Fast twist 22-250...barrel life?

[BoilerUP]

Thinking of buying a 26" 22-250 varmint contour tube for a Savage build, with the intention of using the 75gr A-Max for punching paper, ringing steel, & possibly varmint hunting out to 600yd (all I have available). I'm thinking a 9 twist will work as my 223 loves the 75gr HPBT, but an 8 twist would probably let me use common 77gr offerings too.

Using heavier bullets with at fast twist around 3200fps, anybody have personal experience on expected barrel life? I'd also be interested in how it compares to a 12 or 14 twist barrel where 40gr bullets are pushed close to 4000fps and 50-55gr around 3800fps.

I'm not exactly a high volume shooter (lucky to get a single rifle to 500 rounds/yr) and understand barrels are consumables just like powder & bullets...but I'm not interested in an extreme barrel burner.

Thanks...

 

[jkohler]

boilerup
I have a 22-250 Ai build up with 8tw hart barrel for the 75gr A-max. It shot really nice tell about the 1000 round mark then it just give up. It will still shoot 1 moa at 100 yards but she is a copper mine also.

 

[357Mag]

Boiler -

Howdy !

My .224" cal wildcat has case capacity between that of .22-250, and .220 Swift.

In a Hart 24" SS 5-groove 1-14 shooting powders like WW760, I4350, and VV160.... the barrel went over 3,400rnds before keyholing its first bullet.
Accuracy held on right to the end.

The barrel might have gone even further, had it not been my first custom barrel.
I for many years cleaned it w/ an un-coated steel cleaning rod.
I also had the barrel cryo'd at a late point in its life. A mistake, as parts of the leade "chunked out " as one result. In retrospect, that 1-14 Hart could have/should have lasted even longer ( shot accurately longer ).

In a 28" K & P SS 1-8 twist 5-groove, my .224" cal wildcat went easily beyond
1,000rnds w/ great accuracy. I was shooting 75 "A"-Max over AA3100.
I cannot report on ultimate barrel life of that barrel, as I sold it when changing to use of 6mm barrel(s); and the new owner has yet to chamber it.

For a dual-purpose live varmnint/paper punching rifle, I highly recommend a long
1-8 twist stainless steel barrel; esp for use of bullets like 75 "A"-Max; or the 77s you mention.

Regards,
357Mag

 

[Steve Blair]

I went with a 26" long, 9" twist on my Savage 12F .22-250 and had the barrel nitrided. My last .22-250 only provided about 2100 rounds before going south. It was a chrome-moly and I abused it shooting crows, so a good SS barrel, treated well, would doubtless have a longer life.

There are relatively few rounds down the tube and I cannot comment on whether the nitriding will extend the barrel life. It does clean very easily.

BTW, mine put five 77 grain Sierra MKs into .331" at 100 yards in windy conditions last Friday. That was over a mild load of H4350 at ~3236. The 77 Bergers might be marginal in a 9" twist.

 

[bozo699]

BoilerUp,
I have a 22-250AI model 700 I put a 1:9 Hart HV and I shoot 69 gr nosler cc mollied @ 3550fps it is devastating on varmints out past 600 yds, haven't shot further with it yet, I have 500 75 grain v-max bullets but haven't tried them yet.
Wayne.

 

[johnmyers]

Had a 1:8 PacNor that I shot 80SMKs at a little over 3200fps. I was never happy the way it shot. It needed set back at under 1000 rounds so when I did it was chambered in 22br. It is unbeleivable how much more accurate the 22br is (.75 group @ 400yds). The 22br shoots better on its worst day than the 22-250 ever did on its best and you don't have to sacrifice much velocity. It shoots heavy and light bullets real well.
John

 

[BoilerUP]

Thanks for the input!

I only recently discovered the 6BR (and this website) and while I was set on a fast-twist 22-250, now I'm torn on a 6BR or 6XC for my next Savage build.

Looks like I need to throw 22BR into that mix, too.

Since I'm looking more for a varmint or tactical-style build vs. a dedicated benchrest gun, anybody have an estimated or actual value on barrel life for 22BR (especially compared to the 6BR)?

Thanks!