22-250 AI Questions

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dpollard

New member
I have a 22-250 AI barrel on the way and am looking for some advice.

Fireforming:

I have spent the afternoon researching brass fire forming. I get the concept using the cream of wheat method but no write up or video I have found fills in the details about how to know what the correct charge of powder is. I am hoping someone on here that has experience with the 22-250 AI can help me.

I have a pound of Unique lying around that I have no use for so I would use it should I decide to do the COW method. That being said, I am not 100% sure I want to use the COW method, seems like I could combine fire-forming with barrel break in all in one step if I just load up some traditional rounds.

I am looking for guidance on each method (COW vs traditional round), perhaps more detailed step-by-step instructions on how much powder to use. One article stated with the COW method to fill the case to capacity with the chosen powder and then start using 10% of the total weight.

Re-Sizing:

On my standard 22-250 I bump shoulder back slightly (.002") when re sizing after each firing. Does this work the same with the 22-250 AI after it has been fire formed and subsequently fired?

Powders:

Do powders that work well for the 22-250 cross-over and work well for the 22-250 AI?



 
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I have only used COW case forming for one cartridge, the 7-30 Waters. There was a shortage of factory brass and I had plenty of once fired .30-30 cases. I used H-P 38 as propellant. The process is to fill a sized case (with a spent primer still in place) up to the neck with powder and then weigh the charge. Start with about 10% of the charge and top up with cream of wheat. Add a piece of tissue to seal and then fire. If the case is not fully formed, add a little more powder until the forming is complete.

The process worked so well that the next time I need .30 Herrett brass I will do it again.
 
I have used bullseye and COW, but mostly just hunted while fire forming. Accuracy during fire forming is excellent to say the least with 55g bullets for coyotes.

Win 760 is the main powder that I have used in the several that I have had, and Varget in the last barrel preformed well.

Dpollard, I have no clue how to fire form with Unique, sorry. I did not bump shoulders for my rem Bolt actions as a matter of practice, just full length sized as necessary. Do you have a shoulder bump die for the AI?

The 22/250 AI likes top end pressures, I fire formed with a 55g Nosler and Sierra at 3850 fps shooting less than 1/2" groups, formed loads performed at 4050 fps to 4100 out of a 12 twist, 27" barrel.


I fire formed 1000 cases in one afternoon with COW in a Rem 700 sporter barrel. We thought that the barrel would be ruined, but it shot 5/8" groups with 760 and Sierra 55g BTHP, pretty good fire form barrel, eh? We dipped the barrel in a 5 gallon water bucket to cool it during the FF process.

Good luck with your new barrel.
 
Thank you all for the advice.

I was planning to use IMR 4064 for my powder once I have the cases formed. It has been a very good powder for me in my 22-250.
 
Originally Posted By: ackleyman I did not bump shoulders for my rem Bolt actions as a matter of practice, just full length sized as necessary. Do you have a shoulder bump die for the AI?

Does it require a special die? I always just screwed the die body down into the press until it bumped the shoulder back by about .001-.002" using the Hornady comparator set to measure. Have I been doing it wrong?
 
I shoot 55gr btsp in my 22-250. When I need to form my Ackley rounds I just use them.
Wasting bullets and powder is no longer an issue.
I shoot 39.9gr of W748 with a 52gr A-max at 4000fps in My AI.
Fire form and kill p-dogs at the same time.
 
Originally Posted By: Wyoming WinchesterI shoot 55gr btsp in my 22-250. When I need to form my Ackley rounds I just use them.
Wasting bullets and powder is no longer an issue.
I shoot 39.9gr of W748 with a 52gr A-max at 4000fps in My AI.
Fire form and kill p-dogs at the same time.


Thank you. This is what I plan to do now having received all of the good feedback and reading online. I will combine my barrel break-in with fire forming and kill two birds with one stone.

What twist do you have in your AI barrel?
 
Originally Posted By: EJ ReichenbachI just used a 22-250 max load and used it in pdogs and every piece was formed perfect

Did you work up to the max load or just go straight to it?

Do you use the max load so as to create the most pressure and really define the shoulder?
 
with 12" twist hart, I started with the 22/250 max load of win 760 with a 55 Nosler and went up. Accuracy load desplayed super accuracy, fully formed cases first time around.
 
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For AI's I just fireform while stopping beating hearts.

The only times I've used the CoW method (and I don't actually use CoW, but...) are on wildcats with a LOT of brass movement while fireforming. The .20 Dasher being a good example. The shoulder gets moved so far and capacity increased so much on something like that, along with it having a short useable accuracy barrel life, I do fireform in the garage without bullets for stuff like that.

I just use Unique and Dacron filler, bar soap plug on the end. Fire into a garbage can in my garage. Smells horrible though!

AI though? Max. parent case load and kill stuff!

- DAA
 
I like to use COW and I think toilet paper to hold it in. I forget its been a while since I have done it, because I take one evening when the wife and kids are gone and then do 100 pieces of lapua in one shot. The one AI I run is low volume shooting and the 100 cases are still lasting me. I use one size lee dipper for the unique and another for the COW. so loading the cases for the FF goes pretty quick actually for me.

Its really nice to have neck turned ready to go brass for that gun. That is why I prefer to do it all at once, rather than fire form with a real bullet. the other reason is this particular gun I use for long range shooting so I don't have much use for a FF load with it. I have another AI in the works though a 280 AI. that I plan on using nosler brass so I don't need to FF for it.
 


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