Has anyone ever done a pros and cons on the different varmint cartridges. Specifically the .204 .223 and the 22-250. I am looking at getting a varmint rifle and am not set on cartridge yet. I am not looking for personal opinions but rather a list of what cartridge does better that the other, not that any of these are a poor choice but some will have better characteristics that may suit some shooter better that other such as recoil, trajectory, damage to the pelt, down range power, etc.
Varmint cartridge pros and cons
- Thread starter tbooker
- Start date
One nice thing about cartridges like the 204, 223, 222, and 17s is that there is practically no recoil, which allows you to spot your shots and if necessary, make corrections. With something like a 22-250 or 220 Swift, there is just enough recoil, light as it may be, that you often can see where your bullets hit.
All of your choices would make a good choice, but some might be better than others for some varmint applications. I would choose a 204, 222 or 223 if I wanted a specific gopher gun, but I might choose a 22-250 if I was going to be taking longer shots at coyotes. Damage to pelt depends a lot on the particular load / bullet you are shooting, but generally speaking, a 204 or 223 is probably going to do less pelt damage most times than a 22-250 would, all things considered.
All of your choices would make a good choice, but some might be better than others for some varmint applications. I would choose a 204, 222 or 223 if I wanted a specific gopher gun, but I might choose a 22-250 if I was going to be taking longer shots at coyotes. Damage to pelt depends a lot on the particular load / bullet you are shooting, but generally speaking, a 204 or 223 is probably going to do less pelt damage most times than a 22-250 would, all things considered.
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You may want to have a read through this thread, discusses most of the popular varmint cartridges.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=301885
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=301885
all depends on what you are looking for.
From Ammoguide . com
Ballistic Comparison Summary Results (all loads)
# Name Velocity Energy Bullet Case
1. .204 Ruger 3720 1162 38 32.4
2. .22-250 Remington 3512 1502 56 47.0
3. .223 Remington 3118 1172 56 30.6
Muzzle Velocity (Avg. f.p.s.)
Muzzle Energy (Avg. ft-lbs.)
Bullet Weight (Avg. gr.)
Case Capacity (Avg. grs. H2O)
.204 has 100+ loads listed
.22-250 has 100+ loads listed
.223 has 700+ loads listed
For minimal pelt damage I would guess you would want a non-expanding bullet (FMJ?) as any one of those rounds would blow right thru a varmit and you would want to minimize the energy transfer to minimize hydraulic shock effect (example - splitting gophers into messy piles of guts).
Are you going to be reloading or factory only as costs for .22-250 are higher than .223 that I have seen. I dunno about .204 is price comparison.
From Ammoguide . com
Ballistic Comparison Summary Results (all loads)
# Name Velocity Energy Bullet Case
1. .204 Ruger 3720 1162 38 32.4
2. .22-250 Remington 3512 1502 56 47.0
3. .223 Remington 3118 1172 56 30.6
Muzzle Velocity (Avg. f.p.s.)
Muzzle Energy (Avg. ft-lbs.)
Bullet Weight (Avg. gr.)
Case Capacity (Avg. grs. H2O)
.204 has 100+ loads listed
.22-250 has 100+ loads listed
.223 has 700+ loads listed
For minimal pelt damage I would guess you would want a non-expanding bullet (FMJ?) as any one of those rounds would blow right thru a varmit and you would want to minimize the energy transfer to minimize hydraulic shock effect (example - splitting gophers into messy piles of guts).
Are you going to be reloading or factory only as costs for .22-250 are higher than .223 that I have seen. I dunno about .204 is price comparison.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
exactly the opposite for pelt damage. You want something that fragments and won't come out the other side. A full metal jacket means you have two holes to sew. One entrance one exit. A proper varmint fragmenting bullet goes in and doesn't come out.
