220swift or 223wssm w/1-8"twst an 60-80grners

coyotewallace · 12-27-2005, 09:48 AM

looking for opinions on which would be the better of the 2 for my new 22 centerfire fast twist barrel??also i'm looking at the 22-6rem(224tth)..i'll go 27".........an i'm going to run high 60's-80g bullets
chuck

Roskoe · 12-27-2005, 01:13 PM

I have .22-6MM (.224 TTH) and it really delivers the goods at long range with the 75 gr. Hornady A-max. This one has a 9" twist; which isn't quite enough for the 77 gr. Sierra and definitely not enough for the 80 gr. Sierra. The other caliber I would consider is the .22-250 Ackley Improved. It is a little slower than the .224 TTH, and atad faster than the Swift - but has a very good case design for long brass life.

coyotewallace · 12-27-2005, 02:49 PM

Roskoe,

That sounds like sound advise.yea iwill go with the 1-8" twist.I would like to find the hottest/best 22 centerfire cartridge with the least amount of case work(an longest life 4 or 5 reloading anyway)i can get away with. That 75g vmax will be right in the middle of bullet weights i'mlooking to use an will probley be what i shoot the most.
any other advice?
what about cartridges like:
220 swift ackley
22-6mm ackley
22-243winchester,middlestead or ackley

also what "groove"should i be looking at going with?

Ps:just a note this will be an encore 27" with a brake..
("the brake"-just becouse i want one....)
thx!
chuck

Roskoe · 12-27-2005, 08:21 PM

When I first set up the 22-6MM, I envisioned trying it a bit as a "regular" cartridge and if all went well, setting it back a thread and opening it up to the 22-6MM Ackley Improved. As it turned out, the combination of high velocity and the fast twist turned out to be too much for most bullets to reach "full throttle" without a percentage of them coming apart in the barrel. Most of these long VLD type .224 bullets are designed for match shooting with the .223 Remington, so I wasn't surprised. Starting a velocities of around 3700, things began to go south. So I never went to the Ackley Improvedversion.

So, in most instances, I was not able to load the 22-6MM to its full potential. For that reason, I am thinking that when this barrel is shot out I will build another one in the 22-250 Ackley Improved - which is one of the best big cased .22 CF calibers out there. Particularly in terms of case life and barrel life. Hoping to get 3600 out of a 75 A-Max. We'll see.

PS: In my 22-250 AI with a Hart 1:14 barrel, I have some brass that has been reloaded 21 times. It is "loaded down" to about 3850 fps with a 55 grain bullet. Never have had to trim a case. How's that for economy?

coyotewallace · 12-27-2005, 09:15 PM

that is economy!!so what twist would you suggest?an i haven't seen you say much about the 223wssm..isthere a reason?so you think...
22-250ai what 1-8' or 1-9" 27"barrel w/brake(26" of rifling)an 75g vmax's would be the way to go??
thx
chuck

Roskoe · 12-28-2005, 02:18 PM

The .22-250 AI is a better mousetrap than the .223 WSSM, IMO. I think you are on the right track . . . . .22-250 AI with a 9" twist (or 8") and a 26" barrel. The 75 A-Max would be my bullet of choice, and it works well in a 9" twist - but if the barrel doesn't like that bullet (and you never know), then an 8" twist would allow you to experiment with heavier projectiles. ALso, get a stainless steel barrel if you can afford it. They will last a little better on the more overbore calibers. Good luck.

48thguns · 12-28-2005, 08:05 PM

I just don't know....I have a 1 in 14 twist in my Swift and have never shot anything bigger than 55 gr bullets. It seems to me that if you want/need bigger bullets, the 243 would be a better caliber???????? Sorry I can't help...good luck, Rick.