223 or 22-250 for rabbits and foxes

[Shorti85]

I'm on look out for a new rifle. Not sure whether to go for a 223 or 22-250, it will be used for rabbits and foxes that won't come in close enough. I'm leaning towards a 223 but would like to know opinions from people with more experience on the calibres
TIA

[COLLECTOR 1]

Not being an expert....id go the 223....cheaper to run if your not reloading....less noise....won't scare the neighbours....will do foxes and rabbits out to 250 metres if the glass is good enough...and no sore shoulders if it's a busy day....

Collector 1

[bladeracer]

As above.
Not a fan of 22-250.
If you're going to make all that racket anyway you might as well shoot something heavier like .243, 6.5x55mm or 7mm-08.
.223 or .204 for my money.

[bigfellascott]

I like the 250 for the longer range work out of those 2 (own both cals) the 250's just that little bit flatter shooting and smacks s**t hard and I love the boom from it too Either will do the job well and the 223 will be a little cheaper to run ammo wise if that's of concern to you.

Another one that might be worth looking at is the 204 - a terrific little cal that goes great on the rabbits and foxes at long ranges too Watch the girls swarm on this one!

[bladeracer]

I like the 250 for the longer range work out of those 2 (own both cals) the 250's just that little bit flatter shooting and smacks s**t hard and I love the boom from it too Either will do the job well and the 223 will be a little cheaper to run ammo wise if that's of concern to you.

Another one that might be worth looking at is the 204 - a terrific little cal that goes great on the rabbits and foxes at long ranges too Watch the girls swarm on this one!

Yep, love the .204
But with the lighter bullets it doesn't shoot through any sort of grass (or fence wires!) which can make it difficult to get shots on foxes sometimes.

[bigfellascott]

Not being an expert....id go the 223....cheaper to run if your not reloading....less noise....won't scare the neighbours....will do foxes and rabbits out to 250 metres if the glass is good enough...and no sore shoulders if it's a busy day....

Collector 1

Yeap I agree, you definitely you don't have experience with a 250 - bugger all recoil,(bugger all diff to the 223 really) my girls shoot mine no worries at all and the wife love shooting mine.

As above.
Not a fan of 22-250.
If you're going to make all that racket anyway you might as well shoot something heavier like .243, 6.5x55mm or 7mm-08.
.223 or .204 for my money.

The 250 ain't that much louder than the 223 or 204 but its more of a boom sound instead of a crack, all of em are noisy and everyone will know you are there regardless of what you shoot - own em all and shoot em all regularly (maybe I'm just used to them all)

[bigfellascott]

I like the 250 for the longer range work out of those 2 (own both cals) the 250's just that little bit flatter shooting and smacks s**t hard and I love the boom from it too Either will do the job well and the 223 will be a little cheaper to run ammo wise if that's of concern to you.

Another one that might be worth looking at is the 204 - a terrific little cal that goes great on the rabbits and foxes at long ranges too Watch the girls swarm on this one!

Yep, love the .204
But with the lighter bullets it doesn't shoot through any sort of grass (or fence wires!) which can make it difficult to get shots on foxes sometimes.

Yeah farmers generally don't like ya shooting their fences (have had to repair the odd 1 or 2 over the years) but I hear what you are saying, I've had a few bullets disintegrate on grass etc, thankfully not often but bloody annoying when it does happen

What I really like about the 204 for foxes is you can put the X-hairs on their backline/shoulder area and send one and nail them out past 300m - point and shoot, don't get any simpler than that for mine, the 250 is much the same with maybe a little hold over depending how you've sighted it in of course. The 223 needs a little more holdover again but still capable if the operator is (Don't try this at home folks) hope that keeps ya happy Tank and Unhappy hunter.

