Berger

SixShooterBP · March 22, 2024, 11:03 AM

I don’t shoot many Berger bullets, but just bought some 55gr .224 and was wondering if someone had load data from the Berger manual they could give me. It’s for the 22-250. Thanks

Jim Watson · March 22, 2024, 11:34 AM

I load Bergers the same as Sierra, JLK, and Speer.

Rimfire5 · March 22, 2024, 12:14 PM

Bergers are good bullets and 55 gr Bergers are hard to find so you made a score.

My old Rem 700 .22-250 has a true 1:14 twist and shoots the 52 Bergers better than the 55 Bergers. Apparently, that twist is not optimum for bullets heavier than 53 grains.

My buddy's old .22-250 Ruger is rated at 1:14 twist but actually has a 1:13.7 twist as best we can measure it and shoots the Berger 55s great.

My new Savage .22-250 has a 1:12 twist and shoots even 60's without a problem.

You didn't say what powders you have available.
In my .22-250s, I use powders that work well with my .308s and almost any of them perform well. Most of the older powders that are traditional .308 powders shoot well in the 32 to 34 grain range in the .22-250 and are in the middle of the load tables.
If you are intending to use powders that are faster than traditional .308 powders, you probably won't find them listed in older load tables.

I realize that the loads you need will depend upon the powder you have available and load ranges can vary quite a bit, and the temperature sensitive powders can be tricky to use if you are pushing close to Pmax if temperatures begin to rise.

Most load tables that I have don't list the newer currently available powders.
I now depend upon QuickLOAD, so I haven't updated my load manuals in years.

taylorce1 · March 22, 2024, 01:47 PM

All I have is some first edition Berger data, see attached PDF.

Quote:

Warning! Notes: Case trim length: 1.750; COAL: 2.260"; barrel length: 24"; NOTE: An 80.5 grain Berger Match Fullbore Target bullet can also be used for the 80 grain data. WARNING - Approach maximum loads with caution. (Berger Bullets Reloading Manual 1st Edition)

jmr40 · March 22, 2024, 04:58 PM

Based on what I've read Berger "Target" bullets can be sensitive to seating depth. Get it right and they are very accurate. Get it wrong and accuracy may not be great. Just be aware that you may have to experiment a little. I want to say that they advise a bit more bullet jump than many other bullets but you may want to research that on your own. I may have it backwards.

The only ones I've used were their "Hunting" bullets. Those are supposedly more forgiving about seating depth. I didn't have any problems getting accurate loads with those. But I've never loaded any of their target bullets.

Rimfire5 · March 23, 2024, 09:17 AM

The Berger manual makes it clear that their stated seating depths are not recommendations for best performance.
In fact, they say that reloaders need to experiment to find what works best for their rifles.

In my 6.5mm CM rifles I have spent a lot of rounds finding out what works best for the three different 140 grain Bergers - Match, Hybrid, and Long Range.

When I found the right seating depth (jump) for each bullet, the accuracy for each bullet improved a lot.

With some of my well-used rifles, the lighter bullets, up to 52 & 53 grains, fall out of the necks before they touch the lands of my well-used barrels. So my seating depths have to be based upon leaving enough bullet body in the neck to maintain neck tension. They still shoot very accurately even with that limitation.

SixShooterBP · March 23, 2024, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taylorce1

All I have is some first edition Berger data, see attached PDF.

Thanks for the data.

SixShooterBP · March 23, 2024, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rimfire5

Bergers are good bullets and 55 gr Bergers are hard to find so you made a score.

My old Rem 700 .22-250 has a true 1:14 twist and shoots the 52 Bergers better than the 55 Bergers. Apparently, that twist is not optimum for bullets heavier than 53 grains.

My buddy's old .22-250 Ruger is rated at 1:14 twist but actually has a 1:13.7 twist as best we can measure it and shoots the Berger 55s great.

My new Savage .22-250 has a 1:12 twist and shoots even 60's without a problem.

