.22 Nosler Range Day!

C

CarJunkieLS1

New member
Today I took my complete upper from MidwayUSA to a friends house to shoot and get some data. It is a 18" 1:8 barrel in .22 Nosler. Here is my report on it.

I fired approximately 40 rounds and had ZERO issues it was 100% reliable.

1-28-16 50*F 15mph wind
All rounds fired is new unfired brass with Tula Small Rifle Primers

.22 Nosler 55gr Hornady SP 29gr H-335 COAL 2.225 is .5gr over minimum. Accuracy was 2" or slightly more at 100 yards. It's not anything to be proud of.

Velocity 5 shot average : 2991

Nosler list 28.5gr H335 @ 3169 in a 24" barrel. I estimate 29gr H335 @ 3234.

That will give a 40.5fps loss per inch.

To give perspective a friend has a .22-250 AR-15 that's right NOT a AR-10!!! His 20" barrel with a 55gr clocked 5 shot average 3246. The 22 Nosler will not match that unless it has a much longer barrel.

There is no published data with this caliber and H-4895 powder. USE WITH CAUTION!!

.22 Nosler 68gr Hornady BTHP COAL 2.260 I loaded 1 round of each charge starting at 25.3-29.2 in .3-.4 increments.

With Bruce Finnegan help and help from Sierra Ballistician we can up with 25.3-29.2 min/max.

25.3 2629 25.6 2629 26.0 2688 26.3 2743 26.6 2766 27.0 2801 27.3 2849 27.6 2917 27.9 2923 28.2 2982 showed slight head swipe and a slightly flat primer.
28.5 3009 is MAX in my rifle. It had considerable head swipe and a flat primer.
I did not shoot 28.8 or 29.2 I will pull them.

Using 1 round per charge showed accuracy potential as all the rounds were in a vertical line with little horizontal stringing. Looking at my target I predict an accuracy node in the 27.5- 28.0 grain range. That charge range had the least vertical stringing and the least horizontal stringing.
 
I did not measure internal capacity on the unfired brass. My upper came with 3 cases fired in my barrel. I measured those 3 cases and came up with 37.2 H20 in fired cases.
 
The 22 Nosler may prove to be more marketing than real value as your results seem to suggest. I can't wait for the wild cats though....

300 SuperBlackout is my vote for first wild cat on the 22 Nosler brass.....
 
I agree about its mostly hype and marketing. I got the .22 Nosler because I wanted a .224 caliber that offered something over my standard 5.56 carbine. Well the .22 Nosler does that for me. It does offer a velocity advantage over the .223 especially with the heavier bullets.

For most I see the gains as not enough to justify a switch. As a reloader the cost difference of factory ammo is a moot point. I can even use the same bullets and powders typically used in a .223.

In short it fills a niche for some, but the .223 will never be replaced by any other .224 caliber.
 
"The 22 Nosler may prove to be more marketing than real value as your results seem to suggest. I can't wait for the wild cats though.."
We studied this in detail when the announcement first came out. What it does do is bring a moderate length barrel up to the performance of a 24" .223. Beyond that, ??????????
Wildcat?? From the dimensions I saw, the 22 Nosler is basically a 6.8 case w/rebated rim necked down to .224. Other than not requiring a different bolt, there's really no diff vs original 6.8. On the other hand, I'd like to see what a .25 on this case would do.
 
Mobuck I'd take the velocity gains you get from the .22 Nosler over the .223 and add that gain to the velocity achieved by the 25-45 sharps.

They having the same case lengths the same bullets useable in a 25-45 will be useable in a 22 Nosler. 257 wildcat
 
Well if it really does make up for 8" less barrel then that is something then.

I like heavier bullets myself so long as the right twist rate is available to make good use of them I may look into it.

Wild cats though....... :)
 
My 22 Nosler upper is an 18" barrel. I was able to get the 68gr Hornady BTHP to 2982 with no pressure. At just over 3000 I got head swipe. However I am very confident that with an adjustable gas block that the powder charge could be bumped up and not get head swipes.
 
"Well if it really does make up for 8" less barrel then that is something then."

More like 6"( 18" vs 24") but the "advertised" velocities seem close to what I'm getting from a 24" .223 barrel. The claim is "velocities approaching 22/250 levels" but my 22/250 w/55 grain bullets far exceeds 3350 fps. One of my 24" .223 rifles is in the 3250-3300 range with certain factory loads.
Regardless, it's a big step up versus a .223 16" carbine @ 2850. I don't have an 18"(will have next week) .223 to compare actual fps.
After serious discussion, we decided the advantages didn't offset the extra cost of ammo for our purposes. We'll stick with the 5.56 AR's and shift to a 22/250 bolt rifle if we need the extra range.
 
I had thought when I saw the 3350 quoted for 22 Nosler that would be for the 16" barrel since they are billing so hard as being a 22/250 in an AR15 and all.

I agree that if that is a 24" barrel it's much less impressive than it first seemed.

:(
 
As I've mentioned to to most of my coworkers that asked me my opinion of this cartridge. There's only so much you can do with a short barrel as far as velocity. I figured it wouldn't really shine until 20 or 21 inches. I think everything tested has been with a 24. With a 64 gn bonded solid base and a 21" barrel you could have a pretty sweet and light little brush gun for deer.

On another note. my pet load in a sport rifle 556 16" barrel is 55 nos vg and ar comp powder @3050 fps over a magneto speed.
 
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