barrel rechambered. The barrel is a stock remington varmint contour 1 in 12 twist. Under three hundred yards this is the most accurate rifle that I own. If I shoot greater than .5 moa with this rifle I know I am having a bad day. The barrel shows a preference for both 52g and 60g bergers. The smallest group it i have gotten with it is less than .043 MOA (that is not a typo). It was one hole at 320 yards. I wish I could claim that it was pure skill but I know that it was luck, and I will likely never repeat a group like that again. Those are all of the positives. Now for the negatives: first, I do not get anywhere near the published velocities for this load. Most of my chronograph data suggests that I am getting maximum "normal" 22-250 velocities. Second fireforming brass is a major Pain in the backside, that also eats up barrel life. I ended up restocking this gun with a B&C A2 medalist, with CDI bottom metal, so that I could shoot it in tactical competitions. The very steep sholder looks really cool, but makes bullet feeding a bit rougher than a standard bottle neck round. Barrel life is also an issue to consider. I have over 500 rounds through mine and have not seen any erosion in accuracy yet. If I were to do this again, I would set the rifle up to shoot the much heavier 22 cal rounds, which means that I would want a 1-8 or faster twist. With 77 - 80 grain bullets, you will still be going over 3000fps, which would be great for tactical matches, and longer range targets. However, the hyper velocity light bullets aren't bad if your game is watching small furry targets explode.

Hope this helps

John

 

[Caleb85]

hey thanks guys this will help a lot !! hey John did you do a rebarrel , or Ackley the factory ?mine is also going to be one of my old VS's I will also have the action trued.. my smitty has mentioned he would like to go with a Lilja 3 groove barrel. but I haven't decided whether or not I want to shoot light or heavy bullets..i like what you said about going with light bullets but with those velocitys I don't want to burn the barrel out to quickly. and the reason for me doing this is simply I just want to do something different. also on your 60 grain bergers which ones are they? but I after reading your post I do like the fact of a 1-8 barrel ( longer pasture maggots shots and great for the 300+ yards yoteys that like to hang up out there!!!)

 

[2g5mk]

Factory barrel. Berger 60 match grade flat base varmint bullets, 43.2g IMR 4831, Remington brass, rem 9-1/2 primers. MV 3500 FPS. 1/2 MOA out to 320y starts to open up beyond that. My other load is 52g Berger match FBI target bullets, 39.9g IMR 4064, BR2 primers, nobler brass. MV low 3800's. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else.

 

[Caleb85]

Thank you Sir. when she is built I will post pictures!!

 

[JesseJames]

I had one built on a montana action. I went with a 1-10 twist Krieger. I have been shooting the 69 SMK over 43 grains of H4831 in Lapua brass. It shoots very well out to 600 yards, which is the furthest I have shot it. I do not have a chronograph yet, so I can't tell you what the muzzle velocity is.

I basically did the AI version to have better brass life, and something a little different. If I had to do it again, I would have went with a slightly faster twist to shoot the 75-80 grain projectiles. Jesse.

 

[Hired Gun]

A good friend of ours is sending us a heavy fast twist barrel for a 22-250AI for heavy bullets this coming week. It will be awhile before we get to it but we will post results of how it turns out.

On fire forming brass for AI chambers. My advise is, don't do it. It serves no purpose other than to waste barrel life and components. As long as your improved load will fit in the case, just load your super improved load and use it. It will fire form just fine with full power loads and as long as the headspace is set for the proper crush, accuracy should be excellent.