What are the pros and cons and which would you choose?

.22-250 easy to find components/dies etc for.

.22-250 AI- extra expense for reaming and dies, but very little case trimming.

.220 Swift- Rimmed cartridge, kind of a pita to stack in the mag, no real performance edge over the .22-250...got a little old school panache though...

Ingwe

I made my choice, the .22-250. The AI looks cooler, plus it and the Swift have a minor performance advantage. Minot meaning I'd never notice it in the field.

I almost never have case length growth problems with my handloads - but then I don't over-size my brass and most of my rifles don't have much action stretch in them.


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22-250 for all the reasons ingwe posted. "look, I've got something different" is what is gained by owning the AI or Swift.

The're all good and you'd be fine with any of them. I've had a Swift, kind of a screwy rimmed cartridge but it was ok, got sold about 15yrs ago. The 22-250 is a good cartridge too. If you're gonna use that case, might as well go with an AI.......mine get about 300fps more velocity than the std case. People have strange ideas about things. I don't know how someone could think it costs more to chamber because it doesn't. And the stuff about having one because it's different or looks cool is just silly......a bunch of us shoot the 22-250AI and I don't remember anyone ever commenting on what it looks like. That's not even a factor.

Very interesting replys and thanks for them. I will keep following. Interesting how dofferent ones of us have different perceptions and little points that appeal to us.

Ackman is right, it doesnt cost more to chamber a .22-250 AI...but its easier/cheaper to get a factory .22-250..

If you are gonna do a build...go wild!

Ingwe

I'd go AI all the way! And yes i've had all three.

22-250's of any variety, are 220 Swift wannabes. Get a Swift, you won't be dissappointed.

Go AI and never look back! You will NOT be sorry!

AI

I've been shooting the standard .22-250 for awhile and now that I have shot out the barrel, I'm going to the .22-250AI. I'm going the AI route for two reasons:
1- Less(or none) trimming with the AI.
2- Shooting the heavier pills with more velocity.

22-250 with Lapua cases.

"It depends."

What barrel length and how heavy? In a light rifle, say 22", LVSF type setup, I'd go with the standard .22-250. In a heavy gun I'd go with either the .22-250 AI or the .220 Swift.

I like the swift a lot, it's my favorite of the bunch, but in a magazine rifle I've had to remember not to fill the mag clear full, instead, leave it one shy of full, otherwise the top cartridge didn't feed right and i'd tie up the action. One time it took me a couple minutes I did it so good and I lost a coyote and a bobcat on the same set. Argh! That's a plus for the AI, you can't get into that situation. Performance wise, both the Swift and AI are near enough that individual barrels can make one or the other fast. Both have a noticeable advantage, at least for me, over the standard .22-250.

Once you decide what cartridge, then y' gotta decide on what bullets, thus twist. Lotta fun.

Tom

When I lived in S. Ca, I belonged to a Predator calling club. There were perhaps 20 of us that had the 22/250 AI. We all hunted out of our trucks, so weight was no issue at 10-11.5 lbs.

I had a heavy rig that I used as a chuck, p. dog, and coyote rifle with a 27" Hart, 1-12 twist. I shot the 50's at 4150, 55's at 4050, and the Berger 65 at 3700 fps. These loads shot very tiny groups. Also, these loads were about the same with the other guys rifles. There were perhaps a dozen of us that used the AI with Win 760 and a couple of others that used H380 and H414. In those days, H414 was a touch slower than Win 760.

Later on, I built another rifle, it was a re-chambered Remington factory barrel with about 4 threads cut off the shank, and the 55's were unreal accurate at 3850 fireforming. I killed in the neighborhood of 45-65 coyotes a Summer in Az while they were caught out in a field that was being irrigated. The coyotes were trying to catch gophers that were crawling up on the dirt mounds. Obviously, gohpers can't swim.

In a 27" barrel 22/250 AI shooting the 65g Berger at 3700 fps(current 60g berger with more lead in it), the killing power of this round was on par with the 25/06...big holes in yotes!

I never trimmed a case on the AI.

If you are having a custom gun built on a short barrel rig, consider the standard 6/250, which is just a 22/250 necked up. It is a lot better cartridge than the 22/250, giving almost identical velocities as the 243 with 10.0g less powder.

I would go with the .22-250 of the three you mentioned, but if it were my choice, I would build a 22BR.

yepper!

Dober

AI or Weatherby the Swift....

22-250 AI is never a bad choice for an all-around varmint / predator rig. I've used the rounds you mentioned quite a bit ALC , and keep coming back to the 22-250 AI.

I shoot a 22-250 and like it fine.

Always wanted a Swift, however. Just because it sounds cooler to say, "I'm gonna shot my Swift", than it does to say "I'm gonna shoot my 22-250".

The 22-250AI has the capacity of the Swift with the benefits of a modern rimless case and is a better fit in a SA particularly if you are interested in shooting the longer high BC bullets. All that without the case stretching tendencies of either the 22-250 or Swift. I think that makes it win/win/win/win for the 22-250AI.

You forgot the most compelling reason, chicks dig it!

Dang! I thought it was me all this time.

Yeah ---- something about " swift " turns girls off .

And I've owned all three under consideration and the 22 250 AI is what I've still got .

22-6mm Super LR twisted fast enough to stabilize the 80 A-Max, and use Blaine Eddy's "plate" to neck it down.-- www.6mmar.com

22-250AI. Swift case capacity with .300" gain in COAL latitude for upper echelon BC's and a superior case design,replete with better quality brass.

1-8" 23" and the 75A-Max at 3450fps+...............

