First varmint gun.

[Dean]

I'm setting up my first varmint gun and have some questions. I have decided to get a .22-250. I want to be able to start at about 250yds and work up to longer ranges. Am I right in thinking this would be the gun for this?
1. What would be the best rifle (rem.,savage,win.)?
2. Since I'm not setup to handload what would be the best factory ammo.
3. Should I go with a heavy barrel?
4. Bipod? What kind?
5. What would be the best scope and what power.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

,Thanks

 

[winmagman]

1) Hard to beat a Savage for out of the box accuracy.

2)Buy one box of every brand/type you can get your hands on and see what your rifle likes.

3)I'd opt for the heavy barrel as they can handle more rounds before heat build up affects accuracy.

4)Bipods would be your most mobile option, I prefer Harris, there are also a number of portable benches available.

5) oh Boy... I'd say get the best you can afford without going bankrupt, which brand is a matter of personal choice. Look through as many as possible and see what your eyes like or dislike. As for power, well varmits is pretty small targets so higher magnification is a plus something like a 6x20 or 6x24 works for most.

Chris

 

[1doug]

The only problem i see with the 22-250 is most factory rifles have a 1-12 twist. this to me is a handicap for the 22-250. It limits you to bullets less than 60 grains. For the average hunter this will do to @ 500 yards, but with the case capacity it would be nice to shoot the 69 smks and larger vlds. The 69 smks and up are really for shooting past 500 yards with their higher bc's

just my experience with the 22-250 factory rifle

d-a

 

[wildcat]

R. Dean, I would go with a Remington. If you ever decide to build a custom rifle, Remington actions can be worked on and turned into an action almost as good as custom ones. Both rifles have big barrels, however, I do think the muzzle dia. on the Savage is a bit larger. I believe the Remington muzzle dia. is .830 and the Savage is .925 at the muzzle. As far as price, I think the Remington VSSF runs around $950.00 and the Savage is around $550.00.

Regarding ammunition, with a 1-12 twist barrel, I would go with something offering a 50grn pill. My friend has a 22-250 in the new Remington VSSF and he shoots factory loads with the 50grn V-MAX. His gun is wicked accurate with that bullet, he also shoots the 50grn ballistic Silver tip and it's accurate too. I don't now what brand the 50grn V-MAX load is, but I belive the 50grn Ballistic Silver tip is Winchester. If I were you, I would buy the Remington over the Savage anyday, but if it comes down to money the Savage is hard to beat.

Regarding bi-pods-I own four Harris bi-pods and I love this product. They are expensive, but worth it.

Regarding optics-Get the best that you can afford, hence, if you go with a Savage Rifle you could spend more money on optics. However, if money is not an object on this project go with Nightforce or Leupold.

Good luck with your choices and let us know what you decide on.

Wildcat

 

[D.P.]

For a first rig starting at 250 yards I would give the 223 a hard look, depending on the size of varmints. Black Hills makes some great box cartridges, but I would try several brands then get a case and shoot the hell out of it. Less blast, recoil, and barrel heat. Not as sexy as the 22-250 but a great cartridge /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[sambo3006]

I would not hesitate to go with a Savage. I have not ever talked to someone with a heavy barrel Savage that wouldn't shoot lights out (well under moa). My Savage heavy barrel 22-250 routinely groups .3 to .4 moa for 5 shots at 100 yds with 40 and 50 gr handloads.
Having said that, you certainly shouldn't overlook the 223 as stated by Rimfire. Out to 300 yds you don't give up much trajectory to the 22-250. 40 gr ballistic tips will shoot so flat it will scare you, and the 223 is capable of sterling accuracy.
You should also consider handloading. The initial investment doesn't have to be that much--you can get kits with everyting you need for under $200. Find a buddy with some experience to show you the ropes and you can turn out some inexpensive high quality ammo.
Good luck! Sam

 

[wildcat]

I would agree with rimfire, the 223 is a great round. I have one, and I always end up shooting more rounds through it then my other rigs. This round is capable of long shots, especially if conditions are right. I make consistant hits on ground squirrels out to 300 to 400 yards with the 223. My longest kill with my 223, so far, is 602 yards on a cotton tail. However, the 22-250 is an awesome round and if you want the best 22 caliber varmint round, get a 220 Swift.

