Need opinions and help with choice

[KangarooJack]

So im tossing up on what setup i should go for, currently leaning towards a 22-250 for some decent sized game like deer,pigs, goats and rabbits manily because they are everywhere but im wondering how much i should be spending and what manufacturers are reliable and also what Scope will do the job, i will be shooting anywhere from 75m to 400 at absolute max. Only looking to spend 1500-2000

Open to a different caliber provided a good argument

Cheers!

 

[Damon555]

I'd go with something in 6mm if I were you......most of the game you list is right up the .243 calibers alley.

As to the exact caliber that's up to you.....400 yards can be done easily with most of the 6mm offerings too.....6mmBR's are all over the place for a good reason.....component availability is also very good.

 

[KangarooJack]

Definitely considering a 243 for the job, what are the differences in ammo prices and what manufacture would you recommend?
Cheers.

 

[Damon555]

If you don't reload then I'd say the 243 winchester is what you need.

If you plan on carrying the rifle a lot then you want something light. All of my rifles are heavy barreled varmint/target type rigs.....so this is what I would be looking at... https://www.savagearms.com/firearms/centerfire/varmint-series/12-varmint-low-profile

 

[joshb]

The last time I checked the Eurooptic website, they had a Tikka in 243 for sale for $550. It was a demo model. The Tikkas are fine guns with one of the smoothest bolts on the market. I own a bunch of them and they're fine shooters. Just my 2 cents. I don't think you can find a better gun for the money. I own 7 or 8 of them and they all shoot. Good luck.

 

[KangarooJack]

I refuse to get a savage nothing but bad experiences personally. Why would you prefer a 22-250 if handloading? leaning towards a tikka or howa at this point

 

[KangarooJack]

Fe

The last time I checked the Eurooptic website, they had a Tikka in 243 for sale for $550. It was a demo model. The Tikkas are fine guns with one of the smoothest bolts on the market. I own a bunch of them and they're fine shooters. Just my 2 cents. I don't think you can find a better gun for the money. I own 7 or 8 of them and they all shoot. Good luck.

considering a tikka for sure heard alot of great things about them and that just re assures it for me, also what twist rate would you recommend or is it nothing to quite worry about?

 

[joshb]

The factory barrels are twisted for general shooting. Nothing too exotic but not much factory ammo is. Check the twist calculators for the bullet weights and just don't shoot over your twist.

 

[270WinDude]

He was talking about other 6mm variants regarding handloading. The 22-250 is off the table for most people when considering deer... With a 243 win you'd have decent ammo choices from manufacturer. With a 6mmbr, 6mmbr ai, 6 dasher, 6x47, 6ppc, 6etc, you'd want/need to handload (the 6mms are same caliber as 243win fyi). For a standard hunting gun that has practically no recoil but can stretch out it's hard to beat a 243. You can be caliber/cartridge stubborn like I am, in which case you'd need to rephrase your questions. Otherwise you're wanting a 243win, I'm sure of it. A 22-250 from manufacturer is often optimized for shooting light weight bullets fast as possible so unless you go custom, a 22-250 isn't a good/popular/practical/etc choice for deer.

 

[KangarooJack]

He was talking about other 6mm variants regarding handloading. The 22-250 is off the table for most people when considering deer... With a 243 win you'd have decent ammo choices from manufacturer. With a 6mmbr, 6mmbr ai, 6 dasher, 6x47, 6ppc, 6etc, you'd want/need to handload (the 6mms are same caliber as 243win fyi). For a standard hunting gun that has practically no recoil but can stretch out it's hard to beat a 243. You can be caliber/cartridge stubborn like I am, in which case you'd need to rephrase your questions. Otherwise you're wanting a 243win, I'm sure of it. A 22-250 from manufacturer is often optimized for shooting light weight bullets fast as possible so unless you go custom, a 22-250 isn't a good/popular/practical/etc choice for deer.

Definately considering the 243 although the 22-250 will be mainly used for small game and the occasional deer or pig, when i see a deer out there ill usually swap it out for my buddys 303 given enough time and it never lets me down, but to keep in mind i have Hundreds of 22-250 shells and some gear for reloading it which is partly the main reason i am leaning towards it plus the ammo is a tad cheaper overall...

 

[hogpatrol]

A 22-250 in the right hands will kill a lot of deer but pigs are another story. I suggest you come over to the Dark Side, 6.5 Creedmoor, plenty of different factory brand rifles and good over the counter ammo available.

 

[Texas10]

I've owned both the 243 and 22-250. The 243 with an 86 grain V-Max is quite deadly on medium sized deer to at least to 300 yds.
My 22-250 had a 28 inch X-caliber 8 twist barrel shooting 80 grain bullets to 800 yds easily, but most off-the-shelf 22-250's have a 12 or 14 twist barrel and a 55 grain bullet is about the most you can shoot and typical of the factory ammo you'll find. Good for blowing up P-dogs, rabbits and coyotes, but not very humane on larger game, especially at any sort of distance.

