What rifle to get next for small game?

T

t3tikka250

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I live in Australia and here we dont have all the smaller varmints that are in other countries (rock chucks, squirrels, prarie dog's etc) although we do have our fair share of rabbits and hares.

I currently have a tikka t3 lite stainless in 22-250 and an old winchester 22lr which both do their fair share of hunting.

I am wondering what rifle to get to fill the gap between the two.

Any suggestions?
 
.204 is an interesting cartridge, thats next on my list after i pick up a .270. pretty epic results on foxes.
 
I really like my .223, but have you considered handloading your .22-250 to mimic a lighter caliber? You can easily load down and have the best of both worlds.

You'll gain a lot of familiarity by using one rifle. I download my .270 Win with light charges of IMR 4895 behind a 90 grain bullet and they work fine for turkey shoots, where the minimum caliber is .25". They're also great for range shooting. The best thing is that they shoot to the same POI as my 130 grain hunting rounds. That's very lucky; not the norm, but with re-settable scop adjustments, it's not a big problem.
 
If you reload, you should consider the .22 K-Hornet, or perhaps a .218 Bee...
The .223 is too close to the .22-250, considering the spread between the .22lr and the .22-250. The K-Hornet is not quite as hot as the .222 Remington, but is considerably better than the .22 magnum. The muzzle blast is not nearly as bad as the .223, and the cost to reload is quite a bit less than the .223.
The regular hornet, or the K-Hornet are pretty much the ideal walking around/plinking type rifle.
 
I love the .218 Bee.. My father has one built on a Martini Cadet action... Its so accurate its ridiculous... Its so darn heavy, when you pull the trigger you actually to see the bullet hitting like your watching it on TV in high definition... If its within 200 yards and the wind isn't howling its a guaranteed hit...
 
Since you aren't shooting anything bigger than Rabbits , you might try a .17 HMR . They are alot of fun to shoot and wicked accurate !
 
Any centerfire in between the 2 cartridges you already shoot would only be "just because you can" and would not really serve any purpose. The .17hmr has merit but only if there are areas that you can't shoot the .22-250 or if for some unknown (BS) reason you don't reload.

LK
 
Not sure what game you are going to go after, not familuar with what is available down under.

You have a decent caliber with the 22-250, but I would go up not down in caliber, to a 243, 260, 6.8 SPC even a 270.

223 would be ok but only to 300 meters, if I was shooting joey's, fallow's or antalope I would want my 243 out to 400 or even 600 meters.

But that's just me.

Jim
 
The 221 Fireball ( Rem) fits between the 22 Hornet and 222 Rem. The Fireball is a modern case and eazy to reload. The 5.7 X 28 MM FM round in a rifle with 1-14 rifling with 40 Gr bullets has just a bit less energy than the same bullet fired from a Hornet.
 
.22 Hornet
Click to expand...

I second that, as long as you are wanting something between the two.

Low recoil and noise, lightweight guns, and still plenty of power for game up to deer or kangaroos. Factory ammo can be a bit expensive, but can still be found most places (at least in the U.S.), and there are a wide variety of bullets to choose from if you are a reloader.

.223 Rem is always a good choice, but I went with the Hornet just to have something a little different than everybody else. The .223 does give you a bit more range and energy, as well as a wider selection of ammo and bullets weights, but for small game inside of 300 yards, the Hornet does everything my brothers .223 does.

If you end up going bigger than the .22-250, I would go with something around a .243 or .257 sized cartridge. Perfectly capable of taking small to medium big game, but without gobs of recoil or pricey ammo.
 
17 fireball would be a fun gun in between the two you already have. Would even have enough punch for a little larger game. 204 ruger is my favorite caliber for hunting varmints.
 
If you feel like a 200 yds cartridge for rabbits and such, I might suggest a .17HMR. If you want a bit more punch out to 350, then a .223.
 
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