22-250 vs 223

Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotOriginally 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.

idk maybe 10-20, them suckers are tough, lol. just joking. I like the heaviness of the bull barrel for the bipod to help hold it steadier. whats drawing me to the gun more is the accu trigger and the barrel. i mean 349 on sale regular 575 isn't bad imo. I had a range day the other day and got the sporter barrel 223 pretty hot as I said before im not a rifle guy. i grew up hunting with slug guns and ml. bought my first 22lr and 223 last year. I have shot sporter barrels off a bipod before and its off for me. shot heavies and it was good. im probably going today to get the gun. I get like this when making new and expensive purchases. i talk myself out of them, miss the sale and wish i got it. then when i see that 350 gone from my check i miss that tooo.
 
Originally Posted By: ohihunter2014I get like this when making new and expensive purchases. i talk myself out of them, miss the sale and wish i got it. then when i see that 350 gone from my check i miss that tooo.

same way here. sounds like you might be $350 lighter today. lol go for it. the groundhogs will hate you for it.
 
Originally Posted By: DiRTY DOGIf 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.

This is exactly what I was going to say as well.
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When I started calling in 1964 I bought a Sako Forester 243 and used it for a few years. Then I picked up a Sako Forester 22-250. I prefer the 22-250. I also had a 222 that I loved. I killed a bunch of critters with it but it had its limitations. Effective range for consistent kills on coyote sized animals was 175 yards and under. I've owned a 222 Mag and a 223 and I found that they are good choices for calling. However....I still prefer the 22-250 because of the consistent killing power.

Several years ago I bought a heavy barrel 22-250 and found it too heavy for calling. Many of your shots are close in and on fast moving targets. In those cases a heavy barrel is a handicap.

My advice is to just use your 223 until you get a little experience then decide if you even need another rifle. The great majority of my shots when calling are under 60 yards with a few over 100 yards. With the right bullet choice the 223 will do the job quite well.
 
FWIW I have a Savage .22Lr with the Accutrigger and bull barrel.It's a great shooter but like others said lugging it around gets tired fast.Enough so I'm seriously thinking about selling it.
 
Originally Posted By: fredhorace77Originally 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
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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

Its in context. Talking about a 223 or 22-250, referencing the 250 is the 22-250, not any other 250 cartridge. Same with 243 vs 25-06, referencing the 06 is the 25-06 not any other 30-06 based cartridge.

If the 250 savage is part of the discussion, different story.
 
I have both calibers, and love them both, but the 223 AR goes out to hunt yotes more often than the 22-250. I handload for both calibers, and both guns shoot dime size groups all day long at 100 meters, but I like the faster fallow up shots that I can get with the AR.
Rock River Preator Pursuit 20" 1-8" twist 223
Remington 700 VSSF II 22-250 1-14" twist
 
I have both and will never be without a .223 but 8 of ten times will grab a wood stocked .22-250.
I hunt primarily open country which helps dictate the caliber I choose. Having shot coyotes from a few feet to several hundred yards, it is amazing how a .22-250 55 gr soft point pencils through.
I see way less spinners with the 250.
 
If you are talking groundhogs then go .22-250 hands down. You'll find that you are shooting at groundhogs out to 500 yards. I sold a bolt action .223 for a .22-250 because it shoots flatter which makes it excellent for groundhogs.

Not that I don't like the .223, I still have one in an AR.

I'll also add that I prefer the heavy barrel for groundhog hunting. When it comes to hunting them you generally sit in one place and don't carry the rifle for miles. I'm in my 60's and don't mind the extra weight.

I'd feel differently if I lived somewhere else where I had to walk miles to a hunting spot. But for Ohio where I live it doesn't bother me.
 
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im the OP. well I cracked and got the heavy barrel 223 with 4-12 scope for 350. I was seriously going to get the 22-250 for a new load but then the guys at the shop said well you like to shoot and 22-250 is $20-35 a box when you can get 223 bulk ammo to plink and load up some varmint loads to hunt that will be 300less fps of the 22-250. he also said I would shoot the barrel out of the 22-250 sooner. and guess what I was just accepted to a gun/hunt club that's 10 min from home so looks like ill be shooting more and more so ammo cost and availability played a big factor. right as I walked in the store and said let me see the 22-250 I was told they had a spot at the club for me. ill let my hunting partner get the far ones with his 22-250. im in ohio farm land, yeah ill have some long shots but most will be 300 and under so I think ill be good.

thanks for the advice everyone. and I also found out if later I want to go the 250 rt I can swap barrels. I have to admit with the accu trigger, scope and bull barrel it will make a nice bench and g hog gun.
 
