.223, 22-250, or .243 which one is better for Predators

Well im gonna open by saying all three rounds are capable of killing coyotes. I just purchased a 22-250 and love it. However 223 ammo is cheaper and easier to find( for me at least), and the 243 has just a little more punch, and is better in the wind. The 22-250 (for me) is just a good compromise. And what a great compromise it is!

That being said, RodnGun, where the heck are you getting your info, knowledge, or whatever it is you call it from? A 243 not enough gun for coyote? Or deer? Even past 300 yards, so long as you hit the vitals(bout 18" top to bottom, side to side) that deer will drop. Sure if you hit too far back its gonna take off but thats the same story regardless of distance. And as for a coyote, PLEASE. Im new to hunting yotes, but have killed my fair share while deer hunting, all with a 243! Two of which were between 4-500 yards. Both hit the dirt like they fell into a hole.

Im usually all about respecting someones opinion, because we each have our own experiances that justify our thinking, but im gonna have to really stretch my imagination to buy what your selling.
 
It's all about shot placement. What he i's saying i's that when shooting deer with a 243 it dosent allow for any wiggle room for human error. This ain't rocket science people.
 
Originally Posted By: getfoxyIt's all about shot placement. What he i's saying i's that when shooting deer with a 243 it dosent allow for any wiggle room for human error. This ain't rocket science people.

It's a deer, not a grizzly bear. The .243 is more than enough for deer. I would laugh at anyone who said diffrently. We can argue shot placement until the cows come home but if you hunt whitetail and feel under gunned with a .243, you need to rethink your hunting strategy.I wouldn't use it on elk myself but I know a few who do. If I were to hunt some big old Northerners, I would go with a .270 or bigger myself but a .243 would be fine. This is a great thread, it is cracking me the heck up!!

COULD SOMEONE PLEASE PASS THE POPCORN!!
 
rodngun you put down the .243 but in your sig line you have "its not the gun - its the person behind the gun"?????? We can all see you sleep with your 250 and that is fine it is a great round. But to say it's the best is a pretty bold statement!

To the OP any of the 3 will make a GREAT round. Just depends on which you prefer. The key is to know what your rifle is capable of and most important what YOU are capable of. If your unsure don't send the bullet!

.223 ammo is cheap, you can see your hits in the scope

22-250 is trying to grow up and be what it wants to be a .243! ammo is a little more then the .223 shoots faster next to nothing recoil.

.243 is a great round as a lot of states it is the smallest cal. you can take big game with. also IF you reload for it you can shoot lighter pills just as fast as a 250 can plus if you need a heavier pill you can load it up for deer.

Or if you wanna just be done with it get you a 338 Edge then it won't matter where you hit em!

And just to leave you with a little insight on shot placement and that it truly isn't the size of the bullet I leave you with a pic of my hunting buddy and his little .223 that shot a 2100 pound buffalo!
thumbup.gif



buffalo-large.jpg

 
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Quote: 243 is a great hog gun..if you reload like I do.I live in Tx...243 on a yote ? - sure, if its within 300 yards or so...but this is Tx..


Quote:I'll take a 22-250 any day over any other caliber-period,


Quote:study your B/C's and trajectory tables and sectional density etc etc

The 250 is a fine rifle, but it is outclassed in speed, energy, and trajectory by the .243. Sorry, just fact.

You can argue that someone may be a poor enough marksman not to be able to hit the kill zone at 300 yds, but there's no question the .243 has more than enough velocity and energy to do the job (much more than the 22-250).

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, no one is entitled to their own facts.

