Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .22 RF alternatives

oops. Checked. You're right. Kentucky wants rimfire only. Drat.

It's still a good idea for blasting ammo. What's a good recipe?

12.5g IMR 4198 & 50g NBT

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/11174113/1

I use 13.0g IMR 4198 & 55g Horn SP w/c @ 2.190" COAL. It shot 0.620" for 4-shots at 50 yards. That bullet at regular .223 speeds was a poor performer in my gun (1.93"-2.85" 4-shot groups @ 100 yards). You can find it at Midsouth Shooters Supply for about $23.50 per 250 or less than 10c a bullet.

Oh, and that's with a CCI 400 primer and FC brass. It clocks right around 2,100 fps which puts it square in the middle of the .22 WMR and the .22 Hornet. Not a bad place to be for a small game or plinking load.

Too much powder and too much lead, but it might be suitable for Jurassic Squills.





Just did a remeasure of that group, the numbers didn't look right. Think about .18". There are two pairs with the .12" spread, but widest spread is the larger number.

Had forgotten that thread, not a bad read at all. Didn't see any leopard print though.

Shaman, WAG on my part but you'll be looking at something around 5 gr for starter to find a ballpark load for .22 LR velocity. Probably less, but I'm disinclined to lead you down the path to stuck jacketed bullet in the hole. WMR velocity range will be more tractable. If you have a access to cast bullets of proper dimension, think 2-3 grains for starters.

Scale it down to .22, Dan, and you would be in high cotton. Exactly what I was opining about above.

Is what I'd like to do. Puzzle about a case that suits.

Dan,

Have you played with Trail Boss powder in any rifles yet. I just started using it in some handguns and am going to try it in some rifles for low power loads.

A wee bit with TB, found it functional but never quite hit a home run with it. Close friend of mine thinks it the best thing since peanut butter. My primary observation was the velocity spreads were large and accuracy so so.

gnoahhh, my own prejudice on the topic, but I would prefer a straight wall case and may accept a caliber larger than .22 before all is said and done. I blanch at the idea of a custom case hand crafted by gnomes. I'm guessing at the end of the day that I'd go larger caliber before necking a case down, but cannot deny either. .32 Wesson short might work, but brass is a conundrum, or .25 ACP. Could tweak that one with a little bit of choke in the case mouth and still have some capacity. Or no choke and just live with a 50-60 grain bullet. Recollection has it the .25 is a truish .25, something like .251" diameter, +/-...Yep, SAAMI sez so. Barrel in .251" groove is going to be a quest. .22-.25 AI Squill Smasher?

.32 Short Colt looks more groovy...if I'm going to neck it down.

Remington Golden Bullet 36gr .22 LR at Academy Sports is $28.99 for 525 rounds, with free shipping. That makes it about 5.5 cents per.

Thanks for the suggestions re: light .223 REMs. I may give that a try this summer.

Dan, any obscure sources for Velo Dog cases? Perhaps an old eccentric hermit someplace with a thousand vintage cases in a bag weighing down his collection of S&H Green Stamps?

Been looking for a case of VD without success. That doesn't sound right? Yeah, it would do very well and I'm sure they are out there somewhere. Imagining conversation with the custom crafters of dies, reamers and such....needing those things for a VD short.

Working this out is interesting and educational. Looking at alternatives without guardrails last night and my eyes settled on a shotgun primer I had just removed from an old Alcan 16 ga brass shell. One measurement led to another, and another and....hmmmmmmm.

Small rifle primer nominal diameter .175"
LRP .210"
Shotgun primer .228" on the forward end, .305" on the rim
Fired 22 brass
- case mouth ID ..205" (CCI Quiet, fired but the crimp still remains
- OD .224"
- rim OD .273"
- case length .605"

Standing by for a stroke of genius.....or just a stroke...

I've got the makings of a Rem #4 in 25-20. Seems a good choice to me. Wanted a 22 straight walled case, but 25-20 is old school cool too.

Are you sure a #4 Rolling Block has enough moxie to contain a .25-20? They were only made in rimfire chamberings, and not of the highest quality alloy steels at that. I guess if you kept handloads down to rimfire pressure levels you might get away with it, but what if/when it falls into the hands of a yahoo who tries to ratchet things up? Remember, it's only the pins that support the breech block and hammer that absorb the backthrust of the cartridge's discharge, and those pins are mighty small in a #4. If you tried that trick with even a #44 Stevens, which at least has a modicum of receiver support for the breech block (if fitted up properly), every critic with a conscience would advise against it.

Best to barrel it as a .22LR, stick to standard velocity ammo, and call it good.

It's NOT,.....and you just had some very good advice offered, by G.

GTC

Privi Partizan used to load the velo dog. I e-mailed their marketing dept. asking if there was a possibility they might produce it again noting there is no other source at this time.

Met a guy at the local trade school a few years back. He carried a velo dog revolver chambered to hold 8 rounds of 25ACP.

My bad, #2. Had a 1, 2, 4, and 6. Got confused.