Coyote Rifle 22-250 vs 223

I have both the 22-250 and 223 and love em both. Before I started reloading again, the 223 seen more action due to being less expensive to shoot.
The 22-250 will reach out and touch em farther out and hit a bit harder.

At the end of the day I would still choose the 223 because of its versatility.
 
I would go with the 250. I hunt in open territory and have used the .223 using 55gr sp and a .250 with 55gr NBT. I just have a lot more confidence in the .22-250 so I use it more and I really think that's all the difference there is. Buy the one that you are going to like and be confident in. Either one will work.
bullpup
 
I have had several good hits that were "runners" later
tracked, and found, with the .223 Rem. So I purchased
a Savage 16, in .22-250 Rem. Very accurate rifle...But
I had a splash hit, with a 50 gr. VMax, that was what I
thought was a good shot to the vitals. I had to
finish off the spinning dog, and at that point, I put
the .22-250 Savage on the rack, and started carrying
my BAR, in .308 Rem. No problems, except the BAR
was taking a beating crawling around brush country,
for coyotes. So I purchased a 6mm Remington chambered
barrel, and replaced the .22-250 barrel with the slightly
heavier contoured barrel, and added a better stock. Now I
have found my "dead coyote right there" rifle.

I guess if I had to pick one of the two choices offered,
I would go with the .22-250 Rem, with soft point bullets.
I do like my .223 Rem. chambered rifles, but not for
coyotes. Yes this round will kill them, but I prefer
something that kills with authority. Something in a
.243", or .257", is now my choices for coyote rifles.
I do not hunt for fur.

Squeeze
 
Last edited:
How 'bout you try switching ammo instead of switching rifles? I'm sure you can find a sufficient bullet type in any of the rifles you mentions, as well as bullets that perform very poorly. There are many bullet choices for the 223 and 22-250, sounds like you tried one and moved on.
 
personally i think a good solid bullet in your caliber of choice is much more important than the "caliber"......stiff neck i think we were typing at about the same time....i agree!!
 
Last edited:
I've shot coyotes for 35 years. I have tried just about every caliber you can think of. My favorite is a HK 630 223 semi-auto. I shoot 50 thin jacketed bullets. It slams them down. Very easy on pelts. I have had more spinners and runners with the 22-250 than any other caliber and I love the caliber. The 223 is good on foxes and bobcats. If your under 300 yards the 223 is the way to go IMO.
Rick
 
Stiffneck,

I did try that in this .22-250, and right at 55 gr. bullets,
I had some keyholing, or just poor accuracy. 50 grain
bullets is the sweet spot with this rifle, and I mentioned
what kind of results I had on just one coyote. One is
too many for me. I have kept the barrel, since I do shoot
varmints, where this .22-250 excells. I do have a
couple of AR-15s, with the twist to handle heavier bullets,
but one is a heavy varminter, which I use for targets, and
colony varmints, and the other is an M4. The M4 could
probably get some heavy loads developed for it, but I use
it as a "quick varmint out the bedroom window" gun, and as
my back-up home defense rifle.

For these hefty northern forest coyotes I hunt, the
6mm Remington, or the .25-06 Remington, suit me just
fine. Even slightly marginal hits, put the dog down
right now. And try as I may, shooting through brush,
yields some marginal hits.

Squeeze
 
GHK, this really comes down to preference. Both calibers will do the job based on your criteria. I have both. I started with the .223 and limited myself to pretty much the distances you describe. Rarely would opportunities arise beyond the 300 yard distance. Want got the best of me so I picked up the 22-250 and the coyotes died with it too. Then the AR bug got me and I wanted one for follow up shots. Thing is, I haven't needed a follow up shot yet. These guns are just accurate. Too, though the magic distance on this board seems to be 300 yds and under with the .223 I feel it can perform at further distances with the heavier bullets. I don't know what the twist rate is on the Savage but that might be a factor too. Which ever you get shoot it often and have fun.
 
Might as well get both. If you'r anything like the rest of us, you'll end with both anyway.........

I'm partial to the 250, but flip a coin. They will both get the job done.

Take Care
Charlie
 
Quote:
I mentioned
what kind of results I had on just one coyote. One is
too many for me.


I'm no expert, but I've heard a couple of "experts" say that even the best coyote hunters have bad shots every once in a while. If you've shot a lot of coyotes and never had a single splash wound or a runner, then your'e either lying, or just really lucky. It happens.
 
Quote:
I used to shoot both, I figured I would use the 22-250 for yotes and the .223 for fox. It seemed that I would end up shooting some fox with the 22-250, half of them would be nearly cut in two. I sold the 250, used Nosler 55gr for yotes and 55gr Sierra fmjbt for fox. They shot nearly the same so I used the same .223 for both rounds. Now the Tactical .20 is used for both using 35 gr Bergers, I am looking forward to try the new Nosler 40gr on coyotes.T.20



Have to agree with Tac's logic. Same recoil as .223 with 22-250 performance. The 20 has higher BC's and is easier on barrels. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Welcome to the board GHK and Purple.

I believe the .223 will suit your needs as you have described them. I consider the .223 a limit at 300 due to wind effecting them so much.
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top