22x47 vs 22-250AI

[skeetlee]

I am just thinking out loud here but i am thinking i will do a coyote hunting rifle with an action i just bought. I got a good deal on an older rem 700 short action. I sold my ar rifle i used to wack coyotes with so i need to come up with a bolt rifle to take its place. I am thinking a 22 cal and i like to be different so i am considering a 22x47L or a 22-250AI. My smith has the reamers for either one so thats not a problem. I like the lapua brass and i have heard some good accuracy reports from the 47L case whether it be a 6mm or 6.5mm or even 22 cal. I dont know to much about the 22-250Ai except it pretty popular and its fast. Is the 22-250 know for great accuracy or is it just good accuracy?? I dont see much offered for reloading dies for the 22x47L. I know i can use a bushing die to neck size but what about full length sizing and seating dies? I like the idea of going with the 47L but does it make better since to just go with the 250AI?? Anyone have any input, or thoughts??? Thanks Lee

 

[BradY]

coyotes like other critters can only get so dead and you wont get them any more dead.

Personally i would stick with a factory cartridge and not bother with necking down and lots of case prep only to lose cases in the field. Ive been doing that with my 22BRX and its a pain in the rear end and expensive too. My 20 practical i get 223 remington brass for free from professional kangaroo cullers who only use factory ammo. Neck it down load it and if I lose it no big deal. I would cry if i started losing lapua necked down 223 brass though.

If you still want to use lapua brass why not go a 308 and 110gr vmax's for coyotes?

 

[skeetlee]

You must not shoot very many coyotes. Coyotes can be pretty tuff to kill. I have split them in half with 75gr v-max and they still run a half mile. Besides that that doesnt have anything to do with the question. they are both 22Cal's so i dont see your point of view!! Rifles and reloading is what i love to do, so a little case prep isn't an issue either. You do have a small point about loosing brass, as that does happen. However i dont think i will loose enough to worry about it. I am more interested in accuracy and performance. Thanks for your thoughts though!! Lee

 

[BradY]

No mate never shot one at all, im in Aus,kangaroos mentioned in my previous post)

If you have shot them with 75gr vmax and they run then maybe the 308 isnt a bad idea.

But if your going to stick to 22 cals what was wrong with the BR or BRX that you were going to build? A BRX does the same as a 22-250AI with less powder. Get two barrels done, one for each action and when you retire match cases, use them for hunting.

All the movies I see for coyote hunting they use 243's 22-250's or 270's pretty much. Most of them dont run far if at all.

 

[skeetlee]

I did have the 22br built and it is awesome. Problem is it is a bench gun. Not exactly set up for a hunting rifle. I do love those BR's. I am waiting on my 6 dasher to show up tomorrow. I hope it is as accurate as the 22br. It is also a bench type rifle. I need a dedicated coyote rifle!!! Thanks for your input!! Lee

 

[vlcakc]

I have two .22/250AI barrels that I've had for a while and a new .22X47L barrel that I've just started load testing. The .22X47L case,Lapua) capacity is slightly more than a standard .22/250 Rem and less than the .22/250AI,fireformed Remington). The advantage of the .22X47L, of course, is the availability of Lapua brass. I have Remington, Winchester and Federal brass for the .22/250AI's and prefer Remington which I've found to be quite good, but not up to Lapua standards of course. Recently I've been shooting some reformed Norma 6XC brass in the .22/250AI and find it to be of excellent quality. Dies for the .22/250AI are much easier to come by than for the .22X47L. For a coyote rifle, if you're not saving the hides, I think either caliber would be a great choice. For a PD rifle I would go with the .22/250AI because of much less work prepping the hundreds of cases needed. The .22/250AI will burn a bit more powder, but give higher velocities due to the larger case capacity. Accuracy should be very good from either caliber in custom barrels. Good shooting, Vic

 

[MarkS]

skeetlee,

I have a 22-250AI it is a great round. You can get great brass in Nosler & Norma loading dies are eazy to get, accuracy is great, speed is there 3800f/s with a 55gr bullet. The 22x47L sound like a good round also. The dies will need to be custom most likely, just cost more.

If you are wanting speed, look at the 22-6mmAI or 22 x 284, barrel life is not so good. Not too good with the rounds you have picked. Sometime that is the price you have to pay, for the round you want.

One more, have you look at the big 20 cal, 20-250 or the 20 x 47L.

Mark Schronce

 

[skeetlee]

When i get around to a 20cal it will be a 20br no doubt!! Thanks Lee

 

[j_22250]

your definatly on the right track with your cartridge choices. any more and your jst wasting powder and burning up barrels. the brass prep. on 22-250ai would be a little eaiser than on a 22x47L,neck down twice, trim, then proly fl size and definatly some nech turning some where in between). what about a 22br? brass and dies are easy to find and from what i've read it's no sloutch either. it falls in between a .223 and 22-250ai, perfect if you ask me. i don't have one cuz i already have everything else. maybe i'll build one in the future.

here are some other options to consider: 6x47L, 6-250ai,6mm rem, .243win or 243ai w/ slower twist rate and some 58gr. v-max's? then you might could work up some 70 and 85gr loads for those longer shots and with proly a little better barrel life too.

lots of good choices, best thing is to not get in a big hurry reasearch them all and really make up your mind what you want to go with.

here are some interesting links that helpd me come to a decision when i was in your shoes:

http://www.the-long-family.com/6mm_22-250.htm
http://www.varmintal.com/avarm.htm

 

[Rtheurer]

Lee

Yep them yotes can be some tough SOB's. I was in your exact same spot not too long ago. I used to carry a Howa 223 Bolt gun in my old pickuptruck. It had a Lilja 18' pipe on it and shot really well with 55gr Balistic tips. I happened across some fresh tracks in the snow one day. I drove by a ways and called in the suspected Yote only to plant a solid hit on him at about 200 yards and he got away. That ended My 223 days. I searched a long time for the long shot and high speed and most accurate case I could find for this task. I picked a 1:10 twist 243 AI shooting 95gr Berger VLD's at 3600+ FPS. Its a laser beam.

