What 22-250 twist rate do I want?

[Sogan]

Coyote gun with a Zeus prefit. Probably factory Ammo only (EC tuner if needed) and more than likely I’ll be shooting the 50-55gr rounds as I want the flattest shooting round possible with still being able to fight the wind a little bit. Open corn fields around here so wind can vary quite a bit from day to day. Am I looking at the right grain of bullets and if so that twist do I want for those?

Edit: added prefit barrel info

 

[A&8's]

For those bullets and speed, I would go with a 1:12 or 10 (if you can find a 10 in a factory barrel). If you're going to have a 'smith spin up a barrel for you, I'd do a 3/4 or 1 per inch gain twist.

I have one with a 12 twist and 1 with a 9-8.25 gain twist. The 12 shoots 52 grainers great. But with switchy winds, it can be like driving on ice. The gain shoots 75 grainers awesome and bucks the wind nice. But will explode a 52 grainer about 75 yards from the muzzle, if I push them too hard. It's been a few years since I've shot either, so I'd have to look in my data books for loads and speeds for each.

 

[Sogan]

For those bullets and speed, I would go with a 1:12 or 10 (if you can find a 10 in a factory barrel). If you're going to have a 'smith spin up a barrel for you, I'd do a 3/4 or 1 per inch gain twist.

I have one with a 12 twist and 1 with a 9-8.25 gain twist. The 12 shoots 52 grainers great. But with switchy winds, it can be like driving on ice. The gain shoots 75 grainers awesome and bucks the wind nice. But will explode a 52 grainer about 75 yards from the muzzle, if I push them too hard. It's been a few years since I've shot either, so I'd have to look in my data books for loads and speeds for each.

I’m going with a prefit for my zeus action so I should be able to pick most twist rates. Gain twists may be harder to get tho

 

[spife7980]

I’d go 7 or 8 twist because the 55gr will only be flattest out to 300 yards. After than a 75 gr will do worlds better and that not even counting the wind differences.

 

[Potsy]

I'd .22 Creed w/1:7 or 1:8, run Copper Creek factory ammo (if limited to factory ammo) with heavies if I was shooting far enough to even worry about the wind. Their 75ELD-M load should be wicked (though it is, like most everything else in our world, currently out of stock) on coyotes.

Though I rather doubt (admittedly) that that combo is fur-friendly.............

Spife hit it on the head. In 2021, lighter and faster does not typically equate to further, flatter, and wind-proofier. B.C. is king. I still have buddies that tell me they want something that shoots flat. I make a recommendation. They argue that their chosen combo is faster. I attempt to explain Ballistic Coefficients. They then tell me that they are not going to shoot far enough for B.C.'s matter. WTF?

That said, the 53 V-Max is an evil little coyote killing bastard out of my 16" AR (8 twist) and has a good B.C. for it's weight. It finds paper, steel, and hair as though it has an internal guidance system. I imagine adding 600-700fps would make it even meaner, though I'm not sure what the optimal twist rate would be (I'd think a 1:10 would spin it without issue). I don't think it's loaded in any factory ammo, but it is my favorite "lightweight".

 

[Sogan]

Sounds like I got some more research to do. If I went 22-250 is there a twist that’ll let me shoot 50-75 or is that to big of a jump.

I’m going to do some more research on 22 creed too

 

[SupressYourself]

The "Factory ammo only" part limits your choices severely. Not many making factory ammo with heavy pills because most 22-250s are not twisted properly to use it. You should probably just go 1:12 if that's the case. Maybe 1:10.

For my last 22-250 barrel, I went with a 1:9. That should stabilize bullets up to the low 70s (69 TMK is my goal), while (probably) not tearing apart 50-ish bullets, at least not the 53 v-max, which is my current 22 cal sweetheart.

I know a 1:12 22-250 will stabilize the 53 v-max just fine, and it kills coyotes like a lightening strike. Sadly, I know of no factory ammo loaded with it either. With Hornady, you can only get the 50 or 55.

 

[SupressYourself]

Sounds like I got some more research to do. If I went 22-250 is there a twist that’ll let me shoot 50-75 or is that to big of a jump.

A 1:9 would be marginal on both ends, but great for the middle like 68-69gr bullets, of which there are many excellent choices.

You need to decide on factory vs reloads first. That may dictate your twist choice. If you go with a tight twist like 1:8 or 1:9, you may not be able to find any factory ammo loaded with bullets heavy enough for it. If you go with a more standard 250 twist like 1:12, pretty much all factory ammo will work, but you wont' be able to shoot heavies out of it.

 

[jcmullis2]

If you’re gonna run factory ammo go with 1:14 in the 22-250. Most factory stuff is 52-55gn in my area. I know my old factory r700 vs in 22/250 has a 1:14 twist and it loves factory ammo. It’s nice to be able to grab a box of ammo at the store and still hit what you’re aiming at.

 

[fdkay]

Sounds like I got some more research to do. If I went 22-250 is there a twist that’ll let me shoot 50-75 or is that to big of a jump.

I’m going to do some more research on 22 creed too

1-8 twist will serve you well for up to 77 grains and should still work well for 55 grain. Lower quality light weight bullets may not do well. 22-250 is an excellent choice. If you want to use the same rifle for deer, I'd strongly consider a 1-6.5 twist and stick with the 60 to 90 grain range.

 

[Deleted member 10043]

I use a 9 twist in mine with 69 SMK SF=2.02 3200 FPS. But just use the Berger calculator to figure out what you need.

 

[supercorndogs]

I’d go 7 or 8 twist because the 55gr will only be flattest out to 300 yards. After than a 75 gr will do worlds better and that not even counting the wind differences.

More like 500y. I have missed very few coyotes over the years due to wind. I feel like most people fighting wind and taking long shots are either choosing to do so, or choosing poor set ups where they can see {therefore be seen} for a long way. Or live somewhere like the Dakotas where it blows 20 plus all the time. For calling coyotes I will take the longest PBR zero in this area and most others I have hunted.

My 22-250 is a 1 in 9 this time. I have been shooting 50 v-max and 60g Hornady SP bullets this summer.