One seldom-mentioned accuracy secret with the .22-250 (or the AI version) is to use .308 brass rather than .22-250 brass. Why? most .22-250 brass measures just 0.464" ahead of the groove and thus is a rather loose fit in most factory chambers. OTOH .308 brass is often between 0.467" to 0.469" at the same location. This centers the case better and usually eliminates any unsightly case bulge (depending on the chamber dimensions of course). You will probably have to turn necks depending on your chamber neck diameter, which means you will have fitted case necks - another plus for accuracy.

A bit to a lot more work, but the result is better case alignment, usually a bit better accuracy, and longer case life.



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Texans crack me up and routinely............

223 WSSM for you...from Lapua 300's.....

Please explain your entire sequence for this process...inquiring minds & all that $hit....

I read everyone's reply here, with their excellent advice.
So, my question for you is, what do you want? What do you REALLY want??
I have a standard 22-250 that delivers excellent accuracy. I won't be AI'ing this rifle, but a new 22-250AI is doable for me. I kind of LOVE speed, like Porsches, and bullets..LMAO

Very easy to arrange .2's,with no-turn over the counter R/P hulls,in a good tube............

You mean to tell me that not everyone reading this thread is 'cracked up' by my post? You don't know everything useful there is to know about handloading already? Someone is actually interested in advanced handloading techniques? Imagine that....even if I'm a Texan.

I prefer Lapua .308WCF brass, but any quality unfired brass works. I lube the case with the old Imperial Sizing Die Wax and run it into a cheap gun show Lee 7-08 FL die to reduce the neck a bit. Then into the .22-250AI die to set the shoulder back. If you're sizing for a standard .22-250 then you'll probably have to do this in stages since the .22-250 case has a lot of taper and is more difficult to size down in a single pass. Care in this step saves cases.

Now trim the case back to .22-250AI length. Seat a bullet and measure the loaded neck diameter. Compare this to a fired .22-250AI case neck diameter - this is the maximum you'll want for a loaded neck diameter (unless you have a chamber cast of your neck area) since it guarantees clearance. Turn the necks to obtain the loaded neck diameter you want. Only you can decide how "tight" you want the neck, if at the max then you'll have to check the loaded diameter often to make sure you are still safe - pinching the bullet in the chamber with a too-tight neck makes chamber pressure soar (this neck thickening is much less of a problem with the AI case shape).

The result is a rifle that acts like it has a custom tight chamber. This means less radial expansion for improved concentricity, longer case life, and improved accuracy in most rifles. The accuracy improvement will depend on the fit of the original chamber with factory .22-250 brass and on the overall quality of the rifle. This is a lot of trouble for a rusty 1975-vintage M788, but on a real varmint rifle it's worth the trouble to me. A lot cheaper than a new barrel...

I've never tried using 7-08 or .260 cases to begin with, they may work just as well with less neck turning. I started doing this long before the .260 brass was available. Thanks for the interest.


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Shaking my head,mostly due to the belly laughs.

Thanks...that was great!........

IMPRESSIVE HUH???...

Impressiver than that.

Reminds of the Old Hooktender who'd always quip: "reminds me of putting windshield wipers on a Billy Goat's azzhole".

The man did have a point..............(grin)

Imperial Sizing wax and Lee dies in the same breath as "advanced loading techniques" = Priceless!

Damnit man...don't be stealing my thunder!.............(grin)

And yet I've been thinking of picking up some Lapua 22-250 cases.

What are you going to do with it?

The 223 or 223AI have a big overlap with the larger case .224" bore cartridges that you've cited and cover that ground at less cost. Unless you're regularly shooting at ranges over 400 yards or feel the need to shoot heavier bullets as fast as possible, the 223 or 223AI might be worth a look.

Jeff

While I've some rather exceptional fast twist 22-250AI's in the larder,I prefer the 223AI for Utility..............

Why?

Isn't the 22-250AI more of a good thing, being on the same length action and all?

Depends how much powder you wanna burn,how many rounds you want in the belly and how fast you wanna walk through tubes.

The 223AI will shoot smaller Agg's too.

While very guilty of having quite a few more,than quite a few rifles so chambered,a 1-8" 21" 223AI spewing 75A-Max steals my heart like no other................

Hmm, the poster doesn't know the difference between the word "tools" and the word "techniques". But he certainly can quote a senseless advertisement he saw on the television screen. I guess now we know his priorities....



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You can't even know how stupid you are and that can't be topped...............

Oh my God---not again!

Got one .223AI and am in the process of another build...choices narrowed down to the .22-250,the .22-250AI or another .223AI
Opting for the latter, for those very reasons...

Ingwe

Dunno about the agg's, but the 222 Mag. is not one you've played with; chicken (grins)

Dont need no stinkin .222mag....

ingwe

You don't NEED anything...

I've had/have a rather good herd of 22-250AI's and they run the gamut in twist/length/contour,etc...as I've long been hip on the chambering(going back to the pre-LRF Days).

In broad brushstrokes,as case capacity is increased,in relation to bore size the more fickle the diameter becomes. It is simply easier to eek lower ES/SD's,in the milder mannered offerings,though few are a bigger fan of speed than I.

The 75A-Max with single digit SD,will slip conditions rather nicely and do amazing things downrange,when scooted from a modest length 223AI....................

Between you and Steelie, I might hafta break down and try the 75 A Max....he broke me down into trying the .223 AI in the first place...eternally grateful for that...

Ingwe

If there was something better,I'd simply use it.

Results interest me...............

After reading all these post and other material I have narrowed my choice down to 22-250AI or 223AI. Thanks for the input from all of you. It has been very helpful.