108 replies to this topic

[Ward]

If you were buying a new gun? What caliber would you buy?

[Helmet_S]

I am voting for the 243 only becuase you don't have the 204 on there.

[Ward]

Helmet_S said:

I am voting for the 243 only becuase you don't have the 204 on there.

Sorry ,I was gonna put in the 204 and the 17hmr but it slipped my mind as I was makeing the post !!!

[RoughNeck]

I have all but the 243,and 22-250 but would like a 243

[showmeyote]

I like the idea of loading the 243 down for varmint, and up for thicker skinned game. I have been reading some load charts and this will be my next gun. Matter of fact just in a couple weeks ill pick it up. Loading down to 55g v-max, and keeping speeds down to around 3700fps, it shouldnt do any more damage then the 223 or 22-250. I own a 223 and a 250, I had a 17hmr and I would rather hunt with a .22 mag. The 17 just doesnt have it. IMO.

[Chris Miller]

I've watched a lot of game fall to the 223 with a nice fragmenting bullet. I am actually a little sick of the guys who swear they need a bigger round to support their crappy shots.

You hear guys talk about bullet placement and I for one am a strong believer. I don't shoot at eyes at night, or silhouettes during the day. When I shoot, I aim for, and hit the heart. Otherwise, I let 'em walk.

[poe]

I used to use a .243 and loved it but I now use a 22-250 and love it. If I was to buy another coyote gun it would be a 22-250. My second choice would prob be a .223 and if I wanted to shoot fox and Bobcat as well as coyotes I would maybe look at the 17 remington. I think that little 17 would be a fox and bobcat killing machine. They also well put down a coyote with no problem just as long as you do your part. But since I just would use it for coyotes 22-250 is my pick.

[Helmet_S]

Chris Miller said:

I've watched a lot of game fall to the 223 with a nice fragmenting bullet. I am actually a little sick of the guys who swear they need a bigger round to support their crappy shots.

You hear guys talk about bullet placement and I for one am a strong believer. I don't shoot at eyes at night, or silhouettes during the day. When I shoot, I aim for, and hit the heart. Otherwise, I let 'em walk.

I totally agree with what Chris is saying about needing a bigger gun to compensate. I use a 204 and would put it up against any 223, 22-250, and 243 out there on a coyote and smaller. heck I would have no problem going after a hog with one. The darn round is deadly accurate and a behind the ear shot on a hog would be a no brainer (pund intended). I am also a firm beleiver in not taking an animal unless I know that I am going to put it down as quickly and painless as possible. I don't hesitate to take a shot out to 300 yards and past that I just have to slow down and think. I also love single shot rifles becuase they help teach you to be picky and choose your shots.

Not to stir the pot. it is just my opinion. Remember Opinions are like Buttholes, Everyone has one and they all spew crap.

[youngdon]

Welcome to the forum Ward.

I would buy a 22-250 if I were buying a new rifle mostly because I have never owned one and I already own two of the other three. The 222 is not an option in my book. (sorry to those of you who have them) I think that it is a dying round or at least fading. I don't see much of them out here in the west. I have a 243 and love it, it shoots like a laser. The .223 is the least expensive round to shoot if you don't reload. The .204 is an awesome round and again shoots like a laser, but energy drops off fast past 300yds., which may be a non issue to a lot of hunters. It is fine on Prairie dogs to past 400 but lacks the energy to kill a coyote sized animal (cleanly) at those extended ranges IMO.
Now if I were starting all over I would buy the .243(especially if I need a deer rifle too) then perhaps a 22-250 or a 220Swift, probably in a Ruger#1(just because I love the look and feel). I am warming to my .223 (AR) and like the .204... alot.

Geez... I sound like a politician.

So heres the tough love version... Start looking at ballistic charts and costs of ammo and see what fits your bill... trips your trigger.. or floats your boat.

[Mattuk]

You say to hunt predator's, does that include wolf and cougar? As a .243 would cope fine with them and for the rest of the varmints nothing can be to dead! But with any of the smaller rounds I'm not sure I would trust on more dangerous game. Just a thought.

[poe]

I was thinking of getting a .204 when I got a 22-250 but decided not to because I got a lot of mixed reviews on them. One friend had one and went back to 22-250 because he was getting to many runners. Another friend said he thought it was a good gun after he found some good reloads but didn't think it was all that much better than his 22-250. I also watched an operation predator video and I seen a lot of coyotes run off on shots that i felt were good shots when the .204 was used. Im not saying the .204 is a bad choice for coyotes its just not my choice. I didn't see enough pro's to make me pick it over the 22-250.

[On a call]

Mostly I am using a .222 mag in a remington 700. It is a great round a little hotter than a .223. It shoot out to about 300 yards with little droppage. When the 50 grains hits its mark it punches but without blasting. Shoot placement is what it is all about.

I want a .243 for really looooooong shots.

[lucas_shane]

pick what you "want" !!! Go to the range or to the pasture and shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, and shoot. Did I mention shoot ? Then shoot some more !
when you think you got it down pat with that paticular gun take the top off your soda or water bottle and trace it out on your target. When you can consistantle put 3-5 rounds in that bottle cap circle @ 100 yards then go have some fun killing animals.

