22-250, 223 or 223wssm for coyote? advice please

A

Acera

New member
I want to get a new rifle for coyote hunting in PA, going with friends that use dogs to hunt. I'm looking at these calibers 22-250, 223 and 223wssm w/BOSS. Looking for advice from people that have used these calibers the pros/cons. Not familar with 223wssm do they burn up the barrels T or F Browning says they don't, although they are dropping the wssm in 2008. I just want to know if it is a good caliber (that just didn't catch on and got a bad rap for no reason)and how it compares the the 22-250 in ballistic, flat shooting etc.. Also, rifles like Savage Predator, Brownings, CZ's, Tikka etc. I'm not brand loyal, although for me its hard to beat Brownings 60 degree throw bolt for scoped rifles.
 
this question has been ask for many differant reasons, answer is derived from ft.lbs. of energy on contact, the smaller calibers carry less energy, out to 300 use 223, out to 400 use the 22-250, and out to 500, if you feel the need or a really good shot use the 243, im not to sure about ths 223 wssm, ive heard the barrel life is about half the reg. 223 cause its such a hot load, theres more people on this forum that can tell you more about wssm than me, but for the money, why buy a gun that will only last 5 years, when you can get one thats will last 10, tha it unless you p dog huntin, then if you dont carry more then one gun, or let someone else shoot a while and let a barrel cool down
 
Simply stated stay away from the 223WSSM, it's a dead issue. What you haven't said is if your planning on harvesting hides or not. If so then you need to think about fur friendly and that requires somewhat different rifles than your talking about, though the 223 will somewhat suffice.

Folks that harvest like the 17 Remington or the new 204 Ruger.

As for your choices Lizard pretty well summed it up. The 223 is a dandy 300 yard gun, the 22-250 is a dandy 400 yard gun. Both can be hard on hides if you harvest. I spent 30 plus years with the 22-250 and it can punch big holes all the way thru a coyote. It is also rough on bobcat's.

I hate to tell you this but the bolt throw and long verse short action arguments are all mostly baloney. I've shot them all and for over 45 years. When your shooting the bolt comes up, comes back goes forward and goes down. It doesn't matter whether it's short or long it happens fast enough that most folks can't tell any difference. It's just advertising hype.

Buy the rifle that feels good to you and is accurate. I shoot Remingtons, CZ's and Rugers and all do exactly the same thing, put the bullets where their needed.

A big advantage to the 223 is if you don't reload, ammo is still the most inexpensive on the market and in reality most called coyotes will be well within it's range capabilities.

At this point in time I shoot a 243 and a 204 Ruger. The 204 shoots as flat as the 22-250 with less recoil than the 223. I hunt open country here in the West where the extra hundred yards can come in handy.

My 2 cents.
 
I think you have to shoot one S#(% pile of coyotes to burn up any barrel. I wouldn't even put that in the equation unless your going p-dog shooting. Besides you can always rebarrel.

The 223 is better on hides, the other two hit harder and tear up more. If you hunting fields between tree lots, I'd say the 223 would be great. It's also not as loud. If as lizard says, you take longer shots, then the others are a bit better, but all are real close ballistic wise. Maybe shooting the same caliber your friends shoot might make sense.

You already have a good idea of the differences between the different rifle brands. Buy what you want.
 
I agree that the barrel burning argument is a little
inconsequential. It would take quite a while to burn one out, and then rebarreling to the latest and greatest caliber is only a gunsmith away.

That said, I think something simple like a .223 or 22-250 are great calibers. They might be a little rough on hides with certain loads, but you could easily tailor a load to suit your needs.
 
Back in the 1970's the 22-250 had a reputation as a barrel burner the only problem I had with it was wind drift and that is there with any of the 224 diameter bullet chamberings while many say the WSSM's are a dead issue I do not think so. the increase in vel is slight so the major worth is the catrige over all length I own a AR in 243WSSM and have a great time with it though it is hard on pelts.
For what you are intending I think the .223 would be the best choice given the type hunting and area you intend hunting. If you were in a more wide open area the 22-250 would be my choice though.
 
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