Re-barreling a .22-250 / what twist should i get?

[ShtrRdy]

I always thought I would get a faster twist barrel for my .22-250 so I could shoot heavier bullets. Now that the original barrel is going downhill it's getting closer to that time to decide. On the other hand I love how I can shoot a 55 grain bullet at 3600 fps into nice little groups. And that faster velocity hides some of my less than perfect shooting form. The 55 gr Blitzking does amazing things to prairie poodles.

If I want to shoot longer distances I have a 6mm Creedmoor that does wonderfully. I dont know if there is a 100+ grain bullet for the 6mm that can cause small critters to explode.

Let's hear your thoughts on if I should plan for heavier .22 cal bullets or stay with the original .22-250 design.

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

8 twist was my choice when building a 22-250 ai.

40 grain ballistic tips all the way up to 80 grain it shoots them with great precision. i would try that!

 

[Jud96]

Well if you already have a 6mm, then I don't see the need for anything heavier than like a 70gr bullet in your .22-250. Personally I would get a 1-9 and shoot 69gr Tipped MatchKings in it. When you want to really crank it up, load 50-53s at 3800 with Varget.

 

[sledneck84]

I have a 1:8 twist 22-250. Lightest I've shot is 52's and it shoots them .25 moa consistently And handles heavies too. That's what I'd do again. I've ran the 52's to 800 yards.

 

[Bob Wright]

Tag

 

[aushunter1]

So I have to ask is it going to still be for hunting?

Well I wouldn't put a 1:8 in if you want to shoot 40gr's but still think it would be fine for 50gr to around 75gr depending on the projectile lenght.

Only thing to consider is as you get above about 65gr+ most projectiles lines steer towards the match/target type which is another subject imo if your talking about target projectiles used for hunting situations.

However is saying that I still have a load for my Rem SFV 1:14 in a 70gr Speer semi spitzer that I have no stableization issues with.

The reason being they have a total lenght due to the flat base which is actually fractionally smaller than my 55gr Nosler BT's I use.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Something to think about on that 6mm Creedmore is the Hornady 87 gr Vmax, good ballistic coefficient and it is a varmint bullet that will makes prairie dogs explode at 300 yards, also anchors Antelope quite well out to 300 yards.

 

[d11r529]

I have a 22-250 with a 1:7.5 twist barrel, my main bullet is 75 grain ELD at just over 3300 fps. With it I have no problems going to 1000 yards. The lightest bullet I've tried is the Hornady Superformance 50 gr V-Max, ragged hole accuracy with both. The 75 is hard on coyotes if you're planning to sell the hides, the 50's have only been used on steel plates to 600 yards so far. The 50 V-Max out of my 223 does a great job of ungluing prairie dogs so can't wait to try them at 22-250 velocities. I recommend a fast twist so you CAN go to heavier bullets if you want to but can still use the lighter bullets.

 

[Dvldad]

I'd go 1-8 75gr eld 33-3400fps.

 

[reelhardmt]

I have a 1-8 22-250 with a 29" tube. My favorite so far is 53 vmax at 4000fps. (just a prairie dog gun)

 

[Montucky Roamer]

There is no downside to an 8 twist. Shoot 50s clear up to 90s. It won't handicap your 55 vmax shooting a bit....in fact if you want to see an exploding prairie dog ,high rpm 55s are neat!