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22-250 for Coues?

S

Shankedit

Active Member
LRH Supporter
Joined
Jun 19, 2024
Messages
38
Location
Tennessee
I'm thinking of trying to find a fast-twist (1-8") prefit in a 22-250 and wondered if anybody had some experience in using a heavy-for-caliber bullet for Arizona Coues. I'm wanting to go prefit mainly just to keep the cost down some, and try to snag a deal with all these sales, and it seems like about as fast as I've been able to find is the 8-twist. With an 8-twist, it looks like I'll probably max out with the 80-grain ELD-X. I like shooting solid copper for hunting but I worry that those lighter bullets won't be as effective at ranges that you can encounter with Coues, and I think I'll need a 7-twist for the heavier Barnes. Personally, I'd like to keep it 600 yards or so and under, but the closer the better.

Anybody have any experience they care to share?

I have other rifles I can use but I love the 22-250 (first rifle) and have always wanted to try a fast twist with heavier bullets. I have other rifles that are more than capable (7mm-08, 300WSM, 6.5CM, 6 Dasher) but like I said, just wanted to get that fast twist 22-250. I've successfully hunted eastern whitetail with the lighter bullets, but I don't think I'd do it with the lighter bullets now since I have those other options. And the longest shot I've had on eastern whitetail has been 200 yards - so a chip shot really.

And to round it out, this would be a year or two undertaking. Depending on when I try to really draw a tag, I'll have between 7-9 points, so I should be able to draw a decent hunt as long as the trends stay similar to what they are now.

Thanks for the help.
 
I usually support hunter's desires for specific cartridges and bullet combinations, but...

When I hunt Coues deer I normally carry my .240 Weatherby with a 26" barrel. I'm sure you might think this is overkill for such a small animal but the geography and wind keep reminding me that slightly bigger and sleeker bullets are the proper way to think.

My very first Coues deer was shot at 615 yards, twitchy winds. The original 105 grain AMAX performed well although I've switched to the 110 grain A-Tip bullet now.

Going back through some of my notes, even the heaviest of .22 Caliber bullets will be challenged by your case choice given the potential of distance and velocity vs energy.

Let your experience and the possibilities guide your choices.

Enjoy the process!

;)
 
No experience with heavy for caliber 224 bullets but being a coues hunter, I'd consider using one of your other rifles just so you have plenty of gun for whatever shot conditions you encounter, not to mention these deer can be alot tougher than what people think. The 80gr ELDX sounds like a much better option overall compared to a Mono for what you want to shoot out to. Does also sound like one helluva coyote rig

Might be able to find a 22 creedmoor or 22 Arc that may scratch that fast twist 224 itch

To give you an idea on shot distances, i have killed ~14 coues with a rifle and 4 have been 180-300yards, 1 at 650yards, the rest were all within 350-525 yards.
 
I haven't used the .22-250 on coues deer. My go to coues deer rifle is my 7-08ai with a 140gr Absolute Hammer at 3005fps. Most coues deer are shot beyond 300 yards. (I did kill mine at 140 this year because I jumped two bucks out of their beds on the hike into my glassing spot) With the typical shot being a long cross canyon shot in windy conditions if I was looking for a coues specific rifle I would look at a 6mm of some flavor. A lot of guys like 7 PRC, 6.5 PRC, .300 RUM, 28 Nosler, .300Win Mag just because of the large slippery bullets that buck the wind well. And coues deer live in rough terrain and there's definitely times you don't want them going anywhere after the shot.
 
Shankedit said:
I'm thinking of trying to find a fast-twist (1-8") prefit in a 22-250 and wondered if anybody had some experience in using a heavy-for-caliber bullet for Arizona Coues. I'm wanting to go prefit mainly just to keep the cost down some, and try to snag a deal with all these sales, and it seems like about as fast as I've been able to find is the 8-twist. With an 8-twist, it looks like I'll probably max out with the 80-grain ELD-X. I like shooting solid copper for hunting but I worry that those lighter bullets won't be as effective at ranges that you can encounter with Coues, and I think I'll need a 7-twist for the heavier Barnes. Personally, I'd like to keep it 600 yards or so and under, but the closer the better.