.................VELOCITY (yds)................
..........gr....Muzz... 100... 200... 300....400...500

22-250.55gr..3600...3080..2610..2190..1810..1490
.243....55gr..3850...3430..3040..2690..2360..2060
.243...100gr..2960...2760..2570..2380..2210..2040


..................ENERGY.......................
22-250 55gr...1585...1155...835...590...400...270
.243 ...55gr...1810...1435..1130...880...680...515
.243...100gr..1950...1690..1460..1260..1080...925


.................TRAJECTORY.....................
...................100yd .. 300yd .. 400yd .. 500yd
22-250 55gr... +1.1 .... -6.2 .... -19.8 ... -44.5
.243... 55gr... +0.7 .... -4.5 .... -13.9 ... -29.5
.243...100gr... +1.5 .... -6.8 .... -19.8 ... -39.9

http://www.shootingtimes.com/ballistics/243_winchester.html
http://www.shootingtimes.com/ballistics/22_250_remington.html
 
getfoxy said:
It's all about shot placement. What he i's saying i's that when shooting deer with a 243 it dosent allow for any wiggle room for human error. This ain't rocket science people.
Click to expand...
Good for you ...out of 20 or so people - Your the only one who could follow along.

The rest have been trying to "defend" the 243 - and the other folks just got caught up on the band wagon....this is getting comical - at best..

Now people are quoting - ballistic charts etc etc...like I dont have 7 reloading manuals on my bench....gotta love when the AR crowd or the
"my caliber is better than your caliber crowd - comes to life" thanks for the laughs fella's...
 
I have had .22 ricochet out of an animals eye socket (big Maine deer)and go through the jaw at point blank..glad it didn't come out and hit my leg. Not a rifle expert by any means but any of these would be fine I would think. If I could have one gun and wanted it to be versatile... out of the three it would be the .243 Myself I have a 6.5x55 and I am considering buying a .22-250 or .223 but leaning towards .223 due to ammuntion costs and that I can reload a 6.5x55 with a 95 grain v-max at over 3,200 fps if I start reloading.
 
Quote:Quote:It's all about shot placement. What he i's saying i's that when shooting deer with a 243 it dosent allow for any wiggle room for human error. This ain't rocket science people.
Good for you ...out of 20 or so people - Your the only one who could follow along.


Really? So what was all this, some sort of code?


Quote:22-250 hands down ...nothing better,




Quote:243...great hog round...not for deer or critters....for a whole lot of reasons.

Edit: no pissin contest- just cold hard fact.





Quote:243 is a great hog gun..if you reload like I do.I live in Tx...243 on a yote ? - sure, if its within 300 yards or so...but this is Tx..

I'll take a 22-250 any day over any other caliber-period,




Originally Posted By: rodngunOriginally Posted By: Va243hntrI just read your posts and now you are claiming that the22-250 will out perform a 243 at distance above 300 yards ( I think I am very confused now ) SHOW ME THE FACTS !

its okay- you would not be the first,

I take it you have not been critter hunting very long..myself for the last 43 years out of 50.That being said - I have seen plenty of Yotes etc etc injured or lost from shooting a 243 over 300 yards..does it mean that a 243 will not kill a yote past 300 yards - NO..it just means why chance it ..study your B/C's and trajectory tables and sectional density etc etc.. you will be able to figure out the rest on your own.I hope.




Originally Posted By: rodngunOriginally Posted By: warpig602 Im surprised nobody has mentioned "shot placement" or "if I do my part" yet.

that was a given...he tried to make the statement more complex than it was.

The first thing you want to do if you find yourself in a hole is to STOP DIGGING!
 
WOW, is all i can say. Like i said this thread makes no sense.

"a 22-250 is the best caliber "hands down", a 243 is good for hogs, but not deer or critters (even though hogs weigh more than deer half the time and a 243 is much more powerful)and not good on coyotes past 300 yards (but a 22-250 is?). 243 is only good if you reload (what?)

learn something new everyday (whether or not its all B.S. is besides the point)
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: nmleon
The first thing you want to do if you find yourself in a hole is to STOP DIGGING!

Now that's funny !

