I am not happy with my current 22-250 load. (1.5 inch groups at 100 yards) I have been using IMR 4064 with a 55 grain bullet. I was going to try a different powder when it was suggested to me that I try a new bullet first. What' s the take on this? I have used 55 gr bullets from Hornady, Nosler and Speer. Should I try a new weight of bullet before I try a different powder? (Coyotes and paper are all I plan to shoot with the load). Thanks for any insight.
First thing I' d do is get a good copper solvent and a phosphor bronze brush and scrub the barrel well. Make sure the barrel is not touching the forearm of the stock. Then reshoot the load you' re using. IMR 4064 should not be the problem, it' s a fine powder for the .22-250 and most .22-250 rifles shoot very well....1" and less. Unless these things are done you will drive yourself up a wall reloading.
I agree with the others, first things first. The trigger can play a very big part in accuracy if it' s to heavy. Also like already stated, make sure the bore is clean and not being fouled by copper and residue. It also makes a difference in floating the barrel and bedding the action. As far as bullet and powder, i' ve had more success juggling powder with a given bullet than i have switching bullets and trying different kinds. If there' s a certain bullet i want to shoot i try all the powders i can with that bullet and then if i can' t find what i consider acceptable groups and accuracy i will move on to another bullet. I' ve seen rifles shoot really good groups with no custom work at all when handloading and juggling with different components and combinations. Good Luck!
I' ve found there is no way to get a good load unless the rifle has been tuned first. I always glass bed the action and chamber area of the barrel, free float the rest of the barrel, and adjust the trigger. Then good loads come much easier. Win. cases, CCI BR 2 primers, 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips and 36.5 grains of H-Varget have given my five shots an average size of .174" . At 400 yards a pdog is mush. Good luck.[&:]
4064 is very good,if not the best, for the 22-250.
Two things i have learned,with mine, # 1, Speed kills [highest velocity],but is not accurate ! #2,Jamming the bullet into the lands,does' t always improve the grouping ? 20 to 25 thousands,works best,with all my bullets[22 caliper].
All the stock work and trigger adjustments helps and is a vast group tighener !
Back to your original question " Bullet or Powder"
Assuming your gun is in good order...bedded, floated, clean, etc. I find that as long as I' m using a powder that is reasonably correct for the cartridge H-380, IMR-4895, IMR-4064 are all good powders for the .22-250 ( RL 22 for examply might not be a reasonably good powder for the cartridge) that changing bullets gives me far more bang for the buck than changing powder. Changing powders might get me a little better accuracy, but the largest component of accuracy in your ammo is the bullet. If you have a bullet that your gun shoots well, it' ll probably shoot that bullet fairly well with several powders and with a fair range of charge weights.
The three companies that you mentioned are all known for accurate .224 bullets, there should be better than 1.5" groups there somewhere. If you do decide to change bullets get some from Berger
Try the Nosler Ballistic tips and Varget powder. If a gun won,t shoot that combo well, then it is time to do the re-bedding and scope check and all that other stuff. What kind of rifle is it?
Jed, You didn' t say if the rifle has ever shot any load accurately. If it has, try that load again to see if the rifle has changed. The points above regarding a clean bore are important. I' d only differ by using nylon brushes with the copper solvent. Those solvents tend to eat PB brushes rather quickly. Finally, you should know how much travel the bullet has to the lands, the " jump" . As stated above .020" to .025" works good with .22' s. At a minimum, you will need a caliper and a Bullet Comparator from Sinclair to measure this, but it is well worth the effort. Good luck.
I' ve had better luck adjusting seating depth to improve accuracy than component juggling, as long as you are using a good quality bullet and powder. Another point of interest is bullet run-out. I sort my handloads and the ones with run-out less than .003 shoot twice as good as the rest.
bullet or powder
