22BR Custom Build

R

RifleMN

Private
Minuteman
Jun 23, 2025
12
2
MN
#1
Hello. First post here. I am looking at doing a custom 22BR bolt action build and had some ideas of what I want to do and wanted to see if I was missing anything obvious. Budget is around 3k total and no timeline. Rifle will be used out west for prairie dogs and a general paper puncher/steel at ranges that would be over 500 yards. Will be only used off a bench and not for competition. I currently handload with a single stage and Dillon 550b for 204 Ruger, 300 win mag and pistol.

Kelbly Atlas Tac
Preferred 22BR 27" , 1:8, PRS Heavy, .80FB, .260NK
McMillan A5-7(classic look vs chassis)
Hawkins M5 DBM with MDT mags
Trigger Tech Special
I already have glass
Any brake that works (EC Tuner?)
SAC modular die (BR) with Mandrel(I asked SAC if this can be used to neck down and they said yes)
Forster Seating Die
Lapua 6BR brass
75-80 ELDM or 62 ELD-VT
CCI450


Preferred will expedite the order and install the barrel onto the action and headspace for no extra cost on the actions the stock (kelblys).

Just making sure I am on the right track here and not missing anything obvious. Putting together a custom rifle that shoots nice has always been a goal and the 22BR seems like a good fit. Good ballistics, accuracy, recoil, easy (relatively) to load ammo for, good support for materials, etc.

Thanks!
 
#5
I went the Origin/Bartlein (Bugholes) 1:7/Bravo/TT Diamond route.

Bugholes did a .080” throat on mine and I’ve no complaints. Did fine with 88’s and by the time I started shooting 95’s (about 700 rounds in), I didn’t run into any issues.

Haven’t shot them in a while, but 75 ELDM’s with LVR are positively vile. Possibly the best grouping load out of that rifle (of all things tried so far), but LVR is a bit temp sensitive and 75’s don’t splash much on 1,000 yard steel. Still, a wicked varmint load.

The SAC sizer should be great. I might spring for one if I do another .22BR barrel, as I’m kinda “meh” on my current sizing setup. The Forster seater die is tits.

Spring for the TT Diamond and thank me later.

Powder wise, RL-16 was great, but now $80/lb. :/…. I’ve played with Staball 6.5 with 95’s but I just think it’s a tick too slow. About to play with 85.5’s and Ramshot Big Game. Have the load worked up, but haven’t really determined much else.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
 
#6
RifleMN said:
And yes I get the FB but I'm not planning on running over 80 ELDMs anyway so I should be fine, especially when it starts peeling back due to erosion (hoping)
Click to expand...
I think he's referring to you missing a 0 after the decimal. 80 thou vs 800 thou.

Sounds like a nice build. I dont think i'd want a brake on a heavy 27" 22 BR for bench and pdog shooting. Bare muzzle or better yet, suppressor.
 
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#7
Potsy said:
I went the Origin/Bartlein (Bugholes) 1:7/Bravo/TT Diamond route.

Bugholes did a .080” throat on mine and I’ve no complaints. Did fine with 88’s and by the time I started shooting 95’s (about 700 rounds in), I didn’t run into any issues.

Haven’t shot them in a while, but 75 ELDM’s with LVR are positively vile. Possibly the best grouping load out of that rifle (of all things tried so far), but LVR is a bit temp sensitive and 75’s don’t splash much on 1,000 yard steel. Still, a wicked varmint load.

The SAC sizer should be great. I might spring for one if I do another .22BR barrel, as I’m kinda “meh” on my current sizing setup. The Forster seater die is tits.

Spring for the TT Diamond and thank me later.

Powder wise, RL-16 was great, but now $80/lb. :/…. I’ve played with Staball 6.5 with 95’s but I just think it’s a tick too slow. About to play with 85.5’s and Ramshot Big Game. Have the load worked up, but haven’t really determined much else.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
Click to expand...
Thanks! Yea I wanna steer clear of LVR because of temp sensitivity. Shooting at home could be 60 degrees for load dev and prairie dog town could be 100. I appreciate the advice!
 
#10
What do folks think about doing a 22GT instead of BR? 22 BR brass heastamped from Alpha, better velocity, SAC dies available. Lapua and Peterson are making 6gt as well. Just a tad more difficult to tune and load for? Thanks.
 
#11
22GT is basically a modern 22-250.

