A Remington Rifle Build - Unplugged Conclusion

Didn't seem right to leave the series on a note of silence since until those first shots are fired, not much has been accomplished. So on that note... With all of the hardware and stock work completed, a little clean up of handling marks was required before getting a scope mounted and range testing the 16 lb 6 oz featherweight.

Composite stocks can be abraded by work and shooting bench tops and. When black stocks are scratched, it really shows, light gray dry fiber against a black surface finish. Minor scratches can be made invisible with paste shoe polish. Generically, shoe polish contains naphtha, turpentine, dyes, gum arabic, and a bit of carnauba wax, all which seem to combine in effect to fill and color fine scratches. Maybe it's the dye that is used in the product as it seems to stay, even resisting cleaning substances.

Micro barrel and action scratches that go against radial factory finish grain clean up with a strip of plain Scotch-Brite scouring pad and shoe shine style buffing. The trick is not to go too fine or the area will buff up as a gloss finished area. The plain green heavy duty, not industrial strength, pads seem to work best.

Picatinny, not Piccadilly. Picatinny, not Piccadilly.

Some guy keeps emailing me to ask if I prefer Piccadilly scope bases over Weaver types. And I keep responding, "Only for use in the U.K.". It seemed a good time to move away from the two piece bases I normally install on Remington Model 700 actions and to move to a Picatinny one piece base. Two piece base ring location is limited, where the Picatinny one piece adapts better to the individual shooter, individual scope tubes and ring types.

Warne makes good hardware. The parts always fit right, the finish is good and the assemblies stay put. In this case a steel Warne M673M Maxima Tactical base was selected, Brownells #947-000- 128. The Remington models are also available for long action applications and in 20 MOA versions for the long, long distance shooter. As pictured above, the bottom side of the base us undercut to assure sufficient case ejection clearance.

Right to left, 22-250 Remington, 223 Remington and our next best hope for a space program as long as Obama is in office, the 220 Swift.

I guess I can cite "Cartridges of the World", as well as the next guy pretending to have extensive knowledge of these things, so - The .22-250 Remington is based on the 250-3000 Savage. "Based" is an interesting term as laying the two cartridge drawings side by side suggests the .22-250 Remington is merely the .250-300 Savage necked down to accommodate a 0.224" bullets. I've made more extensive changes to cartridges by accident. In any event, Remington saw a good thing; velocity, range and accuracy and brought the wildcat in from the cold and gave it SAAMI respectability.

I applied scientific method to arrive at this rifle - cartridge combination. The process went something like this - There were 18 boxes of 0.224" bullets on my reloading bench that weighed in excess of 62 grains. I had grown tired of loading 80 grain bullets in my 223 Remington chambered AR and running down range to catch them before they hit the ground. I could not find an 8" short chambered target barrel for the 220 Swift. I believed, through advanced mathematical modeling, that if I could launch a 0.224" 80 grain bullet at velocities in excess of 3,000 fps, it would never come down, or at least not until it reached the edge of the earth.

There is lots of existing data for the 22-250 Remington with more traditional < 55 grain bullets. The balance of this information addresses the rifle's performance with:

All of the bullets noted are not only heavy, they are also relatively long for a 0.224" bullet. Subsequently, they require something faster than the standard 14" twist. The Manufacturers' recommendations across this weight span requires between a 7" and 10" twist. The twist rate of the project rifle is 1:8" which is more than sufficient for any of these bullets. Most handload manuals cite COL lengths for this cartridge that exceed SAAMI maximum, so this must be considered.

Determining Cartridge Overall length

The bore diameter of the 80 grain and 68 grain bullets, pictured right are at a very similar position when measuring from base to the tip of the red arrows that signify bore diameter, however, the 80 grain bullet projects considerably farther forward. The second consideration is that if cartridges of the indicated length on the table were assembled, would they feed reliably from the gun's magazine. Finally, at the indicated lengths, is there sufficient shank seating depth to assure at least 0.244" of bullet resides below the cartridge case mouth. All of this was taken into consideration when constructing the table that follows.

