Which one would you pick for a varmint rifle...

Rocket Surgery said:
If your plan is to do gophers, coyotes, deer, elk, moose, etc I'd go with a 308

If you're just going to do coyotes, and maybe some gophers I'd get a 223.

243 costs just as much as 308, and 22-250 isn't as available (where I live) as 223.

Even if you reload I'd go with 223, the stuff costs under $.30 / shot to handload.

What type of gun are you thinking?
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What a SHOCK!
You are not speaking highly of the 243.
 
With the rig i am putting on i will see them at 700 metres ( TC Icon Precision Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor and a Deion March 60X52BR scope ) i am very confident to make supers longs shots... JP.
 
I chose .223, but couldn't find one with the features I wanted so I got a .22-250 that was everything but the calibre I wanted. When the right .223 came along I got it and sold the .22-250.

Do you want to shoot coyotes out to 300m? Get a .223 because it'll do what you want more cheaply than the others.

Do you want to shoot them beyond 300m, maybe not a lot but definitely sometimes? Get a .22-250. If ammo cost is a problem, save and invest in reloading gear and you'll make up the difference in a little while.

Do you want to use the gun for deer, too? Get a .243.
 
Unless it will double duty for Deer, than for a practical chambering that can be very cheap to shoot for practise( i.e. bulk 55gr FMJs that we chew up in AR's at 10bucks or less), the .223REM does alot of things very well.

Compare it with a good ballistic calculator( I like winchesters online one) to the .22-250 with say a 55gr ballistic silver tip, and see it will give 90% performance out to practical field hit range of @ 300 meters in both drop and drift.
For ultimate flat trajectories on the same bullet, tiny bullet drops are important because the game dosen't stand very tall, the .22-250 is supreme in a practical way meaning ammo avaliability etc.

Most of the 22-250 I see, is in the 20-25 dollar range and can get expensive to practise lots with, to become a great field marksman with.:canadaFlag:
 
If you reload 243 Win is by far the best cartridge for coyotes.
If you don't reload, I'd buy a 22-250, it's a way more potent cartridge than 223 Rem.

Alex
 
bearkilr said:
The 243 is very hard on pelts, I've shot a bunch of coyotes with it and it tears 'em up. I much prefer the 220 Swift with 40 gr., no exit wounds. I suppose the 22-250 would be similar in performance, as would the 204 Ruger. The 223 is too slow. :D
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i use a 40 grain bullet in my 22-250 with no exit holes .works excellent .
 
223 you can get a lot of twist in barrel options i have run into packing powder when reloading 223 22-250 has more options for bullets and powder you can really speed them up 243 i have not hunted with if i could have one one gun would be 22-250
 
I email my order at Kelbys Rifles in Ohio, they are the only dealer in NA that why they can ship to Canada, did not recieved the final confirmation but everything should be settle today... JP.
 
I'd go with the .243, except here in NB we are restricted to .229 or less for varmints. Any other province restricted in the same manner?

My second choice is .223 as ammo is cheaper.

.22-250 is effective, but ammo is more expensive, and will burn out your barrel twice as fast.
 
"...243 is very hard on pelts..." Change bullets. A 90 grain fmj makes a tiny puncture wound. No exit hole in a ground hog either.
Commercial fmj's aren't the same as military fmj's and are made for hide hunting. Jackets are thinner. Mind you, the places that say you can't use fmj's may not see it that way.
Kind of surprised to see the .22-250 being hard to get in some places. Lots of it around here. The .243 is more versatile than either .22 calibre though.
 
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