Nosler 22-250 60 Grain PT and H380 Load data?

M

murphjup

New member
Anyone have some load data for Nolser 60 Grain Partitions with H-380?

I'm gonna be trying them out in my 1:14 twist Ruger... yes I know that's a questionable weight for that twist...

Nosler's website show's load data for other powders, but not for H380.

Nosler's test data is also from a 1:14 twist rate which, I find interesting...

Not expecting a tack driver with this bullet...

Thank you in advance...

:)
 
U

Unclenick

Staff
The stability calculator on the the JBM site suggests this bullet is likely to tumble at sea level. You can shoot a short flat base, like the Sierra semi-point (0.755" long) but your Nosler is 0.790" long according the site's length list, and that crosses a line in stability according to the calculator. It causes the prediction that it will be unstable and tumble and whiz off in all directions.

On the other hand, I find that calculator often estimates the numbers too low with .224" bullets. I don't know why. It does quite well with .308 diameters. So, the only thing you can do is try it and see. Watch for fully or partially sideways holes (keyholing) in the paper, assuming it lets you hit it at all. No way to be sure up front. You would have better certainty of stability using the Sierra bullet I mentioned.

Here's a result window for the calculation. Basically, the stability number is what is called a gyroscopic stability factor, and the bullet is just stable when the number is 1.0. Sierra recommends you have a bullet in the range of 1.3 to 3.0 for hunting accuracy. The match shooters say 1.4 to 1.7 is best for tack driving, with 1.5 being the most cited optimal figure.

attachment.php


I would use the H380 data Hodgdon lists for the 60 grain V-max. That is 37.5 grains to start and 40.5 grains maximum, with a COL of 2.350", in a Winchester case with a Winchester LR primer.
 

Attachments

  • 22-250.gif
    22-250.gif
    6.6 KB · Views: 1,524
M

murphjup

New member
UncleNick?

I am also loading 55 Grain Hornaday Vmax's that measure .81 from tip to base...

They shoot fine in my rifle and they have a worse bullet stablity calculation on the JBM calculator..

Am I measuring the bullet length correctly?

Thank you in advance..

:)
 
U

Unclenick

Staff
As I said, the stability calculator tends to give lower-than-actual stability factor numbers for .22's. I don't know why, and that's why I wouldn't rely on it without testing. It is an estimator based on Don Miller's modifications of the old Greenhill formula to bring atmospheric conditions and velocity into the equation, and is not a true direct stability calculation (which is immensely complex and requires data on the projectile not commonly available; center of mass location, for example).

The fact the estimator's number is low does not bode well for pinpoint accuracy though. It also means any slight error in muzzle crown or rifling symmetry or bullet straightness in the case will tend to have their effects exaggerated in the group size. In other words, gun condition and care in loading will matter more than for a shorter bullet. You may benefit from neck sizing rather than full length resizing.

I also noticed the V-max in Hodgdon's data. Your Partition should actually do a little better than that. I think I'm going to have to write Don Miller and see what thinks is happening?

Good luck with it.

P.S. You're likely measuring bullet length just fine. Not a lot of options there.
 
M

murphjup

New member
Unclenick, For the use I want to shoot the Nosler with, if it shoots as fine as my 55 Grain Vmax's I will be satisfied... not looking for a target gun in this case...

I am only using these rounds in my bolt action Ruger, so neck sizing is all I am doing...

Please let me know if you find out anymore information from JBM...

Thank you again for your insightful reply.

:)
 
S

SRH78

New member
I have used the same bullet in my Savage and haven't had any issues. I loaded to the max that Hodgdon lists for the 60 grain Vmax which is 40.5 grains of 380. With a 26" barrel, I am getting just about 3700 fps.
 
S

SRH78

New member
FWIW, the last group I shot with that load was at 170 yards using a bag chair for a rest and it was really windy. The three shots were in a horizontal line about 3/4" wide.
 
