6.5-06 and 22-243 anyone?

[clintbailey]

Just wondering if anyone else out there loads for a 6.5-06 or a 22-243. Looking for powder ideas; have been using H4350 in both, but its hard as hell to find right now, and would REALLY like to go with a ball powder if possible. One disclaimer up front, my 22-243 is old school, has a 1:14 twist so I'm not loading the heavier bullets like most people do with the newer built guns. I'm running 55 grainers in the 22-243 and 123 gr in the 6.5-06. Appreciate any opinions on this matter, Clint

 

[RT66]

Nice wildcats......sorry Im no help but I wish I had your problem.

rt

 

[7stw]

Hodgdon h414 will work in both. No experience with a 6.5-06 but I've loaded some .22-243 for a friend with h414 and 53gr vmax. Used lots of it in my swifts. It's a ball powder and meters really well. Reloaders nest and hodgdon have published data.

 

[clintbailey]

7stw, how do you think H380 might work in the 22-243? I had a guy offer to sell me what's left in an 8 lb jug, sounds like probably about 7+ lbs left, for $100 or less maybe. Was thinking of either buying it or buying a big jug of H414 or Win 760 (I know they're virtually identical, figured whichever one I found first/cheapest of the two) to use in my 22-250, 243, and maybe the 22-243. Thanks for the help!

 

[7stw]

You only have 3-5. Gr more capacity than a .220 swift. So you could use that as a start or if you can find .22 cheetah data you could reduce it and go from there. http://benchrest.com/archive/index.php/t-51826.html also give the above link a view. It gives some data for a .22-243. I've never used any h380 in anything so I have no experience with it. But it's burn rate is similar h414 and varget which will work in a .220 swift. Hope it helps.

 

[criticalbass]

Clint, I had to convert a poorly chambered 22-250 to a 22-243 recently. The gun is a Turk Mauser with a fluted barrel, 14 twist. 22-250 chamber was oversized and crooked to boot. (shot good, ruined brass) Steve Baldwin at Mechanical Accuracy in OKC was able to rechamber it in 22-243. He tells me that this caliber is popular among coyote hunters in western OK, and that he has built a bunch of them. Gun is pretty heavy, but I won't be walking a lot with it.

Have only loaded and fired 15 rounds so far, and haven't been able to find any published data anywhere (I know it's a wildcat). What I did was to take the top limit loads for various bullets in 22-250 using Varget. My plan is to increase the loads a grain at a time until I start seeing pressure warning signs.

The max 22-250 loads seem pretty tame, and at a hundred yards stay pretty close together.

I don't have a chrono.

55 gr Speer FMJ--WLR primer, 38 grains of Varget, new R.P. .243 cases with the necks sized down to .224

45 gr jacketed (don't see brand right now), 39.5 grains of Varget

40 gr Nosler Ballistic tip, 40 grains of Varget. Everything else same on all three loads.

The 40 grain loads showed just a hint of primer flattening, so I will proceed with caution on that one. According to the Lyman book, that will push the bullet from a 22-250 at 4130 fps.

If you find a source of load data for this calibr, I hopoe you will share it with me. I'll do the same for you, and will try to keep you advised on my 22-250 based loads performance. Sending you a PM.

Gotta buy a chrono . . .

 

[7stw]

It's not exactly published but I used some reduced versions as a starting point.

http://www.reloadersnest.com/frontpage.asp?CaliberID=100

 

[criticalbass]

There are three 22-243 chamberings. I have a standard 22-243, but there is one called Middlestead, for which there is more data.

The third one is 22-243 AI (Ackley Improved). I have the two P.O. Ackley books, but haven't found any 22-243 data in them.

Haven't spent the money to join Reloaders Nest, but it might be worth while.

 

[Huckelberry75]

Middlestead loads from reloaders nest.

http://www.reloadersnest.com/frontpage.asp?CaliberID=100