What caliber should I choose.

Here's where I have to tell you what's up. You commit to a twist rate, a bore dimension, and a groove dimension when you get a barrel from a good maker. That locks you in to certain bullets (projectiles). The bore measurements you pick typically go by the bullet manufacturer and bullet type for the load you've mapped based on your anticipated use. If you like Lapua Scenar VLD bullets, you will want a tighter bore. Sierra, Hornady, and Berger are in the middle of the road. I don't care about anybody else's bullets. But the Scenars won't shoot out of a loose barrel, and the rest won't shoot out of a tight barrel, so this is a commitment. The twist will lock you in to bullet weight brackets. Heavy bullets need more twist in order to stabilize throughout their flight. If the spin is too slow, the bullet will wobble and tumble and fall out of the sky short of the target. If you like shooting laser beams at ground squirrels out to 300 yards, use a light bullet. If you insist on going past 600 yards, you'll need the fastest twist and heaviest bullet you can find. You can't mix and match here, and with 22s you will either need a 12-14 twist for 55 grains and under, and a 7 twist for bullets starting at 60 grains up. In-betweeners like 9 twist aren't very popular because they're not great at either. Look what other people use. I shoot several types of competition on a biweekly to monthly basis year round, and I learned a long time ago if the winners all use the same or similar kit, then I should consider it too. I talk to them and find out what is working and why. People love talking about their hobbies. Who'd have figured?

To settle bullet weight, you need to know how far you're shooting, how much flight arc you can afford in your activity, and how much point blank you want (and where). A light bullet can reach out there accurately, but they drop off extremely fast and require a lot of vertical dope. Light bullets also fall out of supersonic (stable) flight sooner. They start out flat, so their point blank can go 400 yards (!) but they're worthless beyond that. A heavy bullet takes a less flat path up close, but overall has a flatter path because there is a more gentle elevation drop off. Heavy plus fast gives both good point blank performance and long range with minimal dope- think .22-250 vs. .223. BTW, point blank is where the bullet will hit a target when aimed straight up center of mass, no dope. It usually falls between 100-300 yards for Elmer Fudd's deer rifle. Dope means a calculated sight adjustment. Any jargon I missed?

I know you want to build on the Maus or J.W. Boothe action and do a DIY. You should decide what you want to use it for and how you want it to shoot, then decide on bullet weight and order the right barrel twist and bore for the load you need, whatever it is you want to do with it. Rifles are an optimization game. Optimize early, optimize often.
 
Thanks John. Your excellent info answers my question. This rifle will be used on my daughter and son in law's ranch to shoot at ground squirrels to sometimes coyotes. Range will rarely exceed 300 yards. So a 12 to 14 twist with 55 grain or less bullets will work for me. One less thing to figure out.
 
Definitely go for the 12 twist. It'll make a more satisfying snap-shot gun, because in the short range it's point and shoot. I mean, within a vertical spread of a few inches at 300 and beyond. I'd have to run it through a calculator after knowing what you might want to chamber it for, but it's point of aim/point of impact spread is going to be super tight. Not much thought into holdover until you get way out there. Also peace of mind to know the bullet eats dirt at 600 yards compared to a 75 grainer that can fly beyond 900 with the right load. The lower energy might be more appealing when shooting on private land. Anyway, I have a .223 with a 18" 14-twist, and it's a lot of fun at intermediate ranges. It's 55 gr. max, 50-52 is better. It shoots 62 grain like wet spitballs. I have a .22-250 in the same twist with a 26" barrel that shoots the same bullet but does it over 1000 fps faster. You'll be happy with the slower twist. Light bullets make the .22 really shine.
 
I also have a Savage 99 Takedown in 250-3000. The Win 70 in 222 REM that I mentioned earlier, the original barrel I reworked the shank end and recontoured to fit the Savage, I had cambered to 22 BR. Made an interesting project as I needed to replace the ammo spool with one from a 300 Savage or a .308 and with some slight mods to handle both calibers. Sweet lever action!
Pierre
 
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Won an Ebay auction for 222 Rem go/no go gauges last night. Almost won on rougher and finisher 222 chamber reamers. Lost to a flurry of snipes in the last seconds of the auction. I was one of the snipers so I can't complain. I will rent the chamber reamers when I need them. Since this is going to be a hunting rifle will most likely go with a Green Mountain barrel.

Still have some house projects I need to get done before I can get back into the shop. Current project is a new roof. Need to get it done before the rainy season starts. Slow going with the 6 in 12 slope. A bit slippery on the roof.
 
What about a 224 Weatherby? Great round and I believe the bolt face will match up with this cartridge.
 
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