.22-250 powder help needed. Cooler vs hotter

[kgpcr]

I have a question. I know what powders burn faster but am wondering about what powders burn cooler. I am getting a 22-250 and want to have the barrel last as long as possible. i wondered if the H-380 or H-414 burn hotter or cooler than IMR4350 and Varget. any help would be apprecieated

[castnblast]

Don't worry about temp...Your extruded powders - varget, benchmark, & others will shoot far more consistant and have less deviation in fps than non extruded (ball-type) powders. Want longer barrel life? load 55's to get your velocity down. H4895 and Benchmark are great powders. Don't go much heavier unless you have a custom barrel with a faster twist. Most 22-250's are standard w/ a 1:14. 55 is about as heavy as you want to go to keep em sub MOA. you can go 60, but you'll have about a moa to 1.5moa.

[imdarren]

I'm a 22-250 loading freak, and I can tell you from experience that like castnblast said, it's not the temp of the powder, it's how hard / fast you push the bullets out of the barrel. When folks speak of a hot load, they are not usually speaking of the temp of the powder, but how much powder is loaded. If you keep the powder charges in the mid range (ie: 34 gr varget W/ a 52 gr so bullet at ~3,500 FPS) your barrel will last a really long time.
I'ts the guys that consistently try and push those rounds over 4,000 FPS that wear out your barrels faster.

[Scorch]

Flame temperature is applicable when you start comparing loads developing equal pressures at or near maximum cartridge pressure. In that application, ball powders will burn cooler and may extend barrel life a bit. However, in most applications it has very little usefulness. What you want to do with the 22-250 is avoid a steady diet of max pressure loads. Typically, you want to develop your loads with the slowest powder that will fill the case and give acceptable accuracy. "Old favorites" for the 22-250 are IMR3031, IMR4064, H380, and WW760. I have never loaded Varget, but it has developed an outstanding reputation since it was introduced.

Velocity is not a good indicator of pressure due to different powder speeds. For example, a 22-50 can throw a 55 gr bullet at 3,536 fps (AA2230) vs 3,553 fps (H380) (essentially the same speed) but at pressures of 51,000 psi vs 47,000 psi (according to Lyman 48th Ed). It depends on the powder burn rate, with faster powders developing peak pressures earlier in the burn but often yielding lower velocities.

[rwilson452]

The 22-250 is what is called an "over bore". sooner or later you will suffer from barrel erosion. Usually after about 2000 rounds. this will not be to noticeable unless your like me and insist on sub .5 MOA accuracy. In a target load I'm looking to get under .25 MOA. Yep, looking for a 10 shot group at 100 yds that I can't stick my little finger in.

[SuperTodd]

I like varget and BLc2 in my 22-250

[Martyn4802]

In one of my earlier 22-250's, H-380 worked best. In another, IMR-4320 shot best. In my current rifle, IMR-4895 and H-380 did not shoot well, but Benchmark shot best with Varget a very close second, all with 55 grain bullets.
To find the best powder for your rifle, you'll just have to bite the bullet and test them all. Your rifle will tell you what it likes, not visa versa.

Martyn

[mrawesome22]

The powders that have worked well for me in 22-250Rem are Benchmark, Varget, H4895, and H380.

I'm still trying to find a can of IMR4007SSC locally so I can give it a try. It looks like that powder will give me a top velocity will a very large case fill.

This stuff has been out for over a year and I still can't find it.

[DBotkin]

Which brings up a question I've been wanting to ask y'all.

Let's assume I want to try some new (to me) powder. Smallest container I can get is 1#, so I go buy a pound of said new powder. Load up some test loads with a range of charge weights, a couple different types & weights of bullets. I find that either the gun or I just don't like the stuff, and I have 14 ounces that I'll never use out of the pound I bought. OK, I deal with that.

But what if there are 5 or 6 powders I want to try. Just call it a testing expense, and sprinkle $100 worth of losing powders on the flower beds? Keep it around for some day when I've got a different rifle? Start a collection to see how many powder containers you can stack on the shelf?

I ask because I'm about to have to start a complete new load development cycle for my .22.250, which I'm in the process of rebuilding. New pillar & glass bedding, refinished stock, etc. I have H380 on hand, but the rifle has previously liked 3031 (which the .222 also likes) and 4350. I'd also like to try Varget, since everyone seems to love it so much. Just resign myself to a lot of wasted powder and quit complaining?

[mrawesome22]

I look at it like this. The stuff is going to last your lifetime if it is stored properly. If it doesn't shoot well in the gun you want it to, surely later in life you will buy a firearm that will like it.

I try to buy at least one gun per year. I had a can of IMR4350 given to me and low and behold about a month later I had a 30-06Springfield Sako Hmm, that worked out perfectly.

[kgpcr]

i had 23 cans of powder this winter when i cleaned it out. Some of it i put in a bag and tossed it in the fire outside i had going . Just no room for all of it. I also cant see me using H870 again and some odd powders that were there. Time to cut back. Now i have IMR 4350, Titegroup, Power Pistol,Blue Dot, Red Dot, Varget, Green Dot, and 1680. If i did not just buy a 22-250 i would be good to go with that. I will try the Varget first then H380 if Varget does not do what i want it to.

[crowbeaner]

If you stick to H380, WW 760, and IMR 4320, you will have just about all you need for your 22 Varminter. I've heard good things about Varget, but I haven't tried it yet as I currently don't have a 22-250 in my safe. I LOVE H380; it does everything I ask it to and any rifle that doesn't shoot at least 1 load well with it definitely needs to be looked at carefully. 39.5 of WW 760 under a 55 grainer should get you to 3550 fps. or thereabouts, and the barrel will last a loong time.

[dmickey]

I noticed that no one mentioned Reloader 15. In my .22-250, this powder is very good with the Sierra 52 grain Matchking. In fact, I just picked up another five pound container of it!

[castnblast]

you can get the tester packs that come w/ 4 cans of powder, each are 4 oz each which is perfect for testing your "work up loads". Hodgdon is the only manufacturer I know of that sells these.