22-250 what to look out for?

204 Ruger

Well-Known Member
Hi, Im looking for a 22-250 and ahev heard that they suffer from barrel wear/burn. What do I need to look out for when viewing one? Thanks Steve
 
i am no expert on second hand firearms but i would be looking at general overall condition. as you are aware lots of shots with a fast round can wear the barrel out, im not sure what quantifys as "lots" but put it this way a tatty rifle, worn blueing, scrathed dented and grazed stock would suggest to me that the rifle has not been treated very well. i am also not sure if you would be able to see a worn barrel with the naked eye, i can presume that the first thing that would raise the alarm would be inconsistant grouping.

If it was me i would avoid going S/H in fast cal rifles. it could prove to be a very expensive option.

one thing for sure : im not sure about alot of things!
 
Don't buy a 2nd hand 22-250 unless you really know and trust the seller.

I know a dealer who puts a borescope down each and every rifle that he buys. He swears that he turns down almost every 22-250 brought to him.
 
Good advice. Thanks. What level of use(even looked after) can wear a 22 250 barrel to the point that you get poor groupings? I ahev heard that as little as 2-3k can do it.
 
If considering a s/h .22-250 get it borescoped before you had over the hard earned. Most s/h are on the sale rack cause the barrel is worn. If not properly maintained will burn out faster. My mate's remmy went at 6k and was well looked after.
 
I have one now still tight groups at 3240 (i count them), but my last one opened up alarmingly at just about the 2K mark. I won't be buying another Winchester 70.
 
In all honesty unless your a profesional stalker or the rifles done a lot of range work its hardly likely to be shot out I have a old Tika M 55 in 22-250 calibre that I purchased new in 1986 it it still shoots 1" groups or less and lets face it what would it cost to re tube a sporting rifle anyway.
a normal stalker has all on shooting out a sporting rifle if its been looked after.
If its going to wear it will be in the throat so its easily evidenced even by a novice.
The other thing is with a 22-250 making sure that all rods that pass through it are plastic coated and never use any chemical bore cleaner , just a swab out with a patch on a plastic jag and one pass straight through from breach to muzzel dont work the rod.
 
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I always prefer a carbon fibre rod, but will use a plastic coated one if I have no options, chemical cleaners are ok, such as wipeout, but anything overtly ammonia based is out for me.
 
+1 on getting it bore-scoped. +1 on wipeout, good stuff.

I suspect this barrel burn-out thing is overdone a bit. Shouldn't be an issue if you don't let the barrel get too hot - just fire a group and let it cool a bit.

Andrew
 
i wouldnt go by the theory that if it looks in good condition, it probably is. i know a couple of blokes whoke rifles are mint, but have done lots of work on targets/load development. i also think that if a second hand rifle looks brand new, then it hasnt been used much, probably because it aint that good. i always try to buy second hand from someone i know if possible, and if its a bit tatty, that means its been used for what it was meant for and probably shoots pretty good. your only problem is persuading the current owner to let it go at the rigth price! i've just bought a second hand r93 barrell, which i hadnt seen shot, and there were no surprises that you can fire 3 shots at target and only make 1 hole!

so i answer to your question, what you should look out for on a 22-250 is the engraving "R93":p
 
Hmmmm well I used to have a BSA CF2 in 22-250 until Bisley decidied it could'nt be shot on their ranges..........................Grrr so I traded it in. I brought it real cheap, if I recall correctly I gave £60 for it and it looked rough, it was to be project rifle that was going to be re-built and re-barreled however it came with a few boxes of Federal factory ammo so naturally I scoped it and tried it out............................... bad move as it grouped in under MOA even with a visably worn throat.

It was last heard of doing fox control work on a free range chicken farm near Reigate in Surrey and the throat and bore were even more worn after my few years of range shooting with it yet it still shot into just over MOA by the time I traded it in. Just goes to show????
 
Though not usual, I have a 1970s 22-250 Weatherby MK5 that was purchased in the States in the mid 80s. Since it was purchased, it ran at least 6000 rounds of hot loads before it gave up the ghost and was then re-barreled in 22-250 AI (waste of time over 22-250)
Using a bore scope will show the all important state of the barrel, but apart from any glaring marks or pitting, the throat is where the use will show. My OAL became longer throughout the life, but as long as you made the rounds to keep the distance from the Lans uniform, it kept the accuracy. I try to use an OAL guage when looking at used rifles, this will give you a good idea of how much throat is remaining.
Personally, I think I have been lucky, for the price difference between a new and second hand rifle would not make me buy anything other than a true bargain second hand.
 
Finally bought one a few weeks back from a trusted member on this site (Lady stalker). Its a Remington model 7 22.250 LSS, absolutely stunning condition and perfect for me at 20 inch in length because Ive just added a stainless 9.5 inch PES muzzle can to the end of it for Fox hunting. Had it bore scoped at the gun smith (after the event so a bit of risk) and confirmed that the rifle has done exactly what the seller stated, no work what so ever). Took it for a test drive with and without moderator...Totally deaf after a group without the mod and hitting sub 1inch groups at 100 yards (on a bipod) and same with the mod on except I could actually hear the firing pin drop and the sounnd of the bullet making the crack.

Is wipe out ok on stainless barrels?
 
There rearly is to much scaremongering . I bought a second hand winchester m70 featherlight 15 years ago , age unknown it shot sub moa until i fitted a mod .
Then due to the very thin profile barrel suffered from the stock pressing on the barrel. it had shot well over 1500 rounds with me. I replaced the rifle as i wanted one that could handle a mod and bought another model 70 with a bull barrel.

One of my friends has a tika M55 that was an Army sniper rifle when he bought it it looked like **** ! He has had it over 10 years it shoots like a lazer.

Good luck with the model 7 they are great i have one in .260 but it had the plastic stock and that had to be replaced.
 
Good luck with the model 7 they are great i have one in .260 but it had the plastic stock and that had to be replaced.[/QUOTE]

Thanks mate, seems to be ok with the mod shooting some good groups, now getting into relaoding so that I can afford to shoot a few more :)
 
ive got a nice 22/250 winchester hb. use it for foxing and 'muntjac very soon' now my ticket is back with it on. mine has the h&s stock so no worry on the front touching the barrel.
its accurate, fast firing round. if looked after will last a good couple of 1000's shots.

and then im betting the accuracy will still be more then enough for foxing. i will prob get it rebarreled in 243 or 243 ai in the future. i like mod 70 rifles and would say to anyone looking at one. buy one there accurate and underrated imo. plus you can get after market stuff for them like different stocks and triggers

i wouldnt part with mine now. and glad i went for a 22/250. shame they dont all make them with option of a 1 in 8 or 1 in 9 twist. i no saveage do now. but all the other rifle makers should.
 
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