.22-250AI

[CBH Australia]

i have an action and a good secondhand barrel lined up to make a .22-250. I trust the gunsmith on the barrel and he’s not asking much to do the job.

But should I do a .22-250 Ackley Improved????? He has the reamer and some nice nice gear of his own

I always stayed with common chamberings but don’t think I can lose much by trying an AI on the build, so I burn it out and I know better what I want next time.

I might be in the wrong forum asking about varmint rifles but some may have experience or knowledge of these and sway my decision.

 

[Von S.]

Sure! Build it!

A second hand barrel? I would pass...... Especially if it was chambered in a barrel burner and used. Most people really don't take perfectly accurate barrels off.

My favorite Ackley Improved cartridge is a ,250-3000 as that particular case gives a very high percentage of improvement compared to the parent.

When you improve a rifle it normally decreases the resale value.

 

[Scrumbag]

If it were me, I'd shoot as 22-250 first. It shoots very fast and flat and you might find that it is enough and you have the convenience of factory ammo. If you want more, you can Ackley it later... Also, as Von S. points out, if the barrel is fried, Ackley-ing it will not help...

 

[Saul]

Big fan of AI rounds. IMO the .280 AI is one of if not the best hunting cartridges. I am sure that the .22-250 AI will also be great.

 

[Luvthunt]

The blowed out shoulders on a AI cart is very accepted by most people. Have had several AIs in 223 and 22-250 and never regretted the chambering.
As my major use for the above is PDs, when the 40. Gr vmax came out I was able to reach the same vels without the AI chambering so no longer do it today. But the AI gave me no headaches

 

[CBH Australia]

It is a .22-250 barrel. some wear in the throat i believe and it would be cut and thread to my rifle with either chamber. it may be worn and not perfectly accurate but i think someone with better finances than me wanted an upgrade
He is only charging me for the machining so its pretty cheap and ill expect it to burn out but I wont be a high volume shooter so to speak.
I know sometimes people take of target barrels that are OK for further use and probably do under MOA for many more rounds.
This is a factory barrel and the mid/heavy profile might make it nicely balanced for a spotlight rifle.
The smith has an Ai. ive used .22-250s many mates have them and another has a .220 swift so this would be the first time ive stepped outside of standard chambering.
I almost chambered my 7mm-08 to Ai and considered others but as a shooter who likes guns ive ended up with an action and my transferring dealer offered me barrel if he fits it this or he can do a new barrel. a new barel is $500 or $700 plus fitting.
i apppreciate all the advice and it seems like people like the AI version

 

[Areaonereal]

I have two 22=250 Ackley imp. What is to gain over a 22 250. Not much. I have my own reamer and still prefer the 22 250. Depending on your twist a 75 gran 22 250 is a smack down long range

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

i have an action and a good secondhand barrel lined up to make a .22-250. I trust the gunsmith on the barrel and he’s not asking much to do the job.

But should I do a .22-250 Ackley Improved????? He has the reamer and some nice nice gear of his own

I always stayed with common chamberings but don’t think I can lose much by trying an AI on the build, so I burn it out and I know better what I want next time.

I might be in the wrong forum asking about varmint rifles but some may have experience or knowledge of these and sway my decision.

@CBH
Chris as our Nick Harvey says the 250AI equals the 220 swift and reduces the amount of trimming needed. But if the gunsmith wants to AI it before installing it I would be asking why especially if it's a second hand barrel, what's he trying to cover up..
Just my thoughts.
Bob

 

[CBH Australia]

Its done, ive got decent tesults from my first load on an average day. I am competent in the field but not a target shooter so i was happy wlth the result. I will try improve on a better day when i have time.
He has done a couple of jobs/transfers for me. .
He builds and tweaks competetition rifles.
He is a machinist, licenced armourer . He pretty much just wanted to cover labour from me because he likes what he does.

