Best 22-250 rifle out of the box

[Lazydays]

Wow,
I never dreamed I would get so many responses.
Thanks guys.
Here are the loads I used.
5 shots of each--- 52gr Hornady match BTHP w/38.0 gr H380 1-1/2" group
52gr Hornady match BTHP w/35.5 gr 4064 2" group
55gr Hornady fmjbt w/38.0 gr H380 2-1/2" group
55gr Hornady fmjbt w/35.5 gr 4064 2" group

I think you maybe fighting a barrel with a slow twist rate. Try a 50 grain flat based bullet ahead of 36.5 grains of H380 with the bullet seated about .005" off the lands. If this helps then move the bullet to about .0025" off the lands. Then adjust your loaded charge. Also in this cold weather you might want to change to a hotter primer with the ball powder. I like Federal mags when it's real cold outside.

 

[bozo699]

Hi,
I just joined .
I'm looking for advice.
I recently bought a used Weatherby Vanguard 22-250.
Took it out to the range with 4 different reloads to see how it would shoot.
I'm not satisfied with it's accuracy and already thinking about selling it
and buying something NEW.
I'm looking for recommendations on the most accurate 22-250 out of the box

if the Vanguard has the thin light barrel, you have to shoot it with a cold barrel. Kind of the nature of the beast. But sounds like the rifle may have some bedding issues. Have you tightened the bedding screws with a good torque wrench yet? If not loosen them and retighten them in about three steps till you get to about 40 inch pounds. (also a good time to inspect the condition of the bedding)

Now for the most accurate out of the box, and also not knowing your budgit!

* the Coopers and Savages are by far the best. Never owned a Cooper, but have seen them turn out some nice groups one right after another. I have owned three Savages (one 112BVSS-s and one 112BVSS, plus a 12BVSS-s) The first one always shot in the quarter inch range, and have shot sub .20" groups more than once. Sad as it may be the rifle was stolen, and I do miss it. The second one had the internal magazine, and will always shoot in the low .30" range. The third is a short action single shot. I've only put a 150 rounds thruit, and it's already in the mid .20" range. The first two rifles were built within a month of each other, and the last one was built about ten years later if that matters much. The second one has the Rifle Basix trigger, and the stock is slightly modifed to make it more comfortable for me to shoot. Nothing else. The newer one is as it came out of the box with the Accutrigger as factory set (about 1.5lb.).

* on the otherhand I shot at least a dozen Remingtons thru the years and the best was shooting groups in the .40" range with hand loads and 50 grain bullets. I did have a Winchester Mod. 70 heavy varmit rig for awhile that would shoot right at 1.5" groups no matter what you ran thru it. It's now a 6BR by the way. The Remingtons and the Winchesters come with a 14 twist barrel, and that kinda limits you to bullet selection, but also has a couple slight advantages that 98% will never see. Savage normally ships a 12 twist barrel, and this is much better, but also offer a 9 twist barrel to allow you to shoot much heavier bullets that in the end will give you more range.

* the Cooper has the best barrel! The Savage is button rifled and much better than 98% of the production rifles sold. The Savage barrels are a little too long for a 22-250 at 26" (looking at case capacity verses bore diameter). Need a better recoil lug (as does Remington). Savage has the best bolt head design and the fastest lock time for a factory rifle. The Savage varmit stock rides the bags better than the other three, if that matters a lot. Off hand shooting I like the Remington stock design better.

Well it sounds like your Savages all shoot better then most guy's customs.
Wayne.

 

[ed k]

Lots of good info stated here. Only statement i have i got from my brother. It was about a USED car but still applies. He didn't get rid of it(car-gun) because he was in love with the sob. Good Luck with the gun. ED K

 

[langenc]

One of the biggest things w/ a Weatherby is the long throat, if I remember correctly.

To get 0.010 off the lands the cartridges will have to be LLLOOOONNNNGGG.
Measure the rifle w/ that now Hornady measuring device. You will probably be surprised.

I expect bullets wont be seated very far to nearly touch the lands.

Ill be watching the discussion here as I have a Weatherby and this will be the year to get it shooting and deer hunting w/ it.

 

[shooter65]

I have had many 22-250's along the way. For a factory rifle I would go with the Sako 75 as well. Cooper's are also very good. You could always get yours re barreled as another option.

Take a look at Sako's all old models and the 75 and 85. will give you that kind of accuracy. Not sure about the A7? don't care for it.

