[Note to self] Don't mess with Neph[/note to self] The increase in accuracy when you find the right combo of powder, primer and bullet is amazing, the 22-250 Remington will group inside of .25" at 100 yards consistantly. Mr woodchuck doesn't stand a chance with this combo.
Boy, you sure said it Blivet - when you find the right powder and bullet for a gun it'll come alive on that target! The .22/250 is an amazing cartridge and I honestly don't think a bad thing can be said about it. I've a Savage stainless Model 12 (heavy 26" barrel, laminated target stock) in that caliber and it's dandy to shoot. My present living situation doesn't allow me to have my loading bench here so I haven't loaded for it but off the shelf Remington 55gr varmint loads have gone three shots in one ragged hole if I can pay enough attention to shoot right Talking about varmints here's a funny reloading story, years back me and my dad had a Ruger 77 in .243 Winchester and I'd got started loading those 70 gr. Hornady SX (super explosive) bullets in it and that was an interesting project. I'd started off with a modest charge of H414 and loaded ten rounds each of 1/2 grain increments up to the max listed load to go test at the range. I got to the range and started testing the loads and everything was going fine until about I started on a ten round string that was a grain and a half under max. What happened was I shot a round - no hole. Shot another - no hole. Checked the scope rings - everything's still tight. Shot another - no hole. Now I'm baffled so I go out and move the target in to 50 yards. I take two more shots - no holes. Really bewildered now I move the target in to 25 yards (looking like a fool shooting a scoped rifle at 25 yards). I take one shot and the target looks like it was hit with a shotgun. What I didn't realize at first is those Hornadys were made with an extremely thin jacket and when I drove them too fast they plumb came apart right after exiting the barrel. Once I got the velocity right under the point of coming apart they did a hell of a job on prairie dogs! Those dogs literally exploded when hit! Another doozy for the .243 was the Sierra 60 gr. FBHP. Anyone else have a "Duh!!!" type reloading story?
No but I have a duh! friend story about 45 years ago one of my good friends decided he would shoot a 22 bullet in his plastic suction cup toy dart gun. When he was in the hospital and they dug out the exploded scrapnel. He was a daredevil and risk taker. He was also an AAU world champion on the trampoline. And he died young 20 in a crop duster plane doing loops.
My high school buddy was putting a new scope on his Remington 700 30-06, had it in a vise, was checking the clearance between the bolt handle and the scope, chambered a couple of rounds, put his dumba$$ hat on, forgot about the round in the chamber, squeezed the trigger and got a confirmed kill on two cans of his dad's house paint. Range 15 feet, aqua green paint everywhere. Speaking of Hornaday bullets, they are extremly thin skinned, and when I tried either 52 or 53 grain bullets, loaded up to 3800 FPS, they started to keyhole on me at 25 yards, similar to your experience. slowed them down to 3400 FPS and they weren't very accurate. Threw the rest away, worthless. Stuck with Sierra after that. 52 gr. HPBT. Mr. woodchuck's nightmare. Still have a few targets to show the daughters what will happen if their boyfriend decides to get cute on them. Also showed them just how far 600 yards is. Ah, the joys of parenting.
Boy those crop dusters don't leave much margin for error. Lol, bet that was some work cleaning up all that paint! Sierra makes some very fine bullets that I've used with great success. I've had good results with Hornady and could've saved myself the trouble if I'd paid enough mind to read the slip of paper in the bullet box that stated not to drive them past 3,000 fps. Apparently they were made with an especially thin jacket to help expansion in lower velocity 6mm cartridges. I'd have known that had I not been a very impatient 19 year old at the time It takes a very very well made bullet to perform at 3,800 fps that's for sure! Anymore for rifles I've been really liking Nosler's Ballistic Tips. I'd love to get my loading bench set back up and give those a whirl in the Savage. I'd like to put together a rifle for hunting deer and elk with my uncle up in Colorado and am taking a good look at the .270 WSM - any of you have experience with it?
1 of my classmates in grade 8 took 1 of his eyes out when heating a .22cal in a bench vise. bullet didn't do the damage but casing did.
a .270 is a really good flat shooting round, great for long shots and open country. A buddy of mine swears by his .7mm remington magnum, but I'd pick either the .270 or the .243/6MM cartridges. Heavier rounds, I vote for the reliable 30-06 or .308, seem to do better in a cross wind. Heck at 19 I was very impatient, used Remingtom 9 1/2M primers to get IMR4064 to ignite better (hotter) and drive 60 gr bullets a little quicker, a feeble attempt to cut through the wind better, finally realized I needed to learn how to read the wind a ranges over 250 yards. You've stirred up fond memories of the old timers who would bend over backwards to help a young-un learn how to reload and shoot straight, most of them were WWI and WWII vets who knew the value of freedom and what it meant to fight for it. Charlie and Bob, I salute you two, God bless you and thanks for all the help.
Ah, yes, Magsafes. Forgot about them. I kind of wonder though - some of the velocities seem insanely high, like .40 S&W getting up to 2100 fps. Do you know if they really get that kind of performance?
