1st post: Question about wildly different load data for .22-250 Rem.

[AstroVic]

This is my first post on this forum. I'm a brand new reloader. I'm about to load my very first rounds.

I have a Horizon Villain .22-250 Rem with a 1:8 twist. I'm planning to load 60 rounds of Hornady V-Max 55gr bullets with four different 15-round loads to see if one of them works best in my rifle. I'll be using Varget powder, once fired Hornady brass (from the same rifle), and CCI large rifle primers.

I checked my Hornady reloading book, and it shows the starting charge to be 30.8gr of powder and the max charge to be 34.6gr.

The Hodgdon loading data shows a starting charge of 34.0gr and the max of 36.5gr.

Why are these so wildly different? The Hodgdon starting charge is pretty close to Hornday's max charge. This concerns me. Which one do I trust? My inclination is to go the safe route and use the Hornady recommended loads.

 

[E.Shell]

Welcome aboard.

The reason for the differences is that the components and test equipment differ between manufacturers/publishers. Their result will also vary from yours, because you are using yet another set of variables.

As always, start low and work up. I usually load one round each beginning with the starting load and add 1/2 grain increments until I find pressure signs. Some people call this "scanning". I'll then test the upper loads in depth for precision and consistency.

Do yourself a favor and look up "OCW" and look at testing loads from that perspective.

 

[AstroVic]

Thank you for the explanation. I greatly appreciate it.

 

[Castle Rock]

The first lot of data is ridiculously low.
Start at 34, you will probably have better results at 35
Beg, borrow or steal a chronograph, without one you are working blind.
Aim for about 3500 fps or just a bit more if the accuracy is decent.

 

[Castle Rock]

Do yourself a favor and look up "OCW" and look at testing loads from that perspective.

That’s the last thing I would recommend to anyone starting out reloading.
The 22/250 is very popular and the components he plans to use are proven, it’s harder to find something that won’t shoot than something great.
The only thing to watch when loading 22/250 is not to over size the brass, otherwise it won’t last long.
This is THE round where it pays to use a Lee collet neck die until the brass becomes tight.

 

[AstroVic]

Thanks y'all. I just ordered the Athlon Rangecraft chronograph earlier this morning, so I will have it in a couple of days.

Also, this might make some of you cringe, but I only neck sized the brass using an old Lee Classic Loader kit (you know, the one where you have to use a mallet to pound the brass into the hand-held die). I haven't actually loaded anything yet, so if that's a complete bozo move, let me know and I'll get one of the Lee collet neck dies to use instead.

 

[Castle Rock]

No, you will be fine using that brass and die for now but do yourself a favor and buy a press and dies.
I would recommend a single lee collet neck die, a set of standard RCBS dies, ie FLS and seating die, and a RCBS Rockchucker press.

 

[AstroVic]

No, you will be fine using that brass and die for now but do yourself a favor and buy a press and dies.
I would recommend a single lee collet neck die, a set of standard RCBS dies, ie FLS and seating die, and a RCBS Rockchucker press.

Roger that! I just received a new RCBS Rockchucker press in the mail. I'm waiting on the Inline Fab QC mounting plate to get here so I can set it up. And I already have a Hornady LNL Classic press and a Lee Challenger Breech Lock press. I also bought Hornady Custom Grade New Dimension FL sizing and seating dies for all of the calibers I intend to load. The other main items I got, but haven't used yet are an RCBS MatchMaster (Henderson Precision) case trimmer, and an RCBS MatchMaster Link digital powder scale & dispenser.

I'm pretty much at the point where I'm ready to get going. I've already cleaned, deprimed, and inspected all of my brass (.223, .22-250, .243, & .308) I'd been saving up over the past six months or so. It's all once-fired factory ammo, shot in my own rifles.

But I'll be honest, it's just a little bit daunting to take those last steps of dropping powder and seating bullets. It's easy to get paralysis by analysis when it comes to reloading. The rabbit trails on YouTube are endless!

At this point, I'm just trying to make safe and (hopefully) accurate ammo. I'm a hunter, first and foremost, not a competition shooter, although I do shoot a lot more often than the average hunter.

 

[Dave Thomas]

Different load data is common. Start on the lower side and work your way up. I never Start at the lowest powder charge but usually closer to the middle charge. Also don't take what you see on YouTube as gospel. There's alot of people making videos that have no idea what they are doing and that's not just with reloading it's with everything. Just be careful until you know enough to know what's good advice.

 

[AstroVic]

After reading the entire 71 pages of the Painless Load Development thread (worth it!), and consulting several other loading manuals, I think I'm going to start with loading one cartridge of each of the following to check for pressure signs, then back off a bit, load 10 more and see if they have an acceptable group:

34.0 grains
34.5 grains
35.0 grains
35.5 grains
36.0 grains

I'm using CCI large rifle primers, once-fired Hornady brass (neck sized), Varget powder, and Hornady VMAX 55gr bullets.

If that works, I'll load about 50 more and go to town.

