JDhasty,
I don't know what loads you're comparing to your .17 Remington, but with a 25-grain V-Max at 4000 fps a .17 Remington will drift noticeably less in the wind than a .223 with a 50-grain V-Max even at 400 yards. And there isn't enough difference in wind drift between a .17 Fireball with a 20 at 4000-4100 and a .223 with a 50 to tell at 300-400.
I live in Montana so do most of my prairie dog shooting here, and to beat the fast .17's, it takes something more wind-resistant than a typical .223 with 50-grain bullets.
