22-250 twist rate & barrel length

R

Ricky Bobby

New member
I'm kicking around the idea of doing a custom 22-250 & was wondering what twist rate most everyone prefers on something like this? Also, what barrel length would you go with?

Thanks
 
Well, you're probably going to hear hundreds of people chiming in with 1-7 twist so you can shoot the 90 gr .224 bullets.

I'm not a fan of fast twist rifles though they do have a purpose. I just don't see that purpose with a .22-250.

The 250 was meant for varminting and as such should shoot bullets up to 55 gr. For this weight I'd get a twist of 1-12 and that would do it.
 
Yeah, I was thinking a 1-10 twist would be the fastest that I'd go with. I just wanted to hear from others because I could probably be swayed a different direction if given good solid reasoning.

As far as the length of the barrel, I'm thinking 24" but might consider doing a 26".
 
Gary, It would mainly be a coyote & groundhog rifle around here. Hopefully it would get to take a few trips out west and be used to thin out some of those prairie dog towns. I'm thinking a 1-10 twist would put me somewhere in the middle of both extremes.
 
I have 4 22-250's one 14 twist one 12 twist AI one 9 and a 8 twist AI and building another 8 twist AI. It all depends on what your going to use it for I like to shoot the high bc bullets in particular the 75 gr Amax at Groundhogs out past 600 yards I tried them in my 9 and they didn't shot all that well so I went to a 8 twist which shoots the 75 Amax awesome.

I have a 14 twist that shoots up to the 50gr bullets very well but doesn't like any of the plastic tipped 55's that I prefer for groundhogs.
I am also playing with a 12 twist AI that shoots the 53gr Vmax incredibly well.

My newest build is going to be a DM fed 22/250 AI with a 26" 8 twist barrel throated to shoot the 75 gr Amax.

All my barrels are 26 or 28" I want as much velocity as I can get.
I would look at a 12 or 8 twist the 12 will let you shoot the 55's 60's and the 53 gr Vmax that has a higher bc than the 55 Vmax the 8 will let you shoot the 75 or 80gr Amax both bullets shoot great in the wind but again it depends on what you want to do with your rifle
 
im partial to the 50gr BT for woodchucks,pretty much blows them in half....i have always used 14 twist,i did have a AI version that rich44 now has and the a-max's shot great out of it and im sure they would dope the wind real well
 
I went through this a few years ago, custom 22-250. I had a detailed discussion with the smith about twist rates. My intended use was mostly 50 grn bullets(never over 55) for prairie dogging off the bench & a little range shooting. I had thought I should be faster than the common 1-14" rifling. The gunsmith convinced me to stick with the 1-14", & I am happy with it.
I also went with a 24" medium/heavy Shilen barrel.

You may consider the 1-12" possibly. Some of the fast twist 22-250s can have issues with light frangible bullets at higher speeds. JMHO


 
I would put a 1-12 twist on it and make it a 22/250 AI and NEVER look back!

I have shot 1-14's since the 70's and have shot Nosler 55's and Hornady 55 plastic tips in them with extreme accuracy, same for the 223, 22 BR, and 22 PPC's with the 1-14's. Sierra Blitz king can be touch and go with some barrels, it is long. You will be able to shoot the 60g Berger and the 60g V max with the 1-12 twist at 3600-3650 fps in the 22/250 AI.

22/250 AI and the 220 Swift will shore nuff put a smile on your face in terms of accuracy with speed.
 
1-12" and 24" would be my recommendation.
I have a Tikka T3 with a 1-14" twist that won't shoot any of the 55 plastic tipped bullets worth a crap. The 55 grain HP Match Bergers shoot lights out. My cheapo Stevens 200 with a 1-12" twist shoots any bullet I've tried up to 60 grains no problem.
 
Rich44, what kind of speed do you get out of the 75's with the 8 twist improved and how long is the barrel? I've only shot 14 and 12 twist in the 250s and like the 12 much better. I can only compare the 8 and 9s based on the 223s I have had and personally I like the 8s and wouldn't bother with the 9 twists. The 8s shot everything and the 9s seem to be picky, maybe it was just barrel quality.
 
I'm running them around 3400 out of a 28" barrel with 4350 and 3300 with 4831sc the 4831 loads will shoot in the 2's but the 4350 loads will easily shoot minute of groundhog and another 100 fps faster
 
Those speeds and bullet weight ought to work real well at 600 and farther. I would have to think it would put the thump on a coyote at 400 yards plus. I have not used the A-maxes on any game, just paper with the 168 grain in the 308. Are they as explosive as say the V-max?
 
I haven't used it on coyotes this gun is far to heavy to lug around but the one I'm building now will be my new calling rifle
I hammered this groundhog at over 600 yrds shot right thru the nose while he was crawling towards me. I have shot quite a few groundhogs with the 22/250AI and 75gr Vmaxes and when you hit one you can really hear the WACK and you usually can't post a pic of it here

7-18-09002.jpg


another one over 500 yards
groundhog2001.jpg
 
Back
Top