Im a firm believer in shot placement rather than BIGGER guns. That is my biggest arguments all the forums I talk on. NO I am not an expert shot but I CAN do what I just told you to do with ALL my guns. I have been shooting deer since I was 5 and varmints since I was 9 and I am 31 ( still wet behind the ears, lol ) and I can count on ONE hand how many animals ( other than hogs ) that I have had walk more than a few steps. The biggest thing in my closet is 270 wsm and its NEVER BEEN FIRED ( still got the tags on it ) other than that one it is a 22-250 down the 17 rem fireball in the centerfires and then a cpl 22 lr. I can clean kill anything that might be in my area with everything I have. Like mentioned above, dont shoot at shining eyes, or outlines, sound shots ect ect. KNOW what you are shooting at and know your gun and PLACE your shot and you will see the kill ratio go up tremendously !!


I said "other than hogs" earlier on in the post and with that being said my first shot results in a DRT and then I just want to give the fleeing hogs lead poisoning !!! Not humane I know but the place I hunt is covered up with them and the landowner wants them DEAD !

sorry for a long post just figured I give my .02 cents for what its worth. GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY SHOOTING !!!!

[singlesix]

I just bought a 22-250 and got to use it on a yote yesterday. I would have been happy with 223, 243, or 204 but its just the caliber i decided to go with because it was available in the rifle i wanted at the time. The 22-250 really put a hurting on that coyote and i was surprised to see a entrance hole about 4 inches and no exit. I was using a 45gr hollow point (its the only ammo they had when i bought the gun) and the shot was only about 40 50ish yards. Im glad i ordered some soft point bullets that ill be reloading. All in all im really happy with the 22-250, not much recoil and flat shooting.

[Antlerz22]

.243 for me due to a larger bullet equals more stability in windy conditions and greater downrange energy translating into cleaner kills at greater ranges IMO, also it with the 55gr bullets shoots 3925fps which is 75 fps slower than the 22-250 at 4000 fps which is nothing really. And it can be used on larger game as well.

[youngdon]

That's how I think too antlerz, when i think of only having one rifle for predators an varmints.

[Antlerz22]

4 more weeks YD! and I'll have my "custom" so to speak .243. I ordered a Savage Model 12 fcv but its only offered in .223 or 22-250--so I asked Savage to chamber me a .243 they said ok in that model. Also I asked them to NOT flute the barrel, which is how it comes normally and again they said ok, lastly I had them to camoflage it in mossy oak brush-- barrel and stock as well which also isnt normally offered in the 12 fcv. I picked the 12 fcv because it has a 26'' barrel vs their predator model which has a 24". I wanted more velocity as well as an upperhand on accuracy, Sunday I bought the Nikon Coyote Special and got a picatinny one piece weaver base as well as Nikon mossy oak brush rings for it. Money has been flowing out, but at least Im not out chasing women or gambling (not that I do)! LOL Going out Saturday and Sunday yote hunting. will have my trusty .270 as my death wand. Heres my grouping, but it was only three rounds as I was just confirming as I do every now and then my guns accuracy. Each square is one inch ,so they better keep their heads down! LOL  20101230_20580020101230_0001.JPG   1.65MB   16 downloads

Edited by Antlerz22, 22 April 2011 - 03:23 AM.

[youngdon]

That's some pretty good shooting there antlerz, at 250yds.... at 100 that would be just over one hole.

[Antlerz22]

not quite one hole but its a ragged hole, this believe it or not is factory ammo in my stock rem model 700 in .270. I have played with adjusting my sear engagement and creep as best I could to facilitate a better trigger pull. It originally was horrendous, but I used remington crisp and found another site (cant remember) that detailed exactly how to do all the adjustments necessary. I then tested it to make absolutely sure it wouldnt fire accidentally by banging it quite firmly on the buttstock on fire to try to make it fire and found a safe setting. Anyway, I havent retooled up my old reloading stuff (need new dies) as mine have signs of neglect since not being used for so long and being stored over the years. So Im now saving for my new investment of a Forster coaxial press and thier bench-rest dies (adjustable to 1 ten thousandth of an inch) and an oal bore gauge, vs smoking my rounds with carbide like I used to- to very seating distance. Im hoping to post a real tight group with my .243 when I get the package completed with all my components --scope rings etc... I think its going to be a tack driver. I have the patience and time to tweak away and it will be so. A gun that wont group is like a woman who cant cook or anything. You get rid of em!!!!! LOL:roflmao:

[Bigdrowdy1]

I would have to say a 22-250 would be my next purchase. I have the 17 hmr,the 223 in 3 different forms, the 223 WSSM,and the 243 with a 25-06 to boot.Not that I need it but with all the 224 bullets I am already loading it would be cheap to play with. It would use more powder than the 223 but less than the 243 and 25-06.I stress the word play as most of my bullets are put down range at paper not by choice but by circumstances that I dont have control over yet. I suffer from the affliction of the grass is always green in the other calibers.LOL With that said I just wonder about the 308 for long distance trials and lets not forget the 6.8 spc for the Ar lower for the hogs. Sorry but that how my mind rolls didnt mean to jump calibers. 270 Huh theres a new thought. The 223 can be used as the infamous 22 cal plinker as you can buy some ammo cheaper than you can reload Buuuutttt there is the tinkering with the plinkering factor that falls in there. Ballistclly the 223 wssm and 22-250 are fairly close to each other. Its not the speed that kills It is the placement of the shot. The 22-250 uses less power and is cheaper and easier to fine brass for. The 223 wssm is fun to shoot though. Nothing like watching the impact of the shot through the scope and hearing the reconizable smack signaling contact. It does as other s have said make a mess for sure. The 243 is new to me but I think I am really gonna like it when Dad lets me shoot it.LOL Anyway enough said sorry for the rambling.