Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 22-250 AI ?

I've got a 22-250 Rem 700 varminter that is satisfyingly accurate. Effective on p-dogs etc... Old slow-twist barrel.

Any advantage to going to an "improved" chamber such as the 22-250 AI?

Accuracy? Velocity? Improved case life?

Thanks, Guy

If you are just re-chambering your factory barrel you wont see an improvement in accuracy........it's the same barrel and most likely you will be shooting the same bullets

You will see improved velocity, but in my experience you will need to go to a slower burn rate powder.

Improved case life yes with a caveat that not all cases are the same.....
Remington and Winchester 22-250 cases are very small at the base, Federal and Norma are several thousandths larger and Lapua is the biggest by far.
You most likely wont be able to completely cut out the oversize base of the factory chamber with a 22-250AI reamer. If you can try and find Lapua brass that is very scarce right now or at least use Federal or Norma brass.
would not even consider going 22-250AI if all I could find is Rem or Win brass

Maybe yes, maybe no. I have one that was great once I figured it out. It's kinda worn out now after about 35 or so years & maybe 2000 to 2500 rounds that I know of. It came to me used & abused with a 24" factory barrel rechambered by somebody's brother Butch. I'm still able to reach 3985fps with a 53gr Hornady Match HP, but groups are opening up... a lot. The new barrel will be 26" & a 12 twist, & it will be another 22-250 Ackley in a world of 8 twist Creedmoors.

Mine regularly shot 4 or 5 shot 3/8" groups @100yds... quite often smaller, sometimes a bit more. A few other shooters I've spoken to noted better than average accuracy with theirs. Remember, Bro Butch did my chamber on a nasty old Remington barrel & it ain't pretty.

Case capacity is comparable to a 220 Swift. Velocity, with accuracy loads, is a wee bit better than I ever got with any Swift I've owned. Someone will be along to dispute that, I'm sure.

Case life has been real good on all of my Ackleys, but it's somewhat dependent on having the sizing die closely matching the brass/chamber. A sloppy chamber with Lapua brass (which is a tad bigger than SAAMI spec at the .200 line) FL sized in a snug die seems to need trimming more often than plain old WW brass.

Be aware that for a proper Ackley chamber the barrel needs to be set back a thread or 2 to get a crush fit on standard factory brass for proper headspace on 1st firing.

A Redding 2-die set is in Group C so retail for $165. You may be able to find them for less at one of the on line stores. Sierra & Nosler have load data to start with.

I like mine. YMMV.

Interesting info. I have a couple boxes of Lapua .22-250 and a bag of older "blue bag" WW set aside for a .22-250 AI project I probably am not going to do.

22 Creedmoor??

I bought an older Savage 223 Varmint model with a 9 twist from a friend who rarely shot it.
I had it rechambered to 22/250 AI right away.
I can use 69 gr bullets in it and it performs well out to about 600 yards on Prairie dogs.
If i didnt have a barrel that would handle the heavier bullets i wouldnt bother however.

If what you have shoots well, and you like it, leave it as-is. My first 22-250, a Rem.700V, shot 55's very well, the accuracy load was 3650. It was later rechambered to AI but never chrono'd, and shot until the barrel wore out. Best fastest, accuracy/working load I've had with a std. 22-250 is 50's at 3925, an early Savage sporter. A couple heavy 22-250AI barrels, longer and aftermarket 14 twist, with 50's the accuracy/working loads chrono 4200 and 4246 with RL15. My reamer uses unturned brass and has 0 freebore. Brass is PMC which is unfortunately no longer available and also very tough, the only stuff I've ever shot in the AI. Chamber is too tight at the web for Lapua. Results vary of course, depending on barrel and chamber, but if that extra velocity rings your bell, the AI version is a good one. These Ackleys like top end loads, where the standard cartridges don't always give best accuracy at top end. I like the lighter, 50gr, bullets going fast. Fireforming an AI is no big deal, just start at max for the parent cartridge and work up a load as you would with any other chambering. The "fireform" load will actually be a working load, faster than the std. chambering and just as accurate.