Replace 22-250 barrel

[majohnson]

I have a Weatherby Vanguard in 22-250 that was purchased with the idea of hunting coyotes. But my hunting buddy moved and I just don't have any interest in hunting any more. Since I knew it wouldn't be used much, I didn't see any reason for spending a lot of money on it.

Since the 22-250 is based off the same parent case as the 6.5 Creedmoor, I'm wondering if I can replace the existing barrel with the a 6.5 barrel? I'm new to LRS so please bear with me as I go through the learning curve.

 

[th82457]

That should be entirely possible as both rounds use a .473" boltface. The only possible issue will depend on cartridge overall length vs. your length of magazine box, but more than likely you can make this work with minimal rework. You should be able to rebarrel to any of the .308 family of cartridges (.243, .260, 7-08, .308) as well as the Creedmoor. Good luck, the Creedmoor appears to be a mild but very accurate round.

Terry

 

[people]

I had heard that Weatherby glued in the barrels. Is that true?

 

[majohnson]

Ok if the barrel is glued, is it replaceable or just a throwaway gun?

 

[Shynloco]

Majohnson,
Go talk to your Gunsmith who'll do the work. I am not familiar enough with Weatherby's, but my Gunsmith just finished a conversion on my Ruger 22-250 over to a 6.5 X55 and the boltface works just fine without any modifications. The Gunsmith should be able to tell you about this "gluing business" that I haven't a clue about. As far as the magazine, since I am seating the bullet (Berger 140 Target Match VLD's and Sierra Target 142 VLD's) to touch the lands, I have to load each round one at a time, but man does that 6.5 shoot as far as accuracy. He mounted a Hart Match Grade HV barrel for me because I shoot strictly Benchrest anymore as my hunting days are long gone.

 

[th82457]

I have never heard of Weatherby gluing in a barrel. particularlly a Vanguard. As far as I know they start with a Howa built action and go from there. I have seen a lot of Vanguards & Howa's rebarreled in the past. Just pick the barrel you want and head to a good gunsmith - so you can get shooting your "new" Crredmoor.

 

[Larryh128]

The barrels are very tight out of the factory & some need to be undercut just in front of the reciever to be able to be removed. Probably where the "glue in" came from. And if it were, heat would take care of that issue.

 

[Larryh128]

If you are going to re-barrel it for sure, stand the rifle muzzle down & keep hitting the threads from the inside of the action with penetrating oil such as Kroil. Your smith will appreciate it. Takes 1-2 weeks for it to penetrate thru the threads.

 

[people]

The barrels are very tight out of the factory & some need to be undercut just in front of the reciever to be able to be removed. Probably where the "glue in" came from. And if it were, heat would take care of that issue.

Ah. Cool. It was just what I had heard. I have a relative that only buys that brand and when they are shot up he gets a new one.

 

[majohnson]

Thanks all, Great info! Now I need to find a good gunsmith here in Colorado. Has anyone used any barrels from ER Shaw? Or what company did you get your barrel from? Comparing case dimensions between the 22-250 and the 6.5, both use the .308 as a parent case. So their base case dimension is .473, there are several other cartridges that also match the same.

The beauty of the 6.5 is its accuracy and not much recoil which would make my body happy.

 

[Shynloco]

Majohson,
I've heard that ER shaw makes some nice barrels, but I don't have any of their products and have not personally seen how well their barrels shoot. I just had my Gunsmith complete a conversion from 22-250 to 6.5 and there was little my Smith had to do other than ream and change my new Hart Match Grade barrel. The rifle, a Ruger Target Grey shoot very nicely and I'm still working on loads using 140 Berger VLD Targets and 142 Sierra VLD Targets. As for the Gunsmith issue, might I suggest you look up and find some of the more popular Gun Clubs in your area. Go to them or call them and ask for recommendations of good gunsmiths they'd use to do such a project.