33 grain .22-250 loads

[tube_ee]

Dad's got 500 32-33 grain SP .224 bullets, bought in a bulk bag, maker unknown.

Loading manuals and powder makers only go down to 40 grains.

He's using 40 grain data to start with, but he's trying to get good speed out of a Striker pistol with a 14" ported barrel.

Has anybody got any information for a bullet that light?

Powders on hand are 3031, Benchmark, BL(C)-2, RE-15. BL(C)-2 and RE-15 are too slow for the barrel length, at least based on testing with heavier bullets.

Typically, a lighter bullet will take a bit more powder, but I'm not comfortable relying on bolt lift effort and primers to assess pressures.

Anybody got a clue?

--Shannon

[A_Gamehog]

Hornady makes a 35 grain V-max
Barnes Makes a 36 Grain Varmit Grenade
Midway makes a 34 grain Dogtown load.

you have neither.

The problem is when your quest for a Light fast load might destroy your gun or you. Things you should know before you shoot any bullet are:
1). Who made them
2). What is the listed maximum velocity (self destruct in flight)
3). Are they "culls" discarded from a factory line. (not made to specs?)
4). What does the factory recomend for this to be loaded safe?

You life is not worth this 50$ worth of Copper bullets.


E-Bay them or trade them for a known bullet make and load a known proven load from a book. Don't try any unproven load just for speed. Funny thing is Hornady's newest book I just got last month has no listing for the 35 grain v-max which they make. And on top of that you don't have a true bolt action long gun that the reload books are meant for. Ar 15 loads are reduced from bolt 223 guns, etc.

[FrankenMauser]

He's using 40 grain data to start with, but he's trying to get good speed out of a Striker pistol with a 14" ported barrel.

Powders on hand are 3031, Benchmark, BL(C)-2, RE-15. BL(C)-2 and RE-15 are too slow for the barrel length, at least based on testing with heavier bullets.


Try to make friends with some one that has quick load. They may be able to help you.
The only suggestions I can make are only marginally faster burning than 3031:
H332 and IMR/H4198. If you can find 40 grain starting loads, it should be safe to work up from there.

What kind of speed are you getting, and what kind of speed are you seeking?

Funny thing is Hornady's newest book I just got last month has no listing for the 35 grain v-max which they make. And on top of that you don't have a true bolt action long gun that the reload books are meant for. Ar 15 loads are reduced from bolt 223 guns, etc.

The 35 grain V-Max was designed for the .22 Hornet, .218 Bee, and .22 WMR (factory ammo). It has a special ogive that doesn't work well with larger centerfire cartridges. (Feeding issues) Providing loading data for larger cartridges would just be asking for angry customers.

[tube_ee]

A hodgdon max load (for a 40 grain bullet) gives 3300 fps from the striker.

WInchester white box 45 grainers shot in the mid 3400s. With 10 grains (~20%) less bullet weight, that figure should be beatable.

--Shannon

[FrankenMauser]

I've been digging around a bunch of reloading sites and databases. I can't find any good candidates for this load. There is a fair amount of data for everything from 30 grain to 39 grain bullets, but all of it was developed for 20"+ barrels; and all the loads I can find are using slow powders.

(Counter-intuitively, I have also found slow powders to perform well with light bullets in my .220 Swift. In a 14" barrel, I don't think it would work, though.)

You may have to just bump this post once in a while, and hope for a recipe from some one with first-hand experience.

[tube_ee]

that would allow some reasonable interpolation from published data with faster powders?

Some idea of a safe increase in charge weight from 40 grain data would be a big help.

Or, alternatively, a slower powder might be tried... I've read that, even in shorter barrels, the fastest loads can still be the fastest loads, even in shorter barrels. But that's hardly a rule... sometimes it's true, and sometimes not.

Until I get myself and my new .22-250 rifle up to Dad's place, which won't happen until the end of March for the Paradise Valley Squirrel Round-Up, we won't have a rifle to compare chrony results with.

Thanks for your help.

--Shannon