Best Bullet Grain?

[Auburn1992]

Just today I picked up a Remington XR-100 in .22-250. I asked the sales clerk what the best grain would be to shoot out of it. He recommended to use 55gr (mainly to buck wind better).

I noticed it has ALOT less velocity than say a 45 gr round. What would you suggest to be the gr for a 22-250 out of a 26 inch barrel for target shooting?

 

[N1150X]

how far are you shooting and what is the twist?

 

[MT GUNNY]

1 in 14 will most likely be the twist rate.

 

[Auburn1992]

Max will be 300 yards. Oppurtunity may come to shoot more than that but very unlikely. The twist on it is what I believe to be a 1 in 14".

 

[N1150X]

I like heavy bullets but in your situation I would shoot what is the most accurate which would probably be on the lighter side try the 55's the 45's the 60's ect.

EDIT: if you are shooting really far(where the round drops subsonic) the weight will become more of a factor but you aren't so it doesn't really matter just accuracy

 

[Sunray]

Yep. 1 in 14.
"...less velocity than say a 45 gr round..." It would, but a 45 grain bullet loses that velocity quickly. A 45 grain bullet will also have far less energy past 100 yards. Remington factory 45 grain JHP ammo drops 347 ft-lbs between 100 and 200 yards(660 fps drop). 484 ft-lbs between the muzzle and 100 yards(1239fps drop). They don't give 45 grain energy data past 200.
A 55 grain HP(way higher BC) loses 310 ft-lbs between 100 and 200(424 fps drop). 397 ft-lbs from the muzzle to 100(471 fps drop).
For trajectory with a 150 yard zero, they're both very close. At 200, 1.2" drop for the 45 grain and 1.3" for the 55. However, the energy loss matters. Not so much to a ground hog, but anything bigger may not result in a clean kill.
A 60 grain bullet won't stabilize well with that twist. A 52 grain Hornady A-Max, a 55 grain V-Max or a 50 grain Super Explosive(it doesn't actually explode, of course. It's a jacketed SP. What they do upon impact is pretty astounding ) might be a good idea though. Changing the bullet construction can give you a whole bunch of astounding terminal effects. Mind you, these bullets are for reloaders.

 

[Ol` Joe]

Try a few different wgts/styles and settle on the one that is most accurate. Out to 300 yds any wgt bullet from a 22-250 will be fast enough to kill P-dogs or woodchucks and punch holes in paper. Even a short barrreled one.
I would however start with lighter wgts and work up, 45-50 gr. You might find 69 gr bullets and above too long for your twist. I wouldn`t worry too much about the 60 gr giveing you trouble though depending on tip style.

 

[Art Eatman]

Odds are that any weight from 40 to 60 will work, but absolute best will depend on some particular brand and some particular bullet weight. You're just gonna have to meddle along until you find the one that works best.

I've always had best results in centerfire .22s with 52- or 53-grain boat-tail bullets. That's not Biblical, cast in concrete, though.

 

[CRITGIT]

Our group all shoot 22-250 with the exception of two which are .223's. We all however load 55 gr Nosler BT's. This after many rounds of "load work ups"
We cover dimes or less at 100yds.
In reviewing my load info today I see that 50 gr Noslers were faster and just slightly less accurate. However, not enough to make a difference in a PD's life.

CRITGIT