22-250.....223.....308??

The military uses the .308 for long-range target threat acquisition and neutralization: Not the .22-250, and, in SOME special instances...the .223, or the .50 Barrett or the .416. But not always. Their first pick is the .308.

That should give you a clue.
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Absolutely! The clue is the military uses what it has, and only goes to something "off standard" when the usual won't do well enough.

Every military uses its standard rifle round for everything possible. Always have. Since most have kept their .30cal-ish round for machineguns when they switched to lighter caliber general infantry rifles, tis still in the system, and still useful. The military uses the .308 because it works good enough, not because its the best possible choice for long range shooting.

I do love the .308 Winchester round, and while I don't compete, I'm very happy with it and have used it up to 600yds. Of the 3 choices, it is definitely superior in wind bucking, the heavier bullet simply drifts less.

The penalty for this performance is the size & cost of components, and the higher recoil. If neither of these is a concern, then absolutely the .308 is the way to go.
 
I would get a 300wm or wsm

you already have a long range varmint type rifle

why not go with a long range big game type rifle?

I love the 308, a fine calibre but sometimes you want more ommph

even if you don't hunt anything more then coyotes now you might in the future
 
Flat shooting is irrelevant for known distance target shooting. You put in you elevation on your sight/scope and shoot.

Generally speaking, the .22-250 has too slow a twist for any of the good heavier .224 bullets. You can certainly shoot a 50gr at that range, but wind will blow it all over the place. Because of the horrible ballistic coefficients of the light .224 bullets, will probably be subsonic or close to it at 800 yards, which means you probably won't hit much, even if you get the wind right.

Mini-14 I believe has a 1:9 twist, so it can shoot some of the heavier bullets, but not the best 80 grain ones. You are limited by magazine length, and although I believe the current models are better than they once were, the Mini-14 is not exactly know for surgical accuracy.

The 69gr SMK at .223 velocities is also on the edge of dropping subsonic at 800 yards. The Hornady 75 gr HPBT Match does a little better, if it stabilized in your rifle.

You can certainly try with what you have, but a .308 bolt gun would do better than either.

There are certainly better performing options out there, (this is for the folks who inevitably suggest some big magnum every time a LR thread comes up), but at the expense of higher cost, more recoil, and shorter barrel life.

For a beginner, the .308 is a sweet spot of performance, barrel life and cost, even more so if you don't handload.
 
If it were me...
I would start with what you have; including both 22 cal rifles.

No need to begin at 800 yards. Start closer in and work out. Work on your limitations/skills and the rifle/cartridge limitations will become more apparent as you improve and move further out.

Handloading might be important to you in your journey; or not, depending.
I know that it is for me.

Initially money, effort and time might be better spent on learning with what you have, then deciding on next steps; different rifle, different optics, better trigger, reloading, instruction, different cartridge, etc...

One can also learn much about longer range shooting with the humble .22lr rifle. Shooting 100 - 200 yards with a .22lr (if one has the fodder to feed it these days) can be very valuable: reading and correcting for wind drift and bullet drop, breathe and trigger control, and not to mention that the holes in the target are easier to see with a spotting scope at 200 yards than 800! And the skills do transfer to the bigger rifles at the longer ranges.

But, I do also understand the desire to heed the Siren's call of "further out..."
 
22-250

The Hornady 53 gr. V-max has a fairly good BC--0.290 which is almost as good as some of the heavier 22 cal. match bullets. I would guess a 22-250 with a 12 twist would stabilize that bullet (mine has a 9 twist). Using Benchmark powder, I get 3700 fps muzzle velocity out of a 26 inch barrel. According to JBM Ballistics Calculator, that bullet fired at that velocity at 5000 ft. of altitude remains supersonic past 1000 yards. They tear up prairie dogs wonderfully. I think that would compete very well with the best 223 rifles outside of match guns. Again---IF they will stabilize with your gun.
 
AZAK... offers sound advice ( unless you are looking to buy a new rifle or caliber )

I'd personally start at the longest distance you think you could hit the target... then move up 100 yards closer ( as we often can't hit as good at distance as we'd think, either because of wind drift or more bullet drop than expected )

once we're shooting that target well, move another target out just to the side of the 1st, out 100 yards further...

might as well keep as many targets out as your range will allow ( I have target backers on my personal range, every 50 yards )

you may find that your current rifles are quite capable of hitting steel plates at any number of those distances once you've shot your way out there...
 
Shoot the rifles your using now, Then look at the 308 when the accuracy drops off on your 223 & 22-250. 308 is a great caliber with good barrel life, better then the 223 or 22-250.
 
Have thought many times about a .22-250 AI tied to a 1:7 barrel... Maybe the heavier .224 bullets would defray some of the throat burning that the 50gr typical loadings deliver.

There is always the 6mmXC, basically a 6mm/220-250AI and a 6.5XC might be even more effective with greater range of bullet weights. Some also like the 6x45 which is necked up .223...

.260rem or maybe the 6.5 Creedmore offers more than the .308win. Lighter recoil very good barrel life great BC for target bullets which are lighter by 1/3 and therefore so much less in the recoil dept.


Recoil not a big concern? Have also thought long about a .338/284 on a long action for bullet seating. Hard to go wrong with 6.5 or .338 calibers due to the bullet innovations and great new designs.

.223 bolt rifle with a fast twist 6.5 barrel is also a longrange performer. 90gr JLK and SMK bullets are proven in the efficient .223 case.
 
Have thought many times about a .22-250 AI tied to a 1:7 barrel... Maybe the heavier .224 bullets would defray some of the throat burning that the 50gr typical loadings deliver.
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I don't know if it would make any difference or not. I don't see how adding more powder (even a little) would decrease the problem. Its the rate and volume of the hot gas pushing through a little hole that eats barrels, and its a much worse problem with some powders than others.
 
Forgot to mention, if your looking to buy, the 6.5 Creedmoor will blow 223 , 22-250 & 308 away. That's coming from a 308 lover. Recoil of a 223, 800 yard hits all day long & long barrel life. Has it all. Going through a major snow storm now, good time to do some reading & on line conversation.
 
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