22-250

[chipchip]

Would a 22-250 be adequate for coyotes out to 300yds. Plan on getting a sporter rifle with a VXlll 3.5x10. Thought it would make a good walking varmiter.

[burrhead]

300 yards is about where the 22-250 comes into it's own. You're good out 600 at least. At that distance or a little more, depending on the load, you'll start to have problems with the bullet going sub-sonic and the attendant fall off of accuracy.

[TheBear]

chipchip:

more then adequate for 300 yards, i know folks who use their 22-250s for 400-600 yard pest controll.

are you planning on using this gun for hunting exclusively? because if you plan on doing target shooting or fun plinking with it too, the 22-250 is a bad choice! Why? Because after 4000-6000 shots at the latest, your barrel will be gone. If you shoot 50 rounds a week, after 2 years the barrel is worn out, if you shoot 25 a week you have 4 years and so on.
I had a 22-250, a cz, used it for long range plinking, after 9 months accuracy startet dropping from sub moa to 2-3 moa. i took it to the gunsmith, he took a look down the barrel and asked "how many rounds have gone down this barrel" me: "roughly 5000" he looked at me lifted an eyebrow and said "and youre wondering why accuracy is gone? Son, thats a 22-250..."

[btmj]

What Bear said is probably true...

But the cost of a new barrel is small compared to the cost of 5000 rounds of 22-250... even if you reload. With factory ammo, the cost of a new barrel is a drop in the bucket.

[waburn]

300 yards no problem. Shot a coyote at 406 yards and have confidence it would stretch out another 100 no problem.
coyote.jpg

[Brian Pfleuger]

.22-250 is adequate for coyote at any distance at which you can hit them.

[4runnerman]

Heck I took a Yote at 450 yards last year with a 223 and 60 gn V-Max bullet. A 22-250- Not a problem at 600 yards.

[BIG P]

Plenty of power & a great choice also.Hard to beat the 22-250 for song dogs anyway.

[chipchip]

I plan on using it for coyote hunting only. Not to worried about burning out the barrel. Thinking of putting a Leupold VXlll 3.5x10 boone and crocket. Don't want to mess with AO. What do ya think.

[bamaranger]

I'd think 4-6000 rds would be about the life of near any standard barrel chambered for a high intensity ctg, at least from a varmint accuracy standpoint. I guess stainless and slow rate of fire one could go more.

To 300, a 22-250 is near laser flat. I'd get it. The extra reach is a bonus. If you buy a .223, you will always muse that "I'd not shot under that critter with a faster rifle."

[Kimber84]

Originally Posted by chipchip

I plan on using it for coyote hunting only. Not to worried about burning out the barrel. Thinking of putting a Leupold VXlll 3.5x10 boone and crocket. Don't want to mess with AO. What do ya think.

I'm getting ready to put one of those scopes on a 7-08. I think they make them both with and without adjustable objectives. It's between the B & C or a CDS model.

[Revoltella]

Leupold doesn't offer AO on the 3.5-10x. I plan on getting the VX-3 3.5-10x40 CDS for the .257 Weatherby Magnum I have coming.

The CDS is great. I have it on one of my VX-2 4-12x 40 AOs. I'm waiting to hear back from them how much it would be to add it to my other one.

[Hunter Customs]

My two main coyote rifles is a 22-250 and a 223.

I'm shooting 55 gr bullets in both, the 22-250 speed wise is right at 3600 fps, the 223 speed wise is a little over 3300 fps, so there's not a big difference in them.

I limited my shots to 400 yards with either of the above calibers and move up to a bull barrel 243 when I'll be making longer range shots.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

[TheBear]

maybe check out the .204 ruger too, could be a nice alternative.

[JD0x0]

.22-250 is plenty for yotes.
If you hand load the .270 with light bullets, you can achieve a similar trajectory to the .22-250 and .204 ruger. The .270 will be able to take larger game, which is why I consider it more versatile. Ammo cost between the cartridges is about the same.

[Mystro]

My predator rifle is a purpose built Savage 10xp in 223 with a high quality Docter 3x9. I never shoot out past 400 yards and my optics are maxed at that point but clear enough to push it a little farther. I am in a mountainous terrine so even 200 yard shots are rare on predators. High quality clear optics trump a cheaper high magnification optics.

[chipchip]

Yah, I figured 10x would be enough out to 300yds. That is about as far as I can shoot well anyway.

[Kimber84]

If you only plan to shoot to 300, then I wouldn't spend the extra on a B & C reticle. That 22-250 will pretty much be a dead hold, maybe slightly over at 300. The B & C is calibrated for 500 yards with windage correction for 10 mph.

