223 to 22-250

[robbor]

I have an extra savage 223 barrel that i was thinking about trying to rechamber to 22-250 so i dont have to buy additional brass and dies. Could i just get a 22-250 reamer and ream the barrel by hand?

 

[Preacher]

It's possible to do it by hand if your careful and use a reamer with the correct bushing.
I made a small 3 inch diameter wheel out of Walnut and Accu-glassed it to slide on the end of the reamer to do a little tweaking by hand...

 

[Clark]

The brass and dies are not the only issue, there is the bolt face.

That said, the .223 is a better cartridge than the 22-250 with factory slow twist barrels.

The 22-250 may be registered at 65,000 psi and the 223 at 55,000 psi, but in reality, the 223 is capable of much higher pressure, due to the stronger case design.

This makes the factory 22-250 rifles ultimate performance almost identical to the 223.

Rebarrelled 22-250 rifles with fast twist and long heavy bullets are another story.

 

[robbor]

Im still waiting to find a PTG reamer on sale in their specials.
The rifle is a savage that is already the 473 bolt face, i did buy the small bolt face for it but would still need the magazine, brass, dies and primers, when i already have everything for the 22-250. I still may end up using the barrel as is,223), depends on what i run across and when i decided to get off my seat and get the rifle shooting. Im in the lead ban area and mainly a hunter, so i could really use a fast twist barrel in any configuration for these sucky non lead bullets.

 

[Ackman]

Im still waiting to find a PTG reamer on sale in their specials.
The rifle is a savage that is already the 473 bolt face, i did buy the small bolt face for it but would still need the magazine, brass, dies and primers, when i already have everything for the 22-250. I still may end up using the barrel as is,223), depends on what i run across and when i decided to get off my seat and get the rifle shooting. Im in the lead ban area and mainly a hunter, so i could really use a fast twist barrel in any configuration for these sucky non lead bullets.

If you plan to buy a reamer, don't mess around waiting for a sale. What you'll get is one with generic-spec's. Get your brass and measure it, then spec the reamer to fit. It'll cost more than one that's on sale, so what. You'll have exactly the chamber you want. Then have it done right, on a lathe by someone who knows what he's doing. With a good chamber the barrel will shoot to it's potential. Cheap out and you'll have to live with it every time you pull the trigger.

You also might consider a .223AI, or a 22-250AI which is another step above the std 22-250.

My rifles...
.223 = 50@3640
.223AI = 50@3825
.22-250 = 50@3800-3900
.22-250AI = 50@4150-4250

 

[watercam]

Or rent a good reamer from 4D Products,www.4-dproducts.com). They only send products that work as intended - sized and sharp. Just ran a 6XC reamer into an undersized chamber I had and it now sings as it should. You can get reamer and gauges for less than $30.