Most fun caliber .223 or 22-250??

M

Mike50

New member
I've never owned a .22 caliber high power rifle. That is about to change. I'm having a real difficult time choosing between these two calibers. My terrain is wide open with long shots very possible (likely) at Coyotes. Still, there are plenty of people around to whom the sound of gunfire is less than desirable.

It seems that a .223 would give up very little in performance and be more economical to shoot. I'm afraid, though, that if I give up those 400 fps, I'll be sorry later.

Any guidance out there???

Mike
 
Get the 22-250. Faster, flat shooting and very deadly. Over the years doing my varmit hunting I never lost any game with mine.
 
Devil's advocate...........

Mike 50, the 22-250 is all BIGR says, and more...........
Lets talk ammo costs....double to triple.......
barrel wear, 22-250 maybe 1500 accurate rounds, .223, around 5-6,000........
.223, ammo $3.00-$12.00 per box.........
22-250, $8.00-15.00 per box........
Noise level, at least 25-30% more with 22-250.......
the money you save on ammo, will pay for your scope, and rings..........
But, as BIGR said, and yourself the 22-250 is hard to beat for that extra 200 yards.
Trade in value.....more folks will belly up to a .223, than a used 22-250.....for the barrel issue alone.......
Your choice, your moolah................
 
220 Swift

Mike50, I just had to add my two cents worth. I have been shooting a custom 220 swift that I bought on consignment since 1971 when I was in college. It has a Douglas Supreme barrel on a mauser action and a Weaver K-10 scope. It still shoots under an inch. The only reason I gave it to my nephews to use is I bought a Remington Classic in a 220 swift. I shoot a 52gr hollow point over 4000 ft/sec. A swift is still the "sports car" of varmint rifles. A lot of people don't like the semi rimed case, but it is something you get use to. Every article published still talks about wearing barrels out on swifts. I would like to wear at least one out. I rebarreled my Remington 700/270win. after twenty seven years. It still shot around an inch which is fine for a hunting rifle. I guess that barrel was "shot out" because now with a 26" shelin barrel, it shoots under a half inch. I think most of us have our pet calibers, 220 swift and 6 mm are mine. Just keep on shooting something you enjoy. By the way, my swift loves H-380. If you get the 22-250 it will too...Mike;)

PS.....don't worry about the cost of shooting this or that, life is too short and we will never break even on the cost.
 
No question the most fun is .223. Cheap, plentiful, all kinds of bullets and doesn't give up that much to the .22-250 until you get out past 200 yards or so.

That said my biggest complaint about the cartridge is the rifles. The .223 is a short round but the actions for it are usually larger than necessary. Bolt actions in .223 made by Remington, Winchester, Weatherby, Browning, Ruger, Tikka and Savage all use an action long enough for the .308. This means the magazine usually has to have a spacer in it to fit the cartridge. The only makers that I'm aware of that don't use a larger frame are Sako and CZ.
 
.223 vs 22-250

I have both in 700 VLSs and use the .223 for paper and the 22-250 for game. The barrel wear out factor doesn't bother me as they are holding up much better than my bod.:)
And they can both shoot faqr better than I can hold them.
 
most FUN ? - .223!

Since you asked for most FUN, I'll jump in and say that my coyote (and other fun) shooting rifle is an AR type that I put together on a Bushmaster lower. The others have given good reasons for their choices of caliber and rifle, but for fun, I'll stick with mine. It may not be (quite)as accurate or as powerful as some of the other choices mentioned above, but it will take coyotes or other critters out to the range that I am willing to shoot at them (which wouldn't change much no matter what rifle I was shooting.) Most of my coyote shooting is done from (at best) an improvised field rest or offhand, often at yotes that are already running. In this type of situation, it is more the shooter than the rifle that makes the hit, and I have on occasion taken running yotes at farther ranges than buddies who have already missed with rifles that were both higher powered and more accurate from the bench (and no, I didn't run a 30 round mag empty doing it.) Then again, I have seen a guy roll a running "dog" with a single shot offhand from an old sporterized 03 .30-06 at range I wouldn't even attempt. For him, that was his most fun rifle, his only rifle, and boy could he shoot it.
bergie
 
Great comments, guys! Keep going!

I think I may even choose based just on the consensus of your answers, but I need more opinions.

Hope that is not too much responsibility for you all!

Thank. Mike
 
As far as fun goes, I have to agree with Bergie. The AR15 is a hoot! I've got a Bushmaster and a Colt. The Colt will bench under an inch for 5 shots if I do my part. That's plenty good varmint accuracy to my way of thinking, at least out to 300 yards or a little bit further. Of course most ARs need a trigger job in order to get the most out of them. They're vesatile enough for varmints, plinking, competition and a good time in general. If you ever want to introduce a lady to centerfire shooting, they love the low recoil and low blast level of the 223, especially in the AR. Plus someday they could possibly be banned (California :( ), so get one while you are able to. The 22-250 and the Swift are great cartridges, but I tend to get a little more serious when I'm shooting the hot rods. For pure fun the 223/AR combo is tough to beat.
 
i shoot 223 in ar15 and spaceguns at nra matches out to 600 yds with 80 gr bullets and 1/7.7 twist, shoot 22-250 with the same bullets out to 1000 yds and have long range master card. the 22-250 with the 1/8 twist will shoot 80 gr sierras at 1/2 moa for 3500 to 4500 rounds and it fits ANY SHORT ACTION 308 TYPE RIFLE WITH ONLY A BBL CHANGE. the 223 has more fun factor though, but i do not think it is capable at longer than 600 yd ranges without reloading at astronomical pressures which are not safe. btw the 22-250 loads i use are not max and they have the same wind drift as 200 gr sierras in 300 win mag with 1/3 recoil
 
Very interesting post, jwp!

My rifle will be a bolt gun. I want it very, very accurate. I may buy a Cooper, but will probably have to settle for a Rem or Win. Don't like Savages even though they are very accurate.

If it doesn't shoot at least 5/8 - 3/4" 5 shot groups, I will immediately rebarrel it.

JWP, will you tell us the load you are using in your 22-250?

Mike
 
Here's another vote for the .223, for all the reasons already posted.

I shoot it out of a Bushmaster AR-15 as well as a Remington 700VS. Even with surplus ammo, I've shot sub-1" groups with the 700.
 
Having never shot either caliber, I guess the question should be, is the performance given up by the 223 equal to, or does it exceed, the pleasantness gained by the milder noise, recoil, and low cost?
 
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