Originally Posted By: HOGGHEADOriginally Posted By: Mark2Hog Head, My Howa in 22-250 has a twist rate of 1 in 14, is this fast enough for that weight of bullet??
Mark2
Your 1in14 is probably too slow for the 75 grain pill. You never know for sure until you try it. However under normal circumstances the 1in14 would be too slow. Personally I decided what bullet I wanted to shoot in my rifle before I had it built. Then I asked Krieger what twist rate would be best for the exact bullet(75 grain A-Max). The Krieger tech said 1in8 would be the perfect twist for that specific bullet. Then I made a dummy round and had the rifle chambered for the dummy cartridge. This is an easy way to get your tolerances exactly where you want it.
I never could understand a 243AI---why not just build a 6mm Remington--it is the same thing??
When you compare the 75 grain bullets between the 22 and 243 caliber---the 22 caliber 75 grain bullets have a substantially better BC. So the 243 caliber bullets start out a bit faster, but at longer ranges they preform about the same as the 22 caliber bullets. So my opinion was why pay more for reloading components, and why put up with more recoil, for no more performance?? To get the performance from the 243 caliber you need to go to the 100 grain pills. And those pills just are not necessary for varmints. And they are too light for the bigger critters(IMO). So I see the 243 and the quarter bores as pretty much useless calibers. They are too big for the little stuff(critters), and too small for big stuff.
As far as deer and pronghorn are concerned. I consider the 6.5 mm caliber as the minimum caliber for good effective killing. So I would not consider any of the cartridges listed as being adequate for deer sized and larger critters. Just my opinion. Tom.
Granted everyone has there opinions, but why would you need a 75 gr bullet in a 22-250 for pd shooting. If you are saying that a 243 is over kill yet is shooting the same weight bullet how do you figure.
A 55 grain in my 22-250 is more than adequate for yotes, but I don't typically use it on pd. I will use my 223 for that because it is cheaper.
A 243 is a great round for antelope and even deer with the proper loads. Since the OP stated that he wanted something to take both varmints and antelope sized game then the 243AI would be the way to go. At least out west most states won't let you hunt big game with a .224 bullet.
I must add though that the 6.5x284 is an amazing round and would do well at long ranges. But there will be more expense and recoil.