 

[Lazydays]

From my little knowlege and experience. It seems factory rifles is a hit or miss. Pretty much luck . I have read reviews on a certain rifle and some people say thiers shoot great and others say theirs dont shoot well. I read Savage rifles are consistantly great shooting rifles out of the box. But like I said it can be a hit or miss. My factory Rem 700 .223 shoots better than my factory Savage .223. But...my Rem is $400 more than the Savage. The Rem has a H&S stock with aluminum bedding blocks and a 26" heavy varmint barrel and my Savage has a cheap flimsy stock with a 22 inch sporter barrel thats not free floated. If that means anything ??? Good luck on your rifle purchase. If I was you I would look at a Savage Model 12 heavy barrel .223 with a Mcmillan or H&S stock or a Rem 700P heavy barrel .223 with a Mcmillan or H&S stock 1/9 twist. AND AGAIN.....it could be a good shooter or it might shoot like crap!

I went shooting yesterday with my "stock" Rem 700P 1/9 twist .223. Nothing been done to the rifle besides the X mark trigger lowered to 1.5 pounds and I reload my own ammo. It was 29 degrees and zero wind. I was shooting from a Harris bipod and rear sandbag. This is a 5 shoot group at 100 yards. The load data is 24.7 grains of Varget, .005 off lands, Winchester brass, Fed 205 primers and 69g Seirra Match King bullets. .542" from farthest side to farthers side - .224" = .318" group. Not to shabby for a stock rifle! Like other side. Go with a .223 than 22-250. More barrel life, cheaper to shoot and you can shoot alot more rounds in a shorter period of time without heating up the barrel. Fun caliber to shoot! It will kill just as much as a 22-250.

I seen several .223 savage varmit rifles shoot 5/16" groups right out of the box with little load development. Never owned a .223 savage, so I don't know what the bottom limit is with one of them. I do shoot Savage 22-250's (three of them), and all three are very consistent. Two are single shot rifles and one of course has the mag well. One of these is a short action single shot mod. 12, and the other two are 112's with one being a single shot rifle. The single shot guns group slightly tighter, and seem to be a little more consistent in shot to shot. I did have to do a barrel setback on the 112 with the magazine, but that was after a lot of rounds went thru it. Rechambered it with a 22-250 N.M. reamer that fire formed cases virtually identical to what was comming out of the chamber before (throat was gone in that barrel). Now the 112BVss-s rifle will always shoot in the high to mid twos, and has shot a few groups in the very high ones. The 112BVss will always shoot in the low threes, and often dips down into the low twos. These two rifles started out shooting in the mid to low fours with an occassional flier. As the barrels broke in the fliers seemed to be less and less. The 12BVss-s started out in the very low fours and high threes, and shoots right in the high twos fairly consistently right now. That rifle is exactly the way it came out of the box except for mounts and bases. I have not even touched the trigger adjustments. I may rebarrel it into a 6BR as I have too many 22-250's to worry about.

I do coyotes hunt a lot with a Remington 700VS in .223N.M. Shots around here are usually in the less than 300 yard range anyway, and this little rifle fits the bill almost perfectly. It's a solid mid fours rifle, but is also nothing similar to what Remington shipped to me. Needs a new barrel really really bad! But I like the weight and feel of the rifle too much to part with it or quit shooting it. I also have a Lo-Wall I'm just starting out on a new adventure with (.223). I already know it won't shoot with the big dogs, but it's a seriously neat little rifle. I wish it was chambered in .222 remington instead of .223, but can't have my cake and eat it at the sametime!
gary

 

[Lazydays]

The trouble with these discussions is that we don't know enough details. Over the years, I have seen a lot of fellows at the range that were trying different loads and they were making some serious mistakes that kept them from achieving their goal. So often the discussion goes directly to loads when there are a multitude of factors that must be right to get good accuracy. IMO if the bedding isn't right, or the scope or its mount have problems, if the fellow really thinks that there is no wind, and has no way to verify this, it the trigger is as it came from the factory, and so on and so on. Take your rifle to the range and shoot five five shot groups, counting every shot that was aimed at the target, no called pulled shots or alibis. measure one bullet hole, and use that to subtract from your outside to outside group measurement, to convert to center to center. Average the groups. That is how accurate your rifle is, not the smallest group you shot on a given day. Again, just my opinion...

On a more positive note, the group that the fellow posted as having been shot with his Remington using a bipod was excellent. IMO if he had had a couple of wind flags out, the horizontal might have been cut in half, but is is impressive nonetheless.

good point! Few factory stocked rifles come with a very good bedding job! Even the pillar bedded ones could be done much better. Then there's the recoil lug issue that seems to suck on 98% of the factory rifles. But for me the really scarey deal was when I did the barrel check using data I gleaned from Bill Calfee. Factory barrels are most often a gamble right out of the box!
gary

 

[Lazydays]

One of the biggest things w/ a Weatherby is the long throat, if I remember correctly.

To get 0.010 off the lands the cartridges will have to be LLLOOOONNNNGGG.
Measure the rifle w/ that now Hornady measuring device. You will probably be surprised.