Depends how much you're going to shoot it at Pdogs and appetite for barrel life. If I planned to run a high volume of shots at P-Dogs id probably want a little less overbore cartridge.
 
#12
wind gypsy said:
22GT is basically a modern 22-250.

Depends how much you're going to shoot it at Pdogs and appetite for barrel life. If I planned to run a high volume of shots at P-Dogs id probably want a little less overbore cartridge.
Click to expand...
I have a 204 Ruger that can handle some volume In the fields. It struggles with wind over 500 yards. It seems like Everytime we set up on a field, we shoot close ones for a while and before we know it, we are sending rounds over 700 at the ones still outside the holes. For a reference, we Shot 4 full days this year and went though about 350 rounds each. So at most from the 22cal would be 300 rounds per year, give or take. Barrel life probably won't matter a whole lot and even so, I would be set up with a platform that makes swapping barrels pretty painless. We also do watch the barrel heat and take breaks as necessary. As far as the comparison to the 22-250, who knows when Lapua will stop production and I would like to use some good brass long term. I only get to use Hornady in my .204 so would like something better to choose from.
 
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#13
Another discussion point I was thinking. The neck diameter of the 22BR reamer that Preferred uses is .260. that seems quite large at first glance but I have heard that necked down 6BR Lapua brass can be as thick as 15 thou per side. That would be around .254 loaded diameter. So chamber space around the cartridge neck would be about 3 thou per side. This should be about perfect for no-turn brass, correct?
 
#14
Pretty sure my smith and I did our neck at 0.255, all the lapua brass I've messed wirh for 6be has been 0.0135 to 0.012. My loaded necks after necking down is 0.250, perfect for our reamer. 22br is a fun lil cartridge. Went with 150fb length for 88s 90s.
 
#15
4O6shootist said:
Pretty sure my smith and I did our neck at 0.255, all the lapua brass I've messed wirh for 6be has been 0.0135 to 0.012. My loaded necks after necking down is 0.250, perfect for our reamer. 22br is a fun lil cartridge. Went with 150fb length for 88s 90s.
Click to expand...
Roger that, thanks. Im not a gunsmith by any means but I imagine a little extra chamber space around the neck shouldn't hurt
 
#16
RifleMN said:
Roger that, thanks. Im not a gunsmith by any means but I imagine a little extra chamber space around the neck shouldn't hurt
Click to expand...
Well if it's excessively big, you'll have issues getting the chamber sealed, especially suppressed, and you'll get lots of soot on the case body and into the chamber. Have you necked down and measured any brass yet with a bullet seated? If it's 0.250-0.252 which is where most lapua will land, you're going to have 10-8 thou total neck clearance, that excessive. 4-5k total neck clearance is plenty.
 
#17
4O6shootist said:
Well if it's excessively big, you'll have issues getting the chamber sealed, especially suppressed, and you'll get lots of soot on the case body and into the chamber. Have you necked down and measured any brass yet with a bullet seated? If it's 0.250-0.252 which is where most lapua will land, you're going to have 10-8 thou total neck clearance, that excessive. 4-5k total neck clearance is plenty.
Click to expand...
I do not have any equipment or supplies for the rifle. I am still making a decision on the caliber. I really like the idea of a 22BR but this large neck diameter has me second guessing. I do have an email out to Preferred asking them what brass the reamer works best with. I could do a dasher but not sure when Lapua brass will hit the shelves. Local gun shop has over 20 boxes of Lapua 6BR brass sitting there. Could also try a 6BR or BRA too. I do want to stick with Preferred because I have no idea where else you can get a Kelbly Prometheus barreled action for 1850 that's already put together in whatever chamber you want.
 
#18
RifleMN said:
I do not have any equipment or supplies for the rifle. I am still making a decision on the caliber. I really like the idea of a 22BR but this large neck diameter has me second guessing. I do have an email out to Preferred asking them what brass the reamer works best with. I could do a dasher but not sure when Lapua brass will hit the shelves. Local gun shop has over 20 boxes of Lapua 6BR brass sitting there. Could also try a 6BR or BRA too. I do want to stick with Preferred because I have no idea where else you can get a Kelbly Prometheus barreled action for 1850 that's already put together in whatever chamber you want.
Click to expand...
6br/bra are fantastic cartridges. Chambers designed for lapua brass are typically 272nk, alpha chambers are 274nk diameter. I have shot lapua in alpha spec chambers and it runs just fine in there too.
 
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