.223 or 22-250
- Thread starter BryceMedeiros
- Start date
22-250 if you want to kill coyotes. My rifle with 50gr superformance ammo drops a little more than 5" at 300 yards. Within that, hold on fur, or along the spine and connect everytime. I've shot them out to 400 and a little hold over is easy
I went the custom 223 route shooting 75gr bullets, but they dropped like a cement block. If you didn't know the range accurately, hits were hard to come by. Coyotes don't always cooperate while you fumble with a range finder. I have a howa mini action 223 that I am still hanging onto for the kids to shoot though.
I still have the 1 223 and sold both my 204 rugers. Lighter bullets, especially at very high speeds will splash on a shoulder or leg hit and you get a run off coyote. Not all shots are perfect in the real world.
223 has the edge of cheaper ammo and components for sure, but lacks authority. I am in a pretty rural area, if I was farther north, I'd shoot them all with a .243.
If you are in gopher land, that might push a little towards the 223.
I went the custom 223 route shooting 75gr bullets, but they dropped like a cement block. If you didn't know the range accurately, hits were hard to come by. Coyotes don't always cooperate while you fumble with a range finder. I have a howa mini action 223 that I am still hanging onto for the kids to shoot though.
I still have the 1 223 and sold both my 204 rugers. Lighter bullets, especially at very high speeds will splash on a shoulder or leg hit and you get a run off coyote. Not all shots are perfect in the real world.
223 has the edge of cheaper ammo and components for sure, but lacks authority. I am in a pretty rural area, if I was farther north, I'd shoot them all with a .243.
If you are in gopher land, that might push a little towards the 223.
If you're strictly using for coyotes at longer range and/or on the run, go 22-250. Faster, flatter, harder hitting.
If you're hunting 'yotes that are closer in (200 yards or closer) then 223 should be fine. Also has cheaper ammo and components. Would also be more economical for target shooting/plinking/gopher hunting.
If you're hunting 'yotes that are closer in (200 yards or closer) then 223 should be fine. Also has cheaper ammo and components. Would also be more economical for target shooting/plinking/gopher hunting.
Sounds like you're going to be shooting primarily factory ammunition, .223 has more and better prices for factory rounds. Inside of 300 yards I'd shoot any coyote around with either one. If you are going to plink, target shoot or play at longer range shooting I would lean towards the .223.
I'll simplify myself a bit if coyotes are your primary concern then I would choose the .22-250, if you plan to do high volume shooting the .223 has an edge.
I'll simplify myself a bit if coyotes are your primary concern then I would choose the .22-250, if you plan to do high volume shooting the .223 has an edge.
Neither is a rabbit gun, unless you use reduced loads. If you are not a handloader, then you should be looking at a .22 LR and a .22 centerfire... which centerfire??? That depends on your usage and typical ranges... for coyotes under 250 yards, the .223 is a solid economical choice... beyond 250 yards the improved ballistics of the .22/250 are worth the extra cost... I have and use both.
Jordan Weber
Member
- Location
- Elmira Ontario
Id say .22-250. But that might just be because I have one for sale......
Purple shoulder
Regular
- Location
- Winnipeg MB
22-250 all the way.
I have an old cooey .22 I just got for rabbits I suppose. Picking up a winchester m70. 270 tomorrow. Still missing a few to have my variety. I have a serious itch happening as I just got my Pal not long ago. To be honest, I thought the .22 might have been a bit too small but it's good to know so thanks.
Well said! .... Another thing to consider is that a fast twist bbl will shoot heavier bullets and give you more options for other uses. My 223 has a 1:8" bbl which allows me to load bullets suitable for deer hunting and long range shooting. A 22/250 with the same bbl would give extra FPS for such use.
Mount Sweetness
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Ontario
I would only buy a 223 if it's in a micro action
Have you made a decision yet?
To answer your question as close as possible...the .223 has the edge on the 22-250. I say this because you mention ammo availability. And that you included rabbits with coyotes, which tells me you're talking close-ish range.
