243 or 22-250

[hoene72]

Hi Everyone
I am looking to buy a new rifle. Looking at a savage 12 low profile. Anyone have one and how do you like it and how do they shoot. My main question is which one would be better for varmint hunting(coyotes) . The 243 has a 1-9.25 twist planning on shooting the 75 v-max and the 22-250 has a 1-9 twist planning on shooting the 55 v-max. Most shots will probable be 300 yards or less. But also want a rifle that has the possablity to shot farther if needed.

sorry about my spelling

Thank Everyone and good shooting

 

[SS427]

Tough choice and I don't think you could go wrong with either. Keep in mind that 1:9 twist .22-250 should shoot the 60 grain V-max and Nosler Ballistic tips very well. That puts you a little closer to the 75 grain bullets you plan to use in the .243. The .243 could end up not liking the V-max bullets, in which case the next closest mainstream bullets choices would be the 70 grain Sierra BK and Nosler Ballistic tips.

I would say if you plan to hunt deer with the rifle, the .243 would be a better choice. But if you plan to shoot other small varmints like praire dogs or sage rats, the .22-250 would be a better choice.

Nice to be facing a decision like this!

 

[JASmith]

If you're a reloader, the 22-250 will give you about 3300 ft/sec at the muzzle with 75 gr bullets. You will be hard pressed to tell the difference in trajectory between this and the .243 in 75 gr in spite of the extra ~200 ft/sec the .243 gives with this weight of bullet.

With this observation in mind, your choice could revolve around what other rifles you already have or plan to buy in the near future. If one of these is 6.5 (.264) or larger in bore, then the 22-250 is an excellent complement. If you already own a .223 or this new rifle is the only one you plan to have for awhile, then the .243 is not a bad choice!

 

[357Mag]

243 or 22-250

Hoene -

Howdy ! This is a non-standard reply....

I would not recommend either....

Might I suggest a wildcat ?

I know its one I designed, but it's a GOOD one !

.35 Rem necked down to .224" calibre.

Chambered in a K & P SS 28" 1-8 5-groove, I got 3,500fps
honest from 75 "A"-Max over 40.5gr AA3100 and FED LR MAG Match primer. Accuracy load was obtained by simple switch in load to use of standard FED LR Match primer. The latter was my accuracy load, giving 3.420 fps. Lower vel than the max load yes, but... group size was worth it. That's still good enough for some 450 ft lb @ 966yds.

.22-35 was easy to form and load for, and did not require case blow-out or sharp shoulder angle. Not as long a case as .220 Swift and no goofy rim. Not as heavily tapered as .22-250.
.22-35 cases worked fine w/ the .308 bolt face of my Wichita
WBR1375 action. Extraction was also fine w/ M-16 style extractor Sinclair put in my action.

.22-35 handled high-end load pressures just fine, and case life was also just fine. Barrel life in a 24" Hart 1-14 SS
5-groove ran to 3,420 rnds before any bullet keyholing was encountered; and I had already cleaned the bore for many years w/ an uncoated steel rod ( AAACK ! )

No intent to boast. Simply wanted to make you aware of a superb .224" calibre wildcat. I even have a letter from P.O. Ackley, where I asked him for his input on the .22-35's design.

If you can see .224" cal bullets on paper @ the ranges you usually check groups at... then .22-35 would fit the bill.

With regards,
357Mag

 

[long40shot]

Well, I think BOTH would be a great answer to your question! ;D However, if I had to pick I would go with the 22-250. My 700 VSSF shoots very well out to 500 yards (that is the farthest I've shot it). If the longer ranges are what you crave, I would pick 243.

-Matt

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

Hoene, I shoot the Savage VLP in 22/250 with the 9" twist and I love it. On a really good day the gun will shoot .3-.4 MOA and average about .7 MOA. The gun really likes Sierra 55 BKs or Nosler 55 BTs on top of max loads of Varget. Nothing special for brass or primers. I will warn you though that the gun will not be headspaced correctly from the factory and the bolt face will be probably be concaved around the firing pin hole. Mine is .006" sloppy on the headspacing, haven't experienced any case heap separation but, is hard on brass. The bolt face will just show a high pressure situation that does not actually exist, flattened primers. Aside that though, the gun is a shooter for a factory tube.

Mike

 

[Steve Blair]

My 12F has barrels in 6BR (factory), .22-250 9" X 26" and .308 10" X 30", both McGowen. When you own a Savage, you do not need to choose, just get another barrel.

 

[TiGuy]

Ditto with sleepygator. My two 12 vlp's have 22-250, 6BR, 243 and 7-08 barrels to swap around. All shoot sub MOA with factory barrels while my 6BR shilen shoots the tightest groups with the factory 22-250 barrel a very close second.

Get either one and you'll be happy...if not, just screw on a new barrel. I picked up the 243 and 7-08 barrels slightly used for less than $100 each.

 

[338Lapua]

If you had 22-250 you could shoot the 65 gr. SBT Game King or 60 gr nosler BT with the 1-9 twist. I have a 22-250 AI with 1 in 12 twist and it shoots both bullets very accurately to 350 yards. But the 243 has more range and the capacity to handle larger bullets like the 87 gr Hornady V Max. That’s when the contest becomes a little one sided. The 243-win handles larger varmint with ease. The 22-250 would have the edge in accuracy though, I would go the 243 win.

 

[cliffy]

Hoene, if I could have both calibers, I would. Since I already have a .243 Winchester with 1-in-9 1/8" twist, I will tell you that I've experienced great 300 yard accuracy with 70 grain bullets. Plus with 100 grain bullets, one can really drive the point home regarding larger than varmint-sized critters. My Canadian Guide buddy hunts Wolves and Mountain Lions with a .223 Remington; he says a .243 Winchester tears up the pelts too badly. So many theories; so many experiences; so little time for experimentation, yet I experiment whenever I can. Shooting any caliber accurately is much better than missing because of a potent flinch-creator. My .223 Remington recoils less than my .243; however, a .22/250 lies betwixt the two mentioned calibers powerwise and recoilwise. Cliffy