[chipchip]

The more research I did, I came to the same conclusion. Thanks!

[Mobuck]

I've had several 1/4 mile first shot coyote kills with the 22/250 and one first shot hit at a measured 3/10 of a mile(that's about 525 yards) These were before the now common range finders were available. That's where the flat trajectory of the 22/250 gives you the advantage. I've killed quite a few coyotes that thought they were far enough away to be safe and simply sat watching me set up.

[Colorado Redneck]

That may change, if you do much shooting. Experience makes a shooter better if they are working at correct technique all the time. Unless you are distance limited by brush and trees etc, you might be surprised what you end up doing. I used to think shooters that said they could hit prairie dogs at 400 yards and beyond were perhaps stretching things. After a few years of fairly steady shooting, I find myself doing that--occasionally.

22-250 is a nice varmint caliber, there are lots of ammo options when a hoarder shortage isn't sweeping the land, and there is bookoo load data for it if you reload.

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

Thinking of putting a Leupold VXlll 3.5x10 boone and crocket

The boone and crockett is an excellent big game reticle.. But with the 22-250 round on smaller critters I would use the varmint hunter's reticle...

I have experience with both reticles..

[44 AMP]

Back when the 40gr bullet in a .22-250 factory load first came out (and there was still a fur market) the coyote hunters in my area bought almost all of it.

Stores had a hard time keeping that load on the shelf. That's because it was believed (and normally worked out that way) that the 40gr bullet would "blow up" and not exit. This meant only one hole in the pelt.

Today there isn't much (if any) fur market for coyote pelts (at least, not around here), and while still popular, the 40gr load isn't quite as good for just dispatching the varmint as the heavier 50-55gr bullets, because the light bullet drifts more in crosswinds at longer ranges. Not a lot, but enough that the heavier bullets are preferred for that reason.

Also, I haven't met a .22-250 yet that didn't shoot well with 50, 52, 53, or 55gr bullets. Some of them haven't liked the 40gr quite as well. And some of them (most) don't shoot 60+gr as well, either. Standard twist rates for the .22-250 are not good for long heavy (for caliber) bullets.

As to the scope, I don't know the specific model you mention, but a variable is a good idea. Coyotes move a lot, unlike chucks and prairie dogs, so a wide field of view in better then high magnification. The variable gives you the option of either, although count on it, at some time, you will have the scope set on high X when you need it on low.

I won't speak to any kind of BDC, being a handloader who never seems to shoot exactly what the factory loads are, BDCs are never "perfect" for me, and I have never bothered with them. If you shoot what they are calibrated for, (or take the time to range test them, and learn where they hit with your loads -which I could do, but never bothered) they could be a useful thing. But if you don't do that, you're better off without one, in my opinion.

[Wallyl]

44AMP

Correct me if I am wrong....the throat on the .22-250 gets eroded with each and every firing. When it gets eroded far enough accuracy suffers. However if one loads long would that not mititage the loss of accuracy? Of course one could no longer use factory ammo and one might well have to load Single Shot, if the bullets are too long to fit the magazine.

[603Country]

I suppose that theoretically the throat gets eroded a bit by each round fired, but surely it's not a measurable amount. The first barrel on my old 220 Swift finally eroded at the throat enough that I was loading the bullets further out. That took an awful lot of shooting to be noticeable, but finally the 63 gr Sierra SMP's were barely in the end of the case. It was time for a new barrel.

As for scopes and BDC reticles, I'm thinking about a new scope. It'll probably be a Leupold 4.5-14x40 with the Varmint Hunter reticle. As for what each BDC line or dot means distancewise, all you need is to download the ISnipe app on your iPhone or iPad and put in your load info (velocity, bullet type, BC, etc.) and tell it your zero point is 100 yards. Then take that info to the iStrelok App for iphone or iPad and tell it what reticle you want to look at and it'll give you just the info you need distance for each BDC line or dot. It's good to have a chrony to be sure of your MV, but a good guess in the ballpark will give you useable BDC data that's good enough for pig shooting. If you're off 100 fps on MV, the zero distances don't change much. For instance...my 260 Rem, shooting the Nosler 100 gr BT with a MV of approx. 3000 fps and with the Burris 4.5-14 and the BDC dots, when sighted in at 1 inch high at 100 yards, will be on at 250 for the first dot, 350 for the second dot and 450 for the third dot. Now I do intend to verify all of that, shooting at distant hay bales on my hay field, but previous use of that info, when tested on pigs and coyotes out to 400 yards, has been quite accurate. And no matter what BDC reticle you have, iStrelok has that one in the App. I'm an engineer and all that data is tons of fun. If you don't have an iPhone or iPad, well....go get one. You need one.