223 or 22-250 for coyotes

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shikaree

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I am going to buy a Tikka for coyotes. I need some advice from users of 22-250 and 223. Which one is better for coyotes? I don't reload at all and I shoot a lot and may be taking long range shots.

Is there a big difference between the ammo prices?

Thanks
 
22-250 ammo is more expensive, but it is quite a bit more powerful and has greater range. Might do more damage to the pelt though, if you plan on doing something with it.
 
22-250 will give you a lit better tyrajectory on the longer shots as well as a little more knockdown power. It is not that much more expensive, in fact in my Tikka, the Walmart ammo seems to grroup the best (next to my handloads)

As far as pelt damage, I can't see there being a huge difference between the two, I took a Coyote at 19 yards and it was just a little tear.
 
There is .223 ammo available for plinking that is cheaper than .22-250 or .223 hunting loads if you plan on using the rifle for entertainment at the range or gravel pit. Also consider that due to it's faster muzzle velocity 22-250 (about 600 fps faster on average) ammo is going to wear out a barrel faster that .223 ammo. Both would be effective coyote rounds out to 250 yards or so; past that the .22-250's flatter trajectory is going to give it a pretty big edge.
 
Both are fine particularly for factory loaded ammo. .223 has the edge on economics, 22-250 on performance. They both do the job...Get out and have fun.
 
You will probably find the 223 a whole lot cheaper to shoot if you reload. Brass is abundant and real cheap and the bullets are stocked all over. I just bought a nice mix of all the types I am going to load for off the exchange her from a guy in Nova Scotia. Brass is so plentiful that the guys selling brass at the gun shows are not interested in buying it and I see it on the exchange for $7-10/100. Seems to me the 22-250 never shows up in the exchange. Also I just bought a brick of American eagle from a local shop for less than $200. That will give me cheap shooting and then lots of same brand brass too.
 
Specifically coyotes....22-250 without question.

If you want to mix it up a bit i.e gophers, etc (quite a bit more shooting) :223
 
If you're taking long range shots (over 300 yards), I'd go for the bit extra range and knockdown power of the 22-250.

Gotta admit though, I do love my Tikka T3 Lite in .223!
 
You need to come out west, I have heard stories of guy not being careful managing heat and wrecking a barrel in one weekend of PD/gopher shooting.

A 500+ round weekend is not unusual, running the barrel really hot will accelerate the process. Even if you manage heat you can get to 5000 rounds really fast and by then you will be seeing accuracy fall off.
 
I have both the 223 and the 22-250...

Depending on the time of year and where I am is the deciding factor in which rifle I grab.

I would suggest getting the 223 when you get to know your gun and scope combo you will be able to reach out to 400 yards without a problem on coyotes...
 
I recently went through the same mental wriggle as you.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=188891

My conclusion was that for all practical purposes, there was not a lot to choose between the .223 Rem and the 22-250. I decided to let the rifle that presented itself to me with the most appeal make the decision.

Almost immediately I found a rifle in one of these two calibres that just cried out to me, and I bought it. I have had a 4.5-14x40 Leupold VXIII mounted on it and I pick it up this thursday.

I will post photos when I get it home.
 
aulrich said:
You need to come out west, I have heard stories of guy not being careful managing heat and wrecking a barrel in one weekend of PD/gopher shooting.

A 500+ round weekend is not unusual, running the barrel really hot will accelerate the process. Even if you manage heat you can get to 5000 rounds really fast and by then you will be seeing accuracy fall off.
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This maybe true but I doubt very much that you will go out in a weekend and shoot 500+ coyotes, which is what the original question was. IMHO .204, .222, .223, .22-250 are all very good rounds for coyotes. I had a .222 rem mohawk 600 which I loved and now have a stevens 200 .22-250 which is also a good rifle. Can't say which round is better but I do know they will both kill a coyotes just fine.

Also you can find good prices for factory ammo at walmart, I was paying 16 per box of .22-250. They are about 8 bucks cheaper then one of our local gun stores, which makes me sick:(



Cheers

Brian
 
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I doubt very much that you will go out in a weekend and shoot 500+ coyotes
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Very true but the comment came up that Bill c68 never heard of someone burning out a barrel with normal use, just giving some context on how it could happen and the difference between PEI normal use and Alberta normal use (most guys don't have two rigs).
 
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