Originally Posted By: ohihunter2014im the OP. well I cracked and got the heavy barrel 223 with 4-12 scope for 350. I was seriously going to get the 22-250 for a new load but then the guys at the shop said well you like to shoot and 22-250 is $20-35 a box when you can get 223 bulk ammo to plink and load up some varmint loads to hunt that will be 300less fps of the 22-250. he also said I would shoot the barrel out of the 22-250 sooner. and guess what I was just accepted to a gun/hunt club that's 10 min from home so looks like ill be shooting more and more so ammo cost and availability played a big factor. right as I walked in the store and said let me see the 22-250 I was told they had a spot at the club for me. ill let my hunting partner get the far ones with his 22-250. im in ohio farm land, yeah ill have some long shots but most will be 300 and under so I think ill be good.

thanks for the advice everyone. and I also found out if later I want to go the 250 rt I can swap barrels. I have to admit with the accu trigger, scope and bull barrel it will make a nice bench and g hog gun.

If and when you want to get a little more speed and still stay with the cost effectiveness and availability of .223 ammo, step up to a nice high quality .223AI barrel and screw it right into your action and have fun. You can load a .223AI to within a couple hundred fps (or less) of 22-250 speeds and not break the bank doing it.
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Originally Posted By: CritterAcresI used to believe that everyone needed at least a 22-250. Now that extra 100 FPS isn't a big deal anymore. Must be getting old. LOVE my .223

I'm not sure what I'm missing here, but in order to compare the real velocity potential of two cartridges, you need to compare equal weight bullets. Using a fairly common 55 grain bullet for each cartridge, ~3100-3200 FPS is about the max for the 223 Rem with the 3200 FPS being in the minority when looking at different powders. In contrast, 3600 FPS is easily doable with most powders in the 22-250.

If you move down to 50 grain bullets, 3300 is readily doable with a few powders cranking out 3400 FPS in the 223 Rem. Again, in contrast, the 22-250 will do 3800 FPS with a majority of available powders.

If you want to compare a lighter bullet in the 223 Rem with a heavier bullet in the 22-250, the velocity delta can definitely be decreased, but so is the terminal performance effect on what you're shooting at.
 
Originally Posted By: CoyotejunkiThat is one reason I also shoot a 223AI.

Yeah me too. Quite the fan I am. Had I known how good they really were I would have gotten me one a long time ago.

Being able to launch 40 grain bullets over 4000 FPS (chronographed) and 50 grainers at 3700 works for me. Taking it back out tomorrow for some whistlepig shooting. 70 degrees and no wind in the forecast. I'm gone.
 
Well, I can't say you made a bad choice with the .223 as I had one in a Savage model 10. Hated to part with it too. But, I bet your buddy kills more groundhogs than you if the terrain is the same as what I hunt.
 
^^^^^ see your in ohio too im in lorain county/Ashland/medina county area so a lot of open area, large fields. I couldn't stomach the 22-250 price for ammo so went the 223 route.
 
Originally Posted By: CoyotejunkiThat is one reason I also shoot a 223AI.

It's why quite a few people shoot the 223 AI versus the standard case. The AI version gives a lot of boost to velocities and it's why I seldom reach for a standard 223 Remington bolt gun when the AI version is available.

The AI version definitely gets into the 22-250 velocity range, but as mentioned above, the standard 223 Rem case lags behind considerably with equal weight bullets. Still all three get the job done.
 
Originally Posted By: RustydustOriginally Posted By: CoyotejunkiThat is one reason I also shoot a 223AI.

Yeah me too. Quite the fan I am. Had I known how good they really were I would have gotten me one a long time ago.

Being able to launch 40 grain bullets over 4000 FPS (chronographed) and 50 grainers at 3700 works for me. Taking it back out tomorrow for some whistlepig shooting. 70 degrees and no wind in the forecast. I'm gone.

I am getting right @ 3600 FPS, chronographed, with 53 grain V-Maxs. It makes me smile.
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If you already have a 223 might want to consider the 250, even though I certainly understand the appeal of having multiple 223 rifles(I am a big fan) just bought a ADL Varmint in 223, needed it like a hole in the head.
 
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