Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 22-250 with 52 gr loads

What is everyone’s favorite powder for the 52 gr bullets out of a 22-250? In the past I used varget with good results with matchkings and the Berger varmint out of my heavy barreled rifle. I plan to use Varget or H4895 in the 788 I just bought, but also interested in what others have good luck with. No charge weights needed, just type of powder. Thanks!

H4895

+1

H-380, 4320 and R-15 with the 52gr Speer FB HP for my coyote hunting.

38 grs H380

Thanks for the input guys! I try to avoid temp sensitive powders like 380 due to temp swings here. My buddy had really good accuracy but I have just always leaned towards the extreme powders from Hodgdon.

Yeah, I wouldn't waste my time looking for another.

I would but he didn't list it so H4895 it is.

IMR-4064 and 4320 are every bit as good as 4895. I'd even use IMR-3031 with 50-52 gr heads, especially if accuracy is priority #1.

Thanks for the info guys. Just to strike up a bit more conversation below are the powders I have that the 22-250 can use.

H4350
H4895
Benchmark
Varget
XBR8208
Imr4064
Imr4350 (possibly)

I also bought a pound of StaBall as a joke one day for my buddy with a 6.5 creedmoor (based on an inside joke) and the other night we were looking at the claimed speed with 55 gr bullets out of a 22-250...pretty impressive if it is achievable.

I am a fan of IMR-4064.

Of the powders you list..
H4895,Benchmark,Varget,IMR8208XBR they are my favorite 223 powders but I never use them much for a 22-250

H4350 and IMR4350 both work well as does IMR4064, my go to for decades has been W760 with 52-55gr bullets.
As for the StaBall it works great with 75-80gr bullets but you need a 1-8" twist barrel for that

I use I4350 with 63 and 70 gr. bullets... An old friend of mine used it with 53 gr. Sierra's, but the speed was low as I remember..

It's been many years since I had a standard 22-250, but H4895 & RL15 would be among my 1st picks.

Varget with a 52 amax (now ELDM) is tough to beat in my 22-250. I'm hoping to try staball in it soon. Staball's been shooting good in my 7-08.

H4895

Shelton573: I have been shooting the wonderful 22-250 Remington for over half a century now (bought my first one in 1967) and I have two bits of advice for you - first, the Sierra 52 grain bullets are amazingly accurate and are amazingly prone to dangerous ricocheting and pass-throughs! When Hunting afield don't use these accurate but unsafe projectiles. They are great at the range but I won't Hunt with them and won't Hunt with anyone who uses them.
Please go with the Berger 52 grainers for safety's sake instead.
AND... secondly, out of my fleet of 22-250 Rifles I always start load development/testing with H 4895 and Varget powders.
Best of luck to you and be sure and let us know how things "pan-out" for you.
Long live the 22-250 Remington!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Sam H: Indeed, one of my Remington 40X Rifles in caliber 22-250 Remington came with an "accuracy" target that was shot at the Remington factory and the load they used and listed on the target used IMR-3031 and 52 grain bullets - the factory target/grouping was VERY impressive!
I get a tad more speed with other powders and get very acceptable accuracy as well.
But I agree with your contention IMR-3031 makes for accuracy in a 22-250.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Benchmark, 33.3 grains for accuracy....50 thru 55 grainers....

Rl 15, IMR 4895, 3031, H 322...and 4064 is NEVER a bad choice.....

Well for now I settled on trying the H4895 with 52 gr Berger’s. I have a bunch of that powder on hand and looking through all my loads, I haven’t used it in any of my rifles since I shot 53 gr vmax out of my 223 which was rebarreled to a 17 Remington. If it don’t work out I plan to move on to 4064 or varget. Thanks for all the info!