Need Help - Best Varmint Caliber 243 vs 22-250

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grantmedic

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Hey guys and gals,

I been hunting big game for a while now. I love the bush so much, but the open season for certain game is short lived. I have been really trying to commit to spending more time in the bush, hunting, trapping and enjoying life. Saying that I have decided to get into predator hunting. I usually hunt big game up north in Ontario - Deer, Bear, Moose, and hopefully Elk one of these years. I have 30-06 for all my northern Ontario game. I'm looking for a versatile round for hunting coyote (predominantly), deer and maybe fox in southern Ontario. I'm just torn on what caliber to pick, and all the forums online say something different. I have spoken to a few old timers with countless hours of hunting under their belts and they swear by the 22-250 for what I'm looking to do.

Keep in mind I have my Trapping Licence and having a caliber that will deliver minimal pelt damage is important to me for fur harvest. Thanks in advance!
 
You have included DEER, not a Varmint. LEAVING DEER OUT of your question the 223 or better yet the 204 would be the caliber.
If you include DEER the caliber would have to be 243 Win.
Enjoy
 
For trapping a .22 rim or 22 mag would be all you require and will do the least pelt damage. If you want a dual purpose caliber the.243 will shoot .55 gr bullet to 120 gr bullet. If you want what most consider the ultimate predator cartridge the..22-250 is the one. Don't rule out the .223 is cheap to shoot and light recoiling and will work for predators out to 400yrds easy peessy! So all that said get one of each and enjoy! Lol If you want an opinion .......the .243 is an all grown up .22-250! Speeds are similar but the .243 suffers less wind drift at long ranges.
 
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I have a Chiappa Little Badger .22 rim for dispatch. but could a 22-250 50 gr take out a deer as well no problem? 90% use will be for yotes maybe 10% will be deer use
 
grantmedic said:
I have a Chiappa Little Badger .22 rim for dispatch. but could a 22-250 50 gr take out a deer as well no problem? 90% use will be for yotes maybe 10% will be deer use
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If you are ever going to take a shot at deer, then get the .243.
 
grantmedic said:
I have a Chiappa Little Badger .22 rim for dispatch. but could a 22-250 50 gr take out a deer as well no problem? 90% use will be for yotes maybe 10% will be deer use
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Are you allowed to hunt/ kill deer in Ontario with a 22-250? You do realize that this is a .22 caliber centerfire cartridge, do you not? In most (but not all) Provinces, cartridges under .23 caliber are not legal for big game. Not sure about the Territories.
 
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bassman said:
Are you allowed to hunt/ kill deer in Ontario with a 22-250? You do realize that this is a .22 caliber centerfire cartridge, do you not? In most (but not all) Provinces, cartridges under .23 caliber are not legal. Not sure about the Territories.
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You can use any center fire in Ontario.
 
A buddy shot a nice buck with a 22250. He loves the cartridge. He openly admits now he'd never use it on another deer. Tiny entrance wound no exit. Destroyed the lungs and the deer went over 100 yards on the run with no blood trail. He was lucky to find it.
If you want a deer gun 243 minimum. The 257 is better. 250 savage. 257 Roberts. Even the 25/06. With heavy for caliber bullets at moderate velocity they shouldn't be to hard on pelts.
Any center fire is basically to much for southern Ontario fox if u plan to keep the hide. I use a 22 mag or a scatter gun when I used to hunt them. Now I usually let them go.
 
... And I'm sure you already know this, but most of the WMU's in southern Ontario only have "controlled" hunts for deer (shotguns and muzzle loaders... No rifles)

That said, long live the .243!

If you're worried about pelts, I think the Barnes Varmint Grenade comes in .243 now...
 
Please check all your regs...To my knowledge in Ont the smallest centrefire caliber allowed to hunt deer is .243. Unless they have changed it in the past yr or 2, Please reference the regulation for your w.m.u. The .243 is the ultimate dual purpose caliber available. I know some guys use the .243 for elk at reasonable ranges......gophers to elk...... That's pretty f'n versatile !!! jMO
 
cdn1canhunt said:
Please check all your regs...To my knowledge in Ont the smallest centrefire caliber allowed to hunt deer is .243. Unless they have changed it in the past yr or 2, Please reference the regulation for your w.m.u. The .243 is the ultimate dual purpose caliber available. I know some guys use the .243 for elk at reasonable ranges......gophers to elk...... That's pretty f'n versatile !!! jMO
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Nope. Page 24 in the hunting summary. Only restriction is that it be centerfire (No rimfires). Been that way for at least 15 years.

