Theodore
Man you bring up a great point. I am just really not sure what route to go. The overall performance of the 250 is appealing but I know most of my shots are withing 400 yds. I already have a .223 in the AR. Would it be foolish of me to get another .223. I am just really torn. The cheaper ammo (i don't hand load) and the availability of 223 in multiple gr. is also appealing but then I get back to the speed and trajectory of the 250. I guess if you were in my shoes what route would you go?
Well, lets look at it this way. Is the AR legal to hunt with in your state? If so, can you build it to be a custom grade AR (Match barrel, match trigger, receiver, charging handle, bolt assembly)? If you can do the above with your current rifle, that will allow you to shoot long range. There are military snipers with this exact set up taking targets at ranges of 600 to 800 yards using 77 and 80 grain sniper grade ammo. Can your current rig shoot sub MOA consistently?
Now if you can't afford those types of upgrades, then you look at buying a bolt gun in 223 with a 1:9 twist or better. Again this will allow for better precision for lesser value. You will also have ammo that is interchangeable between two systems. You could use the AR for close shots to 400yrds and use the bolt gun to 800yrds.
But... but should you ever have the desire to reload, you will have a great platform using the 22-250 with the 1:9 twist. This would be a great rifle to learn on. Black Hills ammunition make a 50grn V-Max at 3700fps. This is really excellent ammo for shooting and learning on. That is 400fps faster than their 223 ammo with the same bullet. You can see just from this velocity difference the wind bucking ability difference you can see between the two calibers.
Here are some numbers to grind your teeth on.
22-250 @ 3700fps w/ 50grn Hornady V-Max
800yrds 18.6 MOA Elevation 1055fps 12.2 MOA Wind 123.7ftlbs. of energy
22-250 @ 3050fps w/ 75grn Match Hollow Point Boat Tail (probably push harder)
800yrds 17.3 MOA Elevation 1487.9fps 7.3 MOA Wind 386.6ftlbs. of energy
223 @2750fps w/ 75grn Match Hollow Point Boat Tail
800yrds 22.5 MOA Elevation 1311fps 8.5 MOA Wind 286.1ftlbs. of energy
223 @3300fps w/ 50grn Hornady V-Max
800yrds 26.3 MOA Elevation 975fps 14.6 MOA Wind 105.5ftlbs. of energy
Now granted, the heavier bullet will need to be hand loaded in the 22-250. So with these numbers, the .223 will be the way to go if you are going to be strictly shooting factory ammo. If you have any inclination what so ever to start loading, the 22-250 ballistically is your better option. I used a long distance for good representation as to what each caliber is capable of. At 400yrds with the 50grn V-Max, it is going to be a mortal wound with either caliber on varmint type game.
Heck, if anything, it give you another reason to add another caliber and rifle to the rifle collection.
Hope this helps,
Tank
