22-250 & 40 Grain Ballistic Tip

[41rem]

I'm developing a load for the fast twist Tikka sporter. Like the 40 BT as an all around vaporizer, like to get 4k out of this 22.5" barrel. This one doesn't seem especially fast as barrels go.

At 38.0 grains of Varget and just touching 3800 fps, accuracy is good with 5 into .94"

Thinking of pushing into 39 and 40 grains of the same, or another powder. Tried Ramshot Tac 1st with similar results.

Thoughts?


41

 

[GLShooter]

Not the BT but I blow up the VMAX above 3750 in my 1/8 wildcats. The BT has done better holding together than that and I've shot them to 3850.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Tac,Xterminator, Staball match should get you to 4k. I have some Federal 40 gr vmax ammo on the shelf,4200 on the box. I'm using 1/12-1/14" barrels so bullets stay in one piece.

 

[nr123]

Varget wasn't very fast in my Tikka either. However, I got much better results with CFE223. But, I'm shooting a 62 gr VT for coyotes in my 1-8 twist Tikka.
I did shoot some 40 gr v-max and varmageddon's while working up loads. Both were very accurate, but don't remember getting 4000 fps.

 

[Rodney]

I’m getting over 4100 fps with AR-Comp. I do have a 26” barrel though. But I don’t seem to be at max, just found accuracy there. Might want to try it you can find some.

 

[varmintshooter]

Fast twist would be for heavy bullets. If you want to shoot 40 gr bullets you should have a 14 or a 12 twist barrel. The bullet and the twist should match. I am getting 4300 in a 23" 14 twist with 40 gr bullets

 

[Gary in MD]

I’ve almost always used the 55 grain bullets in my 22-250s and Swifts(12 & 14 twist). The 40 grain muzzle velocity seems impressive but by 300 yards (out where the critters are) the 55 grain has usually caught up. So given the same bullet construction, 40 grain Vmax & 55 grain Vmax, the 55 will do more damage and hit harder at extended ranges. With the faster 8 twist and appropriate bullets, the advantage keeps going in favor of the heavier bullets with higher BCs. In my 8 twisted Tikka ‘250, I’m liking the 77 grain TMK. My rifle shot the 55 BKs pretty good but the 8 twist begs for the BCs of the heavier bullets.
Velocity at the point of impact is what matters for hunting loads. YMMV

 

[41rem]

I’ve almost always used the 55 grain bullets in my 22-250s and Swifts(12 & 14 twist). The 40 grain muzzle velocity seems impressive but by 300 yards (out where the critters are) the 55 grain has usually caught up. So given the same bullet construction, 40 grain Vmax & 55 grain Vmax, the 55 will do more damage and hit harder at extended ranges. With the faster 8 twist and appropriate bullets, the advantage keeps going in favor of the heavier bullets with higher BCs. In my 8 twisted Tikka ‘250, I’m liking the 77 grain TMK. My rifle shot the 55 BKs pretty good but the 8 twist begs for the BCs of the heavier bullets.
Velocity at the point of impact is what matters for hunting loads. YMMV

Yeah I gotcha.

Probably just going thru a fast-phase with these 40 grain speedsters.

Have a really nice load using the 69 TMK and Reloder 16 that shoots lights out

I'll try CFE 223 next after this Varget experience.

 

[209jones]

Ya, but, it's fun to try to see what you can get out of them, practicality be damned.
I decided about 35 or so yrs ago a 22-250 used too much powder for plinking gophers. I'd blown up 45gr Sierra Hornet bullets to see it happen, and so on and so forth. So, built a 218Bee, 1/3 the powder, 40gr can be pushed to 32-3300, similar with a 223, 1/3 less powder, hit 3600 no issues with the 40gr. Good for 1/3 the way across a quarter section most days, some days a bit better.

 

[alf]

Ya, but, it's fun to try to see what you can get out of them, practicality be damned.

Long time ago I had a 22-243 Middlested, & I had to see how fast the 40's would go.

They hit 4600 going over the Oehler screens.

​

 

[41rem]

CFE223 data looks promising think I'll load some up today and give it a go on Friday. Supposed to be a bit cooler.

I might have to anneal this brass pretty soon, been shooting the same 20 Winchester cases over & over on firing #5 now.

Question for the class... I've been neck sizing only, after an initial full-length sizing of the 1x factory ammo will the neck increase in thickness?

 

[Ackman]

That Nosler 40 at 4000 or over is easy with a 22-250. You just have to use the right powder. But I'd be going with 50's anyway, doing about 3900. With Reloderr 15 powder.

 

[209jones]

Mine was a Ruger #1v, and a Browning 1885, necked it for 4-5 rds, then FLS'd, at that time, 35-40 yrs ago, didn't anneal, got 10 loads and decided I'd had my money's worth of the brass, just went and bought new. Never had any split necks or case dim issues with it, can't remember if I used RP or WW brass at the time. These days, I'd anneal it likely every other or 3rd load maybe, see if I could run it to 20 just because of the price of it. I still neck the Bee and 223 for gophers, one is a Stevens 044-1/2, other is a browning 1885, got both of them around 1991/92, get the odd vertical one on paper, but, with gophers, I can aim at the belly if laying down and skip shot them if it's low, or at the bottom if standing, so, don't get real excited about that, as long as it's no worse than inside of minute of gopher head at 200, in a 10 shot grp they are under MOA for say 4 of 5 grps, good enough for gophers. At that time I was using Nosler Solid Base 50's mostly, tried other stuff, those worked just fine, and they were cheap, still have 5-600, lately, been using 40gr Vmax and Nosler Varmageddon (?). Sure there are plenty of cartridges around in the 22-250 class and larger that can blow them up with a fast twist barrel these days.

 

[41rem]

Varget wasn't very fast in my Tikka either. However, I got much better results with CFE223. But, I'm shooting a 62 gr VT for coyotes in my 1-8 twist Tikka.
I did shoot some 40 gr v-max and varmageddon's while working up loads. Both were very accurate, but don't remember getting 4000 fps.

The starting book load with CFE 223 & 40 grain bullet is over 4000 fps.

I loaded 10 with the starting weight, then a ladder working up to just under the maximum charge.

Will shoot some tomorrow, hopefully see some 4's on the Garmin screen

 

[41rem]

That CFE 223 did the trick. Got a 4003 fps average off my last 5 shot string and they clustered up in a tidy. 90". The magic number was 41.5 grains

Just need to adjust my POI to +.75"@ 100 yards then be dead on at 200 & about 5" low at 300.

Nice little summertime messing around load. Putting the Tikka in the pickup.

I'm going to take a road trip out of my place down past Flathead lake then over to Phillipsburg. After fishing Georgetown reservoir a few days, gonna loop thru Townsend and then back home. Bet I can find a few gophers along the way.

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[alintx]

I run em on top of a bunch of h380 in my 22 250ackley. It's a 7 tw barrel, but haven't had blow ups yet. Barrel is pretty new. It will absolutely vaporize a prairie dog! I also use mag primers

 

[Fern]

cfe will get you there as it did in a 22-250 m77 target that has a 26” barrel. These were nosler 40g bt my buddy shot. They punched hole in AR500 steel at 100 yards. Been trying to see how it does on a p dog