All -
Howdy !
I designed the “ .22-35 Remington “ wildcat ( Oct 1975 ), as my idea of the ideal .224”cal case capacity
for propelling 55gr .224” cal varmint bullets…. without being “ over-bore “ in capacity.
The first barrel was a 24” SS Hart 1-14 5-groove taylored for shooting NE Indiana groundhog
using Hornady’s redoubtable .224” cal .55 SX. Fred Sinclair set the rifle up specifically for shooting this bullet. That was back in early 1977.
When the original barrel started to keyhole the random shot, I had James Peightal re-barrel the rifle for my .22-35 chambering; in a 28” SS K & P 1-8 5-groove. I shot Hornady 75 “ A”- Max in the rifle, exclusively.
The gun gave me an honest 1,000yd groundhog kill capability. That work took place in 2002.
When I developed trouble seeing .224” cal bullet holes on paper @ 300yd….when looking through a 2X-
“ boosted “ T-36; I switched to using 6mm. After campaigning a 6mm wildcat of my own design for 19yr,
After having cataract surgery done on both eyes, I decided it was time once again try another .22-35 anti-groundhog rifle.
Hornady used to ship their 224” cal 55SX bullets w/ a slip of paper inside… that cautioned re-loaders not
to exceeed 3,400fps w/ these bullets; which have a .009” thin jacket. During a phone call to Steve Hornady, I told him I was propelling the 55SX to 3,700fps successfully…. never experiencing any in-flight blow ups.
Steve was suprised. Then … an idea took root in the back of my mind…. Could the 55SX be coaxed to 4,000fps, and stay together ? While the .220 Swift became famous for propelling a bullet to 4,000fps, that vel was reached using a 48gr bullet. Propelling a 55gr wt varmint bullet to 4,000fps presents its own technical challenges. Rather than over-task a .22-250 or a .220Swift, what made the most sense to me was to give my varmint rifle a new barrel that provides an improved “ expansion ratio “ when using the .22-35 cartridge. That meant… increasing barrel length for use w/ my chosen chamber capacity.
To my way of thinking…. the biggest contributor towards successs in reaching the 4,000 fps goal, would be to gradually accelerate the spin of the bullet; via use of a “ gain twist “ barrel. Even though the bullet stability calculator I used was intended for boat tail bullets, I figured I could still match the stability factor the calculator showed for the FB 55SX @ 3,7000…. by making an informed choice on the twist for my new 3rd barrel which would be shooting the same FB bullet @ 4,000fps. And, to more-gradually introduce a faster twist rate as the bullet traveled down the bore; my thought was to use “ gain twist “.
When you want to talk about obtaining a “gain twist “ Tier one premium barrel, Mark @ Bartlein Barrels is the man you should to talk to. After we talked at-length, I spec’d my barrel order for a 1.375” diam straight bull SS 4- groove barrel, w/ a blank that would support a minimum 30” finish length. The gain twist I specified was 1-14.75“ initial twist rate…. gaining to 1-14.25” at the muzzle.
That barrel arrived, today !!! I have included some pics….
The first pic shows what a thousand dead groundhogs looks like.
The following pictures show the new gain twist barrel, and the chamber reamer and RCBS custom case forming die set. I also have a custom Hornady “ .22-35 “ bullet seater w/ Micro-just top and dedicated 55SX seater stem, and a Hornady custom combo “ shoulder bump / bushing NS “ die that accepts Wilson bushings: which are not pictured.
Will be sending the barrel out for chambering, but first need to form new sample “ inert “ cartridges, for the riflesmith’s use when cutting the chamber and leade.
The 55SX has always shot for me well seated for .002”off the lands, and the bullet’ body seated .125”
( half way ) into the top of the .250” lg neck.
With regards,
357Mag
Howdy !
I designed the “ .22-35 Remington “ wildcat ( Oct 1975 ), as my idea of the ideal .224”cal case capacity
for propelling 55gr .224” cal varmint bullets…. without being “ over-bore “ in capacity.
The first barrel was a 24” SS Hart 1-14 5-groove taylored for shooting NE Indiana groundhog
using Hornady’s redoubtable .224” cal .55 SX. Fred Sinclair set the rifle up specifically for shooting this bullet. That was back in early 1977.
When the original barrel started to keyhole the random shot, I had James Peightal re-barrel the rifle for my .22-35 chambering; in a 28” SS K & P 1-8 5-groove. I shot Hornady 75 “ A”- Max in the rifle, exclusively.
The gun gave me an honest 1,000yd groundhog kill capability. That work took place in 2002.
When I developed trouble seeing .224” cal bullet holes on paper @ 300yd….when looking through a 2X-
“ boosted “ T-36; I switched to using 6mm. After campaigning a 6mm wildcat of my own design for 19yr,
After having cataract surgery done on both eyes, I decided it was time once again try another .22-35 anti-groundhog rifle.
Hornady used to ship their 224” cal 55SX bullets w/ a slip of paper inside… that cautioned re-loaders not
to exceeed 3,400fps w/ these bullets; which have a .009” thin jacket. During a phone call to Steve Hornady, I told him I was propelling the 55SX to 3,700fps successfully…. never experiencing any in-flight blow ups.
Steve was suprised. Then … an idea took root in the back of my mind…. Could the 55SX be coaxed to 4,000fps, and stay together ? While the .220 Swift became famous for propelling a bullet to 4,000fps, that vel was reached using a 48gr bullet. Propelling a 55gr wt varmint bullet to 4,000fps presents its own technical challenges. Rather than over-task a .22-250 or a .220Swift, what made the most sense to me was to give my varmint rifle a new barrel that provides an improved “ expansion ratio “ when using the .22-35 cartridge. That meant… increasing barrel length for use w/ my chosen chamber capacity.
To my way of thinking…. the biggest contributor towards successs in reaching the 4,000 fps goal, would be to gradually accelerate the spin of the bullet; via use of a “ gain twist “ barrel. Even though the bullet stability calculator I used was intended for boat tail bullets, I figured I could still match the stability factor the calculator showed for the FB 55SX @ 3,7000…. by making an informed choice on the twist for my new 3rd barrel which would be shooting the same FB bullet @ 4,000fps. And, to more-gradually introduce a faster twist rate as the bullet traveled down the bore; my thought was to use “ gain twist “.
When you want to talk about obtaining a “gain twist “ Tier one premium barrel, Mark @ Bartlein Barrels is the man you should to talk to. After we talked at-length, I spec’d my barrel order for a 1.375” diam straight bull SS 4- groove barrel, w/ a blank that would support a minimum 30” finish length. The gain twist I specified was 1-14.75“ initial twist rate…. gaining to 1-14.25” at the muzzle.
That barrel arrived, today !!! I have included some pics….
The first pic shows what a thousand dead groundhogs looks like.
The following pictures show the new gain twist barrel, and the chamber reamer and RCBS custom case forming die set. I also have a custom Hornady “ .22-35 “ bullet seater w/ Micro-just top and dedicated 55SX seater stem, and a Hornady custom combo “ shoulder bump / bushing NS “ die that accepts Wilson bushings: which are not pictured.
Will be sending the barrel out for chambering, but first need to form new sample “ inert “ cartridges, for the riflesmith’s use when cutting the chamber and leade.
The 55SX has always shot for me well seated for .002”off the lands, and the bullet’ body seated .125”
( half way ) into the top of the .250” lg neck.
With regards,
357Mag
