Jack-of-all-trades varmint/coyote round

[lewwetzel]

I went through almost exactly the same quandary: Own three .204s, sold my 14-twist .22-250 because a .204 with 40 gr. bullets was ballistically equal/better than the '250 shooting 55s (and the '250 wouldn't stabilize any heavier varmint bullets with that twist rate). But, another problem: All my .204s, like most factory guns which are cursed with too-slow 1:12 barrels in that chambering, would keyhole the 40 and 45 grainers, so I run 39 Blizkings, which give up a bit of speed to the 40s, and the energy and less frangibility of the good-for-'yotes Hornady 45 PSP. Also, I wasn't interested in fast-twist (1:9 or below) .22-250s shooting 75 or heavier bullets, with their rainbow trajectories and slow speeds; I'd just bring out my .243s, although I don't prefer the extra recoil/muzzle blast (btw, another plus of the .204 is the almost non-existent recoil that lets one see hits.) As much as I liked a .204, it frankly never seemed to have quite enough a** for DRT kills on our big Eastern coyotes and groundhogs much past 300 and 400 yards respectively, and I've long secretively wished for a magic chambering between the .204 and .22-250.
Enter the .22-cal. 53 grain Hornady V-Max. It's high BC and wind-bucking ablilty puts in on about the the same level as the .204 40s. Heavier, and some reloaders - such as one on this site - are pushing them well over 3900 fps. Allegedly, great on coyotes and varmints. I think I recently solved my "problem" by buying a $300 12-twist (which will stabilize the 53) Cabela's Savage FV special in .22-250, to try the 53 V-Maxes. Am already getting cloverleafs and 3700 with a relatively mild load (but haven't killed anything yet).
So, I'd recommend trying a nice off-the-rack .204 (such as a Varmint CZ or Tikka) and maybe later a 12-twist .22-250 if you think you need it. Or, build a .204 with a 1:10" twist barrel that permits use of heavier 20 cal. bullets.
Good luck!

 

[therifleman556]

The CZ is pretty high on my list. I had one in 7.62 and it was a wonderful, well proportioned rifle with an excellent trigger. That carbine with a 2-7 scope would hurl those Soviet slugs into almost inch groups. I also read very good reviews on the Savage 25.

I double checked the Savage website and didn't find any 1-9 twist 22-250s.

Coyote would be the upper end of what I'll hunt, and sub-300 yard shots would be 90% off what I see. The occasional 400 may come into play.

 

[Combatpreacher]

If it is a true "Jack of all trades" for varmints up to coyote, between the 204 and 22-250, I'd go with the 22-250. My preference would be the ability to anchor some of the "big" coyotes (or even coy-dogs) Ive seen in the northern lower of Michigan, and maybe a few deer from my treestand.

I looked at a bunch of different calibers, and actually settled on the 243. But.. I also want to use it for deer and maybe black bear. Light bullets for varmints, and heavier ones for deer.
I almost went with the 22-250 for the same reason... I just like the "one rifle" concept, even though I have dozens, LOL
I'm lazy and stay away from sub-22 calibers so that I don't have to buy extra cleaning rods. That being said, you most likely cant go wrong with either of your choices.

 

[lewwetzel]

The CZ is pretty high on my list. I had one in 7.62 and it was a wonderful, well proportioned rifle with an excellent trigger. That carbine with a 2-7 scope would hurl those Soviet slugs into almost inch groups. I also read very good reviews on the Savage 25.

I double checked the Savage website and didn't find any 1-9 twist 22-250s.

Coyote would be the upper end of what I'll hunt, and sub-300 yard shots would be 90% off what I see. The occasional 400 may come into play.

Weird. Although I was referring to the 1:12 twist Savage (as it's fast enough to shoot the 53 VMs), I also now can't find any Savage with a 1:9! For years they've offered both rates in their upper-end Model 12 (VLP, BVSS, etc), but now their site only says 1:12. If true, that's surely a big marketing mistake, with all the interest now in fast-twist .22-250s and heavy bullets.

 

[therifleman556]

CZ doesn't even make a 22-250 anymore; I always wanted one of their 550s because of the Mauser action and single set trigger.

If the 1-12 twist handles the 53 V-Maxes I see no need for the 1-9 twist. Like I said earlier, I almost want it to be unsuitable for deer hunting. That way I won't have to second guess myself everyday during deer season because I'll only have one choice!

I feel the practicality of 22-250 weighing in on me, but the unknown-to-me 204 still calls...

