.223 or .22-.250

crazyfarmer · Post by **crazyfarmer** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 7:54 pm

I have the 223 and love it, but as far as shooting goes I dont think its a huge difference between the 2. Both will do the job for you;)

but as said, the 223 has alot of ammo to pick from.. high end ammo as well as cheap fun shooting ammo when you are bored. I bought some winchestor rounds for target and those were only 9bucks per box

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 8:32 pm

houndogger wrote: Now if you want a real varmint rifle buy you a .220 swift!!

Dogger

The Swift is the rifle that turned me on to hot rod rifles, as a guy who does not reload I set out to find one that could reach those speeds from a factory load. The .204, with a smaller pill exceeds the speed of the Swift. Until the .204 was introduced the Swift was the fastest factory load out there.
Here, where I live, I had more to consider. I do most of my shooting where shots can be heard, the 22-250 has way to loud of a report to use as often as I do, and with my inability to judge distance the way others seem to be able to do, the relatively flat projectile more than made up for my shortcomings.
Best of all, there is no recoil from the .204. You watch your bullet impact through the scope, if it is a hole in paper or an exploding varmint, it happens as you watch it, that alone is worth it's weight in gold.
Again, being in a somewhat rural area you always have to be concerned with ricochets, the .204 is a highly volatile bullet and has very little chance of a bounce, once it hits something it fragments, quickly.
Inside of 300 yards the .204 will do everything the 250 will, with less report, less powder (if you reload) and less recoil. Past 300 yards the heavier bullets of the .22's start to pull ahead.
There are lots of options out there when it comes to varmint/predator calibers, take your time and decide where most of your shooting will be done and pick out something that fits. Don't limit your search to two calibers though, I would take the Swift over any of them if this were a part time gig for me. As a daily shooter I chose the speed and inherent accuracy of the .204. It destroys what it touches with an amazing ability to buck the wind.

Here is some data on ballistics to compare the various hot rod rounds.
http://wrzwaldo.org/reloading/public/204-VS/

xbow300win · Post by **xbow300win** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 8:42 pm

Wow!

Thanks for all those great responses, it is truly appreciated to come on this site and see all the people that want to help out.

You guys really got me thinking though...I was leaning towards the 250 but now I am unsure.

When you guys talk about reloading, etc....can you not buy factory bullets for the 250 or are they special order? Because that will certainly be a deciding factor, as someone mentioned earlier...

Thanks again.

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 8:51 pm

You wont go wrong with the 22-250, the bullets are easy to come by, and you do not need to reload to enjoy it. It is however a reloaders rifle of choice, there are lots of options out there for it.
Out of the box, there are other options too.

houndogger · Post by **houndogger** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 8:54 pm

there are many fine factory loads readily available for the 22-250 aswell as the .223.
Reloading is just a way to go one step farther and refine to your specific rifle, it is addictive but very rewarding.

Dogger

Normous · Post by **Normous** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 10:26 pm

Hornady, Winchester, Remington, Federal, Norma, Black Hills (there may be more) all offer factory 22-250 rounds. You will find selections paired with excellent Varmint bullets that preform in stunning fashion.
The .204 as Pydpiper suggests, has built up some amazing credentials within the Varmint Hunting community since it's inception. It might be a good idea to give the .204 some thought as well. I don't own one yet but shot a friends while groundhog shooting this year. It certainly didn't disapoint this Varmint Hunter.

saxman · Post by **saxman** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 9:20 am

I don't know about the caliber's although I want a 223 or 243 barrel for my Encore, but I would look at Bushnell's Elite 6500 series Scopes
I know they have 2.5 x 16 x 50 & 4.5 x 30 x 50
I have never done any varmit hunting but with the magnification on these it seems like they would be perfect.

http://www.bushnell.com/general/riflesc ... eral%20Use

hawg hunter · Post by **hawg hunter** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:52 am

Well all of the varmit guns talked about are great. since most of have an area where viability of 500+ yd shots are not avaible. All are accurate, fast, and readily availble Now! now look at this in a different way. What ca. do the military use. In a chance of civil strife what can you pick up on most battle field situations. .223 and .308 7.62 x39. I've a RR Predator Pursuit in .223, I shoot 60 rain bullets and I would not hesitate to try a shoot at 500yds if it were available too me.

