Need Advice!

G

Glock4ever

New member
Ok. here is the situation. I have a 700 VS in .22-250, it shoots well but I just really don't like the length of the bbl (26"). I want to have the tube cut down to either 18"or 20" but I am scared that I will lose too much velocity. How much can I compensate with faster burning powders? Right now, my rifle shoots well with W760, I've tried faster burning powders but I find consistency a major problem probably because the case is not even near the 85-90 % case capacity. Should I cut down the barrel or just leave it? Or would my earlier experiences with faster powders change because the pressure curve is different based on the new barrel length? I really want to go out and cut this barrel down because I just don't like how unwieldy it is in the field (something that I had not considered when I had purchased it).
 
Faster burning powders in short barrels does not always equate to faster (or even the same) velocities. For every inch of barrel you remove (all other components the same) you will lose approx 50 fps. 26" down to 20" is alot! You're talking about 250 to 300 fps with standard use powders. I think you should be able to cut it down to 23" or 24" and be okay as far as your trajectory goes but I'd keep on using the normal powders instead of faster burning to make up the difference. I think you'll find a 2 to 3 inch cut down will make a big difference in handling too. I assume that's what you're concerned about.

Remember the old addage: " Slower powders in longer barrels for maximum velocity"!!
 
Avoiding the technicalites of time to peak pressure and pressure-versus-time curves, you can't trade slow powder/long barrel for fast powder/short barrel and do yourself any good. It just doesn't work that way.

Danny45 is right in that you can still get good velocities with a 24" tube--losing some 100 to 150 ft/sec won't really hurt--but to go much shorter will put you back toward .223 performance.

Any cartridge and barrel is part of a coordinated system which also considers bullet weights and burn-rates of powders. "Short and handy" just doesn't fit with the Ma Bell package that is the intent of the .22-250.

:), Art
 
Taking that much off of the length of the BBl will change the number of twists in the rifling. Some calibers need a precise number of twists to get the most out of you weapons accuracy.
 
slick, that's the first time I've ever heard that shortening a barrel will "change" the number of twists. Seems to me that a spiral is a spiral is a spiral. The rate of twist will remain unchanged, in terms of one turn in X number of inches.

If you're right, why are handgun barrels rifled? :)

Art
 
I know I won't be able to prevent velocity loss..

Being a loader I know that I can't prevent velocity loss in cutting so much tube off a barrel. The main thing is I don't want to sacrifice too much velocity. I want to know if I can still safely push a 50 grain pill up to 37-3800 ft. I don't want to blow up my gun to attempt to do this. I also know that I will seriously will be killing the life of my barrel. BUT I do want to have a rifle that I can seriously use as a varminter and I don't mean sitting all day and shooting gophers with. The only other option I have is to cut down my Tikka (in .243) Continental's barrel down to 20" from 24". I am starting to find that longer barrels (while extremely nice for velocity and accuracy) don't exactly go hand in hand with ease of use in the field. I wouldn't mind setting my 700 or Continental up close to a 700 LTR- I read that the accuracy sacrifice is marginal for the ranges that I want to use it at (~400-500 yards). But would I be losing a lot of velocity - it just really isn't worth having a slow, small, bullet when I could have a big, slow, bullet (respectively speaking, of course)
 
I think slick's comment is regards to the time in the barrel to acheive stability. He did say # of twists (# of revolutions), not rate of twist.

Don't know that that makes any difference. If the bullet grabs the rifling (or visa versa) & imparts a spin, more time in the barrel's not gonna help any extra.

Velocity loss would be my main concern. Whole reason of a .22-250 is that "extra edge."
 
It may not be wearing a belt, but you can expect to lose some pretty serious velocity as do the magnums when the barrel is cut down, and may be worth your while to rechamber for a 223 Remington or similar capacity case which doesn't lose quite so much.
I know what you mean about the lack of handiness in the VS as I have one in 308 Winchester, but the darned thing will lay them in nearly the same hole if I do my part, and I'm not about to screw with accuracy like that out of a stock setup. If I win the lottery, the first thing I'd like to do is to get a carbon fiber barrel installed to bring it down to sporter weight PROVIDED that accuracy is as good or better.
 
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