Wildcat

 

[Meister]

Not to scare you, but the 22-250 is known to eat throats pretty quick. The 223 will last far longer and is capable of longer range shots because of the higher twist barrel. When we go pdog hunting the 22-250's stay in the truck unless the shots are under 300. Especially box stock low twist barrels found on most production guns. They are made for 40 grain bullets that have low BC's and are wind sensitive. My 22-250 uses 34 grains of powder, 223 uses 23 grains in it's accuracy load.

I'm telling you this because I was disappointed with mine on my first long range hunt and would hate it if you had the same trouble. If all your shooting is under 300, go for it.

My 223 will kill Pdogs out to 800, just for comparison. A stock savage or remmy will do it out at 650. Just my .02

 

[EddieHarren]

Meister, You shoot PDs out to 800 yds with a 223 but you leave the 22-250 on the truck unless shots are under 300 yds.? Enlighten me.

 

[1doug]

Doc

They factory tubes for the 22-250 come with a 1-12 to 1-14 twist where as the 223 comes with a 1-9 twist.

the 22-250 does not have the correct twist to shoot any thing over 60 grains(higher bc bullets) but the 223 has a 1-9 twist to be able to shoot most all the vld type bullets.

this is about backassward thinking from the manufactures i have ever seen.

d-a

 

[James Jones]

One of my favorite LR varmint guns was a Savage 12BVSS that started off as a 22-250 , I bought a used 223 26" barrel and rechambered it for 22-250Ai and shot the 69gr SMKs out of it as fast as accuratley able. it was sweet would hold under the 1/2moa mark out to 500yds.
it was a 1-9 , I had run a Tubbs final finish kit through it when it was still a 223 and when I rechambered I cut about a half inch off of itthen rechambered

 

[Desert Fox]

If I were you I'll choose 223 Remington rather than 22-250 for your first Varmint gun. If you compare the two, you'll find out that the 22-250's advantage were few and far between. With carefull handloading, you can streach the performance of the 223. If you want speed, go up a notch and get a 6MM round. As for what brand, that depends on your budget. Kimber is great. Weatherby Varmintmaster is excellent. Remington, Winchester, Ruger are so so. For out of the box accuracy, Savage are hard to beat.

 

[Meister]

My fav 22-250 load is a 52g SMK at 3500fps. The bc for this bullet is .225. My 223 fav load is a 77g SMK at 2750 with a bc of .362. At 800 yards the 223 has 1209fps, drifts 83" in a 10 mph wind, and drops 272". 22-250 has 1063fps, 113" drift and 240" drop.

The 223's 1-7 barrel allows me to use bullets up to 308 level BC's. In real world conditions a bullet that bucks the wind is more likely to hit it's target in a long range hunting situation where wind is a huge factor.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Meister,

You will not find too many 22-250 varminters that lumber along their 52gr bullets at 3,500 ft/sec. Therefore, I don't think your comparison is realistic.

The Sierra 52gr SMK bullets would shoot @ 3,800 ft/sec in my Rem 40X. A conservative velocity for most rifles would be at least 3,700 ft/sec. With that in mind, the 22-250 (even with a slow twist bbl) greatly outshines the .223 for shooting varmints at distance.

It amazes me that the major rifle manufactures haven't made some of their 22-250's available with 9" twist barrels. Sierra makes a new 90gr .224" bullet that is supposedly designed for the small case .223 cartridge while the large case 22-250 is still relegated to shooting 50gr-55gr bullets. Some 22-250's won't even handle all of the 55's. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

If I were building a new rifle I would go with the 22BR and a fast twist barrel. Best of all worlds. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif