.223 vs. .22-250 vs. .204ruger

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I have both .223 and 22-250. If i want range, speed and pure impact I shoot my 22-250. It has been mentioned that the report of the 250 is different. Its not a booming sound, its more of a sharp sound. I love that round, I reload all my 22-250's because of the variety of rounds you can put together. You do have to be careful because you can push them too fast and the bullet will come apart due to velocity. Both 223 and 22-250 are great, but if I am shooting dogs, the 250 is in my hands.
 
I have not seen it myself, but instead of a 25-06 just put a 90 gr in a .270. I would think this would be cheaper. My Dad shot that round a little on praire squirrels a while back.
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You can, but you pay the price in recoil. Just like you could go a step further and use 110 gr. V-max's in a .300 WM.

Generally, the .25-06 is considered the top end for dedicated varmint rounds. And I can tell you that even the relatively mild recoil of my 75 grain loads gets to you after 40 or 50 rounds from the prone position, especially from a sporting weight rifle. My .25-06 is not my primary rat rifle. That would be my .220 Swift.

Also, the thin barrel of sporting rifles does not lent itself well to varmint shooting; they heat up and distort too quickly. The one-gun-for-everything concept leaves you with shortcomings in most of the applications.
 
Just buy them all as you can afford it, problem solved.

Although if I could have only one high power .22 caliber I'd take a .223.

Factory ammo really isn't any cheaper than the others these days, but components are a lot more common and you can buy .223 brass in bulk fairly cheap.

I recently bought a .204 and a .22 Hornet. Didn't really need either, but they were both really good buys and I've wanted a Hornet for a long time. In my search for the Hornet I ran across a great deal on a .220 swift, so that came home with me as well.

My .22 Hornet, .204, and .223 are sporter weight and my 22-250 and .220 swift have Varmint barrels.
 
If you reload it's a no brainer. 22-250 .....

Then with some lead bullets you can make something that equates to a .22 lr.
or 22 mag. Get some 40 grain bullets and make you something that equates to the .22 hornet .222 .223. Get some 50 grain bullets and you have a 22-250. Get some bullets a little heavier and you have an emergency deer rifle.
 
I've noticed that no one has bothered to ask you what the average range you think your quarry will be at. It differs from area to area. Also noticed no one gave much attention to the fact you will be hunting in a fairly urban area.
As long as the majority of your shots are within 200 yards I would go with a smaller cartridge; ie .22 Magnum, .17 HMR, or if under 100 yards even a very accurate .22LR with substantial loads. All headshots. Not sure if that helps but I tried lol
 
I only own one varmint rifle and that is my rarely used Savage 111 in .223 Rem. I know the 22-250 is a faster/flatter round but the .223 is less expensive and easier to shoot. I don't know a whole lot about the 204 Ruger but from I have read it is a pretty accurate round at moderate ranges.
 
I also own a Savage 110 (basically the same as 111) but mine is in .22-250. And I agree the .22-250 is faster and flatter shooting but .223 ammo can be had for around $10 a box. .22-250 is more expensive but if the majority of your shots are past 400 i would fork over the extra cash for the .22-250.
BTW: The .22-250 will carry the same energy 100 yards farther than the .223 with the same grain bullet.
 
ive shot 223 out to 1100 yards.... and shoot regularly out to 600

when it comes to shooting a lot, there is no better option, in the 22ish bore size....

it is reloaded easily, with decent quality ammo, you can reload shells for less than $0.20 each.... and that is match ammo.....
you just cant do it with others, and the biggest reason for it is because the powder used in a 22-250 is nearly double....
i will agree all day that the trajectory is not as pretty, but if you learn what you're doing, and know your weapon, there is no reason you cant take heavy varmints at ranges pushing 500 yards...

my personal long shot is 471 with a rangefinder, and 4 other guys watching the same coyote that just would not come closer....
i had the gun sighted for out to 400.... i just put it there, held another foot over poi... and broke the leading shoulder, and penetrated both lungs... the dog moved less than 10 feet....
the hole was lower than i had hoped, but still went right thru the boilermaker... next time ill hold 15" higher than estimated poi

ive seen similar done out to near 600 with 223's and 22-250's....
 
Average range is around 175-225 yards on large fox and coyotes. The .17hmr and .22mag just don't get it done at those ranges on the big ones.

Thanks to al the posters.

T2E
 
Than all you will need is the .223, at those ranges you don't need the "flattness" of the .22-250, and since it is cheaper, and it will take any varmint down....JMO
 
If you handload there is no reason to get the 22-250 when the 220 Swift is available. :)

If all your shooting is 200 yards or less, and splattering small varmints isn't that important, the 223 is a more efficient way to go.
 
Mine are Heavy barrels

On all three of your choices along with .222, and .243. Also a hornet in a sporter barrel. I'm spending most of my efforts on the 204 now but if I had to pick one and only one of your three it would be the 22-250.
More power, more range, more bullet choices.
 
