22/250 / .223 varmint calibre?

[sniperboy]

Hi to all!

Thank you to all who gave me information on a accurate out of the box varmint rifle to buy. I have come to the conclusion and buy a savage long range precision varminter.
From reading other posted articles on long range hunting i see that the .223 is a more preffered calibre. Is it a better calibre for the long range shooting meaning, better accuracy than the 22/250?
I am wanting to use the 75 grain projectile to take out target at 500 plus yards.


Thank you
and looking forward to your replies.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Personally, I'd much prefer the 22-250 for shots out to 500yds. Given rifles/barrels of equal quality, the 22-250 has as much accuracy potential as the .223. The 22-250 with a fast twist barrel is easily capable of 500yd accurate varmint shooting & and can produce much better velocity with the heavy (high BC) bullets that work well for distance shooting.

The only real benefit to the .223 IMO is longer barrel life.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Nomad]

Have owned both the 22-250 is a good round, but when all things come
into play the 223 has my vote.
Shooting steel out to 750 yards with 223 varmints out to 630 yards
longer barrel life and cheaper brass less powder and so for me the story
is that for varmints and some steel 223.
yet 22-250 is still faster and no question on how fine they shoot.

 

[ol mike]

They are both the same 'caliber' -.224- ,they are different 'cartridges' ,although we all know what you mean of coarse.

Myself -i've never owned a 223 just a couple of 22-250's .

The bottom line is if you take two identical rifles both fast twist same length barrels -load them both to their potential w/ the same 75gr bullet -put them side by side -fire them at a 600yd target -one will land its bullet lower than the other -it will be the one w/ less powder capacity.

One will have more of a arch in the tradjetory b/c it started out a little slower.

Either will be fine -it's like comparing a 250cc quad to a 300cc quad -one will go a little farther on the fuel [less powder]-one will be a little faster.

 

[johnnyk]

SniperBoy,
It's not so much that one (.223 vs .22-250) is better than the other, it's the twist's of the barrel(s) that I feel is what's most important. The .22-250 with 1-14" twist barrel is an awesome round, capable of spitting 40gr bullets at 4000fps and 52gr'ers about 3800fps. Ain't a critter around that can stand much of that. Most of the time with this twist you're pretty much limited to 40-55gr bullets. It's a fact, "fast is flat"...but only for so long. The lighter bullets "peter" out at the longer distances. Now this is not to say that the .22-250 with a 1-14" twist will not kill something or hit accurately at extended ranges. It's just that a 1-9" (faster) twist will stabilize heavier bullets which have a higher ballistic coefficient. This higher BC keeps the bullet from being affected by drag (read as: retained velocity) and I feel the heavier weight carries its momentum (kinetic energy) better downrange than do the lighter bullets.
If my options were limited and I had to choose between a 1-9 .223 or a 1-14 .22-250, I would choose the .223 over .22-250. If the .22-250 is offered with the 1-9" twist (Savage) I would never consider the .223. The .223 is a good cartridge but will never be what the .22-250 is with same twist barrels.
Sorry for being long winded, I just wanted to further explain my earlier post. JohnnyK.

 

[wildcat]

Sniperboy, go with the 22-250. It will push those 75grn bullets much quicker than the 223.

Wildcat

 

[CatShooter]

Something to consider is this:

The 22-250 fast twist, will give you about 1,000 rounds before it is toast.

The .223 will give you 8,000 to 10,000 rounds.

If you shot a lot, it is a BIG issue, considering the cost if rebarreling, and the lost shooting time.


.

 

[Aussie]

I am not a big fan of the .22/250 but barrels aren't toast in 1000 rounds unless abused .

 

[johngfoster]

What about a compromise twist on the 22-250? How about something like a 1:12 or 1:11? A 1:9 is WAY too fast for the lighter (40-50gr) bullets and you will limit yourself to only shooting heavy stuff. Can't find that in factory ammo, so you'll be limited to hand loads.

 

[Matt_G]

If my options were limited and I had to choose between a 1-9 .223 or a 1-14 .22-250, I would choose the .223 over .22-250. If the .22-250 is offered with the 1-9" twist (Savage) I would never consider the .223.

The .22/250 Savage Long Range Precision is a 1:12 twist barrel. (looks like all their models use that twist)
Their .223 is a 1:9 twist.

Just an FYI.

 

[Flybuster]

The .22/250 Savage Long Range Precision is a 1:12 twist barrel. (looks like all their models use that twist)
Their .223 is a 1:9 twist.

Just an FYI.

I was just about to dissagree with you, until I checked for myself. Your right they have listed now that the precision varminter has a 1-12" twist for the 22-250. When they first came out they had a 1-9", I just read an article in Novembers shooting times, which I have right infront of me, where the author tested a Savage Long range precision varminter with a 1-9" barrel.

It might be that they have changed the twist rate. Which would be a shame. Probably because non-reloaders having problems with their lighter bullets. Just speculation, though.

 

[CatShooter]

I was just about to dissagree with you, until I checked for myself. Your right they have listed now that the precision varminter has a 1-12" twist for the 22-250. When they first came out they had a 1-9", I just read an article in Novembers shooting times, which I have right infront of me, where the author tested a Savage Long range precision varminter with a 1-9" barrel.

It might be that they have changed the twist rate. Which would be a shame. Probably because non-reloaders having problems with their lighter bullets. Just speculation, though.

I think the 9" is available on special order.

.

 

[northernchris]

My Steyr SSG .22-250 has a 1-12 twist and shoots 69 gr Sierra match kings well out to past 500 yrds,with a 41 gr load of N160 it i doing 3540 fps.

 

[Deersniper]

Barrel twist

Not sure why they have different swist rates between the .223 and
22-250, they really should be the same because you are not going to over-stablelize a bullet. If you really want high performance then buy the 22-250 with a 1-9 or change it later. If you are not concerned with high performance then just go with the .223 and be happy!​