OlongJohnson
08-06-2015, 11:28 PM
I've been googling on this general topic for two nights, and have gotten to the point where I remember I've already read the thread about halfway down a forum page. Still don't feel like I have found the quantity and/or quality of personal testimony I'm hoping to find.
I'm thinking of a 22-250 Savage, factory barrel with 1:12 twist, 22" sporter, not the 26" heavy. Kind of an all-around light-caliber bolt gun. Something that would span from 22WMR equivalent with reduced loads and Hornet/Bee bullets, up to quite a bit more than a .223 can deliver. I'm not worried about the low end or mid range, as there's plenty of data for that. I don't have PD towns to worry about, so I'm not going to burn down a barrel across the prairie. More of a nice tool to carry in the woods and fields. My question is about how far the top end can be pushed.
Since there isn't really a minimum range shot, I'm a fan of tougher bullets like Barnes TTSX and/or Swift Scirocco IIs in calibers fast enough to "splash" more lightly-constructed bullets. Looking at the best-available stability calculations, with 1:12 twist and conservative 22-250 velocities, it appears 55gr TTSX should stabilize, 62gr SII will be on the edge (may stabilize, may not), and 62gr TSX and TTSX almost certainly won't.
I'm looking for personal reports of first-hand experience with these bullets. As in, "I tried it, and it didn't work at all / it was marginal (accuracy OK but definitely not as good as other loads in the same rifle) / it worked great!" Groups, load data, velocities, barrel length, etc.
It seems that custom builds generally go to 1:8 or 1:9 to shoot the long-range target bullets like 75-80gr. I'd be interested in any experience with custom barrels at the slowest twist to stabilize the above mentioned bullets, as well. Like 10:1 or 11:1, what length, and how well that worked, what bullets people were successful with, etc.
I'm not looking to start a discussion of stability factors, tech, etc. I've been mapping that rabbit hole for awhile, and added my own bells and whistles to the spreadsheet already. At the end of the day, real-world experience is necessary to clarify the edges of theory, and that's what I'm hoping to find here. Thanks!
I'm thinking of a 22-250 Savage, factory barrel with 1:12 twist, 22" sporter, not the 26" heavy. Kind of an all-around light-caliber bolt gun. Something that would span from 22WMR equivalent with reduced loads and Hornet/Bee bullets, up to quite a bit more than a .223 can deliver. I'm not worried about the low end or mid range, as there's plenty of data for that. I don't have PD towns to worry about, so I'm not going to burn down a barrel across the prairie. More of a nice tool to carry in the woods and fields. My question is about how far the top end can be pushed.
Since there isn't really a minimum range shot, I'm a fan of tougher bullets like Barnes TTSX and/or Swift Scirocco IIs in calibers fast enough to "splash" more lightly-constructed bullets. Looking at the best-available stability calculations, with 1:12 twist and conservative 22-250 velocities, it appears 55gr TTSX should stabilize, 62gr SII will be on the edge (may stabilize, may not), and 62gr TSX and TTSX almost certainly won't.
I'm looking for personal reports of first-hand experience with these bullets. As in, "I tried it, and it didn't work at all / it was marginal (accuracy OK but definitely not as good as other loads in the same rifle) / it worked great!" Groups, load data, velocities, barrel length, etc.
It seems that custom builds generally go to 1:8 or 1:9 to shoot the long-range target bullets like 75-80gr. I'd be interested in any experience with custom barrels at the slowest twist to stabilize the above mentioned bullets, as well. Like 10:1 or 11:1, what length, and how well that worked, what bullets people were successful with, etc.
I'm not looking to start a discussion of stability factors, tech, etc. I've been mapping that rabbit hole for awhile, and added my own bells and whistles to the spreadsheet already. At the end of the day, real-world experience is necessary to clarify the edges of theory, and that's what I'm hoping to find here. Thanks!