Mike
 
The 223 is cheap to shoot and the 22-250 is a little bit more and the 243 is higher to shoot than the 22-250 depending where you shop...Shot placement like they say is the key but the authority round of the three mentioned is the 243. Any of the one's you mentioned would work but knowing your rifle and limits are the key too.
grin.gif
 
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Originally Posted By: PowerfisherJust gotta wade through the BS to get to the facts........The only facts I saw were posted by nmleon...

True, but im not sure my waders are tall enough this time.
lol.gif
 
Originally Posted By: coyote6974To the OP..

I use rifles chambered for each of the cartridges you mention as calling rifles.
Starting with the .223, I've found that it's marginal for use on large coyotes. I've shot several inside 100 yards, scoring solid shoulder hits, only to have them get up and leave. Also the majority of coyotes I've shot with my .223 AR spin and bite until I can shoot them again. I would limit my shots on coyotes to under 200 yards, and stay off shoulders.
.22-250, is a very solid cartridge for coyotes. I shoot the same bullet from my .22-250 as I shoot from my .223, and have no problem with spinners or runners. My .22-250 has the energy to push bullets through shoulders and penetrate to vitals. I also like that I can hold on fur out to 300 yards with my .22-250.
.243 Winchester is very similar in performance to my .22-250 with an edge in all out killing power on coyotes. It doesn't shoot quit as flat as the .22-250 but it's not difficult to keep it on coyotes out to 300 yards. I've messed up more coyotes with my .243 than with the other two calibers but 80% of the time it's fur friendly enough that I could keep the hides. As for energy at over 300 yards? I shot one 4 years ago at 430 yards and hit it in the rear hip. The 85 grain HPBT left a fist size exit. I recovered that coyote after it drug itself into a nearby waterway. I don't believe a .223 would have even slowed it down with the same hit at that range.
I find myself using my .22-250 more often than the other two cartridges but would just as quickly pull out my .243. I've pretty much stopped using a .223 for a calling rilfe, even going to a 6.8 SPC AR as a calling AR. What size bullet was you useing in your 223?
 
Originally Posted By: nmleonQuote:Quote:It's all about shot placement. What he i's saying i's that when shooting deer with a 243 it dosent allow for any wiggle room for human error. This ain't rocket science people.
Good for you ...out of 20 or so people - Your the only one who could follow along.


Really? So what was all this, some sort of code?


Quote:22-250 hands down ...nothing better,




Quote:243...great hog round...not for deer or critters....for a whole lot of reasons.

Edit: no pissin contest- just cold hard fact.





Quote:243 is a great hog gun..if you reload like I do.I live in Tx...243 on a yote ? - sure, if its within 300 yards or so...but this is Tx..

I'll take a 22-250 any day over any other caliber-period,




Originally Posted By: rodngunOriginally Posted By: Va243hntrI just read your posts and now you are claiming that the22-250 will out perform a 243 at distance above 300 yards ( I think I am very confused now ) SHOW ME THE FACTS !

its okay- you would not be the first,

I take it you have not been critter hunting very long..myself for the last 43 years out of 50.That being said - I have seen plenty of Yotes etc etc injured or lost from shooting a 243 over 300 yards..does it mean that a 243 will not kill a yote past 300 yards - NO..it just means why chance it ..study your B/C's and trajectory tables and sectional density etc etc.. you will be able to figure out the rest on your own.I hope.




Originally Posted By: rodngunOriginally Posted By: warpig602 Im surprised nobody has mentioned "shot placement" or "if I do my part" yet.

that was a given...he tried to make the statement more complex than it was.

The first thing you want to do if you find yourself in a hole is to STOP DIGGING!


All I can say is: you must be one "bored" fella....I cant remember the last time somebody chased me all over a thread,me and 2 others were having some fun kicking it back and forth,,,we could actually care less what you shoot...LOLL..I cant blame ya for trying to jump on the band wagon- only problem is ,I think the wagon may have just ran you over...carry one though..its really comical.
 
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