You didn't say what powders you have available.
In my .22-250s, I use powders that work well with my .308s and almost any of them perform well. Most of the older powders that are traditional .308 powders shoot well in the 32 to 34 grain range in the .22-250 and are in the middle of the load tables.
If you are intending to use powders that are faster than traditional .308 powders, you probably won't find them listed in older load tables.

I realize that the loads you need will depend upon the powder you have available and load ranges can vary quite a bit, and the temperature sensitive powders can be tricky to use if you are pushing close to Pmax if temperatures begin to rise.

Most load tables that I have don't list the newer currently available powders.
I now depend upon QuickLOAD, so I haven't updated my load manuals in years.

I just got the rifle, so haven’t actually decided on powders yet. Thinking Big Game, H380 and H4895. Not really looking to push pressures. More interested in accuracy. The ball powders do have a bad reputation for temperature sensitivity. It doesn’t help that I live in Alberta. I don’t plan on shooting in winter though.

Rimfire5 · March 24, 2024, 06:45 AM

Varget and H4895 are temp insensitive, but perform better with heavy bullets in my experience.
Over the range of 0 to 125 deg F, Varget changes about 4 fps and H4895 changes about 8 fps.
The temp sensitive powders are usually around 155 fps over the same range.
VV powders like N130, 133 and N135 are around 100 fps.

You don't have to be too concerned about temperature if you are hand loading. You can compensate for it if you know the temperature you are going to be shooting in. A tenth of a grain of most powders will change velocity by 5-6 fps. Adjusting seating depth will change velocity by about 1 fps for each 0.002 change - longer seating depth reduces velocity, shorter increases it. I never worry about temperature changes with Varget or H4895.
I do that kind of tuning every time I load temp sensitive powders. I too am anal about accuracy.
Being off by a couple of degrees even for the most sensitive powders causes less variation than the normal variation in powder-primer burn.

The lighter bullets seem to like the faster powders.
Most faster powders, probably all, are temp sensitive as far as I have determined.

SixShooterBP · March 24, 2024, 06:27 PM

What bullets and powder are you currently loading for the 22-250? I’ll mostly be after coyotes. Mine is an older BSA CF2 HB, so assuming a 1-14 twist.

Rimfire5 · March 26, 2024, 10:10 AM

I've shot my old Remington 700 .22-250 (1:14 twist) & a 26 in barrel with H380, H4895, N140, N150, Reloader 15.
Best results were with N140 and N150, with Reloader 15 a pretty close 3rd.
Best accuracy averages were with 52 and 53 grain Match bullets from Berger and Sierra.
But for Prairie Dogs I preferred 40 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips with Reloader 15. Those BT were like grenades on prairie dogs with muzzle velocities at 4050 fps.

My newer .22-250 (1:12 twist) with a 24-in barrel shot much more accurately with N140 and H4895. It also shot 55 gr Bergers great and shot the 52 and 53 gr Match bullets better than the old Remington. Averaged just under 0.4 inches for 5 round groups.

March 22, 2024, 11:03 AM	#1
SixShooterBP Member Join Date: July 10, 2006 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 33	Berger I don’t shoot many Berger bullets, but just bought some 55gr .224 and was wondering if someone had load data from the Berger manual they could give me. It’s for the 22-250. Thanks

March 22, 2024, 04:58 PM	#5
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,812	Based on what I've read Berger "Target" bullets can be sensitive to seating depth. Get it right and they are very accurate. Get it wrong and accuracy may not be great. Just be aware that you may have to experiment a little. I want to say that they advise a bit more bullet jump than many other bullets but you may want to research that on your own. I may have it backwards. The only ones I've used were their "Hunting" bullets. Those are supposedly more forgiving about seating depth. I didn't have any problems getting accurate loads with those. But I've never loaded any of their target bullets. __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

March 23, 2024, 09:17 AM	#6
Rimfire5 Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 923	The Berger manual makes it clear that their stated seating depths are not recommendations for best performance. In fact, they say that reloaders need to experiment to find what works best for their rifles. In my 6.5mm CM rifles I have spent a lot of rounds finding out what works best for the three different 140 grain Bergers - Match, Hybrid, and Long Range. When I found the right seating depth (jump) for each bullet, the accuracy for each bullet improved a lot. With some of my well-used rifles, the lighter bullets, up to 52 & 53 grains, fall out of the necks before they touch the lands of my well-used barrels. So my seating depths have to be based upon leaving enough bullet body in the neck to maintain neck tension. They still shoot very accurately even with that limitation. Last edited by Rimfire5; March 23, 2024 at 09:22 AM.

