Best.22-250 rifle buyer’s guide (2023)

Since its introduction,.22250 Remington rifles are the favorite of varmint, predator, and medium game hunters who do not have a.24 caliber minimum. Even though the.22-250 Rem is a well-rounded round, different tasks require different features. Due to this, it is important to keep certain things in mind when selecting the best rifle for a particular job. Two classic.22250 rifles: an Ithaca LSA55 (top) and Remington700 (bottom). The.22250 Remington cartridge is incredibly versatile. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company. With the right projectile, it can be used for just about any purpose besides big game hunting or modern combat. It is arguably the best varmint cartridge. It has been so since the wildcat days of the 1930s, when it was called.22 Varminter. This is largely due to its high velocity. It is known for its flat trajectory, as some loads move at speeds exceeding 4,000 fps. This alone makes it a great long-range varmint round, especially in western states. A.22-250 rifle can be used to hunt medium game with good shot placement and the right ammunition. Its low recoil makes it a popular choice for youth deer rifles, where legal. Many argue that there are other options with a similar recoil, such as the.243 Winchester cartridge, which have a proven track record for larger game. The.22250 is also an excellent bench shooting round. Jack O’Connor noted its excellence in this niche in his The Rifle Book. Even today, rifles and cartridges chambered with it are used in 300-yard bench competitions. As strange as it may sound, the.22250 could even be useful in some defensive applications. It uses a.224 caliber bullet, similar to the 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington. The Australian SAS and British SAS have both used Tikka 22-250 rifles for urban counter-terrorism. The cartridge’s ballistic abilities, as well as its light projectiles, and rapid energy dump on the target, also reduced the risk of overpenetration, ricochet and collateral damage. A low-res picture of the rare Australian SAS.22-250 sniper gun from Tikka. Photo: Australian War Memorial. It’s almost a factotum for rifle cartridges. What do you need in a.22250 rifle to get maximum performance from the cartridge? Consider the intended purpose of your.22250 rifle. After determining the primary purpose of the rifle, you should look at the barrel length and twist ratio. The barrel is a key feature of most.22/250 bolt-action rifles. There are also a few AR-platform and Browning BLR lever action rifles. A longer barrel will result in a more complete burn, which will increase velocity and terminal performance. A faster twist rate will stabilize heavy-grain projects.Most.22250 rifles are equipped with a 22 or 24 inch barrel. The next most common barrel length is 20 inches. They aren’t going to be tracking through scrub for miles. The 20-inch Sporters are great for hunting, where mobility is a must. They perform well, even though they don’t get the most out of a round. Most factory barrels have a twist rate of 1:12 or 1.14. The slower twists protect the bullet integrity and ensure it doesn’t fly apart due to centrifugal force. Savage Arms 12 Varminter Low profile, for example, comes with a 1:9 turn. The rest of Savage Arms’ catalog is in 1:12, however. What does all this add up to? Most.22-250 rifles only shoot light projectiles. It’s possible to get a 1:12 (possibly the most common twist) in order to stabilize a bullet weighing 70 grains, but it is more effective with lighter bullets. The fastest twists, usually the 1:9, are a bit heavy for the caliber. Not to mention that they are a lot less expensive. The.22 is notorious for heating the firetube. If you are just whacking the bullseye it is worth considering a barrel whip hedge. For youth rifles look for lightweight guns that have a shorter length of pull (13 inches or under). For hunting rifles (field rifles), a weight less than 7 pounds is ideal. If you want to mount optics as easily as possible, choose a receiver that has a rail installed by the manufacturer. These guidelines are applicable to most rifles. If a classic varmint gun appeals to your taste, the Winchester Model 70 is a great choice. It weighs a slim 6.7 pounds without an optical. It is available in.22-250 Remington, with a 