The two cartridges use the same projectiles obviously, but the range of bullet weight and twist, combined with factory offerings really turn these two cartridge choices into four.
A slow twist .223 will be the most common, ammo is easy and cheap. Between 50-150 yards, the slow twist .223 has lots of velocity and kill power. The slow twist 22-250 is faster overall but really it's wasted velocity as the .223 will easily pass through small animals at those ranges.
The slow twist 22-250 extends the close range of the slow twist .223 and will be the best choice if targets are inside 300 yards. Bullet flight times at these ranges are very fast, (.204 ruger should also get a look here) Ammo gets a little more expensive but its readily available off the shelf.
Now this may be surprising to some...the fast twist .223 is the next step up in additional range. Shooting 80gr bullets, the .223 will start to beat the slow twist 22-250 and 40-50gr bullets when it gets to about 300y. The flight time is slightly slower but it starts to carry more retained velocity at this point due to the higher B.C. The fast twist .223 will stay supersonic to 1000+ depending on barrel length, somthing the first two choices won't do. This has almost no effect on its short range performance however, as they tend to shoot off the shelf lighter bullets quite well. Heavy bullet factory options are very limited and these shine with handoading. But expect them to show slightly slower velocity with the light bullets as the fast rotation sucks up energy with the additional friction loss.
Now the best of all compromises for the handloader in the varmint hunting world...the fast twist 22-250!
It will shoot heavy bullets at close to light bullet .233 speeds. And it outruns the fast twist .223. Kills at almost all ranges are fast and efficient with 80gr weight bullets as they tend to stay together through large animals. This cartridge really shines in the 300-600y range and passes 1000 with ease (almost identical to the 300 win mag and 155gr bullets!) The downfall to this setup is factory offerings. I don't know of any 8t 22-250's from any manufacturer at this point.
Hope some of that helps. And let us know what you choose.
To answer your question as close as possible...the .223 has the edge on the 22-250. I say this because you mention ammo availability. And that you included rabbits with coyotes, which tells me you're talking close-ish range.
The two cartridges use the same projectiles obviously, but the range of bullet weight and twist, combined with factory offerings really turn these two cartridge choices into four.
A slow twist .223 will be the most common, ammo is easy and cheap. Between 50-150 yards, the slow twist .223 has lots of velocity and kill power. The slow twist 22-250 is faster overall but really it's wasted velocity as the .223 will easily pass through small animals at those ranges.
The slow twist 22-250 extends the close range of the slow twist .223 and will be the best choice if targets are inside 300 yards. Bullet flight times at these ranges are very fast, (.204 ruger should also get a look here) Ammo gets a little more expensive but its readily available off the shelf.
Now this may be surprising to some...the fast twist .223 is the next step up in additional range. Shooting 80gr bullets, the .223 will start to beat the slow twist 22-250 and 40-50gr bullets when it gets to about 300y. The flight time is slightly slower but it starts to carry more retained velocity at this point due to the higher B.C. The fast twist .223 will stay supersonic to 1000+ depending on barrel length, somthing the first two choices won't do. This has almost no effect on its short range performance however, as they tend to shoot off the shelf lighter bullets quite well. Heavy bullet factory options are very limited and these shine with handoading. But expect them to show slightly slower velocity with the light bullets as the fast rotation sucks up energy with the additional friction loss.
Now the best of all compromises for the handloader in the varmint hunting world...the fast twist 22-250!
It will shoot heavy bullets at close to light bullet .233 speeds. And it outruns the fast twist .223. Kills at almost all ranges are fast and efficient with 80gr weight bullets as they tend to stay together through large animals. This cartridge really shines in the 300-600y range and passes 1000 with ease (almost identical to the 300 win mag and 155gr bullets!) The downfall to this setup is factory offerings. I don't know of any 8t 22-250's from any manufacturer at this point.
Hope some of that helps. And let us know what you choose.
