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Hey, not trying to get into the debate of whether these two are big enough for deer hunting, but for those of you with real world experiences with both calibers, is there enough of a difference between the two to pick one over the other? I have a tikka .223 that shoots like most tikka rifles-just wondering if it’s worth the effort to sell after the season and replace it with a 22-250? Shots will mostly be 200 yards or less on hogs and deer. Our West Texas near rarely break 150 pounds

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You are good to go with that .223

Ive used both the .223 and the .22-250 on deer quite a bit.For me at least the comfort zone with the .223 is 200 yards, its 300 yards with the .22-250 JMHO

Either is fine on hogs so long as you confine yourself to brain shots. They will both kill with body shots, but not usually right away. However, that tikka is capable of threading a needle so a brain shot is no big deal...

see pic....

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]


Heres a hog killed with the .22-250...he's dead too.....

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Last edited by ingwe; 10/03/22.

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“Heres a hog killed with the .22-250...he's dead too.....”

Made me LOL!!

I kind of figured there wouldn’t be enough difference between the two to concern myself with it. And you’re absolutely right that Tikka threads the needle

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Just a little more range with the 22-250, get a 22-250. You can have both. I load 62 grain Bear claws for both. I’ve never shot a deer with either, but many pigs, some in excess of 200 lbs. They both bust through both shoulders at 200 yards and keep going.

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Ive loaded 53gr tsx in both the 223 and 22-250, and killed deer and pigs with both loads. 223 is adequate but the 250 is definitely more impressive and my pick if I was choosing only one.

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Even tho I shoot a lot of 223 rounds, if truth be told, give me the 22.250.

it is not a 243, but it is a notable step up from the 223, Especially the one I have with a one in 7 twist barrel.
on that one, I use 75 gr BTHP and 80 grain A Maxes...at 3350 fps MV.

Pretty flat shooting also out to 300, and doesn't need much adjustment to stretch it to 400 easily.


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The 22-250 hits much harder. The more deer I shoot with mine the more impressed I get.

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I've always seen the .22-250 as a tweener caliber. Bigger than .223 but not better than a .243. I like the .223 for its economy and lack of recoil giving you the ability to spot hits. If you plan on target shooting as well, that's another plus for the .223.

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both will get the job done i have shot a buck deer and a antelope with a 17 Remington 25gr. worked fine too , i have used a 223 and 22-250 they work well too. now days many deer are shot with a 223/556 .


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If you get a 22-250, make sure it is twisted the way you want it for the bullets you plan to use. I swapped my Tikka to an 8 twist barrel from their archaic 14 twist.


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Get a 1in 8 Tikka 22-250, accurate as hell

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

Last edited by hanco; 10/04/22.
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I have both in 8” twist. They both are easy 300 yard cartridges with the right bullets (22-250 even more). The 22-250 does noticeably hit harder and shoots flatter. The 223 isn’t as loud and recoils a tad less but neither is a problem. If I could only have one it would be the 22-250 if deer and medium game were my intended targets.


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Originally Posted by hanco
Get a 1in 8 Tikka 22-250, accurate as hell

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

I know where one is just like that one for $750. I bought the same rifle a month earlier, but a blued model. If they would have had the stainless one at the time, I would have chose it instead. I may still go and grab it.


Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.

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Originally Posted by LBP
I have both in 8” twist. They both are easy 300 yard cartridges with the right bullets (22-250 even more). The 22-250 does noticeably hit harder and shoots flatter. The 223 isn’t as loud and recoils a tad less but neither is a problem. If I could only have one it would be the 22-250 if deer and medium game were my intended targets.

I always think of you as a 223 guy. I'm surprised you would pick the 22-250. I love both cartridges. Shoot the 223 at 400 yards quite a bit, just for plinking steel and paper and yotes. What surprises me is how hard the little 69gr SMK smacks the target at 400 yards. It leaves a mark on the steel too, where some of my other bigger cartridges don't. I don't think I'd pick the 22-250 until shots get past 5-600 yards. Then I'd lean in that direction, but at 400 yards, the 223 is a contender that should not be overlooked or underestimated.


Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.

