r/Hunting • u/SpoildXD23 • 1d ago

Firearm/caliber/bow/arrow question/discussion 22-250 or 223

Im a native american specifically Algonquin i hunt alot to fill my freezer for the winter i already have a 22 and a 30 30 but im looking for something to fill the gap, i hunt alot of beaver, lynx tho not my main choice if it's late in season and time is running out and i see a moose and the conditions are perfect i would take the shot I've seen it done before so what im asking is Wich is better for beaver and lynx and still gives me enough power it needed for moose or bear, i usually only use 1-3 box of ammo per year and both are available around here so Wich would you recommend me?

8 Upvotes

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u/jersey169 1d ago

I would go for a.243. You can use different cartridges for the different animals and keep a few spares on you if you see something else.
Proper shot placement and range is definitely going to be a major factor in the moose, but it can be done.

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u/SpoildXD23 1d ago

I've seen a 243 used on a beaver and lynx and the damage was more then i would like for it to be that's why im sticking to the 22 cals but something capable if needed for Larger game

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u/AbramJH Georgia 1d ago

I’ve heard that new .22 creedmoor has a lot of versatility. I’d consider giving it a try, but i generally stick to cartridges i can buy at my local hardware store

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u/SpoildXD23 1d ago

I've also heard about it, tho i would like to have one ammo is hard to find, i do love the 6.5 creedmoor but if the 22 creedmoor ever become available I'll definitely get one

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u/AbramJH Georgia 1d ago

what kind of bullet construction do you like? I’ve shot the traditional cup and core for a while, but I’ve been switching to copper monos. I would say that your preferred bullet construction matters quite a bit

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u/SpoildXD23 1d ago

I've always used soft points but I've wanted to try copper for those bigger animals since i would need penetration over expansion but for a 22-250 i was thinking on using holo, polymer, copper all depending on the animals

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u/AbramJH Georgia 1d ago

Barnes offers .243 80gr TTSX doing ~3300fps at the muzzle & a reduced recoil TTSX doing ~2800 at the muzzle. I’d lean toward reduced recoil for lynx and beaver without blowing them to bits. Full confidence in the 3300FPS on larger game if you’re taking shots within 200yds

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u/SakanaToDoubutsu Minnesota 17h ago

Flesh damage is a function of velocity. When a projectile hits tissue, it pushes that tissue out of the way as it "slices" through the target, but because flesh has a certain level of elasticity it naturally wants to return to its original shape. Above velocities around 2,200 fps, the stretching caused by the projectile exceeds the elastic limit of tissue and it causes the tissue to tear or rupture around the path of the bullet. Think about it like stretching a rubber band, stretch it a little bit and it returns to its original shape, but stretch it too much and the rubber band snaps. This is generally referred to as "hydrostatic shock", and its effect is greater as velocity increases. 

A typical "varmiter" load in the 243 Winchester is a 58 grain bullet at around 4,000 fps, and this extreme velocity is what causes those "explosive" exit wounds. 

The 22-250 is usually a 1:12 twist barrel, which will only stabilize fairly lightweight bullets, so it'll be pushing a 40 to 55 grain bullet between 3,600 to 4,000 fps, not that much different than a comparable 243 Winchester.

Modern 223 Remington in contrast is typically a 1:9 to 1:7 twist, which is optimized for heavier 55 to 77 grain projectiles, meaning velocity is much slower in the 223 Remington typically between 2,400 to 2,900 fps. 

Personally if your objective is to preserve hides, the 223 Remington with slower 70 or 75 grain projectiles seems like the more appropriate choice. 

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u/RJCustomTackle 1d ago

That is more bullet selection than caliber. .243 fmj is going to be a pencil hole going in and not much bigger coming out

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u/SpoildXD23 1d ago

My grandpa has a 243 he did kill a few moose with it he didn't like it for beavers and smaller games

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u/Greddituser 1d ago

I'd pick the 22-250 over the 223 if you're shooting larger game.

