New to the 22-250 and am wondering which powder you would work with, I have plenty of Varget,3031,4064,Rl15,4895 and too many others to mention...I have plenty of 53 grain smk and Bergers of the same flavor. 300 Lapua brass..The rifle is as new and I lapped the lugs and have 100% contact now so I am ready to get after it.....How about some opinions.
788 Remington 22-250 Load help
- Thread starter Stevep51d
- Start date
I don't really have any opinions concerning loads but if you consult a loading manual you'll get a starting load for all the suitable powders. Work up...and sometimes down...from there and see what you can come up with. I'll give you a goal - a 5 shot group that measures an inch at 100 yards. Better can be accomplished but not with every rifle.
Mike Bryant
Active member
It's probably been 35+ years since I shot a .22-250, but I was using 35.6 gr of IMR3031 with a Hornady 50gr bullet back when I was shooting it. I was shooting that load in both a factory 700 ADL and a Winchester 70 varminter. It took many a coyote and prairie dog. Accuracy was very good especially for factory rifles under half inch and according to the manuals pretty fast although I didn't have a chronograph at the time. The Remington 700 was broken down and sent to Hart to have sleeved and made into a .22 PPC in 1981. Sold the Winchester 70 to buy a Meyer benchrest action. That started my accuracy decline into searching for that one hole five shot group and have been shooting competition benchrest ever since. Both the sleeved Remington and the Meyer have both moved on to other shooters long ago replaced by newer and better. As always with any load you get off the internet or loading manuals, back off the load and work your way up to it. I weighed every charge on a balance beam scale. So the long stick powder of IMR 3031 wasn't an issue. With a powder measure, I'd set the measure a little below then trickle up to the weight with a scale as it doesn't measure very well.
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Rear locking lugs
Steve,
You achieved 100% contact with your lugs. How much has headspace changed?
Just remember that the 788, with rear locking lugs, is sensitive with near max loads.
Just a thought or two.
Phil Fortin aka tazzman
BTW: I own one too, an original non-modified!
Steve,
You achieved 100% contact with your lugs. How much has headspace changed?
Just remember that the 788, with rear locking lugs, is sensitive with near max loads.
Just a thought or two.
Phil Fortin aka tazzman
BTW: I own one too, an original non-modified!
788
Thanks guys for the info, I have 8lbs of 3031 so I will get to work...As far as the lugs they amazingly were all touching when I purchased the rifle at about 80% on each lug so I lightly lapped them to 100%. I have not measured but I don't imagine I lost much but I am going to check just to be safe....You know I have a aching question I would like to know about, I hear that the rear lugs on the 788 allow the bolt to compress more than a front lugged bolt and what I am wondering is it the actual bolt that is compressing or would it possibly be flex of the smaller lugs on the rear end..I have heard stories of some of the rifles having several lugs not touching and I would think that would allow more flex on the rear lugs and even a possible dangerous situation......Phil mine is original in as new condition. I picked it up at the Tulsa show several years back because it was so perfect.....I wish I would have bought the others he had on the table, He had a 243 and a 222 that was as beautiful as the 22-250...
Thanks guys for the info, I have 8lbs of 3031 so I will get to work...As far as the lugs they amazingly were all touching when I purchased the rifle at about 80% on each lug so I lightly lapped them to 100%. I have not measured but I don't imagine I lost much but I am going to check just to be safe....You know I have a aching question I would like to know about, I hear that the rear lugs on the 788 allow the bolt to compress more than a front lugged bolt and what I am wondering is it the actual bolt that is compressing or would it possibly be flex of the smaller lugs on the rear end..I have heard stories of some of the rifles having several lugs not touching and I would think that would allow more flex on the rear lugs and even a possible dangerous situation......Phil mine is original in as new condition. I picked it up at the Tulsa show several years back because it was so perfect.....I wish I would have bought the others he had on the table, He had a 243 and a 222 that was as beautiful as the 22-250...
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Steve,
The receiver design of the 788 is as it is and there is compression when the load is stout. If lug contact is questionable, then there may be bolt flex as well as compression. The rear bolt lockup principle is not only found on the 788, but is also found on modern-day Steyrs.
Find a load that is accurate and below max and you will be fine.
Phil Fortin aka tazzman
glynn angle
Member
I've loaded for quite a few 22-250's and they all shot well with 35 grains of IMR 4895 over any decent 50-55 gr bullet.
pipeline60
Kelly Ellis
22-250 load
3031 will be hard to beat as will H380 , Good Luck with a Great cartridge.
Kelly Ellis
3031 will be hard to beat as will H380 , Good Luck with a Great cartridge.
Kelly Ellis
22-250 load
I load and shoot a vssfII in 22-250 and my advice to you is any of those powders will be fine. Personally, I load with H380 mid load in Nosler book. I couldn't get enough varget in the case to seat a bullet without hearing a crunch, but varget is nice because it's not temperature sensitive if your a hunter.
And your question was on powder, I know, but I found powder to be less important than bullet choice...the bullet seems to determine group size more than powder in my rifle. Mine is in 1:14 twist (Remington got that wrong, should have been 1:12) so heaviest bullet I can stabilize is 55 grains and from my research ten or more years ago, the Nosler ballistic tip 55gr had highest ballistic coefficient so that's what I use in my 22-250: h380 and 55gr ballistic tip. I have shot barely over 1/2" at 100 with this, and can hit a coffee can at 600 yards.
I load and shoot a vssfII in 22-250 and my advice to you is any of those powders will be fine. Personally, I load with H380 mid load in Nosler book. I couldn't get enough varget in the case to seat a bullet without hearing a crunch, but varget is nice because it's not temperature sensitive if your a hunter.
And your question was on powder, I know, but I found powder to be less important than bullet choice...the bullet seems to determine group size more than powder in my rifle. Mine is in 1:14 twist (Remington got that wrong, should have been 1:12) so heaviest bullet I can stabilize is 55 grains and from my research ten or more years ago, the Nosler ballistic tip 55gr had highest ballistic coefficient so that's what I use in my 22-250: h380 and 55gr ballistic tip. I have shot barely over 1/2" at 100 with this, and can hit a coffee can at 600 yards.
As an FYI, 788's can withstand more pressure than 700's.
22-250
Thanks for the info guys, Tim is there a article somewhere that I can read about the strength of the receiver? As for bullets I have several thousand Sierra Matching 53 gr flat base I use in other rifles so I will try them first,Got some Berger of the same weight... I think a man could spend a lifetime getting one gun right and when he does it would be wore out.
Thanks for the info guys, Tim is there a article somewhere that I can read about the strength of the receiver? As for bullets I have several thousand Sierra Matching 53 gr flat base I use in other rifles so I will try them first,Got some Berger of the same weight... I think a man could spend a lifetime getting one gun right and when he does it would be wore out.