 

[bruce moulds]

chris, who is the gunsmith.
have you tried jerome ziersch from auburn in s.a.
he is building world class fclass rifles.
the 22/250 ai will equal the std swift. it gains a lot due to the original case having so much taper.
the swift itself is also very tapered, and gains a lot from being improved as well.
the 40 degree shoulder is said to direct the flame more into the neck of the case than into the throat, extending barrel life a little.
bruce.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Its done, ive got decent tesults from my first load on an average day. I am competent in the field but not a target shooter so i was happy wlth the result. I will try improve on a better day when i have time.
He has done a couple of jobs/transfers for me. .
He builds and tweaks competetition rifles.
He is a machinist, licenced armourer . He pretty much just wanted to cover labour from me because he likes what he does.

@CBH
Chris apart from the shoulder angle it's a credemore case so be trendy mate instead of calling it a 250AI just call it a 22 credemore.
Bob

 

[Areaonereal]

I have 3 ....22 250 AI, 1....257 AI. A total WASTE of reamer time and expense. Fireforming brass as waste and expense of powder, bullets and primers..
also have a 223AI. A waste....learned my lesson.

 

[bruce moulds]

actually those cartridges do have a worthwhile gain.
anything on the 250 savage case and on the 7x57 case have significant gains.
the 308 on the other hand gains very little due to being a much straighter case.
bruce.

 

[CBH Australia]

@Areaonereal , noted. i also thought of a 7mm-08ai but many said the gain is negligible. Im mostly happy with standard cartridges anyway.
any advantage of a AI real or perceived might not help me much just add to the cost of dies and fire-forming etc . the .308 works on pigs all day long would more fps work any better? I think they might just be options for those who who want to tinker. i'm not in that space right now

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen I have resisted the Creedmore trend. I load for 8 cartridges now.

@bruce moulds I know of Jerome Ziersch and spoke with him or emailed with a question one time. He was quite helpful . One of my bright ideas. having a budget limitation he said Bergara were good value at the time and seemed to be living up to expectations.

I had Darren Bradley fit the .22-250 barrel mentioned above. He trades as Accuracy Matters. He shoots F Class. I am not in target circles so I can only speak or the work he has done for me which is excellent.

 

[JimP]

One thing about AI cartridges is that you can shoot the parent round just fine with very little if any loss in accuracy, just speed to fire form the case.

While it isn't a AI round I load for a 7-30 Waters which is a 30-30 case necked down to 7mm and then fire formed by blowing out the shoulder. My fire forming rounds are just as accurate as the loads that were shot with a properly formed case, and if I use the same load as my finished rounds they are just as fast.

 

[RayAtkinson]

Improved calibers are generally more trouble than their worth these days...I can't think of an instance wherein the Imp version of a 22-250 would be of any consequence, other than in the head of the beholder who went into debt and hours at the bench, and fails to realize the truth of his endeavor... but to each his own, just firing 100 rounds of fireforming loads is a royal pain to some of us.., then the added expense, and Lord knows what else that seems to pop up with wildcats..but hey thats just me!

 

[bruce moulds]

the 22/250 and the swift both have case growth in a big way due to them being so tapered.
the 22/250 ackley becomes a swift equivalent, and the swift improved better again. for trajectory.
improve them both and case trimming will be reduced.
they can both be very accurate with fireforming happening.
bruce.

 

[WAB]

I’ve put tens of thousands of rounds through the .22-250 and Swift, much to the chagrin of the groundhog and prairie dog populations! You are right, both require full length resizing and trimming after every shot. I do this on all cartridges, likely because I began my reloading career 40+ years ago with a .22-250.

I seem to get reasonable case life but you’ve really got to keep an eye on them. What I seem to see is that the neck thins and eventually splits.

 

[RayAtkinson]

I love the 22-250 and 250-3000 as is. Stay off max and the problems dissolve for me at least, another approach is a minimum chamber which I have for my bolt actions, my Sav. 99 stretches cases for sure but I only neck size and cases last a good deal longer..Same for the 22-250/

 

[CBH Australia]

@Bruce
Searching for a trimmer to replace last one after another post of yours.
@Saul my next project is a .280ai after some input from others and some healthy research.