22 BR

[Elwood]

has anyone had any experience with this caliber? I have read plenty about it on the net, mainly from 6mmBR.com, and now I would like some hear from anyone who has shot one.

 

This will be used a foxing rifle, and I think the accuracy and velocity figures stack up nicely, I have read reports of 3850 fps with 50 grain bullets and .2 inch groups when using match ammo.

 

Please don't say just get a 22.250, I already have one my only other consideration is a .243 AI, but as I have two 6 mm's I might find it hard to convince my local constabulary. Or have I over looked any other suitable calibers? I would have gone for the 22 dasher but to be honest there's just to much case prep to be done.

 

The rifle will be built around the one in my avatar, using a Stiller Predator action and a Border barrel. I suspect there might feeding issues with the BR case, but I'm told it can be done.

 

Ian

[Guest varmartin]

From what I understand, you should not have feeding issues with a .22BR, as with a 6mmBR due mainly to the nose heavy long bullets used in tight twist applications.

 

Martin.....

[Vermincinerator]

Elwood,

Cant really tell you anything you have not already read on 6mmBR.com, however just in case you have not seen it there is an article for a magazine fix to feed the BR case.

 

http://www.6mmbr.com/Rem700magfix.html

 

Ian.

[Elwood]

Thanks Martin and Ian, that is good to hear.

 

Ian

[dogfox]

Hi Elwood

I have a cooper in 22 BR and I have to say that I love the round.I use a 52 grain amax and it is doing about 3400 odd FPS.The accuracy I am getting is great(ragged little hole).You can drive it a lot faster but I was losing out on accuracy.It is a easy round to load.Just get a 6 BR case,size it in a 22 br die, trim and away to go.I am using vit 135 powder.

[Cornishman]

Hi Elwood

 

I have a single-shot RPA in 22BR and love it to bits. I shoot moly-coated 52g Sierras in it over H322 powder. I tried various other powders but when I tried H322 I knew straightaway I'd hit the jackpot. The limiting factor on accuracy is only my ability off the bench. If you're an experimenter then you'll love the round but a few thoughts:

 

1) The case is short and stubby and although you might get it to feed OK I doubt it will ever be reliable enough to positively guarantee feeding in the wet and dark when you're in a hurry and foxy is just about to run off. A mate of mine has a 6BR that feeds well out of a Tikka magazine but that's the only type I've ever seen do a decent job feeding this case.

 

2) Lapua brass is the only way to go. Ignore Norma which is almost as good but more expensive and has a shape that is just different enough to cause problems. If you decide to ignore this advice you may want to make a bid for some of my largely unused Norma BR brass (good thing I didn't try to make a life in Sales isn't it?).

 

3) I have a reamer if you want to borrow it. It's a Clymer and all I can say is it cut a spectacularly accurate chamber for me. The throat is long enough for you to use heavier bullets if you wanted (see below).

 

4) I specced my rifle with a 1:14" twist which works great if you want fast/flat. With the benefit of hindsight I wish I'd gone 1:8" and used 75g Vmax bullets which would have made this a long-range performer.

 

5) You'll need to neck turn your brass. It's fairly simple to neck down 6mmBR brass but by the time you've moved metal in the neck area you need to clean up the outside of the necks and the neck/shoulder junction. A good job for those dark winter evenings but if you don't like hand-loading I'd suggest another calibre. I'd suggest you budget out all of this and include good quality dies and think again whether it's worth it for foxes when there are so many out-of-the-box chamberings that give top field accuracy and no feeding problems. A tight neck also means you have to have perfect rounds or they won't chamber.

 

6) Again, with the benefit of hindsight, I've have gone for a different calibre or spec for field use. I have a fast-twist 22-250 which is awesome, does everything the 22BR does in terms of accuracy but will stretch out to 1000 yards if I have a mind to. And it feeds. Why don't you ask your plod for another 22-250 but use one of the historic names (22 Varminter or Watktyns Arrow I think)? Don't get me wrong, I love my 22BR but it's not versatile.

 

7) Also I made mine too heavy for field use. The idea was that a light gun wouldn't make use of the accuracy so I went heavy varmint barrel. The accuracy is there but it's an anti-tank gun with phenomenal accuracy but doesn't have the wind-bucking characteristics of my 22-250 using 75g Vmax bullets.

 

8) Last thought, what about Bruce Potts' 22 Satan?

 

Let us know how you get on.

 

Cornishman

[6mmBR]

Thanks Cornishman for writting that up.

Most fascinating.

Cheers

Dave

[Elwood]

Thank you Dogfox and Cornishman, that's the kind of real time experience I was looking for.

