.22-250, whats too much velocity?

rugerm

Member
I have a rpa .22-250, so the barrel is good. I have a rough idea of my velocity (last year I chronographed it), it is around 3900fps with a 50 grn bullet. Although I have altered the load slightly and need to chrono again asap.

With that load im getting quarter MOA. I dont want to do any damage to the rifle. Has anybody experienced throat erosion or damage with a similar load/velocities? Am I worried about nothing?
 
No hands on experience but velocity isn't everything. Yes, 3900 is fast but throat erosion is heat as much as anything. Shooting long strings and getting the barrel hot will decrease life much quicker than just velocity will.

What do you use her for? If it's munty, CWD or Charlie I don't imagine you'll get the barrel hot enough. If it's long range coneys or corvids, you might but they all tend to F off when their mate explodes don't they ;)

Personally, with that accuracy and that velocity i'd just use it and cross that bridge when I came to it. Takes a lot of money to burn out a barrel anyway so you'll probably not hit it but if you do, rebarrel and crack on :D
 
Its only really foxes and occasionally long range rabbits/corvids. So im not shooting high volume. I am aware that the 22-250 can push 4000 but I dont want to be silly at the same time. I dont think there is a real need to load to the absolute limits. Like i said its silly.

Do you think 3900fps, given my usage would be harmful?

Thanks for the help
 
I don't think you'll do it any harm whatsoever, given your volumes. Just crack on and enjoy your shooting :thumb:
 
I have a rpa .22-250, so the barrel is good. I have a rough idea of my velocity (last year I chronographed it), it is around 3900fps with a 50 grn bullet. Although I have altered the load slightly and need to chrono again asap.

With that load im getting quarter MOA. I dont want to do any damage to the rifle. Has anybody experienced throat erosion or damage with a similar load/velocities? Am I worried about nothing?

Velocity is not an issue, nor is throat erosion strictly a matter of frequency. It happens to some extent at every firing, the amount of pressure a cartridge generates has much to do with the amount of erosion that takes place with every shot. It doesn't take many rounds jetting white hot gasses at 60,000+ PSI to eat barrel, or rather, these will wear out a barrel at an exponentially higher rate than loads with less pressure.

Barrels are only consumable if you make them so. I have 40 year old rifles that shoot as well as they ever did because I don't load them hot. If you're getting 2900 fps from a 50 grain you're riding max and there is a good chance -depending on the powder- that individual loads are exceeding max. You are not only eating your barrel, but you are wearing out the action. If you like the rifle, you might want to find a different load. JMHO~Muir
 
Ok. All taken on board. I may scale it down a bit. Thank you.
I would just like to say there is no pressure signs or anything to suggest any danger.

Also factory ammunition is sitting in and around 3800fps with 50 grn bullet. Thats what has been reassuring to me that I may be ok?
 
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Pushing 4000 with a 50gr bullet is hot, as Muir says. I would simply ask the question of what you are trying to achieve. Speed is not everything and there will be more stable loads at the next node (or two) down that will still knock charlie down very effectively indeed - and not push the pressure too hard. Losing a couple of hundred fps will not make material change to a drop chart at normal shooting ranges.
 
Ok. All taken on board. I may scale it down a bit. Thank you.
I would just like to say there is no pressure signs or anything to suggest any danger.

Also factory ammunition is sitting in and around 3800fps with 50 grn bullet. Thats what has been reassuring to me that I may be ok?

You're confusing "velocity" with "pressure" and they are not related. An example might be that if you look at Hodgdon's data, Using a 50 grain bullet, 32.0 grains of H-322 gives 3628 fps at roughly 58,300 PSI. ( I did the conversion from CUP to PSI. Not exact, but close) Using BLC-2 and a charge of 34.5 grains, they get 3740 fps at 55,400 PSI.

If you are getting a true 2900 fps and were using Hodgdon powders under the exact same conditions as they were, you would be using one of 4 different powders, all generating over 62,000 PSI. Choosing a different powder, you could give up 500 fps and only generate 57,000 psi. at max loadings.~Muir

PS: An interesting facet of velocity with 224 diameter bullets, is that the faster you push them the lower the ballistic coefficient becomes so in actuality, they become less aerodymamic and slow down faster.
 
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Hi, I have loaded .22-250 for many years, for target, fox, crows, etc, I have played around with all sorts of powder/bullet combo's, I found for a 50gr Nosler hp bullet, 33.2gr of 4895 gives 3500fps with superb accuracy, no pressure signs, and a can of powder goes a bit further! With a light bullet you are probably shooting under 300m anyway? so the lower velocity will not be an issue. Saying all that if your rifle likes the load you are using, just stick by it.
 
Marginal trajectory difference until you get well over 4000fps

3500fps to 3800 is about 1.5" at 300yds (-8.4" to -6.7")
4200fps drops it to 4.5"
4500fps drops it to 3.5"

By contrast 3100fps is almost 12"
 
You're confusing "velocity" with "pressure" and they are not related. An example might be that if you look at Hodgdon's data, Using a 50 grain bullet, 32.0 grains of H-322 gives 3628 fps at roughly 58,300 PSI. ( I did the conversion from CUP to PSI. Not exact, but close) Using BLC-2 and a charge of 34.5 grains, they get 3740 fps at 55,400 PSI.

If you are getting a true 2900 fps and were using Hodgdon powders under the exact same conditions as they were, you would be using one of 4 different powders, all generating over 62,000 PSI. Choosing a different powder, you could give up 50 fps and only generate 57,000 psi. at max loadings.~Muir

PS: An interesting facet of velocity with 224 diameter bullets, is that the faster you push them the lower the ballistic coefficient becomes so in actuality, they become less aerodymamic and slow down faster.

OOPS! One too many zeros in the original post!!
 
Just an observation but i was out foxing with some friends a couple of weeks ago and one of the guys was using a 22-250 and he shot a fox at around 90yds which hit it in the shoulder,
it got up and ran off with a three inch entry wound he hit it again as it was going away
and still it did'nt drop until he gave it a third round. it looked to me like his ammo was too fast and was expanding on impact, so as someone else said velocity isn't everything
 
it looked to me like his ammo was the wrong construction for his velocity and target and was expanding on impact, so as someone else said velocity isn't everything

fixed that for you
bet he was using AMax or VMax.
had the same issue with shoulder shots at sub 30yds in .222 with AMax. probably still clocking over 3100 from a .222 at that range
its the shoulder combined with velocity and frangibility that over expands it

you can't drive everything at the same speed and expect the same results
take a look at SST's when used out of 3k MV rifles sub 100yds - usually messy

equally some cup and core bullets can come apart mid flight above a certain (rotation) speed
 
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