Better, bigger, bullet ballistics

The rifle's operation was slick with just a touch of new. The magazine loaded with four rounds was easy to load and fed without hesitation. Extraction and ejection was positive, requiring little effort. A little caution was required when monitoring barrel temp. The large mass tends to keep the barrel cool to the touch when it is actually in need of a bore cool down. With the lightweight rifles I typically shoot, usually a heat mirage over the barrel or a little barrel to droop is an indication it is time for a cool down.

Warning: Bullet selections are specific, and loads are not valid with substitutions of different bullets of the same weight. Variations in bullet length will alter net case capacity, pressure and velocity. Primer selection is specific and primer types are not interchangeable. These are maximum loads in my firearms and may easily be excessive in others. All loads should be reduced by 5%, and developed following safe handloading practices as represented in established reloading manuals produced by component manufacturers. Presentation of these loads does not constitute a solicitation for their use, nor a recommendation. The sky is crying, Can't you see the tears roll down the street - Thank you Stevie Ray.

Caution: Any COL beyond 2.350" exceeds SAAMI Maximum. Individual firearms need to be checked for sufficient magazine and throat clearance as dangerously high pressure may result from static bullet to rifling interference. All loads indicated are only viable at the indicated COL. Reducing COL without reducing charge will potentially increase pressure to dangerous levels. Am I being too subtle?

The first shots went 1 1/4" high and just left, but the gun had only been set up on the bench with a laser boresight. Being this close with laser and shooting alignment suggests the barrel's straight, the chamber is cut clean and mechanical parts aren't oddly stressed. A few clicks of adjustment put the rifle in the black.

The hundred yard three shot group pictured came from the first three shots that left the gun's barrel. It measures just under 1/4" center to center. This was the Hornady 75 grain Match bullet with an H414 charge.

The best group came with the A-Max 80 grain and Re17, 3/16". The largest group came with the Berger 50 grain and IMR4895, 3/8". Lots of time taken between groups, mostly settling my nerves and not letting the big barrel heat soak.

No cratered or flat primers or flat headstamps. No sticky extractions. No chamber marked cases. Checking the major diameter shoulder, by comparison, new brass averaged 0.414", fired brass from two factory .22-250 Remington rifles, one Remington one Ruger, checked 0.419" and 0.420 respectively. Project rifle brass checked 0.419". All measured 0.427" above the extractor groove.

By setting up the rifle with a tighter than factory twist rate 1:8" rather than 1:14", heavier, longer bullets were stabilized. If there is a case to be made for heavy for bore bullets and retained velocity; read that as shorter time in flight, flatter trajectory and higher levels of kinetic energy farther out, this would make for favorable testimony. This is enough to cause me to rebarrel my 220 Swift.

Closing comments... Arguments?

For the guys operating shops and rebarrel rifles and fit stocks routinely, the project in its entirety isn't a big deal. For the average guy who is a real firearm enthusiast, working in a basement or garage shop on a restrictive budget, a project of this type is an excellent experience. At a relatively low cost, a project of this type provides information, education and develops craft skills. It also provides new experiences and exposures and a nice, new rifle is the prize at the end.

There was something very rewarding about completing and shooting this bolt action rifle. Could have been that first crack of muzzle blast and the successful toes and finger count that immediately followed. Maybe it was how comfortable the rifle felt as it was set up for my frame and shooting habits?

For an under $1,300 investment in parts, the result was a heck of a recreational target rifle and long range varmint popper, all done without outside shop assistance or machine shop expense. I'm not done yet, and I probably never will be. There is always more to do, more to try out in working toward the optimal firearm.

I can't count the years spent enjoying firearms and shopping Brownells as the source of personally interesting and affordable projects. Shooting is always fun, hunting at times, but tinkering with interesting machines, personalizing fit, refining function I think has kept me in it over the long haul. It's also helped me to ask better questions when getting custom or repair work done and it has helped removed the blank stare from my face when the same are being explained to me. Now all I need to do is thumb or page through the catalogue and begin again.

A Remington Rifle Build - Unplugged Part I
A Remington Rifle Build - Unplugged Part II
A Remington Rifle Build - Unplugged Part III
A Remington Rifle Build - Unplugged Part IV
A Remington Rifle Build - Unplugged Part V
A Remington Rifle Build - Unplugged Part Conclusion