[Acegoesbang]

I am confused about some thing grant it don't take much .
i have been reading alot on this forum about 204's and all kinds of 17's and i do not own any of them i do own 17 hmr and i understand that a 20g bullet going 4000+ fps should be pretty flat and very explosive .... but what i don't know is what is the advantages of these bullets over a beefed up 40g vmax in the 22-250 / 220 swift i my self like and shoot the 22-250 and have made pretty impressives shots with it and have been thinking about trying or playing around with the 40 and 45g bullets 50 being the lightest that i have loaded for ......... i also understand barrel twist very well and my gun is made for light bullets with 1 n 15 twist and it shoots really well with 50-55g bullets and thinking about it i believe it should shoot even better with 40-45g bullets ..... can anyone help me out with this .. and explain the advantages of 17s n 204s and how fast can i safely get a 40g bullet in 22-250 and whats the best bullet which one will not turn to copper molt in my barrel

 

[Darrel in Minn]

I believe that a 40g bullet in a .204

should have better ballistic coefficient than a 40g bullet in a 22/250. I think that the .204 40g should be more stable, therefore more accurate at long ranges.

 

[kaferhaus]

It's easy to get a 40gr pill over 4,000 fps with a 22-250 with a 26" barrel....

I own a 204 and several 22-250s. I like the 204, but while I'll likely buy more 22-250s, I won't buy another 204.... no point in it.... it's no more accurate than the 22-250 at any range.... BC or not. and the 250 can shoot much heavier bullets..

For a 22 cal varmint rifle you just can't beat the 22-250.... you can go faster, slower etc. but in the end you can't kill em any deader or any more often with anything else save maybe a 22BR..... way more accurate than the 250 and just as fast with many pills

 

[Bayou City Boy]

A good ballistics program....

...is one way to compare 40 grain bullet trajectories in the two cartridges. The 40 grain 20 caliber bullet definitely has a better trajectory than a 40 grain bullet in the 22-250 for long range shooting.

On the other hand, the 22-250 defintely has the advantage of being able to shoot heavier bullets. Both are excellent cartridges, but they are significantly different from each other also which makes each have its own advantages over the other based on what you really want your cartridge choice to do for you.

I own several of both, and I do not consider them to be close rivals in any way shape or form. They are both execllent varmint/predator cartridges, but they are different enough from each other that I would never consider one versus the other as the complete answer.

-BCB

 

[Jim in Idaho]

There is no special magic in the smaller calibers. The .204 Ruger will not shoot a 40 grain bullet as fast as the 22-250 will shoot a 40 grain bullet. The 40 grainer in the .20 caliber will have a better ballistic co-efficient than the 40 in the .22 caliber. You can figure a max for the .204 Ruger at about 3,900, and the max for the 22-250 at 4,200. Both of these with 40's. If you use a ballistic program, you can compare the two to see which has the advantage at longer ranges. The .204 Ruger will burn 25-30% less powder than the 22-250, and have less muzzle blast, and recoil. The 22-250 will be more flexible as far as loads, and have the ability to shoot heavier bullets, too. There may be some limits to which bullets can withstand the 4,200fps velocity of the 22-250, too.

 

[Kyle]

For prairie dog shooting, my 22-250 has too much recoil and heats up too fast. I can shoot longer strings and see more hits with my smaller guns, especially my 17M4. My 22-250 sure makes the guts fly though...

 

[doc]

Muzzle brake is the answer to your problem with the 22-250. It won't help the heating but you will be able to see the priairie dog fly. I have a muzzle brake on the 6BR, 22 BR, and .243.

 

[Dave S]

Using Jim in Idaho's figures, the .22/250 beats the .204 all the way out to 500yards in both trajectory and energy.. Both are sighted 1.5" high at 100 yards.

.204 Ruger - 40gr [email protected] fps
100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
1.55 - 2.18 - 1.92- .62 - -1.88 - -5.82 - -11.45- -19.2 - -29.26

22/250 - 40gr. Ballistic Tip @ 4150fps
1.53- 2.26 - 2.24 - 1.38 - -.45 - -3.39 - -7.60 - -13.30 - -20.72

Retained energy at 500 yards is 214 ft.lbs for the .204 and 387 ft.lbs for the .22/250.

This is from Oehlers Ballistic Explorer Program..

Dave

 

[Stormbringer]

It all comes down to what you are trying to do

Each caliber in my opinion has a specific purpose and is best suited to a set task. With that said, many of the calibers offer good performance for a wide range and style of shooting. When you get addicted to this sport the way I have you will find you need a minimum of three or four calibers to handle all situations. You will also want to mix in some sporter barrels and semi-autos for predator hunting.

I live out west (Utah) and hunt in several of the western states. My current varmint rifle battery consists of:

Ruger 10/22 w/heavy barrel. Good close range squrl, pdog and rabbit rifle.

Marlin 17 HMR w/heavy barrel. Great for ground squrl's and close pdogs.

17 Remington, w/sporter barrel. Great for jump shooting jack rabbits, and predator hunting with the 30 grain bullets.

20 BR w/heavy barrel. Outstanding mid-long range pdog rifle.

223 w/heavy barrel. Outstanding pdog rifle. Good for chucks too but for me a little light on the horsepower.

220 Swift w/heavy barrel. Outstanding mid range chuck rifle. Very good long range pdog rifle.

243 w/heavy barrel. Outstanding long range chuck rifle.

257 AI w/sporter barrel. Great walking chuck rifle and makes a great coyote rifle if you do not want to keep the pelt.

308 w/heavy barrel. The 125 ballistic tip sure hits a chuck hard at 500 yards! Lots of energy and not as much recoil as you might expect.

I look at these calibers and think:

22LR, Plinking, bunnies, pdogs, squrls.
22 Mag, bunnies, pdogs, squrls.
17HRM, Pdogs, squrls, shots for close chucks in populated areas.
17 Rem, fine predator round for saving pelts, great jack rabbit killer!
204 Ruger, very good all-around varmint rifle. Niche would be pdogs.
223, very good all around varmint rifle. Cheap ammo.
22-250 Exceptional all around varmint rifle, not as efficent as some and heats up more w/more recoil than those listed above.
220 Swift. Same as 22-250 except slightly faster and possibly in general a little less accurate and more case stretching.

I have left out many that I have owned or shot (17AH, 22 Hornet, 22BR, 6mmBR, 243 WSSM, 25.06, 260 Rem, 308).

They all have their place and can be used. Heck I even shot a 7mm STW Sendero for a few years at long range chucks!

The fun is in trying them all and seeing how well the work for what you had intended.

Mike.