.22-250 & accuracy

johngalway

This is not an attack on the calibre or it's users.

It's an idle question I've been wondering about, thought I should ask before I go out (and miss the flak that'll start bursting ).

I have heard "vague" rumours that it's a hard calibre to find an accurate round with. True or not true?

I am not thinking of changing, just wondering what other peoples thoughts are.

ormondprop

i think i read before that it was the most popular foxing calibre in the uk,

this link might help
http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/guns/rifles/95807/22250_calibre_review.html

Tackleberrywho

PM
customrifle off here, he has the most accurate .22-250 in the country.

If anyone knows, he knows.
He has a copy of a 300 yard group on display in a RFD'd in athlone :cool:

Mr.Flibble

johngalway wrote: »

I have heard "vague" rumours that it's a hard calibre to find an accurate round with. True or not true?

Did you hear that in Ireland, or elsewhere?

The calibre has a good reputation for accuracy. My only concern would be that there may be a good few .22/250 rifles kicking around in this market which date back to the days when it was pretty much the only calibre used for deer shooting and which may have questionable cleaning/maintenance histories.

johngalway

Mr.Flibble wrote: »

Did you hear that in Ireland, or elsewhere?

In Ireland, as in non reloaded factory ammo.

I've never shot one, and again I'm not knocking or attempting to knock the calibre, just wondering if there was anything to it.

leupold90

I had one a few years ago. A winchester model 70 stealth.

I found my rifle very ammo fussy but with one particular type, winchester ballistic tips, it was extremely accurate. There was a guy I used to shoot with at the time who had a Sako in 22-250 and his was far less fussy about what he shot through it.

All this was before glass bedding, recrowning etc was readily available here. Most of my shooting these days is target based so a 22-250 would be a costly option. That said, if ammo was cheaper or if reloading was an option I'd love another one.

patsat

As you know I got a 22-250 in recent months in a 700 sps stainless...
Haven't had much time to really test it for groups yet but the last group was testing federal soft point 55gr for 25 euro a box... I got a 1 and a half inch group with them but to be honest I'd say I'd get that to under an inch as I was in a bit of a rush that day! And it was fairly windy...100 yards by the way...

Sean Harding gave me a handful of hornady 55gr the last day I was there so I've them to test aswel...

1 Moa is all I was expecting of the gun so I'm happy with that as I had planned to spend money on it anyway! Which will begin as soon as this ice stops the couriers from delivering my new bits!

Tackleberrywho

a .22-250 held the record for 300yards for a number of years at MRC/MNSCI if my memory serves me.
Out shot the swifts and the .17Rem's.

However that was a few years ago. The .22-250 belonged to a priest for a number of years, it then went into the possession of a RFD in westmeath, last I heard it had been given a facelift and was still shooting (Rifle must be 30 year old now)
1/4"@ 100 yards.
Customrifle on here has a SERIOUSLY accurate .22-250, however he has a custom barrel on his.

Several chaps I have met down through the years have owned .22-250's; I have never seen an inaccurate one. Most of them were competition accurate.

Hand on heart, I would have to say that I'd love a .22-250 for foxing if the ammo was cheaper and more brand availability, as I am a BTipped whore

Tackleberrywho

Poor quality pic, Point to note is the group with Federal ammo on the right eye of the fox pic

Half-cocked

I've fed 55gr ammo from remington, federal and sako and 50gr winchester through my howa and all shoot sub-1" groups of a bipod at 100 metres no problem. On a good day I can get 3 shots into 1 raggedy hole. I had to bed the action to get hornady 60gr ammo to shoot that tight - it was spraying alover the place before that.

ejg

My most accurate rifle ever was a 22-250 Howa sporter.
She'd group under an inch with anything the shop had.
I found the 22-250 dropped foxes better than 223 and even 243.
If they'd leave me with one rifle only, 22-250 would be fine.
edi

customrifle

Hi John,
Original barrel on my vssf II was ammo fussy only the remington factory stuff was 1/2" at 100 rest was closer to inch.
Spoke to Fergal White about this he suggest a recrown or if i wanted something unique a rebarrel. Thats what i went for and am delighted i did. Barrel is a heavy contour border 1/11 twist. Am using 55 sierra semi pointed and they one holing with ease at 200 and little bit wider at 1/2" at 300. After the serious craftsmanship Fergal put in im left with unique foxer/serious tackdriver.
Im not too far away from yourself if you ever want test drive;)

It wasn't me!

It's a good cartridge, but it's a little hot. I know you wouldn't be doing a huge amount of shooting or anything, but ultimately I guess barrel life is going to be a concern. I love it for how over the top it is, along with the swift, but I do feel it's outclassed by the .243 Win, which is just a little bit more of a good thing, and if I were limited by cash or safe space, and wanted to move up from a .223, I think I'd keep going past the .22-250 and head for the .243. If I could though, it'd definitely have a home in the safe. Great round. In the end however, the .243 just has less wind drift or drop with the same bullet weight, and if it's a little blowy, you can stick with a 70gr Nosler Ballistic Tip from Federal at 3450 fps, zeroed at 200 yards it's an inch high at a hundred and 5.5" low at 300 yards. Easily a 400 yard foxing round. For laserbeam trajectory and wallop, there's the 55gr Ballistic Tip, which is 0.7" high at a hundred and 4.4" low at 300 for the same zero. That's near as damn it point and click to 300 yards, with eight inches of wind drift at that range in 10mph crosswinds. Pretty competitive, considering the .223 55gr Ballistic Tip is 1.4" high at 100 yards and 6.8" low at 300, with 10.4" of drift at 300 yards in the same wind. Now, the trajectory is just a case of ranging, and even by eye, out to ethical shooting ranges, there's nothing much in it, but the extra two and a half inches of drift saved with the .243, when shooting at night and unable to get a really good handle on the wind, could make all the difference.

customrifle

The 243 is a serious round had a 40xb chambered in it very accurate rifle. Its much easier get licence for 250 for foxing though. There is difference in drop and drift in the 2 but as for damage caused to foxes they are the same. Used the 243 before at 260 yards on fox with hornady 58gr(think they were) was a side on shot and very distructive. The 250 is much the same

It wasn't me!

I should qualify my opinion further I guess. I've never shot live game with either, but either would be superb (However, if you wanted to shoot deer at some point in the future, obviously the .243 is a better bet, and I personally would even go .25-06 or .270 as the best all-round rifle for the job). .243 just wins on paper, but there'll be feck all in it in the field. I mean, two inches less drift is great at 300, but breathing hard, off a field support, having run up a hill, I know I can't hold to two inches at 300 yards, so anything that reduces by that much is significantly less useful than me being able to hold it better.

ejg

I think one has to draw the line at some point, of course a 7mmrem mag will have less wind drift down range...or maybe a 338LM even better???

My point is, a 22-250 with it's average bullet size (around 50gr), compared to a 243 with it's average bullet size (around 80gr) will put a fox down better. The 22-250 with the lighter built more vermin orientated bullet will deposit way more energy in a fox than the 243 with a deer/fox bullet.
I had both and still have the 243.
Another problem we down in the south have, is availability and choice of ammo. Quite often one is glad to get a box at all.
edi