what to buy 223 rem or 22-250

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iceman2

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I am thinking of getting another varmint rifle, and I'm not sure of what caliber. It is between a 223 with 1 in 9 twist so capable of heavier bullets and a 22-250 with 1 in 12 so pretty much limited to 55 to 60 gr bullets. Primary use will be coyotes and paper, I have a 22 hornet for groundhogs.
Will the ability to use heavier bullets in the 223 be over ridden by the faster speed of say a 55 gr in a 22-250? Cheaper 223 ammo is not an issue as I will reload either one. Open to suggestions/opinions.
 
I really enjoy my .22-250. I also think that the extra power is useful on coyotes which are, pound for pound, a very tough animal.
 
I would have said .223 because both are very similar, but the .223 is a lot cheaper. Then I read your comment saying you don't care of the price then I stopped to think... I did some quick reading on different sites. The 22-250 will be faster, and a flatter trajectory, but the .223 may just be a tad more accurate. Either one is a perfect varmint gun, you've narrowed down the calibers to the top two in my opinion.
 
iceman2 said:
I am thinking of getting another varmint rifle, and I'm not sure of what caliber. It is between a 223 with 1 in 9 twist so capable of heavier bullets and a 22-250 with 1 in 12 so pretty much limited to 55 to 60 gr bullets. Primary use will be coyotes and paper, I have a 22 hornet for groundhogs.
Will the ability to use heavier bullets in the 223 be over ridden by the faster speed of say a 55 gr in a 22-250? Cheaper 223 ammo is not an issue as I will reload either one. Open to suggestions/opinions.
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.22-250 is a nice caliber except that it eats barrels.
 
If you want pure fun buy a Swiss Arms non restricted with 1/7 twist its a sub moa rifle with honady tap, put a schmidt and bender 1-8 scope on it and you will have the perfect rifle that you will enjoy for years and years and years and be able to sell it for a few hundred dollars than you paid for it. I shoot an anschutz 223, mind you 1/12 twist and its a tack diver, sub moa with cheap winchester 55 grains, love the rifle and the caliber. Can't wait to start reloading to see how well it does shoot. currently shooting off my elbows, no bagging or bipod
 
Ive owned four 223's and two 22-250's. I prefer the 223, due to lower muzzle blast and you get 50% more ammo out of a pound of powder.
 
kevguy said:
.22-250 is a nice caliber except that it eats barrels.
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Should be able to get 5000 rounds out of the 22-250 if you dont' load it too hot.

That's a lifetime for most people

I like mine, the .223 also has its merits, I like to keep things simple so using regular wlr primers in all my reloading makes sense to me .
 
Primary use will be coyotes and paper
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22/250 for coyotes and the fast twist .223 for paper. The fast twist and heavy bullet route is great for a long range paper puncher, and the small powder charges go a long way to keeping barrels alive. You can grab a couple hundred rounds and go plink at the horizon with a .223 without cringeing. If you plan on doing that with a 22/250 more than once you'd best order that replacement barrel now.
223s have gophers written all over them, but those heavy 80 grain bullets don't have much "splatt factor". Gopher shooting gets boring if you have to ask someone else if you hit them. Also the same heavy bullets that make longer ranges easier in the wind have a short range looping trajectory that make what should be an easy close range coyote shot harder than it has to be.
 
Effective = .22-250
Practical = .223

I go with practical as the difference in effectiveness is minimal. The advantages of .223 i.e. price, selection, availability, barrel life, recoil tolerance, noise etc... well outweigh the benifits of .22-250 which boils down to velocity, flat tragectory, accuracy at 300+ yds. This is just my opinion and YMMV etc.etc. void where prohibited by law...
 
I am totally biased...223 all the way!

Yup...been there, done that. I am a proud owner of a .223 tack driver. It started out as a 1:12 twist remy varmint. The only mod I have done is to get rid of the tupperware stock and furnish it with a Hogue stock.

It is a sweet tack driver. It really, really loves to shoot the V-Max, although the Nosler pills are a close second.

I shoot 26.5 gr Win 748, CCI 450 primer (mag) and 50 gr v-max. 40 gr v-max uses 24.3 Reloader 10x.

At 100 yards. on bi-pod, that sweet rifle shoots between 1/4" to 1/2" MOA. Which means dead coyote and splattered gopher....every time!

I would not trade or sell it for nuthin'.:D
 
Sometimes a 22-250 will get you uninvited off of property due to noise gopher shooting as opposed to a .223.......................Harold
 
I have or have had 204 Ruger, 223's, 22-250's and a 6mm-284...

When punching paper or gophers the 204/223 get the nod when I'm after coyotes they stay at home and I grab my 22-250 or 6mm-284...

:)
 
mbogo3 said:
Sometimes a 22-250 will get you uninvited off of property due to noise gopher shooting as opposed to a .223.......................Harold
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You make an excellent point. When I was buying my varmint gun earlier this year I had my heart set on a .22-250 but after speaking to some people they all mentioned the noise factor being an issue. If you live somewhere out west where there are vast pieces of land then it might not be an issue. However, if you live in other parts of the country the noise factor could be something to consider. I ended up getting a sweet CZ 527 Varmint in .204 Ruger and couldn't be happier.
 
I own both. If its mostly paper punching and the odd coyote I'd go .223. If your going to be mostly coyote hunting with a bit of paper punching then I'd go .22-250. The .22-250 is the best coyote caliber out there IMO, flat shooting and will drop them on the spot at 300+ yards. Not that a .223 wont, just a .22-250 has more knock-down power. I still like my .223 but for target practice, less muzzle jump and a bit quieter.
 
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