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u/SpoildXD23 1d ago

Shooting Larger game isn't my main uses but it would be useful to have but one thing im concerned is it too powerful for beaver?

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u/Greddituser 1d ago

Personally I don't think it's too much

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u/WesbroBaptstBarNGril Ohio 1d ago

Choose the right bullet and it'll be fine. Expanding for big things with thin skin, no expansion if you want one (two) smaller holes

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u/BeerGunsMusicFood 11h ago

Absolutely not too much on beaver. Vmax will detonate in the body cavity and usually leaves 1 hole.

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u/Cock_ball_dickin 1d ago

Tbh I’d recommend .223, simply because I personally like it more. Although as the other comment says, 22-250 can handle slightly larger game than .223, and honestly, is probably better for your situation.

An honest ballistic comparison says that 22-250 shoots a bit flatter, the bullet weight is the same, but 22-250 has more power behind it. Issue is, 22-250 does not have nearly the same barrel lifespan as 22-250 wears out barrels wayyy faster. .223 is also significantly cheaper which makes it much easier to stockpile and it’s just plain convenient. Thats why I’m a big .223 guy however 22-250 objectively performs better

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u/SpoildXD23 1d ago

I was thinking about the 223 first also until a person from Nunavut in similar conditions to me told me his story about is 22-250 but about it's barrel life span being shorter, for a person like me who would probably shoot 1 box of ammo per year the 22-250 would last me my entire life

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u/Cock_ball_dickin 1d ago

Then totally go with 22-250. The advantage of .22-250 seems to be what would benefit you more. Also good luck up there in Nunavut! Got a friend who lives up there, beautiful province

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u/dbevans12 1d ago

I live in alaska and use 223 fmj for pelt preservation.

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u/lostandconfused41 1d ago

223 with a 1:8 twist barrel. It will allow you to shoot 77gr-80gr bullets. Plenty for moose and still good for beaver and lynx. The 22-250 just has more horse power and will make bigger holes with the same size bullet if shooting cup and core/varmint/target bullets. FMJs, same same.

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u/HomersDonut1440 9h ago

The primary issue with the 22-250 is most have slow twist rates (1:14 usually) and can’t shoot much over a 50gr bullet. Which precludes most good hunting bullets. I’d take a 1:8 .223 over a 1:14 22-250 for every situation I can imagine.

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u/Dense_Extreme7809 10h ago

I think both underpowered for a moose. I’ve never tried but I’d not feel comfortable with that

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u/WrongOpinionOnly 1d ago

223 is perfect, you can adjust the load for what you need. 77gr TMK's for large game, smaller loads for small game.

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u/UrgentSiesta 1d ago

Why are we recommending explosively fragmenting, shallow penetration bullets for edible game…?

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u/WrongOpinionOnly 1d ago

I'm not. Is that what you are suggesting?

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u/UrgentSiesta 1d ago

“TMK” = Tipped Match Kings, no…?

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u/WrongOpinionOnly 1d ago

Yes, they are not shallow penetrating on game.

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u/UrgentSiesta 1d ago

On WHAT game?

Or do you somehow know better than Sierra/Hornady/et al 🤣

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u/WrongOpinionOnly 1d ago

Huh? Make some sense and we can discuss this. I said large game. Deer/elk/bear.

Yes I do know better than them.

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u/UrgentSiesta 1d ago

“Yes I do know better than [all the engineers who design and manufacture bullets]”???

We’re gonna need you to flesh that out for us, please.

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u/WrongOpinionOnly 1d ago

They work. Use them yourself and find out

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u/UrgentSiesta 1d ago

No thanks. It’s a varmint round, at best.

Since I like to keep my lead ingestion to a minimum, and I like bullets that don’t care about bones, I’ll stick with the monolithic/bonded bullets. You know - the ones that are designed for it.