Farmer · Post by **Farmer** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:30 pm

I currently shoot a heavy barrelled Winchester in 220 swift a tack driver . My other varmit rifle is a heavy barrelled Ruger in 243 .

If I were to choose only 1 rifle it would be a 243 . Ammo comes in from varmit weight , ( 60 grains or so ) up to 110 grain which would work on deer as well . I now tend to like using heavier bullets on Coyotes at extended ranges . tend to buck the wind better and have more KE at these ranges .

Ammo is fairly cheap here in Canada and found at most big box stores like Walmart or CTC . I have picked up Federal 243 ammo in the USA for as little as $8.00 .

Research some of the other varmit calibers available and see if they suit the type of hunting you are going to do .

Real McCoy · Post by **Real McCoy** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 5:02 pm

Been looking at the Remington 700 Varmit rifle in the 22-250. Has the bull barrell and very nicely balanced. Might never need to take a 500+ yard shot but would like to have that option if I wanted to try targets at that range. Is the 250 really that much louder that than the 223. Can buy 50 250 rounds of Remington ammo for 24.95. Not there high end ammo but sill good shells. But after reading many of the comments on this thread I am bouncing back and forth between the 250 and the 223. My son has a 223 Bushmaster so maybe I should get the 223 and bum shells off of him.

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:23 pm

If you reload the 22/250 is the more versatile round.
If you don't reload the .223 will be a lot cheaper to shoot.
I'd also estimate how much actual hunting vs how much "plinking" I'd be doing. If the rifle is for hunting only the 22/250 would be my pick, but if I were going to do a lot of target shooting & plinking then the .223 would be my favorite.

kennisondan · Post by **kennisondan** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:50 pm

Seems a lot of folks are for the 22 250 and it is a bit more horsepower for longest range duty... unless you handload for the 223 and get a twist rate barrel optimizing for it... I chose the 223 due to the ton of inexpensive ammo for it and the availability of rounds for it, and the fact that I will not shoot over 300 350 at this time.. it takes a lot of practice to start hitting at the extreme of ranges and I would do better with more and cheaper practice... I am also the type that would lay away a lot of cheap ammo as soon as possible for the 223 as it will only get more expensive in the future but there will also always be some cheap surplus rounds as well... and there are no cheap 22 250 rounds that I know of... I have had a couple of the 223 and if I was going to go with something else it would probably be a 243 for availability and it will hit harder to boot it will also buck the winds at extreme ranges far better than either of the other choices mentioned.. for really long range and availability and best overall including killing deer and such I really like the 308.. bucks wind carries well into the longest of ranges... hits hardest of all...
I would not hesitate to have a 22 250 for a niche gun for extra long range and prairie dogs etc. but the cost is not a factor for such a use..and handloading would be a necessity for best and cheapest performance.. it would break you to buy factory 20 at a time.. so if it is benchrest cost is no object type of endeavor.. my choice is the 22 250.. otherwise I would settle for the cheapest over the counter and surplus queen : 223 .. for more of a cross useage gun : 243 not too cheap but a real performer.. for the best of the long range guns and a proven deer and everything else killer : the 308 ( and it has some cheap ammo from the surplus side of things and is easy to reload for.. to boot )
I know this is a bit more than you asked but it is what I am thinking .
dk

houndogger · Post by **houndogger** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 12:32 pm

One more thing on the .223. (forgot all about it on previous post) The only manufacturer that sells a 1 in 12 twist barrel is Remington I beleive. You need this twist to stabelize the lighter bullets(40 to 55gr or so) Every one else is a 1in 9 twist with Tikka being a 1 in 8 I beleive. This twist rate will stableize the heavier bullets like 70 grain and heavier bullets. If you dont reload then watch the factory load bullet weights and match to the barrel twist of your rifle for maximum accuracy.

Dogger

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:22 pm

Psst..
Two-oh-four...
Then forget the math.

Real McCoy · Post by **Real McCoy** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:42 pm

Pretty much had my mind made up on Remington 700 Varmint in the 250. Bass Pro had sold the 250 when I went on Monday had the 223 and 204. After reading this thread almost got the the 223 but had them give me a rain check on the 250. Then I reread the thread and see where Pydpiper brings up the 204. Don't much about the 204 but isn't it kinda like a 22 on steriods. Thought it was about half the size of the 223. Like the idea of fast and flat but already have a 17 and 22. Too much to think about.

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