22-250 vs 223

More or less, yes. Especially if your primary game will be coyotes. There are some small exceptions. You can make up a light but accurate load for the 223 that won't totally destroy a small furbearer like a fox, for example. Much more difficult with the 22-250.
 
I am a die hard 22 250 fan always have been .I like having that little bit extra .both will do the job .but .Dutch
 
myself i feel there is quite a bit more in a 22 250. it can reach out way farther than the 223. My 223 has a 20 inch barrel and 22 250 is a 28 inch so there could be a bunch more just based on that.
 
farmboy108 said:
myself i feel there is quite a bit more in a 22 250. it can reach out way farther than the 223. My 223 has a 20 inch barrel and 22 250 is a 28 inch so there could be a bunch more just based on that.
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You've obviously never tried heavy bullets (75 grains plus) in a 223. ;)
 
I have owned both and they will certainly both work. One thing about the 22-250 is that it is quite a bit louder than the smaller 22 centerfires.
 
Not much difference in the effect on coyotes that I've noticed. Maybe just a slightly bigger exit hole with the 22-250. For some reason I just prefer the 22-250 over a 223 or 204. The 22-250 is definitely noticeably louder. My favorite coyote gun is a 22-250 with a 20 inch barrel. It's very loud and borders on the obnoxious. I still love it though.

One nice thing about the smaller calibers is that if your picking off gophers or something small at longer ranges you can usually still watch your hits without losing your sight picture because of less recoil and muzzle jump. I can't do that with my 22-250s, even with a really heavy barrel.
 
If you can't do it with a .223, chances are you won't do it with a .22-250 either, particularly if your .223 has a fast twist barrel which will stabilize longer bullets that are better in the wind. Usually factory .22-250s are mated to slow twist barrels. The fast light bullets from the .22-250 are explosive against live targets, but suffer badly in the wind as ranges extend beyond 300 yards.
 
Dogleg said:
With hand loads it works out to 2 cents per shot for the extra powder, with my own loads in both.
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^^^Short, simple and to the point.

Either in factory loads are not optimized. Anyone who has moved to the point of questioning the effectiveness of one caliber over another and is not a reloader is asking a question with the answer right there in bold type.

Velocity is good, but certainly not the goal. Accuracy and terminal performance is the goal. Something like having a entire bag of clubs when golfing and trying to force a 9 iron when it is clearly a 8. The 22-250 is idling at the same velocity that the 223 is redlined. Thats OK only if that 223 likes to shoot accurately maxed out.
 
I have owned 3 223's now. I like how accurate they are and easy to shoot and reload. Plus, they leave manageable holes in coyotes...the 223 seems to be a good compromise for a fur saving caliber.
 
Boomer said:
If you can't do it with a .223, chances are you won't do it with a .22-250 either, particularly if your .223 has a fast twist barrel which will stabilize longer bullets that are better in the wind. Usually factory .22-250s are mated to slow twist barrels. The fast light bullets from the .22-250 are explosive against live targets, but suffer badly in the wind as ranges extend beyond 300 yards.
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This.
 
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