22-250...What Rifle?

[Emptyhanded]

I am thinking about purchasing a 22-250 this summer for coyotes and any other small animal i want to shoot with it. I would like to know what you guys reccomend as far as brand and model of rifle goes. I want to try to keep the price under or at $500. I was thinking along the lines of a Rem. Model 7 since i already have one in .243 and I really like it. Really i dont need a new gun for coyote since i have my .243 but i just want a new gun to play with!
Thanks

Jesse

[atomicjoe23]

I am thinking about purchasing a 22-250 this summer for coyotes and any other small animal i want to shoot with it. I would like to know what you guys reccomend as far as brand and model of rifle goes. I want to try to keep the price under or at $500. I was thinking along the lines of a Rem. Model 7 since i already have one in .243 and I really like it. Really i dont need a new gun for coyote since i have my .243 but i just want a new gun to play with!
Thanks

Jesse

I was just going to ask why you wanted a .22-250 when you already have a .243. . .

. . .a gunsmithing friend of my Dad's talked me out of a .22-250 or .223 in favor of a .243 as a "better" coyote gun. . .longer range, less wind deflection, and less drop over a longer range. . .

for the price I would suggest a Stevens Model 200 in camo. . .less then $500. . .it's essentially a Savage w/o the Accu-Trigger. . .

or for a little more ($600) you could get a Remington 700 SPS in .223. . .

. . .even a Rem Model 7 costs over $500. . .

. . .I'm in the same boat as you. . .I want a rifle (I only have a 10/22 in .22LR and an 870 3.5" 12 ga. pump right now. . .need a rifle), but I don't have a big budget. . .so I'm trying to decide between a Savage Model 10 Predator in camo or a Howa/Knoxx Axiom. . .both in .243???

[Timberstalker]

Savage.  For that money thats what I would go with.  I own one and i love it.  Shoots awesome.

[jdb]

the NEF rifles are an amazeing value. also the howa's.

[Bofire]

Blued Tikka T3

[AWS]

I've been playing with a 22-250 this summer and for me it's a pretty useless cartridge seeing as I have a 243 that will shoot as fast with 55's and better long range with 70's than the 22-250.  Personally, if you already have a 243 I'd look at a  223 for the great selection of factory loads, better barrel life.  I'm rebarrelling my 22-250 to 250-3000 I've had much better results on deer with the 250 than the 243 and the 250 works quite well with cast bullets for small game hunting.

AWS

[Emptyhanded]

Hey guys thanks for your help. Might just load some lighter bullets for my .243 and buy a better scope, since all i have on it now is a cheap bushnell.
Atomicjoe23: I think if i had to choose between either the Howa or the Savage-stevens i would go with the savage just because the howa is made in japan. Just my humble opinion.

Thanks agian

[atomicjoe23]

Out of curiosity. . .where are you guys finding these rifles for $500 or under??? 'Cause I wanna know!!!  

I've been looking at rifles for the last two months straight and I haven't seen any of them for $500 or less. . .not the manufacturer's website. . .not in stores where you can pretty much ALWAYS get a bolt action or single shot rifle for at least $100 under MSRP. . .not even on gunbroker.com. . .except for a couple of the Howa's which I am now seriously considering. . .they list at $499 for a varminter by itself and $599 with a scope and work their way up. . .once again a good value. . .

I have looked at Remington 700's. . .the cheapest (that I like and would be willing to spend money on) being the SPS Tactical (not available in .22-250 or .243) is selling for $600 in stores. . .a Model 7 lists for $800. . .a Savage start out at $600 and goes up. . .and the discont Tikka T3 prices that I have seen are still over $500 . . .I don't know about the Tikka's.. . .other than they are attractive looking rifles. . .I particularly like the Varminter  models and especially the Tactical. . .unfortunately it doesn't come in .243. . .

. . .I have never looked at the NEF rifles because they aesthetically don't appeal to me. . .I'm definitely not saying anything negative about quality, reliablity, durability, or value. . .they just don't aesthetically do it for me and I think that something I'm gonna spend money on should "push my buttons". . .I don't know much about the "standard" Howa rifles. . .the only one that I've really looked at is the Axiom and it lists for $900 by itself or $1000 with a scope. . .which is a good value. . .I'm gonna be looking into them though. . .I don't know anywhere that stocks them locally though???

. . .same for the Savage Model 10 Predator combo's at $840 w/a scope or $800 by itself (but are selling for quite a bit less)

Anyway. . .somebody enlighten me. . .cause if I can find some of the more preferable rifles for $500 or less I wanna know and I wanna get one as soon as I possibly can. . .I can upgrade (stock, camo, scope) from a good starting platform. . .

Thanks

[atomicjoe23]

I've been playing with a 22-250 this summer and for me it's a pretty useless cartridge seeing as I have a 243 that will shoot as fast with 55's and better long range with 70's than the 22-250.  Personally, if you already have a 243 I'd look at a  223 for the great selection of factory loads, better barrel life.  I'm rebarrelling my 22-250 to 250-3000 I've had much better results on deer with the 250 than the 243 and the 250 works quite well with cast bullets for small game hunting.

