22-250 ELDm issues

[Tazman]

So I am fortunate to have quite a few full custom builds that I shoot but I picked up a Savage 22-250 1-9 twist that is full wrapped and looks awesome. It had a Nikon buckmaster scope on it and I loaded up some 73 Grain ELDm rounds using 38.5 grains of Superperformance powder. The reason I am posting is because I have now pt 30 rounds out of this gun and have yet to hit the target even at 50 yards!!lol We went back out yesterday and put the target at 60yards and I hit the target low 5 inches so I corrected the elevation and the bullet went high and to the right of the target. I could not get back on target. When I looked at the hole in the target from the 1 hit I did get....the bullet hole appeared to be sideways.

I am trying to figure out if the scope is junk or the eldm is coming apart because I am sure the rifle is capable of shooting. I don't have an 1 inch scopes to swap out and the rigs are camo to match the rifle so I want to keep using them. All the normal things have been checked but it appears the scope is not tracking or the bullet is coming apart. I bought this for a truck gun to have for coyotes but it's kind of being a pain in the butt. Just wondering of others have seen issues like this?

 

[308pirate]

When I looked at the hole in the target from the 1 hit I did get....the bullet hole appeared to be sideways.

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Bullet going sideways through the target = barrel twist rate not fast enough to stabilize it. Period. End of story.

I have a 223 Rem 1-9 24" Howa 1500 that does the exact same thing with 68 grain or heavier bullets.

There is nothing wrong with your scope. There is nothing wrong with your rifle. .224 1-9 barrels are, and have always been, marginal in stabilizing very long bullets like the 73 ELDm and others like it.

Some people get lucky and their barrel's exact twist rate is a little faster than 1-9 and so they have no problems. Others like you and I get a barrel with rifling rate on the slow side of nominal and it won't work with the long bullets.

It is what it is. You either need to step down to shorter (lighter) bullets or screw in a new barrel with a faster twist.

 

[Tazman]

LOL...well crap. I have some 52 grain amax bullets that may work then. I figured it would stabilize them but the 52 or 60 grain may be the ticket. The bullet going sideways was a 60 yards which I though was weird.

 

[308pirate]

The bullet going sideways was a 60 yards which I though was weird.

That's what happens to an unstabilized bullet: it yaws, tumbles, and flies in unpredictable directions.

 

[spife7980]

I have a 1:9 223 as well and 69 ccs we’re stable but the 70 rdf was no bueno. I had a 60 grain load but I’m going back to a 53gr myself. Those 52 should shoot well for you.

 

[Tazman]

Ordered some 69 grain SMK bullets to try.

 

["HeysKSFirefighter]

Hornady 75gr HPBT have a long history of shooting well from Savage 1:9 barrels.

The 53gr V-Max is an excellent choice, as are 68/69gr match bullets.

 

[blackblue]

Try shorter 70gr range bullets, I had a Savage that loved 70gr Berger vld"s.

 

[supercorndogs]

I had20" and 26" 1 in 9s. They would run the 77smk, but not the 75 a max.

 

[Tazman]

I did a little testing last night and it is sending the bullet sideways and it appears it's stripping the jacket off as it goes down the barrel. There are small fragment holes at 50 yards around the bullet hole.

 

[Geno C.]

With which bullet? I run 70vlds in my 1-9 22-250ai. Best I've found by far for my combination. Just throw in a 50gr and see it they group at all on paper and if the homes are round. If not then you have problems other than twist

 

[Tazman]

I was using the 73 grain ELDm. I have some 69smk's coming to test. I also have some older 52 grain amax I may load up.

 

[supercorndogs]

I was using the 73 grain ELDm. I have some 69smk's coming to test. I also have some older 52 grain amax I may load up.

Have you shot anything else out of it. It sounds like it is blowing up bullets.

 

[steve123]

I did a little testing last night and it is sending the bullet sideways and it appears it's stripping the jacket off as it goes down the barrel. There are small fragment holes at 50 yards around the bullet hole.

Which weight bullets?

If it's a new rifle send it back. If it's a used rifle you know why the other guy sold it. Otherwise I'd toss that barrel and order a new prefit. I've seen posted here on SH a guy that got a barrel on a brand new rifle that wasn't even rifled, lol, just saying.

 

[Tazman]

I bought it used and it is a custom wrapped deal from Savage. I just bought it as a truck gun from a local gun shop while I was in there. It's the first used rifle from a gun shop I have ever bought!!lol I usually have them built to buy from here or the hide. Maybe Savage will help me out if I can't get it to shoot. It's kind of a fall snow camo pattern on the entire rifle, barrel and rings so it looks pretty cool!

 

[blackblue]

If it's this rifle you probably ly have a 1:12 twist.
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11TrophyPredatorHunter

 

[Tazman]

It's a Savage model 10 woodland xp camo with a 22 inch barrel. The guy at the shop told me it was a 1-9 twist with a Nikon 4-12 Buckmaster2 but I think the scope was put on separate. It's not the same color.

 

[Tazman]

Ok...I took some time to do the research and it appears Savage doesn't make a 1-9 twist 22 250!!lol I will take the dumb ass award for not checking. I have never owned a Savage and just thought it looked cool and it was cheap for a truck gun. I am thinking it is probably a 1-12 twist but that's OK. I have 500 52 grain amax's I can use. I can find no data where Savage made that gun in a 1-9 twist.

 

[308pirate]

I didn't click through them all but I did click on about six or seven different 22-250 rifles in Savage's website and every single one of them had a 1-12 barrel.

99% of what I have ever heard coming from behind a gunshop counter has been wrong.

 

[SlimySquirrel]

Yikes... as stated that twist is not fast enough. Should be ok with 69 HPBT or similar... or really effective as a scatter gun!

I'm actually looking to get a 1-8 or 1-7 for my 22-204 project so I can load up the 73-75 Hornady and the 80 Berger

 

[308pirate]

Yikes... as stated that twist is not fast enough. Should be ok with 69 HPBT or similar...

No, it WON'T be OK with 69 grain bullets.

Tazman, you're stuck with 60 grain and lighter (shorter) bullets unless you re-barrel it. Not the end of the world.

 

[Tazman]

Yep...my wife gave me the 3rd degree last night for not actually checking it and for ordering more bullets that still won't work!!lol Like I said...I have never purchased a used gun other than from here and it serves me right for not doing my normal due diligence. For the first time in a long time I bought something because it looked cool!lol I would imagine at the speed I am running the 73 grain bullets and the amount of copper fouling I am seeing....the bullet is getting the jacket ripped off it in the barrel? If I knew Savage could duplicate the wrapped barrel on this thing I would send it and have it made a 260 or something.

 

[308pirate]

Mass produced barrels almost always load up with copper like crazy, even more so if they are cheap button rifled barrels that haven't been lapped.

Your solution, if you keep that barrel, is to fire lap it with Tubb Final Finish. BTDT got the t-shirt.

 

[Tazman]

Just cleaned it really good and it is a 1-12 twist. Loaded up some 52 grain amax bullets and 41.5 grains of Superperformance so we will see how it does. I will get some of the tubb Final Finish and lap it.

 

[blackblue]

The VLP is the only one I know for sure had the 1:9 twist.