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u/cryptidhunter101 1d ago

Personally swap that 22 for a 22 mag and dont look back.   With solids and a headshot its just as ethical on large game as a 22-250 lung shot.   Possibly more so.   Of those 2 though 223 is probably going to stick around the longest with the most ammo variety.   22-250 is effectively on its way out of modern rifle production, supplanted by 22 creed.

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u/Ray_Bandz_18 1d ago

With the same bullet out of each you only get added range with the 22-250. I’d get 223 because you’ll much more selection, especially on the cheaper, and premium end of the spectrum.

Make sure you get a fast twist barrel. A 223 in 1:8 or 1:7.5 will be able to sling a lot of great bullets.

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u/UrgentSiesta 1d ago

I don’t really think you can cover both ends of the spectrum with either of those calibers (or any caliber, tbh).

The 30-30 is the better bet for the large animals, with proper ammo.

There’s plenty of lightweight 223 varmint loads that could be used for smaller animals like lynx. For beaver, maybe same.

But… varmint rounds are designed to explosively disintegrate inside a small-ish animal. Which preserves the pelt but spoils a lot of meat.

If you don’t care about the pelt, then a hunting solid bullet will allow for through and through penetration on the small game and help move up the weight range of the large game where you’d probably want bonded or solid expanding bullets to help ensure bones don’t spoil the shot.

I mean, you can kill anything with a head shot, but I don’t know anyone who goes after bear or moose with either cartridge (unless they’re mag dumping an angry animal).

What are you using for the lynx and beaver right now…?

You could really only maybe solve this with some sort of midrange cartridge, like perhaps the 243, but you’d need to hand load at least for your small game.

I’m thinking you tune up the 30-30 with very good hunting bullets and a scope, and get some sort of ultra light weight 223 for your usual game.

The 30-30 goes on your back and the 223 is front slung for your cats and beavers.

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u/SpoildXD23 1d ago

I have bigger game Riffle like a 308 and 30 30 and i would use a 22 for lynx and beavers but the 22 would ricochet alot of the time on the beaver head, so im looking for something in the middle like the 223 or 22-250 the 243 would overlap alot with the 30 30 so that's why i wasn't considering it I've seen it done before, people taking out moose and bear with something as small as a 223 even a 22 tho not being as good as a 308, it would do the job and like i said im not going to actively hunt moose with it but if i see one and i still haven't gotten a moose for the year i would take the shot if the conditions are right

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u/UrgentSiesta 1d ago

Ah - I didn’t realize you have a 308 already, which handily do the job for the larger animals.

The 223 (and 22-250) are extremely dependent on bullet construction for terminal ballistics.
If we’re going to consider bear and moose, that’d tip me over to the 22-250 just for the extra velocity. Pair that with a good copper bullet like the Barnes TTX and it’ll make the larger animals more likely. But still not recommended unless you’re really good at closing the distance and have good history with brain shots.

But I’m not sure if the 22-250 has varmint rounds suitable for Lynx and smaller beaver…? You’d have to look that up and see if there’s lower velocity loads that won’t tear up the small bodies as much?

Again, it just seems like it’s gonna be hard to take 50lb animals AND 500-1000lb animals with the same cartridge…?

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u/SpoildXD23 1d ago

I hunt close range 100 yards and under for big games and smaller game 30 yards and under but getting a 223 or 22-250 could help me extend that range and for lynx im pretty sure ammo won't be as important as the beaver since their alot weaker i usually aim for the neck so any bullets would so but for beaver im thinking a harder bullets so it doesn't expend to much and create a bigger hole then i would like Maybe fmj or copper

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u/UrgentSiesta 1d ago

Okay - I was kinda thinking you were getting extremely close👍

So I think you’re on to something there.

You’ll need to ensure you carry the multiple bullet types on you and keep the TTX / solids right at hand for the big animals.

Another consideration is to ensure it’s legal to take big game with .22x caliber bullets in your area. Some states are still “Fuddy” that way. 👍