22-250 Twist rates....

[Anonymous]

Here's something I've been chewing on...

A elder friend of mine lives in and hunts the north slope for caribou and seals. He's finally retiring his battered Remington 700 and looking for another rifle.

He is only interested in the .22-250 cartridge. While many of us think that's a bit small for big game animals- he's made it work really well for thirty years. While he's stuck on the .22-250, he's open to new bullet types for caribou, fox and wolves. He's done some reading and is asking about twist rates with the heavier bullets like the Nosler Bonded 64gr and the TSX 50gr. He isn't interested in the really heavy match bullets like the 77gr SMKs and so forth.

It's tempting to tell him to get a tight twist like 1:8 or 1:9, but I'm wondering if that won't be too tight for the more common 50gr and 55gr stuff that he'll likely shoot most of the time. Nice rifles are available from the 1:14 right on down to 1:8.

What's the thought on that?

 

[Thebear_78]

I would be very tempted to go 1-8 but it sounds like 1-10 might work for him if he doesn't care to go above 60-65gr.

Personally I think you would be very hard pressed to do better than one of the Whitaker guns 1-8 tikka T3x group buy 1-8. At less than $650 I've been sorely tempted myself.


https://shop.whittakerguns.com/product/38416


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[DrMike]

1:8 shouldn't be overly fast, though 1:14 is assuredly a slow twist for the heavier bullets.

 

[gerry]

Those 1 in 8 twist Tikka's from Whittaker's sound like the perfect gun. I bet they shoot any bullet including the heavies very well.

 

[Anonymous]

It seems that the 1:14 is easily the most common, although Savage makes a 1:12 and the Ruger American is a 1:10.

That Tikka in 1:8 would be pretty outstanding for his use. My American in .223 has a 1:8 and it shoots 55gr pretty well, I need to pick up some 64gr Bonded to try in it as well.

 

[Thebear_78]

My buddy built a 22-250 AI with 1-8 for a customer. He has used the 62gr TTSX and 70gr TSX on caribou and black bear with very good results. Last year he used the 75gr swift scirocco on his caribou. He has been very impressed with it so far.


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[.300winmag]

I'd go 8 twist and not look back, I run 7 twist in my 3 .223's and have no problem. The 22-250 has a big velocity advantage so 8 will probably be sufficient and you won't have near the chance of blowing up Bullets.

 

[Dwh7271]

Gerry,
You can check stability here
http://www.bergerbullets.com/twist-rate-calculator/

Or here
http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi


My new 22-250 AI barrel is an 8 but I'm going to run 75s and up in it.

 

[SJB358]

I'd go 1-8 all day long. The tougher 50 and 55's like the Nosler BTs will work fine. We have a friend that used to post here a little that shot a lot of game with a 22-243 Middlestead with the 55 grain BT and 8 twist. The lighter jacketed stuff might get vaporized but I'll take the extra twist for bullets like the TTSX, Scirocco and similar.

Didn't Nosler release a 55 grain ETip as well? That might another that's a ripper in a fast twisted 22-250.

 

[RL338]

In my daughter's Rugar All American which has 1:10 barrel I use Nosler's 64gr BSB with good results. She has put down 3 deer in their tracks. If your friend is only going to hunt ,an 1:10 will work for the bonded 64 and allow him to go to a lighter bullet for varmits without them coming apart. Just my thought.