What with all the manufacturers making the 6.5 Creedmoor now, that might be a reasonable choice given the assortment of available factory ammo. Much less kick than a 308, more stopping power than a 243, all the range you'd want and fairly comparable ammo cost to both the 243 and 22-250.

 

[Hrsmn51]

Gotta join hog patrol on the dark side! 6 Creed is a new favorite the 103 ELDX from Hornady capable of sub 1/2 at 100 today. I have killed numerous elk and deer with a 6mm (243win). Prairie dogs out to 600 with a 6 Creedmoor and 105 rdf's. Steel to 1000.

 

[Damon555]

Tikka is a great option too....I had one in .243 Winchester that was a great deer gun. Very accurate.

 

[mongo chicago]

Definitely go with something in the 6mm class. All of them are plenty accurate, especially at the mid range distances you are lookin at. If you wish to stretch out farther, it will do the job much better. What is readily available in your area? One thing for sure, if something catches your eye, don't discount it just because it isn't as popular or abundant. If you choose that way, you'll never be completely satisfied. Affordability would be the only exception to that.

 

[Puzzaz01]

A 22-250 in the right hands will kill a lot of deer but pigs are another story. I suggest you come over to the Dark Side, 6.5 Creedmoor, plenty of different factory brand rifles and good over the counter ammo available.

on the Creedmoor, you can't go wrong. It can be built or bought in both light and very accurate. There are many haters out there that don't and will never own one..... just because.... who knows why, but once you own one you'll love it. Welcome to our secret society,(The Dark Side).

 

[alinwa]

.243 Win or 6.5 Creedmoor are wonderful choices altho I'll lean heavily toward the .243 BECAUSE:

#1, it's a 6mm.... and if you ever decide to handload it's THE BEST 6mm for what you're doing. With the new small primer brass it simply obliterates the competition for what you're looking for.
#2, it's dead common. Every country, every continent you can buy 243 off the shelf.
#3, it does EVERYTHING the 22-250 does only a lot better. EVERYTHING....... For instance, the Nosler Ballistic Tip 55gr bullet can be had in either 22 or 6mm and they both fly the same, but the 243 will push it a lot faster. If you want to.
#4, when you get into reloading you'll be glad you don't have a 22-250 because the steeply tapered case presents some resizing challenges.
#5, it's a 6mm, best bullets available from 55gr to 108. When I say "best bullets" I mean best jackets, best accuracy, most accuracy related (BR) target wins in the history of the world.
#6, it's not a Creedmoor (Avoid Thee Dork Side My Son)

 

[270WinDude]

Definately considering the 243 although the 22-250 will be mainly used for small game and the occasional deer or pig, when i see a deer out there ill usually swap it out for my buddys 303 given enough time and it never lets me down, but to keep in mind i have Hundreds of 22-250 shells and some gear for reloading it which is partly the main reason i am leaning towards it plus the ammo is a tad cheaper overall...

Trust me, I am obsessed with the 22-250 myself and understand it's less cost for you given your circumstance. I haven't watched porn since I've discovered some of these cartridges and the 22-250 is one of them so I get it from your cost standpoint and arbitrary attraction. The largest problem with the 22-250 is that it's specialized. To me it's several guns in one and you can not mix them. .224 has probably more bullet variety then anything else and you have to use the bullets in the class your gun is in so you are actually more limited then with a 270win. I shoot 90gr to 150gr. If you insist on denying the amazing advice here on the forum -even the creedmoor advice, which btw I'd opt for the 6.5 if you "swing that way", the 6 is sexy but similar to the 243 and I think you might find a factory 243 easier- I want you to know that a factory Remington 22-250 you can only shoot 50gr bullet class. I don't know what tikka has but it seems most 250s nowadays are 1:12 (not sure)which gives you a bit better selection, I suggest doing a search on this forum for bullet choice. A coveted 1:9 twist would be my choice for factory but when I looked all the factory 1:9 twist 250s were at a much higher price point. Again, 243 all day.

 

[KangarooJack]

Well with what has been said by multiple people and the great advice ill be converting to the darkside haha im sure i have some 243 cartridges laying around somewhere and im looking to do some long range shooting in the near future what twist would you recommend for a 243 and should i invest in getting a custom made one or leave that for the big boys in the .30 odd calibers?

 

[riflewoman]

If you want a factory, you don’t have too many GOOD options except 243.

If you can go custom, you have some nice options like 6XC, 6-250, 6 Creedmoor etc. I’d really recommend a 6-250 class cartridge.