I prefer the 223 or the 22-250 for the simple reason that aone of the guys that I hunt with uses a 204 and when hit perfecly coyotes go down and stay down but many times I have seen wounded dogs get away or have to be stopped by my lowly 223. when recoved the coyotes wre usually hit in the vitals but lacked penetration.
 
seems to me 257 weatherby should be considered if you like your pups to pop
 
T2E,

Win71 mentioned the .22 Hornet which is my preferred choice for the size/type of Vermin & ranges that you mentioned.
You did not mention Prairie Dogs so a bbl heating up after repeated shots is not an issue.

My criteria for caliber selection is as follows (I do own, load for & hunt with all the calibers in my list so these are choices based on personal experience)...

.22LR/.17HMR - Rimfires are selected when ranges are very short &/or operating in close proximity of dwellings (Target/background verified 100% prior to taking any shot). .22WMR is an excellent choice here also.

.22 Hornet - Ranges up to 225 yards when a quiet report & minimum fur damage are primary considerations. I use this when I am specifically hunting Fox/Bobcat but it is equally capable on any Coyote that may appear.

22-250 - Any time I expect ranges to extend beyond 200 yards.

25-06 - Same as for 22-250 but when extreme MEF on Coyotes is expected.
The 25-06 doubles as an excellent choice for Deer/Antelope too.

I own a .223 & love it but the calibers listed above perform better either side of the .223's range capabilities in regard to MEF/terminal ballistics.
A .223 tends to cause a lot of pelt damage on Fox & Bobcat so to me it is easier to use a different caliber rather than spend time & money experimenting in load development just for that one purpose & probably having to re-zero if you want to switch back to the load you normally use in that rifle. My personal .223 is great for shorter range small varmint hunting where the advantages of a hvy bbl are required.

It seems like you are shooting predominantly at shorter ranges, so you may not have to choose beyond the .223's capabilities if eliminating predators is your only concern but if you ever do find yourself looking through your scope at a Coyote that you could easily kill if you only had 100 yards more MEF you will kick yourself the next time you come across a dead livestock carcass or the neighbours Poodle disappears!

Another good choice is a .17 Remington (My neighbour has the ".17 Fireball" & loves it. I have shot it & it is very accurate).

I hope that this is of assistance.
 
I shoot the 22-250 in my varmint rig and .223 in my carbine calling gun.

Never fired the 204 but I would have a hard time imagining a varmint round that would be appreciably better than the 22-250.
 
I have a 25-06 and a 22-250. and i have two friends one with 223 and one with 204. for all around (if there was such a thing) you cant beat the 25-06 from varmints to deer it does it all and can reach way out there and do it. for strictly varmints i would go with either the 22-250 or 223 both are tack drivers and fast with the 250 just winning the speed race. 223 is cheaper to reload and purchase loaded ammo for though. i feel that the 204 while fast and flat just cant quite keep up with the others and between mine and my friends guns the 204 is the loudest of the smaller cartridges.
 
Yep had them all but the 204. When it comes to fur not paper the 25.06 is king. The AR in 25WSSM is also good but a PITA reloading. Pick the one you like the most now. You will most likely have one of each sooner or later. Good luck.
 
Maybe 8-10 months ago there was an article in Precision Shooting about varmint (PD) hunting. They obviously took very expensive custom rifles. By the end of the 3-day trip, their favorite was the .204.

They could see their hits, actually slightly less wind drift than the 22-250, and flatter than the .223. Heated less than the 250 and less noise.

While some of the more macho here have expressed their extreme pleasure seeing pieces and parts of varmints fly around, no one has bothered to ask if you're keeping the pelts to sell. Good luck if you use a .22-250 and 55's. It'd be a shame to blow a $30 pelt apart. I've not had the opportunity to whack a 'yote with the .204, but from what I've read at Varmint's Den, the smaller bullets tend to blow up before exit. I'm anxious to see for myself.

I have a CZ 527 Varminter in .204, an incredibly accurate Bushie AR, and a 700 VS in .22-250 so I have no particular favorite. I've hand loaded some for all of them. Brass for the .204 was easy to find at Gander or Cabelas.

If I were calling and didn't want to keep the pelts, it would be the AR. Keeping the pelts, it would be the .204 with 32's. For longer range dogging, I'm taking the 22-250 along with the others.

FWIW...my local dealer has a camo Remington AR in .204. That would be a great gun for calling.

Another good choice is a .17 Remington (My neighbour has the ".17 Fireball" & loves it. I have shot it & it is very accurate).
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I think this is where the .204 fits in. It has the speed and small bullet of the .17 but perhaps less prone to wind drift.
 
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I use .223 in a couple different ways:

1. I load Varget and 60g vmaxs for out to 350 yards and killing bigger things

2. load 3031 down below max with 50g for low report and extremely accurate out to around 230 yards (I'm getting around 2,600 fps out of a 14" contender and sounds like a 22 mag)

3. blue dot and 40g bullets for 150 yards (sounds like a 22).
 
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