22-250 vs 223

O

ohihunter2014

New member
currently have a 223 and just getting into the whole coyote/varmint hunting. found a sweat deal on 223 and 22-250 heavy barrel savage axis. now the question what do you guys like better 22-250 or 223. I like the price of ammo for the 223.
 
I used to scoff that the very notion of having something less powerful than a 22/250 or a .220 Swift for varminting. But the truth is that the wonderful .223 Remington is just fine for all varminting needs. It is just that with a 22/250 you may get them out there another 50 or even 100 yards or so. But trying to hit a yote at 400 yards with anything is difficult. Going out another 100 yards-whew! That is stretching it!

As you noted, the .223 is much cheaper to shoot. If you handload you can narrow that gap considerably but it still cost more. A bit anyway.

I think you are just fine to stay with a .223 myself. Accurate, cheap(er) to shoot, kills them dead- hey- sounds good to me.
 
223 gets it done for me. My longest kill on a yote is 365 yds and I haven't had an opportunity to get one farther, but I would try out to 400 or so. After that 223 is a toss up on preds. 22-250 will get you to 500 but so will a 243. Wish I could get that far of a shot but for me it's always closer. 200 and under usually
 
I reload, when i looked at max loads i found the 250 used 30-40% more powder to achieve 10% more velocity. For hitting small animals and with a firm grip that max loads arent the best accuracy wise in most rifles, I decided my 223 was fine.


Now cue the "i get 40k fps with MY loads" folks
laugh.gif


I only have a couple 223 now a single shot and an ar, rebarreled my bolt gun to a 20 cal.
 
If you want more killing power at longer range, the 22-250 should be your choice. It shoots a good deal flatter than a 223.
 
Originally Posted By: NdIndyI reload, when i looked at max loads i found the 250 used 30-40% more powder to achieve 10% more velocity. For hitting small animals and with a firm grip that max loads arent the best accuracy wise in most rifles, I decided my 223 was fine.


Now cue the "i get 40k fps with MY loads" folks
laugh.gif


I only have a couple 223 now a single shot and an ar, rebarreled my bolt gun to a 20 cal. I think he is asking about the 22-250. Not the 250
 
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I shot a 223 for a few years, because of the cheap ammo available. I had more runoffs and spinners than I thought was acceptable. I went to the 22-250 and now they are drt. I also like the trajectory of the 22-250 better.
 
77, some people are just lazy and don't realize that there is a 250 Savage that is the parent case for the 22-250 and confuse the [beeep] out of us that have been around awhile.
 
A .223 may have a faster twist rate than the 22-250 so you can push a heavier bullet down range to buck the wind a little better. My 22-250 has a 1:14 TR and my .223 has a 1:9 TR. They all have their nitch. That hvy bbl is gonna take its toll eventually. That being said, there are not many 100+ yard shots on coyotes.
 
Ive shot a few coyotes at 500-685 yards w/my handloads, SO in my vast experience the .223 will do the job quit well from 0-700 yards.
The 22-250 has a bit more reach & speed if you need it and can be loaded down.
 
I own .17hmr,a .223, 2 22-250s and a .243. They are all good rounds. the .223 is functional but not my choice,its ballistically inferior to the .250.
The 22-250 is my favorite by far 0-300+ YDS on a dead hold.
Dont waste your time with a varmint barrel,I sold another 22-250 I had with one It was too [beeep] heavy to drag around.Seems doable when ya buy it but buyers remorse sets in very quickly after a few long days of hunting.
I recently bought a TC Venture predator 22-250 w max-1 camo n 5r rifling for a beater gun and ended up loving it! super accurate. MOA with factory ammo. It may end up being my go to gun before its over....check em out for nearly equal $$$$ the TC is 10 times the gun an Axis is.
 
though im not a huge browning fan, I did notice in their 2015 master catalog pg.44, that they are offering the X-Bolt Micro Midas Super Short action in 22-250 with a 1:9 twist. 20" barrel, 6 lbs 1 oz. I sure would like to get my hands on one of these and try it with the 75 A-Max or 69gr.SMK
 
Originally Posted By: AWS77, some people are just lazy and don't realize that there is a 250 Savage that is the parent case for the 22-250 and confuse the [beeep] out of us that have been around awhile. I agree, Ive got a friend that always says "I'll stick with my 'ought six. I always say 'ought six What? Theres several ought six, 30-ought six, 25-ought six, 338-ought six. What freaking ought six are you talking about hill billie.
 
.223 works fine for me. Although, I like the price of ammo because I use it for jack rabbits too, so I can burn through a lot of ammo. If you want more power and range you might as well just go up to a .243 or 25-06. I also agree a bull barrel is too much. I started with cz .223 varmint. That didn't last long, annoying to carry all day.
 
If you are considering stepping it up from a 223, with increased noise, range, and powder... Skip the 22-250 and get a 243, it's much more versatile. 55gr up to 105gr with a factory tube.
 
im the op. im more drawn to it cause of the accu trigger and tighter stock. I like the bull barrel cause it wont heat up so fast. I want to get into groundhog hunting so figure this is the way to go.
 
Originally Posted By: ohihunter2014im the op. im more drawn to it cause of the accu trigger and tighter stock. I like the bull barrel cause it wont heat up so fast. I want to get into groundhog hunting so figure this is the way to go.
how many shots in a row are you expecting on you groundhogs?

get a bull barrel if that is what you want.
 
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