And definitely don't attempt to shoot deer with these cals, they aren't capable enough for the job apparently

[bladeracer]

Yeah farmers generally don't like ya shooting their fences (have had to repair the odd 1 or 2 over the years) but I hear what you are saying, I've had a few bullets disintegrate on grass etc, thankfully not often but bloody annoying when it does happen

What I really like about the 204 for foxes is you can put the X-hairs on their backline/shoulder area and send one and nail them out past 300m - point and shoot, don't get any simpler than that for mine, the 250 is much the same with maybe a little hold over depending how you've sighted it in of course. The 223 needs a little more holdover again but still capable if the operator is (Don't try this at home folks) hope that keeps ya happy Tank and Unhappy hunter.

And definitely don't attempt to shoot deer with these cals, they aren't capable enough for the job apparently

It was our own fence and it didn't break the wire anyway
I "missed" two shots on a fox just over 300 yards away, walked down for a look and discovered some grass just this side of where he was. Shooting downhill but didn't find any indication of the bullets hitting the ground at all. Silly bugger came back while I was in his spot so I took him at forty yards instead

I think I've been spoiled by the .204's laser-like trajectory. Was shooting 196gn bullets in the 8x57mm today, like calling in a mortar strike after shooting the .204

[bladeracer]

Have you tried the .204 against steel yet?
.20 calibre bullets blow .50 caliber holes through 8mm plate at 100 yards!

[bigfellascott]

Yeah farmers generally don't like ya shooting their fences (have had to repair the odd 1 or 2 over the years) but I hear what you are saying, I've had a few bullets disintegrate on grass etc, thankfully not often but bloody annoying when it does happen

What I really like about the 204 for foxes is you can put the X-hairs on their backline/shoulder area and send one and nail them out past 300m - point and shoot, don't get any simpler than that for mine, the 250 is much the same with maybe a little hold over depending how you've sighted it in of course. The 223 needs a little more holdover again but still capable if the operator is (Don't try this at home folks) hope that keeps ya happy Tank and Unhappy hunter.

And definitely don't attempt to shoot deer with these cals, they aren't capable enough for the job apparently

It was our own fence and it didn't break the wire anyway
I "missed" two shots on a fox just over 300 yards away, walked down for a look and discovered some grass just this side of where he was. Shooting downhill but didn't find any indication of the bullets hitting the ground at all. Silly bugger came back while I was in his spot so I took him at forty yards instead

I think I've been spoiled by the .204's laser-like trajectory. Was shooting 196gn bullets in the 8x57mm today, like calling in a mortar strike after shooting the .204

At least ya didn't have to do repairs mate, bloody annoying when it happens, I try and avoid shooting through fences for the most part for that very reason! Yeah the 204 is a perfect fox cal (not real flash on skins but with a light projectile they can be a bit better) the last one I shot at just on 290m I think it was didn't have any skin damage (nailed around the heart/lung area) my mate was wondering where I'd hit it and I knew roughly where and after removing it's raincoat it was confirmed.

Calling in a Mortar Strike - love it

Any of the cals suggested will work fine on foxes and bunnies hey, some are a little easier to use at extended ranges.

[sandgroperbill]

My new rifle arrive at the lgs today. I wanna try it on bunnies once it gets through licensing.

[bigfellascott]

Have you tried the .204 against steel yet?
.20 calibre bullets blow .50 caliber holes through 8mm plate at 100 yards!

Yeah mate I've shot a bit of steel over the years with quite a few of the small cals and some bigger ones too, that must be fairly mild steel for the little 204 to buzz through it, the stuff I've been shooting leaves a bit of a dent but no holes in it (140m and 200m) even the 223 wasn't penetrating it so it must be somewhat hard, I shot some hardox a few years back with the 22.250 and it went straight through it, the 222. 223. 308 and 338lap didn't do s**t to it, not even a scratch! I tend not to shoot steel with it now because of that



Also shot some milder steel gongs out around 300m from memory and the holes made in that were impressive (didn't penetrate right through but came close and wasn't much diff depth wise between it and the 308 which was interesting I thought.(not that much smaller in diameter either which was surprising) I was using 55gn Sierra Super Roos projies - I love the performance from those things, they really are a great projie for all manner of game really.