I expect bullets wont be seated very far to nearly touch the lands.

Ill be watching the discussion here as I have a Weatherby and this will be the year to get it shooting and deer hunting w/ it.

I've owned several Weatherbys thru the years, and only the Weatherby mags have free bore in them. I have two 30-06's that have no free bore, and I know the 25-06 didn't as well
gary

 

[Lazydays]

Hi,
I just joined .
I'm looking for advice.
I recently bought a used Weatherby Vanguard 22-250.
Took it out to the range with 4 different reloads to see how it would shoot.
I'm not satisfied with it's accuracy and already thinking about selling it
and buying something NEW.
I'm looking for recommendations on the most accurate 22-250 out of the box

if the Vanguard has the thin light barrel, you have to shoot it with a cold barrel. Kind of the nature of the beast. But sounds like the rifle may have some bedding issues. Have you tightened the bedding screws with a good torque wrench yet? If not loosen them and retighten them in about three steps till you get to about 40 inch pounds. (also a good time to inspect the condition of the bedding)

Now for the most accurate out of the box, and also not knowing your budgit!

* the Coopers and Savages are by far the best. Never owned a Cooper, but have seen them turn out some nice groups one right after another. I have owned three Savages (one 112BVSS-s and one 112BVSS, plus a 12BVSS-s) The first one always shot in the quarter inch range, and have shot sub .20" groups more than once. Sad as it may be the rifle was stolen, and I do miss it. The second one had the internal magazine, and will always shoot in the low .30" range. The third is a short action single shot. I've only put a 150 rounds thruit, and it's already in the mid .20" range. The first two rifles were built within a month of each other, and the last one was built about ten years later if that matters much. The second one has the Rifle Basix trigger, and the stock is slightly modifed to make it more comfortable for me to shoot. Nothing else. The newer one is as it came out of the box with the Accutrigger as factory set (about 1.5lb.).

* on the otherhand I shot at least a dozen Remingtons thru the years and the best was shooting groups in the .40" range with hand loads and 50 grain bullets. I did have a Winchester Mod. 70 heavy varmit rig for awhile that would shoot right at 1.5" groups no matter what you ran thru it. It's now a 6BR by the way. The Remingtons and the Winchesters come with a 14 twist barrel, and that kinda limits you to bullet selection, but also has a couple slight advantages that 98% will never see. Savage normally ships a 12 twist barrel, and this is much better, but also offer a 9 twist barrel to allow you to shoot much heavier bullets that in the end will give you more range.

* the Cooper has the best barrel! The Savage is button rifled and much better than 98% of the production rifles sold. The Savage barrels are a little too long for a 22-250 at 26" (looking at case capacity verses bore diameter). Need a better recoil lug (as does Remington). Savage has the best bolt head design and the fastest lock time for a factory rifle. The Savage varmit stock rides the bags better than the other three, if that matters a lot. Off hand shooting I like the Remington stock design better.

Well it sounds like your Savages all shoot better then most guy's customs.
Wayne.

I think I happened upon some very good load during development. But on the otherhand I saw one a couple guys had a little south of me that shot even better. They had a home built trigger that I wish they'd market, and a lot of bedding work. I honestly think the key with a Savage (and some remingtons) is to go with a single shot action and learn to shoot slow. Hot loads don't always produce great groups with certain bullets, but others do want hot loads. 3400fps to 3500fps seems to about right for savages with a 55 grain bullet, and they seem selective in bullet brands and shapes.

gary

 

[Bears3469]

Well it's been a while since I started this thread.
Since then I sold the Weatherby and after a lot of research I bought
a new Savage 12BVSS in 22-250 cal.
I took it out to the range To start the break-in process.
Fired 10 rounds, cleaning after each shot.
When the weather cooperates I'll start 3 shots and clean.
I hope this works.
Thank for all the help guys.
I'm hoping I made a good choice.
It's actually been fun so far.

 

[nonliberal]

Well it's been a while since I started this thread.
Since then I sold the Weatherby and after a lot of research I bought
a new Savage 12BVSS in 22-250 cal.
I took it out to the range To start the break-in process.
Fired 10 rounds, cleaning after each shot.
When the weather cooperates I'll start 3 shots and clean.
I hope this works.
Thank for all the help guys.
I'm hoping I made a good choice.
It's actually been fun so far.

You made a great choice. Mine shoots many bullets well but it loves the 60grain vmax. That very rifle got me hooked on accuracy.

 

[BoydAllen]

In my experience, the Savage stainless varmint barrels will show a little blue from breakin to about 200 rounds, but not enough to be a problem. If you try to break it in till it all goes away, I think that you will be wasting barrel for nothing. Just clean it well when you do.