14 twist 700 22-250 loads besides 40's???

varminter .223

Well-known member
I have two Remington 22-250's of course with a 14 twist. One is an Lvsf and the other is a BDL Custom Deluxe. The Lvsf is in a HS Precison full alluminum bedding block stock. I haven't been able to get anything to group accept for 40 v-max and 40 bt's. It's been several months since I shot them but I think 36.5 grains of Varget is what I am loading with the 40's. Doesn't like white box Winchester hp's which I think are 45's. I have tried 50 and 55 v-max and Nosler BT's as well as a couple other powders. I guess I need to try the 55 SHOTS that are the only thing one of my 14 twist swifts likes. Since the only thing I shoot besides paper is coyotes, I would prefer something heavier than 40's. The 40's shoot somewhere in the .5" to .75 ish range for 5 shot groups and the rifles appear to be like new with low round counts. I am not sure the Lvsf had more than 20 rounds through it when I bought it. You guys have any thing that is some what of a know good load with a hunting bullet in the 50 ish 55 ish weight?
 
50 vmax worked well in mine, as did the 53s. I had to turn it down a little, drop the velocity to the mid to lower side of the load data and they started clover leafing.
 
Start at the start:
Bed the rifle

make sure that the magazine box floats or is loose when you drop the floor plate and feel up inside.
 
Mag box floats etc. I am guessing as good as the 40's shoot I probably don't have a major bedding issue unless the extra recoil of the heavy bullets has an affect. If I recall the heavier bullets were out around an inch or a bit over and I drop in the 40's and shazam one hole groups.
You guys actually had good luck with 53 v maxes in a 14 twist? Says right in they book they won't stabilize as you guys probably know. I don't think I ever got down to the slow side of things though. I will try that. If not I guess I will have to just get out my bone stock factory Savage tack driver or my Stevens 200. With the 12 twist they shoot the 53's great. Man, I have spent a lot of coin buying Rems trying to find some that hang with my 12 fv's which are less than half the money
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My 14T 788 .22-250 will shoot 50 SBK's to 1/2" with RL15. HOWEVER,
I have to load them within .010" of the lands, which makes it a
single shot since they are then too long for that danged, short
magazine!
 
I used a 1-14 twist LVSF 22-250 barrel on a 722 action for one of my hunting rigs and it dotes on 52gr Speer HP Varmint bullets. I also have a 24" 1-14 Rem. Varmint barrel fitted to the same rifle that shoots 55gr Rem. FB SP's great. I've never shot lighter than 52 grain in them, I save the 40's for the little guns, 222 and 22-204.
 
I dont re-load but my Tikka 22-250 only like the Remington 45 gr jacketed hollow points.

If your 22-250 is grouping .5 to .75 ish using 40 grainers dont hesitate to hunt with that load.

I use 40 grain factory vmax and ballistic tips in my Rem 700 VSSF 223 and the coyotes drop dead just fine.
 
I have had a flock of remingtons over the years, they are not hard to tune with
55g hornady flat base lead tip
55g V max
Sierra 55g flat base55g BTHP
55g spt BT
55g Semi point
55g Nosler Ballistic tip
63g Sierra semi point
60g Sierra Hp

With all loads, the very best accuracy was with the bullet just barely touching the lands or the bullet .005 off. The use of a boat tail bullet will eventually leade you to go to a flat base bullet, then a longer bullet to touch the lands with the bullet where best accuracy is achieved. Sub 1/2" groups were the norm.

55g loads,
imr or H 4985, 34-35.5g stop if you see pressure and play with different primers once you find the charge your rifle likes

IMR 4064 with 55g, 34.5-35.5 usually hits a home run

60-63g Max load of IMR 4350 will be in the 3450 fps area.

as the leade gets worn, the 55g and 63g Semi point will shoot very small groups, and brother do they hammer coyotes. Accuracy with the 55g Semi point is like a 52g Berger match, so is the 63g Semi point, and the 63 stabilizes very well in the 14 twist. I had one Howa Varmint that had a leade so long, I had to go to shooting the 60g HP and the 63g Semi point in the new rifle. The rifle shot very tiny groups with the 60g and 63g with IMR 4350, primer choice was picky.

The highest velocity, with extreme accuracy was with a 55g NOsler combined technology bullet at 3850 shooting between 1/4-3/8" groups, consistently. Using 41.5g of Win 760, 400 yard groups were nothing short of awesome in the 1 1/2" area. The black coating on the C/T bullet reduces friction and allows to shoot some hotter loads with accuracy. Work up to this load in your rifle and don't even try this load with Naked 55's in your gun. Normally, 38.5g is almost a max load with Winchester 760 with a 55g, but the Lubalox coating does reduce pressure, and the accuracy node in my 26" varmint was at 41.5g.