Anybody have any experience they care to share?

I have other rifles I can use but I love the 22-250 (first rifle) and have always wanted to try a fast twist with heavier bullets. I have other rifles that are more than capable (7mm-08, 300WSM, 6.5CM, 6 Dasher) but like I said, just wanted to get that fast twist 22-250. I've successfully hunted eastern whitetail with the lighter bullets, but I don't think I'd do it with the lighter bullets now since I have those other options. And the longest shot I've had on eastern whitetail has been 200 yards - so a chip shot really.

And to round it out, this would be a year or two undertaking. Depending on when I try to really draw a tag, I'll have between 7-9 points, so I should be able to draw a decent hunt as long as the trends stay similar to what they are now.

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

For a prefit .224 hotrod, I'd go with a 22 Creedmoor with a 7.5"- 8" twist. Use a 85.5 Berger or an 88gr ELD-M.
 
Elkeater said:
I haven't used the .22-250 on coues deer. My go to coues deer rifle is my 7-08ai with a 140gr Absolute Hammer at 3005fps. Most coues deer are shot beyond 300 yards. (I did kill mine at 140 this year because I jumped two bucks out of their beds on the hike into my glassing spot) With the typical shot being a long cross canyon shot in windy conditions if I was looking for a coues specific rifle I would look at a 6mm of some flavor. A lot of guys like 7 PRC, 6.5 PRC, .300 RUM, 28 Nosler, .300Win Mag just because of the large slippery bullets that buck the wind well. And coues deer live in rough terrain and there's definitely times you don't want them going anywhere after the shot.
Click to expand...
Funny you mention the 7-08AI because I've kicked around the idea of getting a barrel chambered in it. That's some impressive velocity too. I stopped at around 2850 with 139gr LRX, but I also didn't experiment around too much, but obviously the lower case capacity played into that as well.

I haven't looked into the 7-08AI in a while but when I've thought about it lately, I've wondered if it might be better for me to go with a 7 Creedmoor? I already have the SAC modular sizing die for the Creedmoor family, so I wouldn't have to get a whole other sizing die, just the bushing.
 
Shankedit said:
Funny you mention the 7-08AI because I've kicked around the idea of getting a barrel chambered in it. That's some impressive velocity too. I stopped at around 2850 with 139gr LRX, but I also didn't experiment around too much, but obviously the lower case capacity played into that as well.

I haven't looked into the 7-08AI in a while but when I've thought about it lately, I've wondered if it might be better for me to go with a 7 Creedmoor? I already have the SAC modular sizing die for the Creedmoor family, so I wouldn't have to get a whole other sizing die, just the bushing.
Click to expand...
I'm using a 24" proof barrel on mine. I had it chambered by Keith down at Phoenix Custom Rifles in Tempe, AZ. I've been very happy with that choice. I also considered the 7 creed but ultimately the case volume is a fair bit bigger in the 7-08ai. The Absolute hammers run the fastest and I've shot a bunch of critters with them at distances from 20-400 yards. I'm also playing around with the 162gr ELDx. I haven't settled on a load for that yet. I think it's around 47.5gr or staball 6.5. And I've got them going around 2840fps.

Ultimately I think the larger case capacity of the 7-08ai offers better flexibility in what bullets can be used. And Redding sells dies for the 7-08ai so no special orders or anything. Maybe not as easy as just another bushing but not bad either.
 
