RedAllison

Was piddlin @ work today and birthday money is burnin a hole in my pocket (lol I trained em right, tho I'm 34 everyone just gives me money because they know I would rather have huntin/fishin stuff I picked out than more junk and trinkets!) I got to playin around with rifles and have about decided on getting a Savage 11 GCNS (basically plain wood and blued steel with AccuTrigger and regular box mag) in 22/250. Primarily I will use it for shooting around, playing and getting my kids used to centerfire rifles (I am gonna get my oldest a 243 Mdl 7 Yth Synt for his 10th in Oct) but I got to thinkin about using it for occasional "doe croppings". We shoot ALOT of does each year (20+ per man per year) and I know there are some that will balk and tell me how irresponsible it is to shoot deer with a 22 caliber, but I've seen em work in TX and I know where to shoot em in the neck (done it plenty with much larger calibers).

My questions are, has anyone any experience with these specific factory loads (not only for occasional deer but shooting in general):
Federal Prem Vital Shok: 60grn Nosler Part... and 55grn Trophy Bonded.
Hornady: 60grn Spire Point.
Winchester: 55grn SuperX Pointed Soft Point and also in 64grn.

I likewise looked on Barnes' website and they offer a 53grn Triple Shock Xbullet and a new 70grn TSX (which has a .314 BC).

Of the factory list, just looking at them the 55grn Trophy Bonded gets my attention first. Of course the TSXs are what I am a nut for and might possibly have to start reloading again if this rifle would shoot either of them well.

The gun is a 22" barrel with a 1 in 12" ROT. Would it stabilize these heavier .22s?

Another gun simply because of my FAVORITE reason, why not?
RA

ps
Yes this is a "just because" rifle. I likewise will NOT have it in a treestand solo. You can be assured that my beloved Warbird will be right there alongside in case "Sad Daddy" decides to step out. The .22/250 is strictly for fartsNgiggles and year round shootin! See guys, I aint ALL about magnums!!! Lastyear I carried a buddies od lil 45ACP singleshot bolt gun lastyear and whacked a doe with it (15yds) and "Thunderstruck" hung right there at arms length just in case.

Gundigest

I hand loaded the 60gr partitions for my .223 for deer and I shot a 1" group with my Ruger. I have not had a chance to use them on game yet. I wanted to use the 70gr TSX bullets but they are so long the box says they are recomended for a 1:7 to 1:8 twist. I would use the 60gr partition, 53gr TSX or the Trophy bonded, all three should do a good job. I am going todouble lung them though, I don't care for neck shots.

RedAllison

Thanks Gd, I was wonderin about the 70s, I knew that it was right on the border for a higher ROT. When I was studyin the .224TTH a few years ago (.22cal 7Mauser case) they were using 70 and even 80grn bullets (Bergers I think they were) and had to really turn up the twist and keep the 80s under 3600fps to stabilize them. I figure my 22" barrel should shoot 55-60s at about 3500-3600fps???

I might order a couple of boxes of 55 Trophy Bondeds tomorrow, they should be a really tough load (I have shot 140 TBs in a 280 for several years and they out perform any Partitions I have ever used on deer). More than likely at somepoint I will end up with the 53 TSXs as I plan on loading TSXs for my children and their .243s. Let me know how the lungshots work for you. I really like wackin em in the "nervous highway" with a lightnin bolt, but I also realize a hole in the boilerworks is a hole in the boilerworks! What kind of caselife is normal for such warm and heavy loads? I just don't have much experience with sub-25s...

Thanks again,
RA

Gundigest

I don't know about 22-250 case life but my .223 hot loads are having a good case life. My test load brass has been used about 5-6 times and still looks like it is in good condition. That is one reason I chose the .223 over the 22-250 100 pieces of new winchester brass is only $13 and I can load a 40gr bullet up to 3800-3900 fps and a 55-60gr bullet up to 3000-3100 fps. I want to try the 53gr TSX bullets also but the 45gr XLCs did not shoot very well in my rifle. The majority of my shooting is with 40-45gr bullets so I am not loosing much velocity over factory 22-250s.

If I was going to use the .243 for deer I would use the 85gr TSX, I think it would be a good light recoil deer gun.

Good luck

vangunsmith

A real good one for your 22-250,is the same bullet my friend uses and i use in my 223 is a 70 gr Speer sst bullet. It really does the job.The Barnes would be nice but your barrel twist is wrong one for it. vangunsmith

BareBack Jack

I have used the 22-250 for deer (and should I even say this since I'm a magnum user[&:][&:])and have shot a few elk with them(cows).

I used the 55 TBBC on all 5 ocasions and hadone follow up shots on the elk.
On the deer the TBBC penetrated right behind the shoulder and was lodged under the hide on the far side.As for the elk The first elk I killed with one I was 16 years old and it was the only gun in the truck.I put one right behind the(Right) shoulder and it penetrated through the lung and stoped inside the other,I had to shoot her in the neck to put her down.The second elk she was so close I shot her in the head at about 20 yds and she died right on the spot.
I don't advocate .22 cal's for hunting and they should only be used with extream prejedus(sp).But I have seen them work on deer(white-tails and mulies).
Best of luck with your .22-250 they are great kids guns and sounds like you have a walking varmiter on your hands also.
BBJ

Roskoe

Bare Back Jack - let me second the Trophy Bonded recommendation. There are better bullets if you have a fast twist, but for the standard.22-250 this is probably your best choice.

BTW - I had the pleasure of passing through Moccasin, Montana this afternoon on the way to Great Falls. Which one of the twelve houses is yours . Looks like great country for huntin and shootin. Regards. Roscoe

BareBack Jack

Hey Roskoe,
I live just down the road about 6 miles out in the country,you probaly drove right past me,I was out and about on Satuday.
What ya doing in the big city of Greatfalls?Come back by send me a e-mail.
BBJ

RedAllison

Well I picked the gun up today. I recently went to work for a new store and the fellow let me have the gun (brand new Savage 11GNS w/AccuTrig) for $299 and threw in a set of Talley's new one piece base/ring combo. I figure wth it's gotta be a great lil shooter and for no more money than that I can't go wrong. I have all my good scopes tied atop my big game rifles right now so I slapped an old 3x9x40 World Class on it that I had on an ol muzzleloader that is just sittin in the safe. After I shoot/hunt with the Savage this coming season I might put a 12x or so on it with mildots. I am looking forward to using it to practice with and will begin teachin my boys about centerfires with it later next month. I likewise ordered 4 boxes of the 55 TBBC Federal loads to hunt with. Today I just got a couple boxes of 55s (one's a Corelokt the other's a Powerpoint, whichever the gun likes the most I will use them for plinkin and crappin around with. The Corelokts are shaped most like a TBBC!).

LOL here I am the quintessential "magnumophile" and I am actually lookin forward to dinkin around this fall with a lil ol 22/250 Savage! (LOL but you can rest assured that my Warbird or my 300Wby will be right there beside me just in case "ol Sad Daddy" decides to step out across the field.
RA