Cornishman when I have completely absorbed your information I will reply to each of your points.

 

Ian

[Alycidon]

I looked at 22BR very closely but have now settled on 20BR with 39/40 grain pills. These will do 4000 fps easily, drift less,drop less and hit harder than a similar weight bullet in the .22BR. Dont intend to run it much beyond 300 yards and for that it should be fine. Just run the ballistics through any software, I was very surprised when I did. For 500 yards then I am told it would be better to use the 50gr Berger in a 1 in 9 twist, that for me is to far for a tiny pill.

 

A

[Elwood]

Well after giving the caliber alot of consideration I have decided to go ahead with the project, I use the word project lightly, a whim would be more accurate

My current foxing rifle in .223 groups half inch or less all day long, but I would like a change, for no reason in particular, but just because I can. I'm hoping that the Remy 40X action and barrel will offset a lot of the price of the Stiller Predator action, hopefully making it a cheap (ish) whim!

 

Cornishman thanks for your input, the specs are as follows

 

AIC stock which Kal will durocoate as it needs a bit of tlc ( Will be in touch soon Kal)

Arnold Jewell trigger

Stiller Predator action with a badger ordnance tactical bolt knob

Border 5R 1-12 twist, straight taper T2 contour, 27 inches.

 

We opted for the 1-12 twist as it will be mainly used for foxing with 52 grain Amax heads, I'm told it should still shoot bullets up to 63 grains. I discussed the option of a 1-8 twist enabling me to use 75 grain Vmax heads, but then it was rightly pointed out to me that I have (soon) a 6 BR that will do that.

 

It's going to be a heavy rifle but the .223 I am using now weighs in at 15lbs, all my shooting is done from the Landy or in a prone position.

 

I don't have a problem with neck turning and I have the necessary equipment for it, and will be using Lapua 6 BR brass.

I did consider the Satan and the 22 dasher but there's just to much messing around with brass for my liking, I also thought about the 22/250 AI but as I have a 22/250 already I think that when the barrel is shot out I will go down this route.

Alycidon, again the 20 BR took my interest but the barrel life put me off, I am someone who likes to tinker with reloads, even when I have found the most accurate load I still like to test out different recipes to see if I can get a little bit more out of it. I'm expecting to get between 2000 to 3000 rounds out of the 22BR ?

 

I will of course let you all know when it's done and hopefully get some photo's up, I'm hoping it will be this this side of Xmas.

 

Ian

[Cornishman]

Hi Ian

 

The thing about a custom gun is that you can specify every component and get exactly what you are looking for. Yours sounds like a very high-spec rifle and one I'm sure you will treasure. I have a 308 in an AI stock and although it took me longer than usual to get the set-up right there is a lot of adjustability and it now fits me well. They are mega-tough and versatile stocks.

 

In my earlier post I mentioned I had a fast-twist 22-250 and I was out with it last night. This, like your 22BR, has a Border barrel and when I went to test my 100 yard zero this was the result.

 

 

 

This is no fluke either, the rifle will deliver into the 1s and 2s. This was with 75g Amax bullets, not Match 52g jobs and with the benefit of the BR case you should expect this sort of performance or better.

 

The word on the street a while ago was that Border used softer steel than some makers and hence their barrels didn't last. An alternative story was that they were sent a duff batch of steel and that the problem was quickly rectified. Frankly I don't care: Borders seem to shoot stunningly well and when my 22-250 barrel is worn out I'll probably treat myself to another (although next time I think it might be a fast-twist 22BR).

 

Keep us posted wit progress.

 

Graeme

[Cornishman]

Oh b*ll*cks, the photo doesn't seem to have come through. Try this......

 

[Guest Rapid]

How many shots in that group? 5 or more.

[Cornishman]

Five shots in that group. If I'm working up a load for the first time sometimes I shoot groups of three on the basis that if it won't group with three then it won't with five so let's save some ammo and barrel wear. Mainly though I shoot 5-shot groups, taken them all home, measure them up, put the details in the computer and try to work out which powder/bullet etc works best.

 

Personally I think that time at the bench testing loads is well spent especially if you shoot off a bipod. It's harder to get good groups with a field rig than a benchrest set-up. Having said that there are some rifles that just want to shoot and are reliable performers. A friend in the accurate-rifle business thinks it's down to stock design but I've an idea that it's the straightness of the barrel. My 22-250 RPA has a cut-rifled Border barrel and they all seem to shoot tiny groups. My 22BR has a Kreiger barrel (also cut-rifled - start to see something in common?) and that will also shoot very small groups off a bipod.