Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Any tips for load workup on 22-250 would be appreciated.

What VernAK says tough load to beat.

Are you trying to say you're using 38 grains of H380, or something else?

What?

Boom.
Que up the "drop the mic sound effect"

Although I love H 380.... I'll admit to using "something else' in the 22.250...

a lot of different powders, but I backed off on H 380 as I noticed a change in performance when I was using it up
in the Cascades at a lower temp when going after coyotes...

For 53 grains and down, I use RL 7...

for 53 grains and up, I use any of the following... 4064, 4895 ( IMR), 3031, Rl 15...

H380 is the only powder I've ever blown a primer with over hundreds of thousands of rounds. It was the old classic 38.0 gr. load behind a 55 gr. ballistic tip which is 3 grains under max from the hodgdon website. It might be a classic but the stuff is pretty temp sensitive and one day when I had heated a rifle up pretty good in the prairie dog town it popped one. No harm done and I didn't notice it until I opened the bolt, but I decided to find something a bit less temp sensitive after that. I settled on AR-Comp and have been using it by the keg since. If H380 was all that was available I'd use it, but there's newer & better stuff out there now.

I tried H380 in 4 22-250's and H4895 wins out in the accuracy department. Sorry to burst your bubble...Also, 4064 works better as well.... Here are some H4895 loads in my buddies rifle that I handload for:






All sub moa, even though they were worked up 1/2 grain at a time...

More loads that worked better than H380:

Kenneth: What is "JR" going to be doing, going after, with his heavy barrel Remington 22-250?
I have a BUNCH of 22-250's most all of them with heavy long barrels and most of them are Remingtons.
I have loads worked up (for accuracy!) for all manner of Varmints and predators.
Let me know if you get specifics.
I will forward this favorite load/Rifle data for now:

Remington XR-100 26" factory barrel
Leupold 8.5x25 variable scope
Varget powder
52 grain Berger MEF bullets
Federal 210M (Match) primers
Winchester brass

On a calm day this load/Rifle will group (5 shots at 100 yards) in the high two's and low threes (.275" to .325")!
I use this load/Rifle for Rock Chucks and Prairie Dogs.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I've used the classic H-380 load and have also found it to be temperature sensitive. I do like how it meters so well. I use mostly Varget, 4064 and 4350.

I have never been much of a fan of H380, my favorite load is H414/W760 with 55gr BT’s 210 primers and Lapua brass

Unless your rifle has a Linda Lovelace chamber throat like a Sako of mine, then that's just about a starting load.




Pfft! It just hit me, Linda Lovelace and load in the same sentence.

Ive had good luck in the .22-250 with the 4895s and 4064 as well....lotsa stuff works in them, but those are a couple more sure bets...

I'm loading 62 grain TTSX with CFE223. Haven't had it out yet but should run in the high 3,500's if loaded to max. Superformance will push this bullet a little faster.

Ingwe,

ya left out RL 15... that is a sure fire super choice... great velocity and great accuracy...

Rl 7 is also a real sleeper, since it ain't popular anymore, because of the new fangled powders..
same with 3031...both especially with the lighter bullets...

RL 7 is the top choice for 40 grain Plastic Tip bullets...

John Ive never tried any of the RL powders...sooooo many powders on the market I tried years ago to limit the number I tried and used...got it down to only 3 or 4...then JB made me a deal on a couple types from Ramshot....then a cop friend made me a deal on some CFE223, then....


well, you know....

I've had real variable luck with .22-250s. I've loaded for a few cartridges where I'd find a load that seemed to work pretty respectably in most guns. That has not been the case with .22-250, each rifle has been a law unto itself.

My first .22-250 was a heavy barreled Ruger 77 "tanger". Its load was 50 grain Hornady SXes and 40 grains of H380. I also shot it some with 41 grains of H380 under the 45 grain Hornady spire point hornet bullet. This was in the days before polymer tipped bullets.

The last one was a Remington 700 LVSF. It was a problem gun, really fussy. However, among all the things that did not work, a gem appeared: 37.5 grains of Varget (this is well over book max) and 50 grain TNT or SX bullets. With either bullet it would typically shoot 5 shot groups in the .2s. Aside from one game load which went around MOA, I never found anything else it'd shoot under 2 MOA or so. If I backed that first load down a half grain even, it'd open up to over 2 inches. Didn't blow any primers, brass life was good, so I just puckered up and shot what it wanted.

In between I had 1-2 others that never did work well. One, a 700 BDL "enhanced" (engraved) sporter, would only shoot the 35 grain VMAX with any accuracy. Out to 75 yards it'd sure make a mess of stuff but we don't usually buy .22-250s for 100 yard and under varmint guns. It didn't last long in my safe.

Tom

Really?

Hmmm. I have an 8 pound jug o' the shyte and currently nothing to shoot it in. Hmmm.

If you decide to go light my load was 41gr of H380 behind a 40grain NBT getting 4011fps. 5-shot cover with a dime accuracy out of my bull barrel 700. Work up to it of course.

1 in 14?

Then your not shooting heavies in it....unless you plan to shoot them sideways.

And a +1 on the 38.0 gr of H380.....it's almost like someone named the powder after that load?

Eggs Zachary!