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Originally Posted by bsa1917hunter
Originally Posted by LBP
I have both in 8” twist. They both are easy 300 yard cartridges with the right bullets (22-250 even more). The 22-250 does noticeably hit harder and shoots flatter. The 223 isn’t as loud and recoils a tad less but neither is a problem. If I could only have one it would be the 22-250 if deer and medium game were my intended targets.

I always think of you as a 223 guy. I'm surprised you would pick the 22-250. I love both cartridges. Shoot the 223 at 400 yards quite a bit, just for plinking steel and paper and yotes. What surprises me is how hard the little 69gr SMK smacks the target at 400 yards. It leaves a mark on the steel too, where some of my other bigger cartridges don't. I don't think I'd pick the 22-250 until shots get past 5-600 yards. Then I'd lean in that direction, but at 400 yards, the 223 is a contender that should not be overlooked or underestimated.

It would be a tough choice I admit. I’ve honestly found the 223 to be slightly more accurate and generally easier to work with. The 22-250 like Ingwe said has about 100 extra yards over the .223 in my experience. The 223 is more readily available, nicer to shoot and plenty of gun honestly. The last three rifles I’ve built have all been 223’s so maybe I would take the 223 over the 22-250 after all. 😂


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Standard twist rate is the biggest point IMO. I prefer a heavier bullet on deer or pigs and the 223 with faster twist rate gets my nod. A 22-250 twisted 1:7 — 1:9 would be just as good for selecting heavier bullets.
That said, I like my 223. 25 grains of powder under a 70 grain bullets leads to no recoil and a mild report. The load is not lacking in penetration, but with a 22 cal I think we are flirting with the lower edge of bullet size for deer or pigs. Blood trails can be kind of spotty and a marginal shot will have you longing for your trusty 30/06, so choose your shots wisely.

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It's strange to me that people will admit to seeing a difference in 223 vs 22-250 on deer; I've used the 221FB all the way up to .375h&h and most things in between and could not tell a difference. They just died. Not at all implying that they are wrong, just stating that I couldn't detect a difference either way. Course I'm shooting them <250 yds. Maybe that's what seperates the two.

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We have used a 222 and 22-250 on dozens of deer/antelope.,

If I was to pick one, it would be the 250.

Used the 53gr TSX out of a 1:14 twist 22-250 it it works great.

The 222 is a 1:9 twist and have used 65 gr Sierra, and 55gr GMX.

Had to re barrel the 22-250 and went with a 1:8. Have not used it on anything yet.


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When I was a pup I saved money for a 30-06. I get to the sporting good store a few days before rifle season and no ‘06 anywhere. I noticed a beautiful 700 BDL 22-250 on the rack. I said hand me that one, dude said that ain’t a deer rifle son. I grabbed a few boxes of ammo and told the salesman that I’d give it a go. Slapped a Leupold 2-7 on it and went to work.

Didn’t take long to figure out that the salesman was soooo wrong about my lil ‘250. That BDL put meat in the skillet for many years.

Probably ain’t a lick of difference in the field between the 223 and 22-250. I’ve taken critters with both.
BUT… I’ll vote for the ‘250 today.

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Originally Posted by gunnut308
When I was a pup I saved money for a 30-06. I get to the sporting good store a few days before rifle season and no ‘06 anywhere. I noticed a beautiful 700 BDL 22-250 on the rack. I said hand me that one, dude said that ain’t a deer rifle son. I grabbed a few boxes of ammo and told the salesman that I’d give it a go. Slapped a Leupold 2-7 on it and went to work.

Didn’t take long to figure out that the salesman was soooo wrong about my lil ‘250. That BDL put meat in the skillet for many years.

Probably ain’t a lick of difference in the field between the 223 and 22-250. I’ve taken critters with both.
BUT… I’ll vote for the ‘250 today.

I had about the same but mine was a heavy barreled 22-250 Savage.. It was a wicked deer killer and truth be told, I think it laid deer down a bit better than my "big gun" which at the time was a 7 Rem Mag with 140 PT's over 82 grains of H870. No idea on speed, but the 250 just laid them in a heap 99 times out of 100. The other 1 just ran a few yards.

A good 22-250 with the 62 TTSX is a giant killer in my book. Same for the 223 with the 77 TMK.


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