Best ammo for 22-250

Y

Youlden

Inactive
Hi looking for some advice on best ammo
For 22-250?
Best bullets for maximum
Damage to insure humane kill?

Thanks
 
For varmints, most any good-group 50- to 55-grain bullets work just fine. 40s or 45s for prairie dogs would do just as well, although velocity falls off rather quickly after 300 yards and there is more wind drift.

While I think that any .22 centerfire is marginal for deer--generally--there are bullets which work well, based on posts and pictures here. Modern R&D has changed the game a good bit in the last dozen or so years.
 
If fox elimination is your game, then pretty much any small to medium sized 22 caliber bullet will do. If you buy your ammo, then your best options might be 50 or 55 grain bullets. If you reload, your choices are endless and I'd think that your best fox bullet is the one that you can make shoot best in your rifle. If you want to collect the pelts, then a small explosive bullet like the varmint grenade might be your best bet (if it won't exit the fox). I've collected a few small animal pelts using the Nosler 55 gr Ballistic Tip and it makes a mess upon exit. With luck, there are probably several guys on this forum that have specific experience with shooting foxes and collecting pelts. They will have already done your research for you.
 
For varmints, over the years, I've had very good success with the 52/53gr boattail HP match bullets from Hornady and Sierra. Also any 55gr SP or HP, from all the major makers. However, pay attention to what you get, as some bullets (like the Hornady SX) have upper limits to the velocity.

Bullets meant to violently expand at 3000fps don't always do what you want at 36-3800fps.

Around here, before the bottom fell out of the coyote pelt market, the 40gr "Blitz" type bullet was very popular in the .22-250. Back when they first came out, dealers had a hard time keeping them on the shelf. The 40gr usually totally fragments inside a coyote, and (usually) doesn't exit. Only one hole in the hide is a plus to a fur hunter.

Not sure if it would do the same on fox, the smaller animal probably would have higher odds of an exit wound.

As to factory ammo, just about anybody's in the bullet weight you want will do fine, IF your particular rifle likes it. The difference between a 3/4in group and a 1.25in group isn't so critical at usual ranges for bigger varmints like fox, and up. Really small targets, or extreme ranges, then it might make the difference, but fox? probably not, depending on how you are hunting.
 
I used handloads with Hornady 53 flat base match HP on coyotes for years. If you intend to sell fur, look for a very explosive bullet like the Vmax/Ballistic Tip and try to hit center of the ribcage to shoulder. I killed quite a few with the match bullet that had no exit with a solid body hit but fringe hits resulted in huge hide rips(they died quick either way).
 
What your gun loves, mine might hate. What my gun loves, yours might hate.

Pick up some different brands in the 40 to 55gr range and head to the range.

My 700's like 50gr Vmax and 53gr Sierra HPFB. I might be switching to nothing but the Sierra's however. With the thin jackets, they have virtually the same terminal effects, and just slightly more accurate.

I do not believe there is a single factory offering for this bullet in 22-250Rem though.
 
I always reloaded my ammo for the .22-250 and preferred Sierra 55 grain Blitz. Sierra 55 grain semi-pointed bullets were the most accurate in my rifles.
 
I have noticed that the bullets used in both Remington and Federal factory loads(the plain 55 grain soft point) are tougher than is really optimum for varmint use. At one time, I bought a case of Federal 22/250 factory ammo and had more coyotes run off after being hit than expected. After doing some testing, I found those bullets didn't open up nearly as quick or as violently as my handloads. I've seen similar results with Remington 55 grain bullets. Last winter, I shot a fox lengthwise with a Remington 55 SP expecting an entrance wound only. What I found was a 6" rip from the exit that ruined the fur.
If the plastic tipped bullets shoot well enough from your rifle, stick with them.
 
I'm 2.5" high at 100 yards for coyote hunting. This allows me to hold right on from 0 to 400 yards without having to know the exact range.

Groundhog hunting, I use a range finder and my trajectory chart to dial in.
 
Find some factory ammunition with 55 Grain Hornady V-Max bullets. You will be set. They explode violently, and very rarely exit on animals the size of coyotes, or fox. Or, hand load using these same bullets. Awesome on-game performance.
 
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