Hey
I have an Encore 15" 22/250 I can't get to group ! Tried everything from factory loads , handloads 50 thru 55 gr with every powder imaginable, change scopes and all ,even tried a custom pilar block forend from Tony's Forends, any input ???

Did you try going way under max powder charge? I had a bit of a problem with mine with factory loads and then with handloads that were pretty fast. Finally realized that at a lower charge the barrel shoots great. Also, I started seating them out a bit farther than factory loads which also helped. My barrel will now shoot 1" groups at 100...and i'm not even a very good pistol shot. I bet with a good bench rest and veteran handgun shooter it would do much better. How big are your groups?

That is what I pretty much experienced. 34.0 grains of H335 with a 52 Hornady Match HP shot very well out of my 22-250. I have tried about 15 + reloads for mine and that is what shot the best. Another good one for me was 35.5 grains of Varget and a 55 grain Hornady SP. That has been the only high velocity load I have gotten to shoot 1 in or better. But if you are still having problems I would just recommend sending it back to TC. There could be a problem with it.

34 grains of H335 over a 52gr Match HP - 100 yards

Thanks, I will try your loads , I tried the lower presure loads all the way up to max , I neck size only and seat the bullet with the lands and grooves and with a 6-24x rifle scope the best i can do is about 2" at 100 this is a custom shop 1" bull with a muzzle brake. I just loaded 60 gr horn hp over 34.0 of imr 4895 we will see how the heavier bullets do when the sun comes up !!

what kind of rest ya using? a good rest, front n rear(doesn't even have to be fancy) will help immensely. also lot's of trigger time(good trigger pull weight a must)and a bunch of rounds downrange for practice.

seating off the lands a bit(.015"-.020" maybe), or trying different seating depths may change things.

full length sizing, with correct die adjustments to just maintain headspace may help. too much or too little sizing may affect group size.

adjusting parallax out of the scope would be important(especially on riflescope imo). when rested solid, you should be able to move your head side to side, or up/down....and the crosshairs NOT move on the target. if so, adjust the AO untill it doesn't, no matter what setting it is on.

too many things to list without being there! 2" center to center ....it should do better under ideal conditions imo.

I shoot off a Caldwell Tack Driver , Thanks , I am going to try some lower peasure loads ,if that dose'nt help its going back !!

Don’t feel bad. I love my TC’s but I have sent 4 barrels back to the factory. If and when I get another one it will be a custom barrel.

A friend had a 22-250 barrel, tried everything to make it shoot. As a last ditch effort he started backing off the lands with a load that shot the best of all he tried. At .060" off the lands it was a tack driver. Go figure.

If I remember right he was using 50gr bullets. It was a real charlie slammer.

i'm guessin even 2" might be within TC specs. they ain't too picky about bench rest groups it seems from what i hear. most of their barrels i've dealt with will do it with the right load though!

Try using 17.5 grains of BlueDot with 40- to 50-grain bullets. This is not a low-pressure load, but is well under max. This can group sub-moa in most .22-250s and may help to determine if the problem is the barrel. It is a nice short- to mid-range varmint load too, quiet with little recoil.

How tightly do your other Encore barels shoot? IME true custom barrels from a reputable maker will outshoot most factory barrels....at a cost of course.


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Sometimes yes and sometimes no. I have 2 factory barrels that will stack at 100 yards. My 22-250 actually shot better with 355 and 55 Vmax with the hard rubber factory grips. So it is really a “fish in a barrel” shoot all together. Here is a good article on custom barrels. IMHO, the main advantage is better quality control. I have quite a few factory barrels, but I think I will stick with customs from now on.

http://www.handgunhunt.com/readArticle.php?letter_id=45

It goes beyond just simply better QC - they plan to make a better barrel. The custom barrel makers I have the most experience with - SSK and Bullberry - use much higher quality barrel stock than T/C does. Their chamber reamers are ground to minimum SAAMI specs to cut a better chamber; this means the reamer doesn't last as long, but the results are superior. T/C cuts its chambers on a drill press, the custom barrelers use lathes. T/C crowns are cut by several fast methods, custom crowns are usually cut on a lathe. Better materials, better tools, and the goal of making a superior product (rather than a cheap one) are the difference.

This doesn't mean that all T/C barrels are junk, far from it. I have several that shoot very well. But most of my custom tubes will outshoot any of my factory barrels day in, day out.


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You are right. I thought the article also went into that. There are some major differences if you want them, in particular, match grade barrels for any caliber. I like the “Butten Rifling” option as well. If you are a shooter and you want accuracy it is worth it for a custom barrel. And for the TC’s, the hanger bar system of some type.

Problem solved , after 3 weeks of reloading I am finally getting 3/4" groups @ 100 yds with 35.2 grs Varget under a 53gr match hp, In 30 yrs of handloading I have never had this much trouble making a gun shoot . I usually seat the bullet to the lands and grooves with great results but this barrel likes some free bore.
Thanks for all the help !!!
GROUNDHOGS BEWARE !!!
Tony V

Just curious, how far did you have to back off the lands??

Hey Tigger
As soon as I started seating deeper the groups drasticly got better , only about .10 seems to work well, I hate to give you my oal because this barrel seems to have a deep freebore , I think that was the problem I was having with factory ammo , the bullet had about a 1/4" of freebore before slamming into the grooves.

That's cool. I have had barrels that could care less where the bullet is seated and then others that are really fussy.

I have 9 22Cal bullets and 4 powders that I can shoot in my 22-250. It took almost 20 handloads to find one that my barrel liked!