.223 v 22-250 v .204ruger

I shoot 204 Ruger/223/22-250/6mm-284/6.8 SPC for gophers/predators...

If I was out for gophers more than anything else it would be a toss up between the 204 Ruger & 223 I rarely even consider taking the 22-250/6mm-284 for gophers these are reserved more for coyotes/wolves etc.

I haven't taken the time to check the twist of my 204 Ruger barrel yet it is a 23" bull barrel I load 32gr V-Max @ 4040fps my rifle is a T/C Contender carbine that I switch barrels on.

One of my 223's is another T/C Contender carbine barrel it is a 21" tapered 1-12" twist rate I load 40gr V-Max @ 3400fps both of these barrels/cartridges/loads consistantly give me -2" 300 yard groups.

Cost to reload once the brass is purchased are almost exactly the same on any of these cartridges so that isn't an issue for me.

I'm now also shooting a Robinson Arms XCR-L with uppers in both 1-9" twist 223 & 1-11" twist 6.8spc both are going with me tomorrow to Alberta for the 223 I'm taking the exact same 40gr V-Max loads but velocity is appr 3200fps - 3250fps in the shorter barrel, as well as 50gr Blitz @ 2900fps and 60gr V-Max @ 2950fps - 3000fps and the 6.8spc will be loaded with 95gr TTSX @ 2825fps and I would not hesitate to shoot out to 450 yards on coyotes with the 95gr TTSX loads...

I understand that the 6.8SPC is available in a Rem model 7 this should make an excellent gopher/predator round combo and I like this cartridge so much that the first chance I get I am adding a T/C Contender barrel in 6.8spc to the stable...

What you say you are looking at doing go with either the 223 or 204 both will do anything you would ever need the 204 will just do it with a far flatter tragectory and I do not shoot thise beyond 300 yards.

:D
 
I like my .223, largely due price point / availability of reloading components. The 204 is a 22-250 Jr - same speeds, smaller bullet, but I have been present when the .204 failed on a couple of coyotes. The 22-250 is the ultimate splater maker, but watching the carnage thru the scope is what its all about.
 
I have and enjoy all three: .204, .223 and .22-250. They each have their own idiosyncracies, as with all cartridges, with their own pro's and con's.
 
The 204 will have as long a barrel life as the 223 because it has the same or less pressure. The 204 also has a flatter trajectory(4200 fps) than the 223 and if you use hornady ammo they have an anticoppering agent in the powder that will have you cleaning for copper build up less. The 204 was designed for high volume shooters in a prairie dog town ie 500-700 rnds per day-----Cowboy
 
brenden1669 said:
.204 u will shoot alot lighter bullet, going faster... 40 gr somewhere in the 3600 range, but the bullet will loose the energy alot faster and u might be aiming at the moon to pull a 300+ yard shot.
DO THE .223,
Click to expand...

Quit smoking crack pal. With a 200 yard zero (and why not) the very light 32grn vmax drops 4.1 inches at 300 yards in a .204.
A 55 grain vmax .223 drops 7".
Aiming at the moon for a 300 yard shot with .204? Pull your head out of your ass.
 
i have a 22-250 .i use the 40 grain bullets in it as it has the 1 in 14 twist .all this talk about barrel burning .i have put close to 1000 rounds thru mine .still groups the same as the day i bought it .i have shot coyotes with it up close . crows magpies gophers etc .i guess it depends on how far you wanna shoot and what critter .
 
Tack a 22 250 up to 4200 and you see them die before the gun jumps or here the bang,ame for their nose and open them like a book,if you can see it you can hit it and the 223 will work just as well with the right scope if you learn to dial in a scope.Right now I am using a 17 hmr for the challenge of hitting them in the brain box for a hundred %kill so far this summer 23 outa 25 dead. 220 swift would make you the only kid on your block to have one.
 
A 22-250 can be hard on barrels, i`ve burned up a few shooting gophers. Damn its awesome to blow em up at 4-500 yards. I use a 222 and 204 now but fully intend to get another 22-250, Get one of each, there all fun when used to there limits.
 
Consider loading your own and you can make up some scary loads. 40gr in a 223 is pretty zippy but there are so many loads you can load 224 into. Depending on twist anywhere from 40-80gr. Brass for the 223 is cheap and so easy to get. Back in the 60s when I was a teen all we had was the lowly 22lr with Imperials in it. We were shooting groundhogs not chucks. Some were quite large and the largest I shot I figured had to be close to 20lbs. Now I have a 223 CZ and a 22lr and a 100m shot is a piece of cake with either. My 223 is currently zeroed at 200m. There was never any question in my mind about the 223-had to have one. Just feels right and its a delight to shoot.
 
The .204 is faster. Some of us just love more speed.
Claybuster said:
I've owned several .223s. When I consider acquiring a .22-250 I wonder what the point would be when the .243 is a more versatile round that will do much more.

The .204 Ruger has lots of fans but it doesn't do anything that .223 won't do and the .223 has more options in factory ammo and components than the Ruger.
Click to expand...
 
canuckgunny said:
Quit smoking crack pal. With a 200 yard zero (and why not) the very light 32grn vmax drops 4.1 inches at 300 yards in a .204.
A 55 grain vmax .223 drops 7".
Aiming at the moon for a 300 yard shot with .204? Pull your head out of your ass.
Click to expand...

Wait a minute here, you are comparing a 32 grain bullet with a 55 grain. If you put a 300 pound man in a marathon with a 175 pound man, who would win?

Sure the trajectory is flatter, but because the bullet is lighter it is more succeptable to wind drift, and if you hunt on a regular basis you know that there are more days with wind than without. Shooting long distances requires a heavier bullet. The lighter bullets will lose their energy and knock down power, more quickly.

No crack smoking here but i shoot a .223 and have to worry less about a side to side wind.
 
INTIMIDATOR said:
Wait a minute here, you are comparing a 32 grain bullet with a 55 grain. If you put a 300 pound man in a marathon with a 175 pound man, who would win?
.
Click to expand...

I'm comparing the two common varmint loadings. You wont find 32 grn 223's, but its the factory standard for 204. That's why the 204 works fast and cool. I was replying to the suggestion that 223 shoots much flatter at 300 yards than the 204 does.... and pointing out that the complete opposite is true. The data is straight from Hornady, and I'll trust their ballisticians anyday to some guy who thinks you have to 'aim at the moon' to get a 204 out to 300 yards.
Ive NEVER seen a squirrel that needs more 'knock down power' than a 204 has either. And when it comes to wind drift, speed=less time of flight, which in turn leads to less drift. There are balancing points where eventually something like a 223 will overtake the 204 in usefulness due to a higher BC... I don't disagree, but its way out there.... not 300 yards. That is not the argument I was making. He was talking trajectory, I gave the facts, not some internet spew.
 
INTIMIDATOR said:
No crack smoking here but i shoot a .223 and have to worry less about a side to side wind.
Click to expand...

As for wind, I just ran a few numbers at 300 yards.

A 223 running a 55grn vmax at 3500 and a bc of .255 drifts 3.58"
A 204 running a 32grn vmax at 4200 and a bc of only .210 drifts 3.6"

...... massive difference?

And that's a 40km/hr 90 degree sidewind.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom