.22-250 Vs .223: Is Extra Velocity Worth Extra Money?

The main issue in the debate between.22-255 Remington and.223 Remington is velocity and cost. The.223 Remington is small, light, and very fast. Both are very popular, but one is more popular than the other. The.22-250 and.223 are shown on the left and right. The.22-250 and.223 are on the left and the.223 on right..22-250 and.223 ballistics The Super-X.223 55 grain soft-point load, on the other hand, boasts figures of 3,240 fps as well as 1,282 foot-pounds energy. Bear in mind that other loads may have a wider or narrower disparity between the two cartridge types, but the Winchester Super-X data represents an average delta.Trajectory graph for .22-250 vs. .223 Remington from shooterscalculator.com. The data used to calculate each load can be found in the respective tables below. We can see the effect that the increased velocity has on performance when comparing the trajectories. The Shooter’s Calculator trajectory chart above shows that.22-250 drops later than.223 but does so less frequently. The data tables shown below demonstrate that .22-250 is less influenced by wind and reaches its target in less time than .223 as well..223 Remington trajectory chart from shooterscalculator.com.At 600 yards, .223 has dropped a dramatic 33 inches more in elevation than .22-250 and shifted an extra 13 inches of windage as well. While the .223 is transonic by 600 yards, .22-250 doesn’t go transonic until about 650 yards..22-250 Remington trajectory chart from shooterscalculator.com.Bear in mind, factory velocities are more art than science. Often, test barrels are longer than factory rifle barrels, often 24 to 26 inches. Bolt-action rifles typically have 22-24 inches barrels. An AR-15 rifle with a 16 inch barrel is the most common.223 rifle. The difference in velocity between the.223 and.22-250 rifles is much greater unless they have a barrel that is twice as long as your.22250. It’s certainly something. But, it also raises the question of whether that really matters in the real world. While 9mm is slower at the muzzle and has less muzzle energy than the.357 Magnum, both guns are equally effective in gunfights. The.22-353 Magnum is more reliable than.223 but the.22-223 for varmints is still a very good varmint cartridge. The.22-250 is a very popular cartridge for coyotes and other small-to-middling predators due to its high velocity and moderate recoil. Every advantage is helpful when it comes to hitting small targets well. The.22-323 can travel farther, drop faster, and get pushed by milder wind more than the.22-325. The.22-253 Vs..223 for Medium GameHere’s an interesting take. The.22-253 is more effective for hunting on paper because of the bullet’s extra zip. The.22-250 is better for hunting on paper because of the extra zip on the bullet. Both will work. Both will work if you choose a good bullet and do your job well as a marksman. The reliable fragmentation threshold for M193 has been established at approximately 2,700 feet per second..223 begins to fall below that level at just 100 yards. Image Source: Wikipedia. This is a far cry from.22-250, which drops below the threshold at about 100 yards. Image Source: Wikipedia. Despite this drawback, there is no real defense scenario in which one would need to shoot beyond 200 yards. So, if you are looking for anything defense-oriented, keep your AR-15 in.223. Although.22-250 ARs are also available, this doesn’t change that guns, ammunition, and magazines are more common and more costly. Sticking with.223 will allow you to practice more often and for less money. Good training is more important than good ballistics. The.22-25 cartridge is a useful and efficient varmint and predator cartridge at longer ranges than other varmint cartridges. It was designed for that purpose and it is still a great choice for youth hunters in areas where it is legal and practical. The AR-15 is a superior small-caliber cartridge. The 600-pound gorilla is the one to acknowledge. Unless you have to cull coyotes or punch prairie dogs at 300 to 400 yards,.223 will do more than.22-250. The guns are less expensive. There are many models to choose from. The ammunition is less expensive. Magazines are less expensive. The magazines are cheaper. It shows that the cheapest.22250 ammo online is available from PPU for $1.35 per ounce. 55 cents per round is the price of.223 ammo from the same manufacturer. The cheapest.223 from the same manufacturer is about 55 cents per round. The.22-252 is a good option if you shoot at prairie dogs and coyotes at greater ranges. However, there are very few situations where this really matters. A.223 is the most practical choice for most people. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be downloaded in MOA. This is a great option for long-range shooting. Enter your email address below.