[bladeracer]

It's a 410mm Universal Beam and I assumed they were just leaving a stain on the paint. Was gobsmacked when I walked down for a look. I think it's all shockwave just smashing the steel apart, I doubt much actually went through. I'll try to remember to put a sheet of MDF behind and see if there is any spatter.

Haven't tried the Super Roos yet but I have 600 of them waiting to be wrapped in brass.

[bigfellascott]

It's a 410mm Universal Beam and I assumed they were just leaving a stain on the paint. Was gobsmacked when I walked down for a look. I think it's all shockwave just smashing the steel apart, I doubt much actually went through. I'll try to remember to put a sheet of MDF behind and see if there is any spatter.

Haven't tried the Super Roos yet but I have 600 of them waiting to be wrapped in brass.

Not sure mate, would be interesting to see hey, I really like those SR's they really are a top little performer on all manner of game and really hit hard out of the 250 - I shot this fox one night at around 270m I must have hit it in the heart/lung area as it sent out this massive red mist (looked like fireworks going off) my mate was amazed at what he saw and so was I, totally awesome and probably never see anything like it again.

I was picking them up for $110 per 1000 so bought 4 or 5000 from memory, which should be enough to burn the 250 barrel out

[bigfellascott]

My new rifle arrive at the lgs today. I wanna try it on bunnies once it gets through licensing.

good to hear mate, what did you end up buying?

[Shorti85]

Thanks everyone, really appreciate your info. I might go look at a 204 now too

[bigfellascott]

Thanks everyone, really appreciate your info. I might go look at a 204 now too

Yeah definitely worth throwing in the mix - costs more to run if you run factory ammo if reloading not too bad then.

[GLS_1956]

The 22-250 is a cooker, depending upon the variables you can break 4000fps with it. My experience is you can expect to get a 10% velocity increase with the same bullet over a 223 without going overboard. The 22-250 I've used is an older rifle made before they started getting these heavier bullets but what it will do to turtles in the pond is impressive and there is no fear of a ricochet, soda cans and plastic bottles are known to vaporize. Turtles and targets are all I've taken on with the 22-250.

Here in the USA many states allow the centerfire 22s to be used for deer hunting, I wouldn't, but many do. I guess they've shown the newer heavier .224 bullets to be sufficient performers on deer sized game. My varmint hunting friends use the 22-250 to take coyotes, America's version of the Jackal weighting around 40 pounds, out to 400 yards.

[sandgroperbill]

My new rifle arrive at the lgs today. I wanna try it on bunnies once it gets through licensing.

good to hear mate, what did you end up buying?

458wm. Don't wanna use something too small for the job. Slightly worried there may be some meat loss, though.

[bigfellascott]

My new rifle arrive at the lgs today. I wanna try it on bunnies once it gets through licensing.

good to hear mate, what did you end up buying?

458wm. Don't wanna use something too small for the job. Slightly worried there may be some meat loss, though.

can't imagine there would be any loss of meat using in purfect cal for hunting rabbits to elephants

[Dogger]

Depends on location and game. I worked in and around Geraldton WA. I use to supply roo shooters and farmers, with all their shooting needs as i worked in a gunshop. The 223 will get the job done with a minimum of noise, always head shoot, use nosler 55grn ballistic tips. Good for bunnies (vaporise), foxes cats and roo's.
I use to use a 223 but found it at times not lethal enough at short range, when shooting in crops and when spot lighting at distance. I used a Ruger No1 in ss and lam in 22-250 with nosler 55grn bt. Vx2 4-12x40 mildot i could take a fox at 400m No bs, but 22-250's are loud.
204 ruger tried it once Tikka varmint, good round just pricey stick to the 223.