I personally don't have experience with the 22-250 but heard a story from my dad that his hunting buddy lost a coues buck that was shot with one. Poor shot placement had a lot to do with it but who knows what would have happened with a heavier caliber.
Your 7-08 or 300 WSM would be great choices. I've killed a few with 7-08 and a bunch with 300 mags. Recently I've been using a 6.5 PRC. You do you though.
 
coueskiller43 said:
I personally don't have experience with the 22-250 but heard a story from my dad that his hunting buddy lost a coues buck that was shot with one. Poor shot placement had a lot to do with it but who knows what would have happened with a heavier caliber.
Your 7-08 or 300 WSM would be great choices. I've killed a few with 7-08 and a bunch with 300 mags. Recently I've been using a 6.5 PRC. You do you though.
Click to expand...
I'm with you on that. I wish I could say under pressure (buck fever) I'm always as cool as the other side of the pillow, but I'm not and if something happens and I make a marginal shot, will that smaller bullet work out.
 
Elkeater said:
I'm using a 24" proof barrel on mine. I had it chambered by Keith down at Phoenix Custom Rifles in Tempe, AZ. I've been very happy with that choice. I also considered the 7 creed but ultimately the case volume is a fair bit bigger in the 7-08ai. The Absolute hammers run the fastest and I've shot a bunch of critters with them at distances from 20-400 yards. I'm also playing around with the 162gr ELDx. I haven't settled on a load for that yet. I think it's around 47.5gr or staball 6.5. And I've got them going around 2840fps.

Ultimately I think the larger case capacity of the 7-08ai offers better flexibility in what bullets can be used. And Redding sells dies for the 7-08ai so no special orders or anything. Maybe not as easy as just another bushing but not bad either.
Click to expand...
I do like the thought of an AI. If nothing else, I just think the cases look cool with that increased shoulder angle. And as we all know, how cool something looks makes it much more effective. 😆
 
I really appreciate you all chiming in here with your experience on Coues hunting. I've just about talked myself out of using a 22-250 for my future hunt. I'll probably take my Savage 7mm-08, unless I get the itch to chamber a barrel for something else -- which I probably will. Haha!

I randomly came across Stocky's offering Proof carbon Savage prefits in an 8-twist 22-250, so that's what started the itch again for the fast twist 22-250. I was probably going to most likely pick up a Bighorn Origin or maybe the Aero Solus for the barrel and just wait around until I saw a good deal on a stock or drop it in this Solus chassis I picked up on a really good blem sale last year.

I want to make sure I'm not undergunned since it could be my first and last Coues hunt. I may keep putting in for deer points until I draw an elk tag, so who knows. I may Coues hunt a couple times before I draw an AZ elk tag.
 
My uncle used to shoot mule and coues with the 22-250. That was in the day of the slow twist lighter bullets too. However they were under 300 yds. In my experience most coues shooting positions that you can set up without loosing sight or busting the buck is around 400-500 yds. A heavy 22cal- 6mm fast bullet will work. Coues are very small. That being said they are small. So miss small you might be to far forward or to far back which is only realistically just 6-8 inchs on a coues. So having a fast 105 grain, or heavy 140-180 grain will anchor the buck if a few inches off
 
sable tireur said:
I usually support hunter's desires for specific cartridges and bullet combinations, but...

When I hunt Coues deer I normally carry my .240 Weatherby with a 26" barrel. I'm sure you might think this is overkill for such a small animal but the geography and wind keep reminding me that slightly bigger and sleeker bullets are the proper way to think.

My very first Coues deer was shot at 615 yards, twitchy winds. The original 105 grain AMAX performed well although I've switched to the 110 grain A-Tip bullet now.

Going back through some of my notes, even the heaviest of .22 Caliber bullets will be challenged by your case choice given the potential of distance and velocity vs energy.

Let your experience and the possibilities guide your choices.

Enjoy the process!

;)
Click to expand...
I see Weatherby now twists all their .24s at 7.5" which is pretty awesome. Considering one pretty heavy for high country blacktail. Wouldnt mind hearin more about ur experiences on coues and such.
 

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