22″ barrel and a twist rate of 1:14. The Model 70 still has all of the classic features, such as controlled round feeding, three-position safety and a 5-round magazine. It also has Winchester’s MOA Trigger. The receiver and barrel are blued/black steel, set in a black walnut stock with fleur-de-lis checkering as a reference to the Al Biesen stocks that Jack O’Connor bedded his Model 70 actions in.MSRP: $1,279.99 // winchesterguns.comThe Savage Impulse is Savage’s straight-pull bolt-action rifle, and the Impulse Predator has a serious predator-hunting theme. The action is seated in a Mossy Oak Terra Gila pattern AccuStock with adjustable cheek height and LOP. The rifle also features Savage’s adjustable AccuTrigger, which is widely praised. The rifle is fed from a 10-round AICS magazine. The 20-inch barrel features a sporter profile with a threaded muzzle and a 1-in-12 rate of twist. The barrel’s final point is well-suited to lighter projectiles, which are common in predator hunting. The receiver also has a Picatinny Rail, which makes mounting optics much easier. This isn’t a light field gun, weighing 8.7 pounds. Then again, its other features and straight-pull action still make it an option worth considering.MSRP: $1,379 // savagearms.comBrowning also offers its excellent BLR (Browning Lever Rifle) in .22-250. The X-Bolt Micro Midas is its jewel. It’s a compact/youth-style rifle with some smart features that make it a great choice for anyone. The Micro Midas’s shorter (12.5-inch), faster shoulder mounting, length of pull allows it to be a great choice for anyone. The 20-inch barrel is twisted at 1-in-9 inches, which makes it more suited to heavier bullets. It comes with a 4-round box magazine that is detachable and flush-fit. It is easy to carry, as it weighs less than 6 pounds. It’s also quite attractive with its walnut stock, blued barrel and receiver. The X-Bolt Micro Midas makes a great entry-level rifle for deer or a long-range varminter. MSRP: $999.99 // Browning.comAPF Armory, one of the few gunmakers who have adapted the AR-10 to.22-250 Remington, is a good choice. The exotic cartridge is not free. Firstly, a hefty price tag. Second, proprietary magazines. The Varmint features a 20-inch 416R stainless barrel with a 1:14 twist, a rifle length gas system, and a nickel boron bolt carrier. Furniture includes a Magpul MOE handle, a Luth AR MBA-2 stock, and a free-floating M-LOK handguard with railed rails. The trigger, charging hand and A2 flash concealer are all mil-spec. This is the gun for you if you want a more tactical varmint rifle. Due to its slow twisting, you will want to choose the lighter bullets. The rifle is available in black, or Cerakoted FDE, Sniper Green, or gray. Target model with a 24 inch barrel (with the exact same twist rate) also available. MSRP: starting at $2,300 // www.apfarmory.comAs we mentioned earlier, Tikka provided sniper rifles in.22250 to the British and Australian Special Air Service. The T3x Super Varmint may not be the same gun, however it is a rifle that has all of the features you would want in a.22250 rifle. The T3x Super Varmint features a Green Roughtech Synthetic Stock with an adjustable cheekpiece and a Tungsten cerakote finish for the bolt and receiver. The receiver has a Picatinny top rail for easier optic mounting. It feeds from proprietary 5-round box magazines. The rifle is available in a 20-inch barrel or a 23.7 inch barrel with either a 1-in-14, 1-in-8, or 1-in-8 twist rate. No matter which barrel you choose, they are all threaded and come with a muzzle cap. MSRP: $1,600/ tikka.fiIf your budget is a bit tight, there are some options that are more affordable. Ruger American Rifle Predator is a top choice. It has a synthetic OD Green stock with a blued receiver and barrel. The 22-inch barrel is threaded with a protective cap and has a 1-in-10 barrel twist rate. This is the perfect middle ground between.22-250 Remington and.22-250 Remington. The gun comes with a 4-round box magazine and Ruger’s Marksman adjustable trigger. It also has a Picatinny Rail on the receiver to mount optics. It weighs 6.6 pounds, making it ideal for field use. The Ruger American is an excellent gun that has no frills, but it’s also a good value. The target grids and bullseyes are measured in MOA. 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