Big-case .22 Centerfires

Big-case .22 centerfires have fallen out of favor in recent years. My subjective definition of a big-case .22 is those with water capacity starting at around 40 grains. This category includes the .224 Weatherby (38 grain), .225 Winchester (40 grain), .22-250 Remington (44 grain), .220 Swift (47 grain) and .223 WSSM (55 grain). The list illustrates the sad state of affairs for big-case .22 as most of these cartridges are dead or dying. About the only one still able to sit up and take nourishment is the .22-250 Rem. Fortunately and all things considered, it’s probably the best in its class.

Changes

From about the early ’80s to the present day, varmint shooting has changed significantly. You don’t hear much about eastern groundhog shooting; apparently those lucky enough to have access to such shooting are also smart enough to keep it to themselves. Coyote fur prices seem to have recovered somewhat but there doesn’t seem to be much participation in coyote calling.

Maybe it is a matter of keeping a low profile. Mention coyote shooting these days and you can count on a lecture about the balance of nature and how dare you kill something you don’t eat. I imagine some of the more sensitive readers haven’t recovered from the mention earlier of shooting eagles and hawks. Personally I’ve never done either but I can recall a time when it was both legal and practically a civic duty.

Back To The Future

The interest in longer-range shooting and the development of longer, heavier, more ballistically-efficient bullets has given big-case .22s a new lease on life. More shooters are giving cartridges such as the .22-250 serious consideration as deer cartridges. There’s nothing new about the concept — people were hunting big game with Swifts back in the ’30s and ’40s. What is new is better bullets and a desire among many shooters to hunt with light rifles with light recoil.

The main issue in using longer, more efficient bullets in .22-250 is barrel twist. Of course with a custom barrel one can specify twist, contour, throating to exactly suit your needs. The typical rifle buyer doesn’t want to go to this trouble so what is available off the rack? According to data I found online, twist rates for the .22-250 cartridge are all over the map: Remington, Sako, Tikka, Weatherby Vanguard and Winchester use a 1:14 twist while Kimber, Savage, Thompson-Center use 1:12. The Ruger American uses 1:10 and the Browning X-Bolt, 1:9.

Tikka reportedly did a short run of T3s in .22-250 with 1:8 twist at the request of a distributor but apparently not a large number and those have long since been sold. To its credit, Tikka offers a choice of twists in the T3 in .223 Rem. My own stainless .223 has a 1:8 twist and I have seen others marked as having a 1:12 twist. I’ve heard of but never seen a 1:10 twist option.

I’m thinking a 75-gr. .22 bullet at 3,200 fps would be a very useful, flat-shooting and light recoiling deer rifle. When I finally buy or build one, I’ll report the results.

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