22-250 vs 223 which one

[ricemanff]

Ok I am looking for some opinions out there. I am not sure what caliber to go with. I have a few .223's but I am thinking about a 22-250(I don't have a 22-250 yet). So convince me. What are the good and bad points? Ammo is not an issue. It will be a squirrel, coyote, and skunk gun. This will be a bolt action rifle with 1:9 twist. Looking for precision out to 400 yards or so and in a 22 caliber. I am well aware the faster the bullet goes the faster the barrel is shot out. I am just looking for some input or comparison. I like my .223 bolt actions and semi autos. I just want to see if I can push the envelope with the 22-250.

[killshot44]

Push the bullets faster, shorter barrel life, standard bolt face will allow you to rebarrel with a different caliber later.

[hk200085]

^^This^^

[ZirconJohn]

.22-250 if you never had one... should go for it if "ammo is not an issue"

Hhhahaaa... IMO everyone should have a .22-250 at least ONCE in their life...

With MV at about 3800 fps... using JHP... when they hit them critters it SPRAYS THEM... like hitting a spray can...!

But... barrel will suffer right soon, if not quick depending how much you shoot.

Sooo... look into barrel issue and make your decision what to do if you go .22-250

OMG... amaze your friends, chamber that short fat case w/ little .55 oz bullet... and torch it off BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM...!!!

[NorCalFocus]

Yes 22-250. For a varmint gun that's damn near prefect.

[Deimos887]

.22-250 is freakin awesome, what Zircon said.. I'd get bored with 4 .223 rifles only, that should be reason enough

[Deimos887]

^ dunno where I read "4", nvm that... opinion stands tho

[Wrangler John]

My experience is limited to two .22-250 Remington rifles and three .223 Remington rifles.

One .22-250 currently in the inventory is a Savage custom swap barrel with two barrels, one a standard .22-250 Remington chamber in a 1:12" twist, and one a .22-250 Ackley Improved chamber with a 1:9" twist. The second rifle is a Remington 40-X in .22-250 Remington with a 1:10" twist. The faster twist barrels, 1:10" and 1:9" are specifically for the 50 grain Barnes Varmint Grenade bullet. While it may seem the .22-250 is going to increase velocity far above the .223 Remington, such is not the case. Generally, I find that the practical gain in velocity is 200-300 fps more with heavier bullets and still maintain accuracy. Below is the Remington 700 custom with the .22-250 Ackley Improved barrel installed. Yes the Wyatt detachable magazine works with the .22-250 Ackley.



The same rifle with a Bergara prefit Remington 700 barrel in .22-250 Remington. These Spanish made barrels are of good quality and install with a barrel nut and strap wrench. In this configuration I used the the Remington internal magazine:



First loads I guessed at for the Bergara barrel showed promise. In this case I had a box of Berger 50 grain bullets laying around so I used them for testing even though they are not lead free. Not bad accuracy for a barrel under $300 that screws on with a plumber's strap wrench. The red diamonds are .5" on a side:



Below is a California ground squirrel hit at around 100 yards with a 50 grain Varmint Grenade at a muzzle velocity of 3,500 fps from the standard .22-250 Remington cartridge and the 40-X rifle. The rest of him vaporized.



The .223 Remington in the Savage custom uses a 1:9" twist Pac-Nor polygonal rifled barrel. This is my second favorite rifle for varmints next to the .204 Ruger:



Groups are phenomenal, this one below is a 10 shot group at 100 yards. It measures .206".



The above load isn't a barrel burner, it starts out around 3,150 fps, but the accuracy carries it out to fairly long range. Below are some Oregon sage rat mounds I worked over between sleet showers at about 200 -250 yards at the base of the hill:



The little Nosler 40 grain BT Lead Free bullet does its job at 200+ yards, but don't expect red mist at that range. These targets are about the size of a skinny Coke can. They were hit dead center in the chest, but both bullets fragmented to exit partially through the head:



A bit closer in the .223 does more damage, but how much is needed?



So which is best? The .22-250 is more expensive to run, brass is a little more expensive, and the powder charges are 10 or so grains heavier. Muzzle blast is greater, there is more recoil (note I have a muzzle brake on the .22-250 Ackley, so I can see the impacts). Velocities are higher, and you can drive a heavier bullet faster for extreme range. But keep in mind we are talking about tiny targets that are very difficult to hold on and conditions make true long range hits difficult. The day I filmed the hunt brought gusty wind up to 30 mph late in the afternoon, which limited me to 300 yard shots, but I had to switch to a .243 Winchester Super Short Magnum to get there.

The .223 Remington offers less expensive brass, when its available, uses less powder, has minimal recoil and is thrifty on powder. Velocity maxes out around 3,500-3,600 fps with a 40 grain bullets, fully the equal of a .22-250 with heavier bullets, it is accurate enough to use out as far as conditions and skill allows. If I had one rifle this would be it, as it is economical, offers a wide range of factory loads - some with lead free bullets - and is accurate.

[zoid52]

Ive got both 22-250 & 223. For shooting ground squirrels I prefer the 223 as you can watch the 'hit' in the scope.

[JTROKS]

I think Wrangler John summed it up pretty good.

I only have one 22-250, Win HBV and a few 223s. If I was to get another 22-250 rifle for long range I would build it with a Savage target action, right bolt/port, 1-9 twist AI chamber. The 22-250 will shine better with heavier bullets at long range instead of pushing light bullets fast that also lose velocity fast. Don't scrimp on the scope.

[NordicDave]

Wrangler John,

Thank you such a well presented and complete presentation. One of the best online articles I've read in a while from any source.

-NordicDave

[milotrain]

I'm not a varmint shooter so the two rifles I would consider in your situation would be a .223 palma rifle built around the Berger 90gr VLD, or a .22-250 built around the Berger 90gr VLD. If I never expected to shoot a palma match I'd build the .22-250, if I wanted to save money I'd build a .223 palma gun based on the Berger 82gr BTHP. But you already own .223 rifles so .22-250 it is, and if you want to shoot critters then maybe build it as a switch barrel so you can have a fast twist heavy and a slow twist zipper.

[MongooseV8]

223 Ackley Improved. 40 grainers at almost 4k fps with less heat and less powder than the 22-250.

[russ69]

I'm not a varmint shooter so the two rifles I would consider in your situation would be a .223 palma rifle built around the Berger 90gr VLD, or a .22-250 built around the Berger 90gr VLD. If I never expected to shoot a palma match I'd build the .22-250, if I wanted to save money I'd build a .223 palma gun based on the Berger 82gr BTHP. But you already own .223 rifles so .22-250 it is, and if you want to shoot critters then maybe build it as a switch barrel so you can have a fast twist heavy and a slow twist zipper.

Sounds about right.

[Bastard]

if you reload I would go with the 22-250 if not than .223 - also with the 22-250 I wouldn't limit yourself to the 1:9 twist, not sure if anyone makes them anymore anyway... if I remember correctly standard in 1:14 but many have been moving toward the 1:12 (Savage is anyway)

is there a specific rifle that you were looking at, I am pretty sure that Remington discontinued the BDL in 22-250 which irks me as I happen to like the BDLs, but the Savage BVSS sure does look nice