22-250 reduced or 223?

J

JJ45

New member
Specifically in a 22 inch barreled bolt gun, which some think short for a 22-250.

The thing is 223 loaded ammo is more available now but I have access to 22-250 cases and LR primers (magnums, at least)

Primary use would be varmints from 200 to 300 yards...I have heard that the 22-250 is the best round for reducing the powder charge and still retain very good accuracy. I think it was Warren Page that made this assertion, not sure. Do you find this to be true?

Any advice on loading the 22-250 "down" or would you prefer the 223. Keep in mind both in a 22" barrel....Thanks
 
Well, if I had an accurate 22-250, I would not go out and buy a 223...and vice versa. At 300 and under it shouldn't matter much. That said, I would not so much download the 22-250 as go for the most accurate load, whatever it turns out to be. Twist rate might come into the equation. Traditionally, 22-250 has a slower twist rate, while 223 (now at least) are 1:9 or faster. Not always, though.
 
Just me but I would go with the .223 with a 1-8 twist and 77 gn bullets. It is is great for varmints out to 600, uses 20% less powder, and has three times the barrel life. I tend to shoot a lot of rounds, so if everything else is equal the barrel life would be the deciding factor
 
First, there's no need to waste magnum LR primers on the .22-250. But, if that's all you have, you can use them.

Next, a 22" .22-250 isn't as short as to be meaningless though you need a longer tube for full performance. However, since you're not looking for that, looking for .223 velocity, then the shorter than usual barrel is actually in your favor.

Next, what bullets are you going to be shooting?
Your .22-250 is probably a 1-14" twist. This is the old optimal twist for bullets up through 55gr. Sometimes does tolerably well with slightly heavier bullets (63gr) but isn't very good for anything heavier.

The .22-250 was a varmint gun decades before the .223 was ever thought of and the long heavy .22 bullets in use today did not exist.

Now, as to .223 level loads in the .22-250, its easier than you think. Simply look at your .22-250 load data, and use the starting loads. in my books, using the same bullets, and barrel lengths, .22-250 STARTING loads deliver the same approximate velocity as .223 MAX loads.

so, if (for some reason) you want .223 level loads out of a .22-250 just use the starting load data and don't go any higher.

If you want less simply drop the powder charge a bit, until you get the speed you're looking for, or your accuracy goes to hell. There is even cast bullet data for speeds from 18-2300fps if you need it that low.
 
If you have H4895 you can use the 60% formula to reduce . For a 55 grain varmint bullet using the formula you can actually start a couple grains lower than a normal .223 starting load.
 
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Your .22-250 is probably a 1-14" twist. This is the old optimal twist for bullets up through 55gr. Sometimes does tolerably well with slightly heavier bullets (63gr) but isn't very good for anything heavier.
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^^^^^^this.

If I could to do it over again I'd probably get a 22-250 barrel custom made with a faster twist and longer freebore to better accommodate modern high BC bullets.
 
You can’t make a .223 into a .22-250. If you ever want more power than your .223 then you’re out of luck. I have both, and often download the .22-250 because I like that rifle better and don’t need the extra power very often. Loading good 50-grain bullets to ~3250 fps gives me aggs in the .8s. The muzzle pressure is lower than the .223 so the report is a bit less too. Unless he needs .22-250 performance, either will work fine for the OP.



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