223 OR 22-250 and righty or lefty

C

Corey

New member
I am thinking about buying a Remington in one of these calibers. I am wondering which is better in terms of :
1)price of ammo
2)ease of reloading
3)accuracy
4)recoil
5)rifle life.


Another question while I am here is if you were buying a rifle almost certainly destined for a long life on a bench at the range, would a lefty be better off with a right or left handed rifle? I am just wondering since the gun will be supported on a rest and I would not have to remove my left hand from the grip to operate the bolt.
 
Corey; I'm a lefty also and nowadays there's no reason for us lefties to buy right-handed rifles. There's alot of factory left-handed bolt actions out there. I'm not sure what kind of offerings Remington has but I believe there's a few. Personally, I'd get the left-handed bolt. As far as ammo cost is concerned, 223 cal is everywhere and some of it is dirt cheap. You might want to try http://www.sportsmansguide.com or http://www.cheaperthandirt.com. They have alot of ammo and you could compare prices. Good Luck, J. Parker
 
Even though I have rifles in each of those calibers, these answers are only opinions. Too many other factors involved to be precise.

1) .223 wins by a wide margin on price.
2) Both are fairly easy to reload.
3) Accuracy depends more on the rifle and shooter. Both calibers are inherently accurate.
4) What recoil would that be?
5) The .223 barrel should last longer using standard loads of each. But, of course the 22-250 can be loaded down which would extend the life.

I have no opinion on the left/right issue.
 
I agree very much with the above responses on caliber recommendations and related reasons why. I'm a lefty. Do yourself a favor, buy a left handed rifle. You will get sick of the right bolt real fast. Remington has a Varmint Synthetic (VS-SF, I believe) in left hand. Production runs are somewhat limited, but you can scare one up if you try. Regards.
 
This lefty had a right-handed 700 varmint special in .22-250 for a while. Working it from a bench was just as you describe, and that's the one time I was comfortable with a righty. FWIW, there's a company that builds right-handed benchrest rifles with right-hand loading ports and left-hand bolts, for the same reason.
 
Recoil is nil in either case. The .22-250 is certainly a much more robust round with 4000+ fps capability. I wouldn't worry too much about barrel erosion with the .22-250 as you would have to do a LOT of shooting to actually have that be an issue. (in contrast to the .220 Swift.)
Yes, the cost of ammunition is a little higher for the .22-250, but you are getting a better performing cartridge.

I have read in many gun books that the .22-250 is the ideal varmint round for many good reasons. (one being the shoulder angle of the case.)


As usual, just my .02.



kgs.

[Edited by kgs on 02-01-2001 at 05:29 PM]
 
I have a 22-250 in a Savage 112fvss and love it. It cost about $200 less than the Rem 700 in the same gun and it will shoot about 1/2" at 100 yards. I also do have a Rem 700 FVSS that is almost identical to the savage other than the Rem is in a 308. Both shoot very well but if cost is a concern, go with a savage. I also reload all my ammo and cost is about the same for both when reloading. If you are going to shoot past about 300yds, go with the 22-250.

ChrisW
 
Corey,

I own rifles in both calibers, the 22-250 is a Remington 700 ADL.

1.) The 22-250 will be more expensive to shoot if you use factory ammunition. There are scads of .223/5.67 ammunition out there, at really cheap prices.

2.) I reload both calibers. It is not really easier to reload for either, unless you are reloading for a semi-auto in which case you need to full length resize for it. Both can shoot the same bullets, which I do quite often.

3.) In my case, the Remington 700 is far more accurate. I say that rather than the cartridge, all I have left in .223 is an AK74 chambered in 5.67 and an AR15. Now the AR is a Bushmaster with a 24 inch barrel, and is pretty accurate. It doesn't even compare to the Remington.

4.) As stated by others, the recoil is minimal. However, the noise from the 22-250 is much greater than the .223.

5.) I have no idea of the expected rifle life. You can push the 22-250 much harder than you can the .223, and this in turn will probably shorten the life expectancy of the barrel. I have no idea of how much it would shorten it. But if you want to push a 50 grain slug over well 4000 fps, then the 22-250 is the way to go.

I have no feel for a right hand or left hand rifle. I would think that you would want what fits you, but also you will have a harder time finding one, I would assume.

It would depend on what you are wanting to do with the rifle. If you are shooting longer ranges, I would go with a 22-250. If you are going to shoot hundreds of rounds at a time at shorter ranges, then the .223 would work OK too. Personally, I think the 22.250 a better all around cartridge, but there is really nothing wrong with the .223 as long as you realize it's limitations.

Just my opinion.

Casey
 
Both remington and Winchester claim to offer left hand bolt action rifles, though actual availability for particular models and particular calibers might be as problem, depending on where you are located. Savage also does a left hand action.

Speaking from personal experience, and being LEFT EYED, I shot Model 70's in National Match Course competition for years, without any problems at all, at least none that could be attributed to reaching over the stock to work the bolt, and that included RAPID FIRE STRINGS.
 
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