BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
The weather is warming, and my interest in gong to the range is increasing with the temperature. Some time back, I picked up several 50 bullet boxes of .22 cal. Nosler Lead Free Ballistic Tips, being "blessed" with a requirement of using lead free bullets in a good deal of California. I thought that it might be politic to either move out of state or develop a lead free load for one of my varmint rifles. The latter being much easier, I am taking the road of least resistance, and working up a lead free load.
The first thing that I am doing is to determine what seating depth will put these bullets in firm contact (a goodly amount of thumb pressure on the Sinclair tools rod) with the rifling of my factory Savage varmint weight barrel's chamber. For those of you who are curious, here are the numbers. Using a bullet, fired case, and the Sinclair rod and stop collar tool, I came up with a tip to head length of 2.510", and given that this particular case measured 1.940, and the bullet. .782, the length of bullet shank (FB bullet) in the neck worked out to .176....plenty, especially considering the thickness of the unturned necks. While I was at it, I put my old Stoney Point (bought before they sold to Hornady) ogive length tool, on my dial caliper, (leaving the caliper zeroed as before) and came up with an ogive to bullet base measurement of (which of course includes the tool) of 1.390". Adding this to my previously determined back of case to base of bullet measurement of 1.740 gave me my loaded round measurement, from bullet ogive to back of case.....3.130". For .22 cal varmint loads I have usually found that I get my best results .006 to .010 longer than hard touch, so I will set my seater to the former (These bullets seem a bit harder than lead core, but that is just a guess.) and load up a pressure series in half grain intervals starting at 34.5 gr of Varget, and going up to 38.5 grains, one shot each, expecting to have to pull 2-3 bullets with my inertial puller. Normally I would set up to load at the range, but this time around the big question is will the bullets stabilize with a 12" twist, and where is the upper pressure limit? I don't want to make a big deal out of this trip, for the .22-250, having other fish to fry. I want to spend some time with my 40X rimfire.
Now the question: Have any of you loaded with this bullet in this caliber, for a 12" twist barrel, and if you have, what were your results?
The first thing that I am doing is to determine what seating depth will put these bullets in firm contact (a goodly amount of thumb pressure on the Sinclair tools rod) with the rifling of my factory Savage varmint weight barrel's chamber. For those of you who are curious, here are the numbers. Using a bullet, fired case, and the Sinclair rod and stop collar tool, I came up with a tip to head length of 2.510", and given that this particular case measured 1.940, and the bullet. .782, the length of bullet shank (FB bullet) in the neck worked out to .176....plenty, especially considering the thickness of the unturned necks. While I was at it, I put my old Stoney Point (bought before they sold to Hornady) ogive length tool, on my dial caliper, (leaving the caliper zeroed as before) and came up with an ogive to bullet base measurement of (which of course includes the tool) of 1.390". Adding this to my previously determined back of case to base of bullet measurement of 1.740 gave me my loaded round measurement, from bullet ogive to back of case.....3.130". For .22 cal varmint loads I have usually found that I get my best results .006 to .010 longer than hard touch, so I will set my seater to the former (These bullets seem a bit harder than lead core, but that is just a guess.) and load up a pressure series in half grain intervals starting at 34.5 gr of Varget, and going up to 38.5 grains, one shot each, expecting to have to pull 2-3 bullets with my inertial puller. Normally I would set up to load at the range, but this time around the big question is will the bullets stabilize with a 12" twist, and where is the upper pressure limit? I don't want to make a big deal out of this trip, for the .22-250, having other fish to fry. I want to spend some time with my 40X rimfire.
Now the question: Have any of you loaded with this bullet in this caliber, for a 12" twist barrel, and if you have, what were your results?