S

SRH78

New member
Unless I am mistaken, it is 1:12.


edit: should have mentioned that in my first post. :eek:
 
Last edited:
6

603Country

New member
I successfully shot the no longer made 60 grain Nosler Solid Base Boattail in my 220 Swift with the 1 in 14 twist. It shot great to 200, but that was as far out as I tested it. I never tried the 60 grain Partition in that rifle and have no idea if data for one applies to the other.

And my rifle shot great with the 63 grain Sierra semipoint, which is the heaviest bullet I ever used in the 220.

It does occur to me that the Swift has a bit higher muzzle velocity, if that has a direct bearing on stabilizing the bullet. You might want to dump that 22-250 and move on up to the big dog, the Swift....:D
 
U

Unclenick

Staff
Yes, a little. Faster is usually more stable because, at rifle velocities, the resulting increase in rate of spin increases gyroscopic rigidity and precession strength more than air pressure on the nose is increased. The improvement isn't huge, but is real.

The other thing that happens is spin decays more slowly than forward velocity does, so the spin becomes more than needed as the bullet slows. So a bullet that starts out marginally stable winds up adequately stabilized if it travels far enough without tumbling.
 
J

jagwire

New member
Murphjup,

how did the 60 gr. Partitions shoot in your Ruger? The reason I ask is because I also have a Ruger 77 in 22-250 and would like a Nosler partition load, but the 60 gr is the lightest .224 partition that Nosler makes. My ruger loves the 50 gr bullets but I didn't want to buy a box of 60 gr. Partitions if they wont stabilize. Let me know. Thanks
 
M

murphjup

New member
Jagwire, I have not had time to load them up yet, hopefully within the next couple weeks, when I do I will give you a range report...

I have shot the 55 Grain Vmax's fine in my Ruger... the Nosler's are actually a little shorter...

:)
 
J

jagwire

New member
I scrounged up a partial box of 60 gr Hornady SP bullets. I plan on loading up some for my ruger 1:14 22-250 and see how they do. I think the results would be very similar to the Nosler Partition.

I am thinking of possibly taking this rifle deer hunting but if I cant find a suitable bullet, I won't. Most of the .224 bullets i've researched are designed for rapid/explosive expansion at 22-250 velocities. The Partition would be great except the lightest and only .224 partition is 60 gr. So I guess between the two of us we'll see if the 1:14 ruger can stabilize a 60.
 
6

603Country

New member
I'm betting that the 60 grain Partition will stabilize. I successfully shot hundreds of the 60 grain Nosler Solid Base Boattails in that old Swift of mine (with the 1 in 14 twist) and I checked my notes to find that I loaded it far from max, so was below what velocity you could do with the 22-250. As for other possible bullets, I also shot quite a few deer with that 60 grain Solid Base and with the 55 grain Solid Base, and I really don't recommend that you do that. Maybe I'd try the 55 grain Sierra Gameking if I just had to shoot a deer with a 22-250 or maybe Barnes or Hornady makes something sturdy you could use.
 
J

jagwire

New member
So I took out my Ruger 77 and tried some of the 60 gr. Hornady SP's. I worked up a load using Varget and all of the loads I tried did stabilized the 60 gr. bullets just fine. I did notice that the groups tightened up slightly as I worked up. I only had a 65 yd. test range but didn't notice any keyholing of the bullets and all groups were under an inch. So plenty accurate for hunting. Not a one holer like the 50 gr. bullets though.

Later I did get the chance to try them at about 325 yards. I killed about half a dozen water filled milk jugs without a miss, and didnt have any noticeable problems with stability that I could tell, just had to holdover a little more than with the lighter bullets. I didn't have a shooting bench or a paper target set up for the 325 yd. test so I cant say what groups would have measured. But i think it stabilizes the hornadys just fine.

One thing that should be taken into considereation is that the Nosler PArtition 60 gr bullet measures 0.790" and the Hornady SP is about 0.755", so there is a small possibility that the longer Nosler may not stabilize. I think I will go out and buy a box of Noslers and see how they do. Hope this helps someone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top