Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 22-250 short barrel loads

Got a Browning BLR 22-250 which has a 20" barrel and am wondering if I need to change powder from the typical ones used in say a 24-26" barrels? Am thinking about muzzle flash & trying to mitigate it to the degree possible. Thanks
Cheers

Long barrel or short barrel... my primary go to powder is RL 7...

30 grains with bullet weights from 50 to 63...

higher with lighter bullets...

always accurate...

I shoot in it barrels I have from 20 to 28 inches...

???Reloader7??? or are we talking Reloader 17?

I ran r15 and varget in my 22" 22-250 with 40-75's.

Brad
Good to know, I've got a stash of RL15

Nope, ya read it right the first time...

consult Sierra's Manual, you'll find it still listed...

its been list for many years, but as trends go to slower powders, it is disappearing from load books..

with heavier bullets it might be 100 fps short of max velocity of other powders...but that never bothered me...

accuracy is what I am looking for... and old RL 7 has shot to shot consistency...

played with the New AR Comp in the 22.250 also... suppose to be temp insensitive, just slightly faster than RL 15.. they say it is based off of RL 15, and is the equivalent of Varget...

I also have a 24 inch 22.250 barrel on a Ruger, with a one in 7 twist... with 75 and 80 grain bullets, the fastest and most accurate powder, surprisingly is IMR 4064 or IMR 4895....

I thought it would be things like RL 17, or 19...H 414, or any of the 4350s or 4831s....but it turns out to be old 4064...which is 300 fps quicker than AR Comp or RL 15 data...

and that data was out of a Sierra Manual... and has had no negative effects on brass...eg, brass life, or stretching, etc..

I shoot the 22-250 in a 15 inch Encore pistol. Use the same loads I use in my rifle. It is a bit slower and louder but shoots well. I have rifles/carbines and pistols in several calibers and use the same ammo for both.

Seafire
Thanks for the clarification. I was going by what I see on the 'net. Will have to look into your line of thinking as in the past with other cartridges I have found better accuracy w/ powders faster than "normal" without consequences if one uses their head.

Ulvejaeger:

I have used a short barreled 22/250 bolt action for years; IMR 4064 has worked well as has IMR 4895.

You also may find good results with AA 2230 as a utility ball powder as well as W 748 or W 760, although some feel W 760 has an inordinate amount of muzzle flash.

I use 35 grains IMR 4895 over 60 gr partition, 64 gr powerpoints, and 63 gr sierras in my 20 inch bbl 22 250. Velocity runs around 3250 fps and accuracy is excellent with the sierra and PPs and just a hair over MOA with the 60 partition

Damn, 26gr of H335 will do the same speeds in a 21" tubed 223AI with the same bullets.

I guess touching off an extra 33% powder for the same results is rewarding.........

You can get the same powder economy in the 22-250 by going to a faster powder. Think 4227, Lil Gun, or similar.

Well, I have per usual, done plenty of work in that direction also... don't post it as someone is always in the wood work ready to do some flaming, AS one doesn't find it in tradition load manuals much...

4227 isn't as accurate as one would hope...

however SR 4759 IS... and also so is Blue Dot..

I use both at times for high volume sage rat shooting... and pretty much makes a 223 out of it...however I usually save those powders for 223 work.... and the 22.250 set up for those occasional long shot opportunities...

For sage rats, I usually set up with 2 223, that I alternate between and then the 22.250 for the real long occasional shot.. and then a 10/22 to grab real quick for those 10 to 25 yd shots that occasionally pop up also..

all off the hood of the truck...

I've used Blue Dot in a 219 Zipper w/40 gr. bullets to recreate a psuedo 22WMR. A lot of fun when the gophers are out.
Cheers

Not really. That is why I prefer my 223