I'm curious to know what you guys that have one or had one think about barrel life of a 22-250 AI. Mine will be used almost exclusively for P-dogging if I decide to try one. I would think I'd shoot around a few hundred rounds per trip per year. I would order a Criterion 24" through Northland Shooters Supply. I'm not sure what contour I'd order, but probably a Varmint contour of heavy Palma. Is 1000-1500 rounds a good expectation or not? Thanks.
22-250 AI barrel life
- Thread starter IA_shooter
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urbanrifleman
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Maybe you might like one from me. I figure for $289, just shoot it. If it burns up just order another one. It's like Doritos.
STS
Silver $$ Contributor
If you have any decent P-dog shooting, with good numbers of targets, you will be doing good to get 1500 rounds out of it. Heat is a killer for barrels. Used in a situation where the rate of fire is slower, and barrel heat is not an issue, you should be able to get between 2000 and 2500 rounds of "varmint" barrel life. I've burned up several .22-250 barrels, and they will usually lay down and die somewhere in the 2200 to 2700 round range depending on how they were used.
Shot sage rats outside Bend Oregon years ago, it was no joke. Wasn’t hard to go through a brick of 22lr in a day.
linebaugh
Silver $$ Contributor
As above. You may not even make it to 1500 if you dont keep it cleaned and cooled off. Shooting one in PRS for 2 seasons I would typically see 1200 rnds at failure of accuracy. Barrels get hot and stay hot for the day when I shot mine. I ran 88, 90 and 95's at an upper end charge.
Barrel life depends on many variables but keeping it clean and cool are your big ticket killers.
Barrel life depends on many variables but keeping it clean and cool are your big ticket killers.
I've done 22-250AI bbls for several customers over the years, and would agree with the above statements that barrel life is very dependent on how the rifle is used. All the blanks I used were 1-9tw sendero contour, from either Bartlein or Krieger, so there's that similarity - and that's where it ends. One of the guys is a good friend whom I've shot with for many years, in national championship matches for IPSC to BPCRS, and also including NRA Hi Power & BR Varmint Silhouette matches, coyote calling, plus a lot of just dinking around, because we both love to shoot. He shot-out his 22-250AI bbl in a couple of years, and we don't really have any good prairie dog towns out here anymore. And he's got a bunch of other rifles that he loves to shoot, so it's not like he concentrated on using the 22-250AI. I also did one for a nephew who is primarily a bow hunter during deer season, and a shotgunner the rest of the year, though he also loves to call coyotes, and wouldn't pass-up the chance to go P-D shooting. His is still going strong after about 8yrs. Same goes for the 3rd guy, who used to shoot a lot, but has shot his 22-250AI in a few of our local BR Varmint Silhouette matches. His rifle is still in good shape after over 10yrs.
To the OP,..
I've "Down Loaded" my .22-250 Rem, 1-14 twist with, 50 Grain, Sierra F. Base SP's or, V-Max Bullets with, H-4895 or, H-380, to the 3,400- 3,550 FPS Range and keep the "Pace" of Fire, reasonably Low, to get descent Barrel "Life" and to SEE, the Sage Rat, body Parts, flip upwards, in My Braked, Med Sporter Rem. Rifle.
A Criterion, 24 inch, HEAVY Sporter size, 6 XC Barrel ( .707 Muzzle ) will get you, a very accurate, 9.5 to 10 Pound Rifle and close to, the SAME weight,.. in a .22-250 or, AI ( a Few ounce more, possibly ). Hope this, Help's !
IMO a regular .22-250 Rem. "Down Loaded" or, a .223 Rem, would be a better Choice if, Barrel Life is,.. Desired !
I've "Down Loaded" my .22-250 Rem, 1-14 twist with, 50 Grain, Sierra F. Base SP's or, V-Max Bullets with, H-4895 or, H-380, to the 3,400- 3,550 FPS Range and keep the "Pace" of Fire, reasonably Low, to get descent Barrel "Life" and to SEE, the Sage Rat, body Parts, flip upwards, in My Braked, Med Sporter Rem. Rifle.
A Criterion, 24 inch, HEAVY Sporter size, 6 XC Barrel ( .707 Muzzle ) will get you, a very accurate, 9.5 to 10 Pound Rifle and close to, the SAME weight,.. in a .22-250 or, AI ( a Few ounce more, possibly ). Hope this, Help's !
IMO a regular .22-250 Rem. "Down Loaded" or, a .223 Rem, would be a better Choice if, Barrel Life is,.. Desired !
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Coyotefurharvester
Silver $$ Contributor
3 trips, especially if you go early in the summer. Or get competitive with a group of shooters.
My 22-250 Ackley came to me as a used gun a guy was walking around a gun show about 35 years ago. It came in a package deal with a 30-06 Ackley & 2 sets of dies. Neither shot well on the 1st outing, but they do now. They're both still in the safe & I'm happy with the use that I got from them.
Unknown # of rounds on a sloppily rechambered factory Rem. 700V barrel. It came with some cryptic records & I'm guessing about 700 rounds after the rechamber but have no way of knowing for sure. Since I've owned it there has been a minimum of 1500 rnds, more likely about 17-1800. So a minimum of 2400 rnds as an Ackley is a fair guess. Most of these were at the bench but it whacked a few groundhogs at distance over the years. Loaded for max velocity with accuracy, but no rapid fire & cleaned after a day at the range, it's surprising it still shoots as well as it does.
