22-250 vs 243

EDP

New member
I'm sure this has already been discussed
Getting ready to get another calling rifle for coyotes and am been debating on these two rounds
I shoot a 22-250 now and have for some time
What is the good and bad from either
 
243 is bigger, louder, and will kill them dead'r than dead. Kind of a dead x 3!
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Aren't they making some smaller bullets for the 243 now?
How is the coefficient of one bullet vs the other
 
I think either caliber is a good choice for varmint hunting. A 243 could be used for deer sized game also. It always boils down to what you are confident with and shot placement is the most important part!
 
Originally Posted By: 2muchgun243 is one of my all time favorite cartridges. If you don't own one, you should.........
+1
 
55 grain vmax is around .255 on bc for 22-250

243 58 grain is .250
75 grain is .330

If you have a 22-250 already why are you needing another gun? Just cause you want one or is it just not suited for coyotes (to heavy, don't want to carry it for whatever reason)?

If I had a 22-250 already that I could carry I would get a 243. Just to switch it up. If it was one I didn't want to carry, like my gun is to heavy, I would get another 22-250 because I could use same ammo and/or reloading dies, bullets, powder. Given that both guns like similar stuff.
 
For equal weight bullets, there won't be a lot of difference in BC. In theory, the smaller the bore, the better the BC for a given bullet weight, but it's also a matter of sectional density, and they end up pretty similar.

If you buy a .22-250, you'll see coyotes outside your range on a windy day where you wish you had a 75grn+ pill to reach out and tag them. If you buy a .243win, you'll roll coyotes at 30yrds and kick yourself for how much damage it caused.

Not that the .22-250 is particularly kind to hides either, but moreso than the .243 of course.

I don't have a .22-250 anymore, as I favor .223rems. But I also have a .243win, and I'm drooling to get a .243WSSM from Dtech.

As a side note, the longer I hunt whitetail deer, the more and more I start to consider the .243win the optimum whitetail cartridge (even though I rarely use it for that).
 
I don't think its fair to consider/compare a 22-250 with a 50gr-ish to a 6mm bullet with 58gr as I think you should compare the 22-250 with a 6mm 75gr-ish bullet. Reason being is the 6mm has the ability to shoot heavier bullet and this helps with wind drift if it is windy.

Years ago a friend of a friend renting an old farm house on my old man's farm used to snipe groundhogs from the barn loft out to 300 yards and he got a high percentage of hits and it was a heavy barreled rifle.

I think today for a dedicated coyote rifle out on the windy plains or even in eastern fields where long shots are common the 6mm bullet would work well. The only draw back is if you got a coyote showing up at say 70 yards...the 6mm will make a mess if them.

Even with a 6mm 58gr Hornady bullet the bullet will fly but at some time wind factors in because of the relatively light bullet.
 
Ya I think the only way you could really compete with the .243 is to get a really fast twist 1-7 or 1-8 twist 22-250. The .243 Winchester is one of the most versatile calibers out there. They are usually accurate and not too picky about what you feed them. As for the 250 it can be a bit more picky about what it likes in my experience.
 
I have both but prefer the .243 hands down. The .243 is more versatile and can shoot bullets ranging from 55 gr to 115 gr depending on twist. Mine handles 55 gr to 100 gr and shoots them all accurately.

My .22-250 shoots one bullet well, the 52 gr match. Anything else hasn't been as accurate.
 
I think the 22-250 was designed/developed around a 40-50 grain bullet. I went with a 1-12 twist when I had mine put together just for 55gr bullets or slightly heavier. My 243 shoots several bullets very well, with the 70gr Noslers amongst the best of the common bullets. I suppose Bergers and such would shoot better.

For long range shooting I believe the 243 has the advantage over the 22-250. Some guys are shooting the 243 out to 1000 yards, though these are not factory rifles generally. I believe I read Tubb won a competition with a factory 243 Remington.

Though much of this may be a moot point as guys like Tubb, a nation champion, are on a much higher shooting level than most of us.

I like both cartridges, but the 243 generally is rougher on coyotes than the 22-250, like often mentioned above, if that is important to you.

If killing and anchoring them was my only concerns, then the 243 would be my choice of the two.
 
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