AWS

I've heard that the really fast .22-250's loads can shoot a barrels throat out pretty fast!!!

Hey guys thanks for your help. Might just load some lighter bullets for my .243 and buy a better scope, since all i have on it now is a cheap bushnell.

I've never heard anything bad about Leupold (which is what I will probably be getting) or Nightforce either. . .Nightforce seems to be extremely popular with 1000 yd. BR shooters. . .so that should be worth something!

Atomicjoe23: I think if i had to choose between either the Howa or the Savage-stevens i would go with the savage just because the howa is made in japan. Just my humble opinion.

I agree with you in that respect for sure. . .I hadn't seen one of the Model 10 Predators until about 2 weeks ago and I really liked it!!! Cheaper too!

[Emptyhanded]

Atomicjoe: I bought a Tikka T3 Lite Blued 300 wsm last year about this time for $475... I think or at least in that price range. I really like the Tikka, it is lite,  its bolt is far more smooth than any of my other rifles, and it is very accuarte. I think it is worth looking into. As for the Model 7 being $800 dollars That is surprising that it has gone up $300 dollars in 5 years(when i bought my .243 it was roughly $500 if i remember correctly). Thanks for the suggestion on the scope and i hope this helps.

Jesse

[atomicjoe23]

No prob. . .I was surprised to see the 7 listed for that much also!!! I'm sure it can be bought for less. . .that's just MSRP. . .

Good luck!!!

[FrankDown]

Ive been throwing around the idea of getting antoher rifle.  I have a .22 Ruger 10/22 and a weatherby .300 weatherby mag and wanted something to fill the gap a little.

The 22.250 you can shoot predators legally but not deer, not sure right off about bears but I think bears and deer and up you have to have a 24 caliber or higher.  So that leads me to thinking that I should get a .243 win or a .240 weatherby.  I reload already for the .300 weatherby mag to save mucho dinero on ammo.  I dont mind the recoil on the 300 mag.  I am curious how much more recoil there is on a .240 weatherby mag as opposed to a .243 win  I think that even the .243 win is pushing coyotes a bit if you want to sell the hides or minimize damage to the hide.  The 22.250 would be better as far as saving damage to the hide.  However you couldnt take the 22.250 out to hunt yotes during deer season, and/or take deer with.  If you took a .243 you could shoot a deer also if you have the tag.  Theres something about the deer season and coyote hunting and rifle size or something or another somewhere in the regulations also about caliber size, I dont have the regs right here though, maybe someones knows right off.

My logic would be that the .243 win would be an all around rifle you could hunt yotes and cougars with as well as shoot bear and deer (Ive heard of people shooting elk with a .243).  So the .243 win covers a lot more ground in that respect.  It has a variable amount of loads and handloading you should be able to do what you want with it.

However, the .240 weatherby is a little faster if you were into that.  I handload, so the cost of rounds wouldnt be so bad.  THe belted magnums are expensive to buy off the shelf.  I dont know how much recoil they have though, I think about 50 grains of IMR4831 (do not take this as load information) is about there for a .240 wthby mag and that should kick pretty good, as opposed to a .243 win.  The 300 with 80 grains does.  Pretty good.

Anyway, enough with the gun ramblings.  I have whittled it down to either a .243 win or a .240 wthby mag.  Now the rifle to get one in.  Ill keep looking here and see how cheap they can be found.  I went around today and about 800 dollars is the norm by itself in various models.

[demontang]

+1 on the Howa, savage, and Tikka. I will throw in a weatherby vanguard too.

You can shoot cougar with a center fire .22 cal but everything else is .24+ for big game.

I had a 22-250 and put over 2k rounds though it and I was told that it still look new but a gun smith when I sold it, You just need to make sure you clean them and don't over heat the barrel.

[dbllunger]

Get a 22-250.  If you are looking for a great gun/value then a Savage.  Try to find a Rem 788 in 22-250.  Super fast 22's are not going to shoot out a barrel any faster then any other round that is jacked up.  It is shooting the barrel hot that erodes throats more then anything.  A .243 shooting 55's will go 4K out of a 22" barrel, and you can get a 22/55 out around 3800 from a 26".  That .243 will erode a barrel just as fast as the 22-250.  Heck I shoot them with a 7mm STW 120BT's at 3600.  When I erode that barrel then I will just screw another one on it.  I have close to 1K rounds through it and it still holds .5/3 all day long.  

[bobcat]

I'd take a 243 over the 240 Weatherby unless your average shot is going to be 300+ yards.

