Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 250 Savage AI Barrel Length

I’m having a 250 Savage AI built and trying to decide whether to go with a 22” or 24” barrel. Going for a light varmint setup built on a R700 and Shilen #4 contour. Will be used for South Georgia tree stand hunting and varmints. I will use the 100-120 grain bullets. Any thoughts as to barrel length? I know the LVSF came with 22” barrels so I’m leaning that way but would like others opinions and maybe some expected velocities with either. I’m fine with about 2800 out of the heavier bullets. Will the small powder capacity be better suited to the 22 or 24”?

Thanks.

I would rethink the chambering and simply go SeexKreed’,with .620 BC 112’s at 2950fps from a 21”. Hint.

It’s an OEM 6-250AI. Hint.

Just sayin’…………..

You should get pepperoni pizza.


22 will do

compromise 23

I don't see how you can go too far wrong mimicking the build configuration of the 700 LVSF and its 22" fluted barrel.

If you are hunting from a tree stand and/or varmint hunting with it-------there is no disadvantage with using the 24" barrel!
You are going with the Improved case so you are looking to add a few FPS. so go with the 24"!

Hip

2nd on that one!! The older Sako’s were about 22&3/4 .

22 works good on mine.

18" and slap a suppressor on it. That's how I like to hunt these days.

22” or 20” would be my choice. Being it is a .250 AI a few inches less barrel will still get you at standard .250-3000 ballistics and that ain’t bad at all. What twist are you using?

It is a 1:10 twist barrel, standard for the 250 I believe. Leaning towards 22”. No suppressor at this time. Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

I see you are in Tallahassee. I’m in Bainbridge so not too far.

My .250 Savage has a Hart 1:7 on it. I bought it used so got lucky in the twist. It should work well with the 100+ weights. I want to try some of the Hammer bullets and TSX that are longer than the standard lead core bullets

My thought has always been to long first - you can always take some off later. You never mentioned twist and with 100-gr as the lightest bullets, at a minimum I'd go with 9-tw or even a little quicker twist.

I suggest reviewing the shank portion of the barrel in conjunction with the length....at any rate, if no flutes, I would go with a 20 // 21" & have it threaded.

You might not have a suppressor now, but it gives you options.....

While others suggest the 6 Creed or the 22 Creed ( both good choices ), the 250 Savage is a really cool old school critter killer....add in the AI goodness and its a better cartridge.

What bullets are you planning on shooting??

It’s a Shilen #4 contour and 1:10 twist. I plan to shoot the 110-120 grain hunting bullets. I plan on having a minimum shank of 3/4-1”. Right now barrel blank weighs 3 lbs 15 oz at 28”. I’m hoping with minimal shank, fluting, and 22” /24” length it will be around 3 lbs.

I have been experimenting making 250 Savage brass out of some excess 243 and 6.5 Creedmoor brass. Very easy, just time consuming. I hope I can do the same when I buy an ackley die set.

Peterson makes wildcat tube forming brass. I thought about going that route as it does not have a headstamp.

Anybody have a lead on dies? I can’t find any in stock. My ackley may forever shoot standard ammo if I can’t find reasonable die set. Makes me wonder why I spent the extra money to ai it.

I am using a regular 250 Savage die for the forming I mentioned above. I did buy a set from Graf’s. It hasn’t arrived yet. It was the only one in stock. eBay has a couple of new and used dies. There is a Redding set that is new, 114.00 with free shipping. I wish I would have saw it first. Graf’s was 109.00 and then 13.00 shipping. But I also bought some bullets.

CH Tool and Die, also has many wildcat dies. Not sure if it’s in stock though. I never called to see. I’ve bought dies from them in the past.

In a pinch you could probably use a 22-250 Ackley body die and then a something 25 caliber neck die. You would just have to figure out the seater die.

I went back and forth between buying a 22-250 40* bushing die and using larger diameter bushings for the neck. In theory the 22-250 and 250 should headspace the same. Bushings for different calibers are the same diameter, so a long as the hole in the die is larger than the outside diameter of the Savage neck that should work. I have done this going down a caliber, but never tried going up a caliber or two.

Hope that helps.

Buy the forming dies from RCBS. I lucked onto a set at a local gun show. What a joy to use. I use 6.5 Cred 1 fired brass.

Just a slight trim and I am done.

Can you tell us what part number you have for the forming die?