March 22, 2024, 11:34 AM	#2
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,548	I load Bergers the same as Sierra, JLK, and Speer.

March 22, 2024, 12:14 PM	#3
Rimfire5 Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 923	Bergers are good bullets and 55 gr Bergers are hard to find so you made a score. My old Rem 700 .22-250 has a true 1:14 twist and shoots the 52 Bergers better than the 55 Bergers. Apparently, that twist is not optimum for bullets heavier than 53 grains. My buddy's old .22-250 Ruger is rated at 1:14 twist but actually has a 1:13.7 twist as best we can measure it and shoots the Berger 55s great. My new Savage .22-250 has a 1:12 twist and shoots even 60's without a problem. You didn't say what powders you have available. In my .22-250s, I use powders that work well with my .308s and almost any of them perform well. Most of the older powders that are traditional .308 powders shoot well in the 32 to 34 grain range in the .22-250 and are in the middle of the load tables. If you are intending to use powders that are faster than traditional .308 powders, you probably won't find them listed in older load tables. I realize that the loads you need will depend upon the powder you have available and load ranges can vary quite a bit, and the temperature sensitive powders can be tricky to use if you are pushing close to Pmax if temperatures begin to rise. Most load tables that I have don't list the newer currently available powders. I now depend upon QuickLOAD, so I haven't updated my load manuals in years.

March 24, 2024, 06:45 AM	#9
Rimfire5 Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 923	Varget and H4895 are temp insensitive, but perform better with heavy bullets in my experience. Over the range of 0 to 125 deg F, Varget changes about 4 fps and H4895 changes about 8 fps. The temp sensitive powders are usually around 155 fps over the same range. VV powders like N130, 133 and N135 are around 100 fps. You don't have to be too concerned about temperature if you are hand loading. You can compensate for it if you know the temperature you are going to be shooting in. A tenth of a grain of most powders will change velocity by 5-6 fps. Adjusting seating depth will change velocity by about 1 fps for each 0.002 change - longer seating depth reduces velocity, shorter increases it. I never worry about temperature changes with Varget or H4895. I do that kind of tuning every time I load temp sensitive powders. I too am anal about accuracy. Being off by a couple of degrees even for the most sensitive powders causes less variation than the normal variation in powder-primer burn. The lighter bullets seem to like the faster powders. Most faster powders, probably all, are temp sensitive as far as I have determined.

March 24, 2024, 06:27 PM	#10
SixShooterBP Member Join Date: July 10, 2006 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 33	What bullets and powder are you currently loading for the 22-250? I’ll mostly be after coyotes. Mine is an older BSA CF2 HB, so assuming a 1-14 twist.

March 26, 2024, 10:10 AM	#11
Rimfire5 Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 923	I've shot my old Remington 700 .22-250 (1:14 twist) & a 26 in barrel with H380, H4895, N140, N150, Reloader 15. Best results were with N140 and N150, with Reloader 15 a pretty close 3rd. Best accuracy averages were with 52 and 53 grain Match bullets from Berger and Sierra. But for Prairie Dogs I preferred 40 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips with Reloader 15. Those BT were like grenades on prairie dogs with muzzle velocities at 4050 fps. My newer .22-250 (1:12 twist) with a 24-in barrel shot much more accurately with N140 and H4895. It also shot 55 gr Bergers great and shot the 52 and 53 gr Match bullets better than the old Remington. Averaged just under 0.4 inches for 5 round groups.