[50CalJim]

Question for dbllunger, You say try to  find a Model 788 22-250. I'm curious what you know about this gun because I'm in the process of ordering mounts & rings for this gun but don't really know much about it. Thanks

[GEARHEAD]

as stated, i say keep the .243. you say its a model seven, so if accuracy is also a dilema for you, sell it, get a rifle with a longer barrel. tons of guys with kids that would want your .243 
i have shot alot of yotes with my 243.  i shoot harnady 58 gr vmax's they are very accurrate and travel 3,750 fps! is that fast enough for you

[atomicjoe23]

as stated, i say keep the .243. you say its a model seven, so if accuracy is also a dilema for you, sell it, get a rifle with a longer barrel. tons of guys with kids that would want your .243 
i have shot alot of yotes with my 243.  i shoot harnady 58 gr vmax's they are very accurrate and travel 3,750 fps! is that fast enough for you

the trend now is going towards shorter barrels. . .if you are into the super precision, ultra long range shooting thing (especially tactical) you will see that some of the companies automatically cut barrels down to 20". . .the length of the barrel does very little to affect accuracy than to maybe give the gasses some more time to expand behind the bullet and give you some extra speed, but that extra speed is marginal. . .what IS going to affect your accuracy is your headspace, what you have done to your action/bolt, the quality of the barrel, the quality of the barrel crown, the bedding of the barrel/action, and how well you take care of it. . .

I'm with you on the .243 over the the .240 Mag. . .I used to be all about the mag's but a friend of my Dad's who has been a gunsmith for 30+ years took the time to talk me out of it logically. . .he has sold me on the two rifle idea. . .all you should ever need in North America is a .243 and a .308. . .the Mag's aren't necessary. . .not to say they aren't cool, that I don't like them, or that I won't every own one, but I will get a .243 and a .308 first and those should keep me happy and busy for quite some time. . .just my $.02. . .

[atomicjoe23]

Get a 22-250.  If you are looking for a great gun/value then a Savage.  Try to find a Rem 788 in 22-250.  Super fast 22's are not going to shoot out a barrel any faster then any other round that is jacked up.  It is shooting the barrel hot that erodes throats more then anything.  A .243 shooting 55's will go 4K out of a 22" barrel, and you can get a 22/55 out around 3800 from a 26".  That .243 will erode a barrel just as fast as the 22-250.  Heck I shoot them with a 7mm STW 120BT's at 3600.  When I erode that barrel then I will just screw another one on it.  I have close to 1K rounds through it and it still holds .5/3 all day long.  

I agree. . .shooting a barrel out has very little to do with caliber and a LOT to do with speed and pressure. . .regardless of caliber you are shooting. . .some calibers are just loaded faster than others. . .with a .243 you don't need the extra speed to have the same downrange ballistics as a smaller .22 centerfire because you can shoot a heavier bullet at a lower speed and end up with less drop, less windage, more impact energy, and retain a higher percentage of your initial velocity because the larger bullet will have a higher BC (ballistic coefficient). . .just check out some of the loads that the 1000 yd. BR shooters are shooting. . .relatively low speed, but relatively heavy bullets with high BC's equals minimal drop, windage, etc.

[Hacksaw]

Emptyhanded, if you have the money, then by all means by a new gun and have some fun. Hell, I wish I could have one of every gun made. But, if money truly is an issue and you just want a varmint gun, then I'd just spend some money accurizing that .243 and working up some varmint loads or maybe put the money towards a quality scope.

With that said, I was kind of in the same boat as you a few years ago. I had nice Sako .243, but I wanted a smaller caliber varmint/bench gun. I had a very limited budget and did quite a bit of research and ended up buying Savage Model 12BV .22-250. The gun is a nice bench gun, but a little heavy to comfortably pack very far chasing coyotes. I picked this gun up for $385 new (I think it was 3 summers ago). I got a good deal through someone with an FFL who wasn't trying to make a big profit. At the time, I think I could have gotten the same gun through WalMart for around $450.

I would look at the Savage Model 12 as well as the Tikka T3 as Bofire suggested, depending on what you want to use it for. The Tikka's are nice and light and just feel great when you throw 'em up to your shoulder.

P.S. Dbllunger is right, if you could find a used model 788 in .22-250, that would be a great little setup. I shot several deer and first got serious about varmints with a Rem Model 788 in .243 and my old man has a 788 in .22-250 that has been abused and has had the hell shot out of it for decades and that little gun still shoots tight.

[MHWASH]

Although the .243 will kill a coyote deader than a 22-250, There's nothing wrong with getting another rifle. Personally I like to have each gun suited for different purposes. Keep your .243 loaded for deer, and get to know how that particular load shoots. Get a 22-250, I personally shoot a Ruger, find a load for it, and get to know that load's trajectory. I can almost guaranty you will enjoy shooting a 22-250 more than you will a .243

[Bofire]

The rem 788's were/are good economical rifles. Make sure you get a good magazine, they are getting hard to find.
Carl

[Emptyhanded]

Hey guys thanks a lot for the help. I'll have to wait and see what happens and i will let you guys know what i end up doing. Thanks again!

Jesse

[mossback91]

I was looking at one in the ruger No.1 the other day.....that would be a nice rifle it was spendy though....