22-250 Cartridge History in RifleShooter
If you shoot a 22-250, or are just interested in the history of the cartridge, Peterson’s RifleShooter Magazine offers a fascinating article by Terry Wieland. The author explains how the 22-250 was developed in the late 1930’s and was initially known as the 22-250 Varminter. In 1963 the round gained popularity when Browning chambered it in a production rifle — even before factory-loaded ammo was available. Then, in 1965, the round became “official” when Remington standardized the 22-250 with “Remington” added to the name. Remington produced 22-250 Rem ammo and sold Rem 700s chambered in the “new” cartridge.
Once Remington got involved, the round became hugely popular. According to Wieland: “Overnight, it seemed, the .22-250 established itself as the dominant high-velocity .22. Winchester had just discontinued the .220 Swift and replaced it with the oddball .225 Winchester, a rimmed cartridge that was gone in less than a decade. Everyone ignored the .225 while falling over themselves to chamber the .22-250.”