But regulation does not automatically equal wisdom...


... Edited to add:

There was confusion about this in our hunt camp 3(?) years back. Some folks thought it was a caliber restriction (any bullet .22 or less no-go). We ran into a fish cop on the way back for lunch one morning and got to chatting. He confirmed the interpretation for us: Any centerfire = legal (but not necessarily wise).
 
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If the intent is to shoot for pelts, try loading a 150 gr FMJ in your .30/06. A .22-250 is a good fur gun when loaded with FMJs, but it can be pretty harsh with soft points. Its easier to find FMJs in .308" and .224" than it will be to find one in 6mm. Barnes makes a 75 gr 6mm banded solid that would fill the bill nicely, but they're not very cheap, and they might be a challenge to find.
 
Boomer said:
If the intent is to shoot for pelts, try loading a 150 gr FMJ in your .30/06. A .22-250 is a good fur gun when loaded with FMJs, but it can be pretty harsh with soft points. Its easier to find FMJs in .308" and .224" than it will be to find one in 6mm. Barnes makes a 75 gr 6mm banded solid that would fill the bill nicely, but they're not very cheap, and they might be a challenge to find.
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In Southern Ontario, check your regs. It is illegal to hunt with any rifle over .270 in 94 where I am, and the municipal bylaw is .243 or smaller. It is also against the regs to use FMJ for hunting.

In a rural setting, any solid bullet out of a .30 cal (or otherwise) is not a good decision. It's pretty flat where I hunt and around the concessions, the next road is never far away.
 
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Simple fix... Buy two guns.. 1 for varmints and 1 for deer... Can never have enough guns... I tell my wife I need one for every different animal, (only if she asks) other than that I say nothing hahaha
 
dodgeman308 said:
Simple fix... Buy two guns.. 1 for varmints and 1 for deer... Can never have enough guns... I tell my wife I need one for every different animal, (only if she asks) other than that I say nothing hahaha
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This guy has it figured! (and love that dog in the pic!) Why limit yourself to one gun? And, think about the 222 Remington for your yotes. Very accurate cartridge, easy on the shoulder and ears.
 
Hello,

I would not recommend shooting a deer with something below .243. Your 30/06 is perfect for Northern Ontario hunting. I also hunt with a 30/06 as my main rifle. For moose, my backup rifle is a 300 mag depending if I hunt large distances. For deer, my backup rifle is a 308. For coyotes, I also started 3 years ago and it is a very difficult hunt where I live. It is so difficult that it is the best hunt. Freezing conditions, smart animal and intense. It also helps to increase the deer and other game population. Now for coyotes, I hunt with a 308. It is way too much and it peirces both sides but I love my M1a... I feel sad if I leave it behind. Recently, my coyote partner hunts with a 22-250 tikka light. I am jealous of his rifle as it is lighter, recoil is very low and the ballistics and accuracy are great. The only thing I would critique about the caliber 22-250 is that it is not a deer rifle. He keeps it for coyotes and smaller game only. You will kill a deer with it. I have no doubts. But Ethics is the main reason he won't shoot a deer with it and I agree. So... If 22-250 is your choice, I believe it is for coyotes and smaller only. If you are looking for versatility (smaller game and deer) I would go for .243. There is a good versatile caliber you should research also. 6.8 mm which is halfway between .223 and .308. Bullets are hard to find where I live but it have one and I am considering using it next hunt. My M1a doesn't know this yet. Poor thing...
 
grantmedic said:
I'm looking for a versatile round for hunting coyote (predominantly), deer and maybe fox in southern Ontario. I'm just torn on what caliber to pick, and all the forums online say something different. I have spoken to a few old timers with countless hours of hunting under their belts and they swear by the 22-250 for what I'm looking to do. Keep in mind I have my Trapping Licence and having a caliber that will deliver minimal pelt damage is important to me for fur harvest. Thanks in advance!
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Neither cartridge is known for being particularly fur friendly. If deer is still on the menu, then .243 is far and away the better choice. In fact, everything the .22-250 can do, the .243 can do better. For coyotes, less "fur angry" bullets are available for both, especially if you reload, but I would expect to be doing some sewing on bad angle shots. Fox is off the table for both cartridges.
 
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