@ Blivet, While I love the 6mm's I need something heavier since elk are in the equation. I really like the Winchester Short Mags (short bolt throw, rifle's a wee bit shorter too) and I keep going back and forth between the .270 version and the 7mm version. Of course the bullet selection for the 7mm would be ten times that of the .270 but I've always had a "thing" for the .270 caliber. Guess I'll figure it out when I walk into the gunshop with cash in hand I started loading at 15 and my Dad gave me some pointers to get me started but he hadn't loaded since the early sixties (when he had one of the original Lee Loaders that you had to hammer the die over the case) so I was on my own to figure out the details. I did pretty good - I have all my fingers and never blew up a gun I take it Charlie and Bob helped you get off the ground reloading? @ Dunker, I'm sure the velocities aren't quite what they claim, we know factory stats can be rather generous, but I'm sure they're close. That 2,100 fps .40 load uses a 46 gr bullet so with the right powder I can see getting some insane velocities. I remember reading quite a few articles when they first hit the market and my impression was they generally lived up to the claims. aabbccdd, Those CZ 75's are really nice pistols and very well designed. I've always liked their looks.
Nephilim , yes there a rock solid gun i really like mine alot. to test these guns they run like 30,000 rounds though them so there built for a lifetime and they shoot great very smooth
@Neph, yeah, those were the guys who would do anything to help someone out. I was 17 and had the same Lee loading die kit you mention, still have it as a matter of fact, same wooden log used topound the case in and out, and to seat the bullet. This was just a neck resizer, not the full neck resizer. Would buy my reloading supplies from him, and he'd always toss in a few "left over" .224 bullets to see if I liked them. That's how I settled on Sierra. Best accuracy and most damage to Mr woodchuck's head. The animal rights activists don't even want to think of what happens when Mr. Crow meets a hollow point. The crows are pretty smart, they quickly realize it is time to feast on another farmers feed corn. Of course when the other guy figures out what is happening, he comes over and yells at us for not hunting on his farm land. Of course we were more than happy to oblige and scare the heck out of the winged varmints. But, back to your dilema Neph, go ahead and get the 7MM, more choices and a lot more mass to the bullet.
Now we are talking. Makes me want to set up my Lyman T-Mag and get to work again. While I not reloaded ammo & performed all the tests for accuracy, there are some things I would do. I would use a flash hole deburring tool on the flash hole and instead of roll crimping I would use a factory crimp die after having seated the bullet. Another step to take is checking previously re-loaded brass for thinning on the inside down near the base. When you are shooting something like the M-1 you get a case seperation, it can be a little interesting. When you see, out the corner of your eye, more than item flying through the air... Case thinning can be checked with a plain old paper clip straightened out & one end bent the right way. As for components, you can save some money by buying in bulk at gun shows. Buik
Ah, the old varmint reloading set, bought this sometime around 1974-1975 The old timers will remember this and the prices. the .22 shells are from my Grandfather, sometime during WWII Haven't had this stuff out in years.
blivetNC, the .270 is a nice round, but for more impact, speed, and long distance accuracy I prefer a .270 WSM. The short casing provides a more complete burn, and delivers a few hundred more FPS and impact lbs/sq inch. I love my Tikka T3 Hunter... Tikka is a division of Sako (which I am sure you know of). http://www.tikka.fi/
@Sandt and Neph, excuse my ignorance but I wasn't aware of the .270 WSM cartridge, did a little research on it and yeah, it would be a tough choice to make, both look very impressive, but from what I have read, it looks like the 270 is a hair more accurate. Both calibers have about the same choices in bullet weights for reloading, but it looks like the 7MM has more factory loads to pick from right now. This is a good dilema to have, a choice between two great choices. That is a beatufil rifle by the way Sandt.
I have seen some amazing gunmanship before, But this guy takes the cake. Simply amazing. (I thought everyone would enjoy.) Cheers! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnu4P0Y-JAk
That Tikka is a beauty! It kinda reminds me of the Browning A-Bolt. I was chatting with one of the Finninsh mods the other day (Jannejt) and I mentioned how Sako/Tikka rifles were made in Finland and he said that Tikka is the name of a small bird that lives in Finland which I thought was interesting. Damn that guy was fast Jizmak!. My favorite handgunner has to be Jerry Miculek who shoots for S&W. The guy can rip off 8 shots at four targets in 1.06 seconds. His "6 shots, reload, 6 more shots" routine is surreal to watch. The way I drop stuff all the time it takes me forever to get my GP-100 loaded Here's a vid of Jerry doing his thing, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuCi0DU1xV0&mode=related&search= Have you guys heard of Tom Knapp who shoots for Benelli? This guy's unreal too - I've seen him hand toss eight clays then shoot all eight with a pump 12 guage before they hit the ground. I didn't know it was physically possible to work a pump shotgun that fast. He can also take a .22 semi auto rifle and shoot hand tossed aspirins out of the air If any of you have the History Channel keep an eye out for a show called Sharpshooters. It's an awesome 2 hour show that highlights all the exhibition shooters of old as well as the active ones today like Jerry Miculek and Tom Knapp.