 

[just country]

morning, have a custom 22-250AI. 10 twist, #6 SS 28" Hart
barrel, 722 action timmey match trigger and H&S combat stock.
I had mine built. shooting 77gr. smk bullets.
my other choice is a 243AI. build ur own. I have one.
just me GBOT TUM

 

[B23]

I have a CZ 527 Varmint in 204 and it's a great little gun. It's relatively small, shoots extremely well right out of the box, even with factory ammo, and the trigger in these little CZ 527's is awesome. Not sure about the others but the CZ's come with a 1-12tw so you're kind of limited to shooting the lighter bullets and even the 40 grainers I've heard mixed reviews as to how well they shoot in a 1-12tw.

Having said all that and even being as fond of my 204 as I am, for a one gun do all varmint rig, in a off the shelf non custom or wildcat, I'd pick the 22-250 over the 204. IMO, the 22-250 is one of the very best do all varmint/predator guns you can buy.

 

[reelhardmt]

I really love my 204 with 39 blitz king.

 

[therifleman556]

Just thinking out loud here, but Thompson Center puts 1-10 twist in their 204s... The Compass looks like a good budget rifle with a trigger everyone seems to like. Most certainly would need stock stiffening and bedding.

COMPASS 10070

Caliber : .204 RUG
Finish/Stock : Blued/Black Composite
Trigger : Adjustable
Barrel Length : 22"
Rate of Twist : 1:10
Capacity : 5+1 Det. Mag
Length of Pull : 13.25"
Overall Length : 41"
Weight : 7.25 lbs.
Sights : None
Rifling : 5R
Model # : 10070
MSRP : $399


Their 22-250s are 1-12 and only 22". Not sure how much that handicaps the big case.

 

[Canhunter35]

I have a 22-250 and 204.
For what ur describing, you'll love the 204. I'm gonna add a 17 hornet because I want something quieter than the 204 to plink with.
I would buy a 204 over a slow twist 22-250 hands down. I use 32gr bullets, I could get them to shoot much better than the 40s and for such short ranges, speed does more than the little bit of bc from the 40s.
I wouldn't worry about shooting 40s. My wife shot many coyotes with 32 and 40 gr and the performance is identical. Inside 300yds they're quite deadly

 

[benchracer]

Weird. Although I was referring to the 1:12 twist Savage (as it's fast enough to shoot the 53 VMs), I also now can't find any Savage with a 1:9! For years they've offered both rates in their upper-end Model 12 (VLP, BVSS, etc), but now their site only says 1:12. If true, that's surely a big marketing mistake, with all the interest now in fast-twist .22-250s and heavy bullets.

It looks like they are cataloging only two models with the 9 twist:

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/12VLPDBM

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/12LRPVLEFTPORT

However, there are actually many more options than that:

https://savagearms.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/214238623-Does-Savage-have-a-custom-shop-

 

[therifleman556]

How nice of them to only catalogue the 9 twist in the rifles that are too heavy for my intended purpose.

I seem to remember they had a custom shop, but never when I was actually looking for a new rifle. I wonder if they can put a faster twist in a 204...

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

22-250 with a 12 twist so you can shoot the 53 vmax. The 22-250 is a great all around varmint round.

 

[benchracer]

@benchracer
That's great depth, and useful insight. I take it you've tried a good variety of bullets in your 250s? How do the faster twists handle the lighter pills? Is accuracy affected by spinning something like the 40 grainers much faster than necessary?

22-250 definitely has ubiquity going for it, and I've got a couple hundred various bullets in the drawer that would work like the Barnes 36gr VGs and 53 V-Maxes. I suppose it can be downloaded some too for times when noise or other factors come into play.

Another issue in all this is rifle cost, I may have to go used to find something decent (and unfortunately all the 22-250s in my area are 14 twists). So it might come down to what's available when it comes time to buy.

Even when I had a 14 twist, I never bothered with anything lighter than 50 grains. I tried 55 Bergers, 55 SBK, 55 VMAX, and 60 grain Hornady Spire Points. They all stabilized, but none of them shot well. I had decent results with 50 VMAX and 52 AMAX in the 14 twist, but felt like there was more to be had.

In my 12 twist, the 50 and 55 VMAX shot well, along with the 55 SBK, but I quickly went to the 53 VMAX and stopped shooting the others. Surprisingly enough, the 69 SMK also shot well and could be driven to around 3600 with the right powders, but with a much reduced bc. The 53 VMAX has proven to be the best overall combination in the 12 twist.

My next barrel will be a 9 twist. I have seen reports that the faster twist barrels (up to 8 twist) still shoot the 53 VMAX (and heavier) with excellent accuracy. See the following conversation:

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/22-250-twist-rate.197820/

The 53 VMAX is .830 in length. If you plug that information into something like the Berger calculator, it spits out a twist recommendation around 1:9.75. Though I do not consider that to be gospel, it goes a long way toward explaining the positive results being seen in 8 and 9 twist 22-250's.