20” 22-250

[CI_Hillbilly]

Anyone shooting a 20” barrel 22-250? I just picked up a Savage 110 with a 20” 1:12 barrel. Wondering what kind of velocities to expect. I keep reading that a 20” 22-250 is a waste over a .223. Anyone have some real firsthand experience? I will be handloading for it. If anyone has a good powder to start with that will give me as much velocity as I can squeeze out of a 20” barrel, lemme know! Thanks

 

[adcoch1]

No personal experience with that short of barrel in 22-250, but swapping barrels is easy in a savage. Shoot yours for a while and then swap out for a longer one. Record the difference in your rifle and consider it research or long term load development...

 

[25-20 WCF]

The powders which give the highest velocities in a long barrel will almost always give the highest velocities in short barrels.

Bob Milek ran a test published in Guns & Ammo in 1989, where he cut off the barrel of a .22-250 Ruger 77V in 1” increments. The ammunition used was 55-grain PMC, the results are below.

24” - 3617 fps
23” - 3629 fps
22” - 3569 fps
21” - 3514 fps
20” - 3491 fps
19” - 3422 fps
18.5” - 3426 fps



.

 

[Charlie1022]

I have had a 20" M77 since 1971 and shoot 4895 over 55 gr bullets in a ragged hole with 33.5 gr all day long.

 

[jmr40]

The difference a couple of inches makes just isn't nearly as much as a lot of folks think. In fact there can be more difference between 2 barrels of the same length than 2" of barrel makes. I've seen 100-130 fps difference between rifles with the same length barrel. I've seen individual 20" 308 and 30-06 barrels shoot faster than some 22" 308 and 30-06 barrels. You need 4-6" difference in barrel length to guarantee any significant change.

While I've never fooled with a 22-250 the speeds listed above are pretty similar to what I've seen with other cartridges.

 

[Riomouse911]

I have had a 20" M77 since 1971 and shoot 4895 over 55 gr bullets in a ragged hole with 33.5 gr all day long.

Is the blast pretty fierce? I know my 16” and 14.5” pinned AR’s make the .223/5.56 abusive... I kind of figured the larger .22-250 case would be a killer in a shorter tube like a 20” one. (Though as a walkabout varmint Gun it’s probably more comfy to tote than a 24” or 26” heavy barreled rifle)

Stay safe.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Recently, a guy at a bench next to me was shooting a Model 7 in .22-250. I don't think the blast was any worse than longer barrelled rifles.

 

[CI_Hillbilly]

The powders which give the highest velocities in a long barrel will almost always give the highest velocities in short barrels.

Bob Milek ran a test published in Guns & Ammo in 1989, where he cut off the barrel of a .22-250 Ruger 77V in 1” increments. The ammunition used was 55-grain PMC, the results are below.

24” - 3617 fps
23” - 3629 fps
22” - 3569 fps
21” - 3514 fps
20” - 3491 fps
19” - 3422 fps
18.5” - 3426 fps



.

Awesome! This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks

 

[climbnjump]

If anyone has a good powder to start with that will give me as much velocity as I can squeeze out of a 20” barrel, lemme know!

You might give Alliant AR-Comp a try. As the name implies, it was developed for AR style rifles. What those rifles have in common with your rifle is a shorter barrel. This powder was developed to give good velocities in said shorter barrels. However, I also use it in my .223 Rem bolt gun which has a 22" barrel. But the reason for using it there is it burns completely and there are no hot powder particles hitting the baffles in my suppressor. This is a take-it-apart-and-clean-it suppressor and it stays much cleaner with AR-Comp than the other powders I've used.

 

[doubleh]

I have had a 20" M77 since 1971 and shoot 4895 over 55 gr bullets in a ragged hole with 33.5 gr all day long.

I have to ask since you didn't include the information in your post, at what distance?

 

[Offfhand]

Be sure to be using industrial strength ear protection when you shoot it. Plugs plus good muffs.

 

[Jim Watson]

Roger that. I briefly owned a 20" 6mm Rem. It was loud. A 20" .222 was pretty bad, too.

 

[Bfh_auto]

They are only slightly more blasting than a 22 inch.
Velocity is still better than my 223 by enough to make it a dedicated step up.
It's about halfway between a 223 and 22-250 claimed velocities.