In all cases with the Remington 700's, the very best accuracy was achieved with the bullet touching the lands, barely or .005 off the lands, I cannot stress this enough. Learning to measure the OAL to the .001 with repeatability is critical for this kind of accuracy.

I like to neck size when ever possible and bump the shoulders with a std Forester/bonanza neck sizer to keep from full length sizing as much as possible.

Lots of people spread the word that the Remington 700's with a 14 twist will not stabilize a 55g bullet, and with the dozen or so that I have owned, I can not recall ever shooting a 50g bullet or lighter. Not to mention the customs that I have had with 14 twists and only shot 55's, 60g, and 63g in.

There are two bullets that will not stabilize that could be confused in the Remington 22/250 with the 14twist, the 53g Hornady V max, and the Sierra 55g Blitz king plastic tip that is a very long bullet. Some barrels will stabilize the 55g Blitz king and some will not.

This hornady product is your best friend:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/709931/hornady-lock-n-load-bullet-comparator-body

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/727771/hornady-lock-n-load-bullet-comparator-insert-224-diameter

Split a case neck with a dremel tool, measure off the ogive of the bullet only as tips can very .030 and more

The guys that master this OAL measuring technique are rewarded with amazing accuracy, and I hope the original poster gets his rifle pillar bedded...money well spent or invest the time to learn to do it yourself, even better.

I want to try some super performance powder with the 55's, it may be spectacular.
 
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With factory Winchester 55gr Varmint X, my Weatherby Vanguard II shoots clover leafs. As to reloads, I'm in the process of trying a load using Norma brass, Winchester primers, 35 gr of H4895, topped with 55 gr Nosler FP tipped bullets, OAL of 2.350. I'll let you know how that works.
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I have 7 .22 cal. Rems.
Two.223's, two swifts, two 22-250's, and a fireball. One of the .223's will shoot 53 vmaxes very well but it does better with 40's. I have .5" or very near it 5 shot group loads with 40 maxes for all of them with the exception of the vsf swift. The best it will do is .7" or so with 55 Nosler SHOTS. My VS swift will keep anything under an inch for 5 shots and will .5" 3 shot groups quite often, but put the 40's in and bingo. I honestly think it might need some bedding though. Today when I got the 40s shooting I noticed the groups seem to move. I anchored a coyote with it this evening at 50 yards. It was the first trip out with it which was pretty cool. Factory 55 vmax is the best 55 load I have found for it as of now. I have never had a gun shoot better at .020" off of the lands than they do at book length. I have all the Hornady guages etc for measuring up the throat.
Now as for my Savages with faster twist.....they will shoot the 53's so good I just stopped there.
 
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My preferred bullet for .22-250 and .223 is the Midsouth Nightmare 55 grain soft points with cannelure. They are sold in units of 500 for about $42. That is cheap enough for plinking loads through an AR 15 and the bullet is tough enough for coyotes and deer out of a .22-250. Midsouth also sells them in a 250 bullet pack in the Horady line for a great price too. The V max shoots just a tiny bit more accurately, but they may be too long for a 1 in 14.
 
me my other hunting partners loads for several vs and vssf 22-250. while they all shoot good with 40 grain ballistic tip to 63 sierra smp grain bullets. we all use 35.5 grains of benchmark and 50 grain ballistic tips. .5 inch and 3905 . accurate deadly on coyotes.
 
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myself, my buddy and his brother all have rem 700 22-250's with 14 twist. my favorite load is the 50 grain v-max over 35 grains of varget. its disgustingly accurate in all 3 guns. My other buddy's stevens 200 22-250 liked them a whole lot too. we've also loaded the 50 grain nosler ballistic tips and they shot very well with 34 grains of varget.
 
55g V max is fantastic in a Rem 700, small groups, lots of false myths floating around on the 14 twist and 55g bullets with the 55g Sierra blitz king being the exception and the 53g V max.

I have probably shot 50,000 of them at least, various 55's in Remington 700's.

I can only recall shooting 50's in one rifle and it was because there was a mistake on a bullet order. I quit shooting the 50's because the 55's launched p. dogs better beyond 350 yards.

Even in the 223 AI in the 14 twist, I shoot the 55g Noslers into tiny groups with N135 at 3650+,

I am not saying that there is something wrong with shooting 50's, but many reading this post will come away with the idea that a 14 twist will not stabilize a 55g bullet, read my list above, we shot thousands of them. By the time a barrel starts shooting 3/4", I am ready to screw on another barrel.
 
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