I would think a Berger 80gr VLD out of a 22Dasher or 22BR would be a good set up. You already have all the parts for the build. Old Benchrest brass would be fine for bustin dogs.

6 Dasher with a 95gr Berger VLD would be another one of my choices.

Oh so many toys and so little time.

I got a feeling you like to tinker, so the plain ole 22-250AI might not be most fun of all mentioned.

My vote is for a 22 Dasher.

RussT

 

[medicineman]

Why not get the best of both worlds? I built a 22x47 improved for my coyote gun. It is easy as just running the 22-250 AI reamer in .050 short, and trimming the same amount off the dies. It is actually a little more efficient than the 22-250 AI. My best load for coyotes is a 65 gr. Sierra game king pushed by 39.4 grs. of H4350 for 3750 fps. The Lapua brass will take more pressure than any 22-250 brass available, and last 4 times as long. The 65 SGK's hit like a sledge hammer, and were originally designed for shooting red kangaroos,,they're pretty tough from what I hear).

 

[RJinTexas]

Medicineman is Fred Moreo of Sharp Shooters Supply. What a great idea for a fast .224 without all the hassles of a 22-243 or 22-6mm and I'd suspect much better better barrel life as well. Being I just happen to have a deluxe die set in 22-250AI laying around and not being utilized I believe this calls for a new barrel for one of my Savages. If it turns out to shoot anywhere nearly as well as my new 20 VarTarg he made for me last year I'll be ecstatic.

I wonder what twist he's using???? Fred thanks for pointing at least me in the right direction.

RJ Hamilton

 

[j_22250]

a 22-243 or 22-6mm,.224tth) would definatly be more user friendly than 22x47L especially improved. since dies are harder to find medicineman has a good solution. ofcourse for us non-gunsmiths we still have to buy the dies, then pay someone else to trim them. dies are usually availiabe in 22-243/22-6mm and only one step to necking down cases. you can start loading ammo as soon as they come in and no hassle of having to make something work. it's always easier to jst start out with something that works to begin with. plus it's also easier to find 243 and 6mm brass. with a 22x47L you have to form brass outta 6.5x47L. it can proly be acheived in one step, but it would be better to neck it down a little at a time; this way you can trim and turn case necks if necessary befor and not after you find they need it.

my vote for a wilcat goes to 22-6mm,22-243 looks funky to me), 22br or dasher, and 6x47L.
either straight or improved 22-250, 220swift, .243, or 6mm.

btw most factory 22-250 shoot good right outta the box.

 

[medicineman]

I'm using a 26' 1-8' Douglas. I played with some 90 gr. SMK's over the chronograph and got 3350 fps. with a compressed load of Rel 22. I couldn't get enough in the case to give me any pressure problems, you could lift the bolt with one finger and the e.s. was 18 f.ps.

 

[RJinTexas]

j_22250, I'm not knocking the 22-250 or 22-250AI they're both winners, but they both heat up way to fast to use them in high volume shooting such in a p-dog town. My 22-250 got so hot that after firing a ten shot string I'd have to lay it down for 30 minutes or so. I shot out a 22-6mmAI in 800 rounds and a shooting buddy's 22-243 didn't make it much beyond 1000 rounds before it went south. I agree with you that for a designated yote rifle about any of the above cartridges would work great. I just like those short fat Lapua cases. I'm still going to inquire about barrel life and heating issues prior to ordering one.

RJ

 

[j_22250]

a 22x47,L)/improved would have the same or more powder than a 22-250/22-250ai. maybe a 22br/dasher would be a better choice for you rj. or even 223ai that way you would still be able to use lapua brass. for better barrel life step it up to 6mm cal. my 22-250 has a heavy barrel on it, you can shoot 20rnds. thru it and not feel the heat. i don't ever jst keep blasting w/ it tho.

i'm simply jst replying to skeetlee first post. since he was asking about 22-250/22-250ai. i jst assumed he was wanting to keep things simple for a coyote rifle.

skeetlee, my coyote/deer rifle is 6x47L w/ a 26' sendero contour and a varmint stock which could be used as a bench gun. my 22-250 has a 24' heavy barrel. jst use what you have; from the sound of it you've already got some nice guns.

 

[eddybo]

22x47 rocks IMO, and it is a great use for all that 6-6.5x47 brass too old to use in matches and too new to chunk. VV560 gives great case fill with the 90s and vv550 worked great with 40 grain bullets. I took my switch barrel 22x47 remington 700 with 7.5 twist and 14 twist barrels both chambered in 22x47 on a PD hunt this year. I lost a few bullets out of the fast twist barrel but otherwise things went great.
No brass turning, just necking down my old used f-class brass by switching a bushing in my s-die accuracy was great.

That idea of holding the 22-250AI reamer short sounds like a great idea.

 

[357Mag]

Skeets -

Howdy !

As an apples-apples comparo...

My 22-35 wildcat is in same size class as 22-47L you mentioh.
The .35 Rem necked down to .224' calibre ) got me 3,690fps from a 24' 1-14 barrel. Load was 41.2gr WW760 and Fed LR Mag Match; under Hornady 55 SX.

From a 28' 1-8 and same wildcat .224' case...
a load of 40.5gr AA3100 and FED LR Mag Match put 3,500fps on Horandy 75 'A'-Max.

Primer change on that load shrunk group, and gave vel of 3,420fps.


I have the reamers, case form dies,reload dies, and brass for sale.

Regards,
357Mag