The first following is a graphic presentation of data based upon a calculation comparing barrel heating to absolute performance, as measured in terms of muzzle energy. Those loads producing more muzzle energy for any given amount of barrel heating are obvious. This presentation most fairly represents the fact that increased performance has traditionally gone hand-in-hand with increased barrel heating and a commensurate reduction in the number of shots that one could fire before pausing to allow the barrel to cool. In this analysis, the ball-powder 5/35 loads (left 2 horizontally shaded bars) significantly outperform the 204 Ruger (vertically shaded bars). This is an excellent graphic presentation of the advantage offered by the design efficiency of the 5/35 – the latter offers a significant velocity edge without a significant increase in barrel heating! Formula used for this graph is: (1.93 x ME) / delta T.
The second follosing is similar to the first following presentation, this graph includes bullet BC – assuming use of ideal bullets in each load (bullets similar to Nosler Ballistic Tip varminting bullets). This presentation more fairly compares effective potential performance of each load and chambering, with an emphasis on trajectory. One might call this the "What the varmint hunter gets" comparison. Here, quite obviously, the 5/35 design (horizontal bars) outperforms all others by a significant margin. Since the 55-grain Nosler BT is a superior choice for the 22-250, we have included a hypothetical calculation for that bullet (rightmost bar in each set) simply so that we do not inadvertently misrepresent potential 22-250 performance. Formula used for this graph is: (V2 x BC) / (delta T x1570.)