What copper ammo for my Savage 22-250?

[Ham Slamma]

Hey guys ,,,,,I have a 22-250 that loves the Remington 50Gr AccuTip-V Boat Tail.

Wanted to use the copper ammo for hunting. What factory ammo should I buy. ( I do not reload)

Thanks!

[darkker]

Factories change powders constantly, so while the velocity may be relatively consistent; the ammo is different. Sorry of testing with your rifle, we can't tell you what your rifle will or won't shoot well. Gotta figure that out for yourself.

[Ham Slamma]

Thanks!

I understand,,,,,I thought someone would get me close to start with.

As I'm sure you know some company's really like there copper ammo.....

[mjcmichigan]

The big three coppers to try. Hornady GMX, Barnes, and Nosler etip are known to work good


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[Ham Slamma]

Thank you!!!

I know it depends on the gun,,,but should I stay with the same grain size when going to copper?

[mjcmichigan]

The same. Or lighter. They will be longer because copper is less dense. I generally drop 5gn. Mainly looking for accuracy. I'm sure a lot of people do not go down


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[Ham Slamma]

Thanks!
Do you think a copper bullet would be a better choice for deer over a lead bullet?

Here is the reason why I ask....

https://youtu.be/lGBttusxyZ0

[mjcmichigan]

I pulled out the Nosler and Hornady Manuals.

In the 224 bullets, Nosler has 1 bullet that is not for target or varmint. It's the 60gr Partition. It likes a fast twist (1-8"). Nosler manual says most accurate powder was H380 at 36.5gn. Max 38.5(3600fps). All Nosler lead free medium game bullets start at 6mm(243, i.e. 243win or 6mm Rem(better if you can get one). The 60gn partition is item #16316.

Hornady has the following, which are lead free only for deer sized game.
#22403 GMX 50gn(2400-4000fps), #22273 GMX 55gn (2000-3500fps),
#2281 GMX 70gn, (2400-3600). Hornady was not nice enough to list specific rifles and twist, nor comment on accuracy of a given twist. Instead they list one rifle for all loads with a 1-14" twist. Generally 1-14" will stabilize light bullets, and when you start getting in the 50gn range you'll want 1-10 and by 60/70, you'll want 1-8 or better. My Hornady manual is Nineth edition. It has no recipes for the 55gn or 70gn GMX in the 22-250. There is a recipe for the 70gn in a 223rem with 1-9" twist... and the 55gn with 1-12 twist.

The 50gn GMX might be the best choice for your gun since it loves the Accutip v boattail. The lead free alloys are longer so harder to stabilize in some guns.

I have had good luck calling Hornady and getting recipes that are not yet published. You might need to do that for th 55gn or 70gn option.

Personally, I hope you try the 60gn Partition. I saw a ton of positive reviews about dumping deer.

I'm more a 7mm-08 and up person after losing a couple deer with a 243win. I know lots of people who've killed a ton of deer with the 243win using Nosler bullets. I was using corelokt or Hornady Interlocks. Both times the deer took the shot and ran away without leaving blood..so figuring he bullets did not exit.

Post pictures when you get it sited in and when you take your first deer with it!


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[mjcmichigan]

Barnes TSX is the other choice. You can get a boxed TSX 50gn in 22-250. They describe it as varmint, but 2 reviews, one guy took Caribou, and the other a pair of does. Both were happy.
I do use the Barnes TMZ in my muzzleloader, the bullet always exits, and always leaves pure carnage.


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[Ham Slamma]

Thanks a lot Guys,,,,my head is about to explode from all the reading Ive been doing on this subject. Hahahaha

Would the Remington Premier AccuTip 50Gr work ok on deer? I know shot placement is VERY important

[Zero333]

Use a bullet designed for deer.

For factory ammo, I would not hesitate to use the Federal Premium Vital-shok 60gr partition loading. Or their Fusion 55gr SP.

[mjcmichigan]

There is so much to it!

Remington Accutip V is described as a varmint round. The go on to say there is a Big Game version in larger Calibers.

I checked Sierra and Berger. Both start their deer class bullets at 6mm

I'd go partition or TSX


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[Zero333]

The 55gr tsx/ttsx would work great with 22-250 speeds. I've found the higher the velocity the faster the tsx/ttsx bring the deer down. Also found that they also shoot best at highest possible velocity, and lots of jump to the rifling.

For the OP, I only know of Barnes who loads factory 22-250 ammo with their homogeneous bullet. I've not seen any other manufacturer offer 22-250 solid copper big game deer ammo.

[darkker]

Thanks!
Do you think a copper bullet would be a better choice for deer over a lead bullet?

"Better" is a personal word, not a universal standard. What car is "Better" for me, may not be "Better" for you; we have different expectations, desires, etc.

Here is some practical info on the whole "Lead Vs. Copper" discussion.

Toughness - This is a "My dad can beat-up your dad" argument. Because I have more intimate knowledge of them, I'll use Barnes for my Copper examples. Barnes advertised that you can drop down bullet weights, because their bullets are so "tough", and perform just as adequately. So the real reason behind that marketing monkey business is because of construction. Barnes starts with Dead-soft copper, then has to heat treat them for "toughness". What this leaves you is a bullet that requires a higher velocity to open, or operate properly; ergo you should drop some bullet weight to gain velocity and ensure that they open correctly. They tended to not open nearly as quickly and definitely not as violently, so they began adding tips to them. Because they have "Razor sharp petals", and tend to slice their way through things, rather than a violent energy transfer. This is why they penetrate so deeply. Is it easier to push a razor through leather, or a pencil eraser? Which will damage more tissue in that process?

As was mentioned, copper will have a longer bullet length due to the lower sectional density. This can require lighter bullets or a faster twist in certain cases, because length is what needs stabilizing, not a weight. This also means that they will have a somewhat lower BC due to a lower SD, and in my personal experience tend to deflect more radically when hitting bones at off angles.

So which is "Better"? That is up to you. Copper bullets work, but they work differently than a lead bullet. The whole discussion about retained weight is meaningless to me. Energy transfer into the target, or target damage is the important bit. For extreme examples on each side of the argument, think of a Berger VLD and an Arrow with a broadhead.
Broadhead - Damages tissue by cutting, penetrates incredibly deeply due to slower transfer of energy, amazing retained weight. Very effective killer as it is designed.
VLD - Damages tissue by rapid bullet desintigration and yaw, penetration will be less due to energy transfer slowing the projectile, terrible retained weight. Very effective killer as designed.

I have killed many deer with each, both worked extremely well in their own setting. One slices arteries and critical organs, the other acts as a mini grenade inside the animal.

[mjcmichigan]

And everything said in context of a 22-250, pretty much all of the bullet makers have multiple varmint bullets in 224 which fragment rapidly, vs the tougher bullets which can reach vitals or pass through.


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[Ham Slamma]

Wow!

Thank you so much for the info!!!