Well, I made an impulse buy and have 100 pieces of new .225 Win brass coming my way. But the funny thing is that I no longer have a barrel that uses it.

I have a 6.5 BRM, a 6.5 Bullberry and a .300 Savage in Contender rifle format...all with 24" barrels. So those bore diameters are well-covered.

It's been years since I had a .257 JDJ, and the .226 version also sounds appealing, though waiting on dies and a full barrel tries my patience. SSK often has a 20" .257 JDJ in stock but I've yet to see a .226 listed in available inventory. The bullets I'd use in a 6mm are hard to come by, so I'll likely not even consider that version. Also, I have yet to have an SSK barrel since the changes with the company took place and don't have a feel for the current quality level. Plus, most of their in-stock offerings have threaded barrels, a feature which I'd never take advantage of.

I prefer 22-24" barrel length and over the past two days have perused all the sites with used barrels. But nothing tickled my fancy, so to speak.

I know Van Horn makes barrels based off the .225 IMP case as I had a 6.5x.225 VH Special. A 24" .225 AI with a 1:8 might be just the ticket. I may drop forum member Mark C. a note later and see if they have anything is existing inventory that might get my attention.

So what would you guys do?

Do I simply keep the brass for a rainy day, trade it for some bullets or brass that I do use, or do I hold out for a .225-based barrel of some sort?