 

[Okie_Poke]

After reading the entire 71 pages of the Painless Load Development thread (worth it!), and consulting several other loading manuals, I think I'm going to start with loading one cartridge of each of the following to check for pressure signs, then back off a bit, load 10 more and see if they have an acceptable group:

34.0 grains
34.5 grains
35.0 grains
35.5 grains
36.0 grains

I'm using CCI large rifle primers, once-fired Hornady brass (neck sized), Varget powder, and Hornady VMAX 55gr bullets.

If that works, I'll load about 50 more and go to town.

I have not loaded for .22-250, so I may be overly cautious with my advice here given my unfamiliarity with the cartridge. But I want to highlight something about the two sources of load data you identified. Someone above mentioned that different companies tested with different components. That is absolutely the case here. Hornady is no doubt giving you data based on Hornady cases and the Hornady bullet you are using. Hodgdon's online data, on the other hand, is listing data for a Speer 55 grain bullet and a Winchester case.

Different bullets, even of the same weight, have different bearing surfaces and can have different construction. The latter doesn't appear to be in play here (both are cup-and-core varmint bullets), but the former probably is. Also, different cases have different capacities. Those differences can mean different pressures with the same powder charge.

I think your stated plan here is fine, but be ready for the possibility that you may hit pressure before you reach 36.0 grains. You are using the components Hornady tested, not the components Hodgdon tested, so Hornady's 34.6 may in fact be max. (Nosler lists 35 as max with a different 55 grain bullet, for example). Even if it 34.6 is max, you probably won't have pressure signs until you're past it, and you are unlikely to harm anything if you aren't seeing pressure signs. But I recommend paying attention for pressure signs and if you get stiff bolt lift or bad ejector marks, stop and don't keep pushing it just because you planned on going up to 36.0 grains.

Also, if it were me, I'd wait on the Athlon chronograph to come in and cross-check against the velocity it's showing against the velocity you expect to get. If your chronograph is telling you the round is 100 fps above the velocity you are expecting, you are probably over pressure even if you don't see pressure signs on your brass.

Take your time, use common sense, and don't force something if it seems off. Good luck!

 

[AstroVic]

Great advice, OkiePoke, and I really appreciate it! I'm like a newborn fawn when it comes to reloading. Heck, I haven't even pulled the trigger on anything yet, so I'm trying to soak up all of the knowledge I can find. I might just step everything back a bit more and start with 33 grains and go up in 1/2 grain increments. It doesn't seem like it would hurt anything to do so.

My first goal is safety. The second goal is something at least as accurate as factory ammo, and hopefully more accurate. The third goal is to have fun doing it (because it's a hobby for me) and to avoid the excessive rabbit trails so many reloaders seem to travel.

I tend to be very thorough and detail-oriented, so that last one is going to be a challenge!

 

[Dave Thomas]

I would also full length size the brass instead of only neck sizing.

 

[Castle Rock]

I would also full length size the brass instead of only neck sizing.

Have you loaded a lot of 22/250?

 

[rayporter]

neck sizing for the first reload insures the brass will fit the chamber. after a shot [or 3] you may be forced to full length size.
dont over complicate the process when starting out!!!

just shoot- have fun and learn!

 

[AstroVic]

neck sizing for the first reload insures the brass will fit the chamber. after a shot [or 3] you may be forced to full length size.
dont over complicate the process when starting out!!!

just shoot- have fun and learn!

I ran a sample of five of the neck-sized brass through my bolt and they seem to fit perfect, with no binding or tightness anywhere. Honestly, I was itching to get started on things so I neck-sized and primed 60 rounds of brass while I was waiting for my .22-250 FL sizing & seating die set to arrive.

I've been thinking about reloading for many years and I finally decided to dive in. I've read and watched videos as much as possible, and, while I never discount anything outright, I keep going back in my mind to that video of Richard Lee loading bullets on his Lee Loader kit. It reminds me that there is a certain beauty in simplicity. I'm the kind of guy that goes all-in on things, so I have to force myself to slow down and analyze "why" things are done this way or that way. That's why the Painless Load Development thread was so enlightening to read. (I'm still going to clean my brass, though! Even if it's not necessary. The perfectionist in me likes things to be clean and orderly.)

I'd like to thank all of you for your advice and not making me feel like an idiot! I wish y'all were my neighbors. Unfortunately, I don't really have anyone local who can serve as my mentor, so I'm kind of on my own with this stuff, and everyone on here will have to serve in the collective mentor role for me.

 

[AstroVic]

I should add something to my post above....

I realize the video I included is on the "caveman" side of reloading. On the flip side to that, I have an ex-brother-in-law who's an engineer and one of the smartest guys I know. When he talks about reloading, he's goes into great detail about spin drift and the curvature of the earth. While I understand the concepts, he and I have two totally different purposes for reloading.

I will probably never take a shot of any kind beyond 500 or 600 yards, and shots at game animals will almost always be within 200-300 yards. And, if I'm being brutally honest, 95% of shots at game animals will be within 100 yards. (I won't hesitate to let one fly at a coyote or a hog from a long distance, though. They don't get any free passes where I hunt.)