Both rifles were damned projects when I got them. It took a week of scrubbing with Sweets to get the copper out of the barrels, but the 22-250 was shooting 4 or 5 shot groups between 1/4-3/8" regularly @ 100 yds. after all the stupid stuff got fixed. The 50gr Hornady SX or Sierra's 50 Blitz @ 3900+fps worked wonderfully until I couldn't reach the rifling anymore, so a 53 Hornady match was substituted. They dont touch anymore either. It shoots around 1/2-3/4" on a good day these days. The barrel is done. It will be rebarreled one of these days as another 22-250 Ackley. Maybe a 26" 12-twist this time. That 53gr V-max looks interesting at Mach IV.
Unknown # of rounds on a sloppily rechambered factory Rem. 700V barrel. It came with some cryptic records & I'm guessing about 700 rounds after the rechamber but have no way of knowing for sure. Since I've owned it there has been a minimum of 1500 rnds, more likely about 17-1800. So a minimum of 2400 rnds as an Ackley is a fair guess. Most of these were at the bench but it whacked a few groundhogs at distance over the years. Loaded for max velocity with accuracy, but no rapid fire & cleaned after a day at the range, it's surprising it still shoots as well as it does.
Both rifles were damned projects when I got them. It took a week of scrubbing with Sweets to get the copper out of the barrels, but the 22-250 was shooting 4 or 5 shot groups between 1/4-3/8" regularly @ 100 yds. after all the stupid stuff got fixed. The 50gr Hornady SX or Sierra's 50 Blitz @ 3900+fps worked wonderfully until I couldn't reach the rifling anymore, so a 53 Hornady match was substituted. They dont touch anymore either. It shoots around 1/2-3/4" on a good day these days. The barrel is done. It will be rebarreled one of these days as another 22-250 Ackley. Maybe a 26" 12-twist this time. That 53gr V-max looks interesting at Mach IV.
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DLT
Silver $$ Contributor
Yep looks gone to me !My 22-250 Ackley came to me as a used gun a guy was walking around a gun show about 35 years ago. It came in a package deal with a 30-06 Ackley & 2 sets of dies. Neither shot well on the 1st outing, but they do now. They're both still in the safe & I'm happy with the use that I got from them.
Unknown # of rounds on a sloppily rechambered factory Rem. 700V barrel. It came with some cryptic records & I'm guessing about 700 rounds after the rechamber but have no way of knowing for sure. Since I've owned it there has been a minimum of 1500 rnds, more likely about 17-1800. So a minimum of 2400 rnds as an Ackley is a fair guess. Most of these were at the bench but it whacked a few groundhogs at distance over the years. Loaded for max velocity with accuracy, but no rapid fire & cleaned after a day at the range, it's surprising it still shoots as well as it does.
Both rifles were damned projects when I got them. It took a week of scrubbing with Sweets to get the copper out of the barrels, but the 22-250 was shooting 4 or 5 shot groups between 1/4-3/8" regularly @ 100 yds. after all the stupid stuff got fixed. The 50gr Hornady SX or Sierra's 50 Blitz @ 3900+fps worked wonderfully until I couldn't reach the rifling anymore, so a 53 Hornady match was substituted. They dont touch anymore either. It shoots around 1/2-3/4" on a good day these days. The barrel is done. It will be rebarreled one of these days as another 22-250 Ackley. Maybe a 26" 12-twist this time. That 53gr V-max looks interesting at Mach IV.
I have a 6BR 14 twist. 3580 fps. 4200 rounds fired, still shoots under .400" with good bullets. Had it bored scoped by one of the best gunsmiths. He said it looked like 1000 shots fired. Also have a 6BRX 150 fps more speed. I usually shoot 58 or 60 gr bullets. 33.3 gr of powder to get a little under 3600 fps.
You now have over 1" of freebore. Whats it look like at 3 or 4 inches. I sectioned a 6mm Rem barrel with many shots fired. No rifling for at least 3 inches.My 22-250 Ackley came to me as a used gun a guy was walking around a gun show about 35 years ago. It came in a package deal with a 30-06 Ackley & 2 sets of dies. Neither shot well on the 1st outing, but they do now. They're both still in the safe & I'm happy with the use that I got from them.
Unknown # of rounds on a sloppily rechambered factory Rem. 700V barrel. It came with some cryptic records & I'm guessing about 700 rounds after the rechamber but have no way of knowing for sure. Since I've owned it there has been a minimum of 1500 rnds, more likely about 17-1800. So a minimum of 2400 rnds as an Ackley is a fair guess. Most of these were at the bench but it whacked a few groundhogs at distance over the years. Loaded for max velocity with accuracy, but no rapid fire & cleaned after a day at the range, it's surprising it still shoots as well as it does.
Both rifles were damned projects when I got them. It took a week of scrubbing with Sweets to get the copper out of the barrels, but the 22-250 was shooting 4 or 5 shot groups between 1/4-3/8" regularly @ 100 yds. after all the stupid stuff got fixed. The 50gr Hornady SX or Sierra's 50 Blitz @ 3900+fps worked wonderfully until I couldn't reach the rifling anymore, so a 53 Hornady match was substituted. They dont touch anymore either. It shoots around 1/2-3/4" on a good day these days. The barrel is done. It will be rebarreled one of these days as another 22-250 Ackley. Maybe a 26" 12-twist this time. That 53gr V-max looks interesting at Mach IV.
You say that like it's a good thing?
About is the magic word in the photo caption, might have been 2". The barrel is toast so just a matter of degree. I had it out last week trying N555. It shot a little tiny group at c. 3800fps, but wouldn't repeat it. Saving my nickles & dimes for a new spout. It seems like every time there's enough $$ in the cookie jar, something else comes up. Life goes on.
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