Which 22-250 barrel?

[odsixer]

I'm thinking of buying a custom barrel for my ruger m77 22-250 and wondering if anyone here can recommend one. I'm thinking of going to an ackley improved chamber but that seems like a lot more work fireforming etc.
Will a stainless or bead blasted barrel on a blued reciever look goofy? I think it might look pretty good. Thanks for any info.

Oh, this will mainly be for prairie dogs/maybe the odd coyote.

[Scorch]

Which barrel you choose depends on your budget. If you have the money, a Hart barrel is very nice, Shilen or Douglas would be my next choice, and ER Shaw is a great barrel for the money. I have heard very good things about PacNor (but have never had one of their barrels), Lothar Walther is supposed to be good (again, never had one), and of course Krieger or Lilja are legendary but the wait will be looooong.

There are others, but these are the common aftermarket barrels. The more unheard-of or exotic you get, the more difficult it is to predict what the performance will be like. In general, custom barrels are a HUGE step forward from a factory barrel.

I would avoid any Improved cartridge. You will have to buy new dies (not a big deal), fireform your brass (again, no biggie), and develop your own load data (can be done with little discomfort). My main gripe with 22-250 AI is that unless you are throwing heavy bullets, you gain very little and you have a lot of expense to gain that little bit. If you plan on going to a 1:10" twist and shooting 72 gr BTHP at 1000 yds, the extra case capacity is nice.

Stainless on a blued receiver looks OK. If it bothers you, GunKote it.

[odsixer]

Thanks, very informative.