Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints 250-3000 for predators....

Was about to get a 22-250 when I got to thinkin... (big mistake there!) that the area I would use the rifle for calling coyotes in could just as easily have a Cougar or Black Bear show up (Olympic Peninsula, WA State) so was wondering what you guys think of the parent cartridge for the task.

Thinkin I might want a little more bullet than a .22 gives me.

Who knows might even drive over to Idaho sometime and try for a Wolf!

Anyone use a 250 Savage for this sort of stuff?

I don't have one but I'd imagine it'd be about perfect. A 100gr. .257 would be bad medicine for large canines.

I've shot several coyotes while hunting big game with a 100 grain Ballistic Tip and a 100 grain TTSX out of a 250 AI. They died.

I built the same rig for the exact same reason Steevens 200, 20" no name barrel, SSS trigger, Elite 4200 1.25x4x24mm Ill. Dot w/rain guard in 250-3000. I still have a good stock of 75gr "X" bullets and back the first shot with 100gr Patitions or 117gr RN's. I'm looking seriously at 80gr TTSX for it also.

I'll be odd man out, and say that I don't think you'd be undergunned with the 22-250, for the critters you'd encounter......

huntsman I don't know if you've ever been to the Olympic penninsula but some places get 144" of rain a year amd most places on the west side 70+. Hunting here you can easily have a bear, coyote or cougar at twnty pace befor you even see them. Othe places you can be in clearcuts or drainages that you can see a ways. hunting clearcuts you can see a quarter mile in front of your and 10' behind you. Calling out there I've had a coyote jump up on a log and sit next to me and look out into the same clearing I was watching and never saw hhis aproach until I hear his feet scrape the bark.

I seriously think a Drilling with two barrels of buckshot and a rifle barrel under would be perfect.

What? critters don't die up close, like they do out farther?

No they don't, how many coyotes have you shot and have them run 20 or 30 feet befor the expire with your 22-250, now add 2-300 lbs and they are 20 feet away

That's a problem, how?

As best my experience has been a Savage 99 in either should work admirably. I like a 250-3000 better just cause...Never ever had a need, real or imagined, for anything other than a cup & core bullet, 85 grs.
Cheers

Almost bought an FN Mauser w/bull barrel in .250-3000 several
years ago but didnt do it. Would have made a dandy woodchuck gun.

Thanks for the viewpoints fellas!

@ Huntsman22- I agree that the 22-250 is up to the task with the right bullets but the State of Washington disagrees... For Cougars a 22 centerfire is ok but for Black Bear (or even deer for that matter) WDFW says minimum of 24 caliber... It's the law and has been for decades If I remember correctly... It is what it is! So .24 or over it will be... Might want to shoot a deer with it ya know!

@ Erich- I fully know the lay of the land here and agree with your observations about hunting predators up close and personal in our rain forest! BTDT.

Rainshadow who posts on here sometimes and is big on calling the big cats in our area uses a .243 I believe... Likes it better than the .22's or smaller for the same reason IIRC.

@ Erich- How does the Elite 4200 1.25X4 magnification work out for you? I was thinking about a Weaver K6 but I have a Bushnell Trophy XLT 1.75X4 24mm With #4 reticle and Ill. Dot sitting on the shelf here and was thinking about using that maybe... Ya think 4X is enough on the high end?

I've taken coyotes with a couple Savage 1899s in .250-3000. Killed my share with a .22-250 when I was younger as well. I'd have to say the .22-250 is probably the most popular choice for coyotes around here, with good reason, but the .250-3000 gives up very little. I've taken both mule deer and antelope with the .250-3000 and it should be ample for bear and lion as well given good shot placement. Maybe load a light bullet for coyotes and a heavy one for big game. Get them to shoot reasonably close together at 100 to 200 yards then carry a few of the heavy loads while coyote hunting to use if you run into a bear. I do the same with a .223 when coyote hunting. I carry a few 63 grain soft points that shoot to the same point at a 100 that my 50 grain Ballistic Tips do in case a wolf happens to wonder by.

You asked about scopes, on my .222s and .223s I like 3x9. I find it hard to believe but I haven't owned a .22-250 for the last 6 or 8 years. Even so, I'd use a 3x9 on one if I did. Tried a 4x12 once and hated it, way over kill for calling. In my .250-3000s I use metallic peep sights. Over the years I've shot by far more coyotes with variable scoped rifles set at 4x than any other power. I hunt wide open country but kill most of them at around 100 to 150 yards.

I'd run a 22/250, assuming it was twisted fast.

I ran a 223AI for many years are my primary go to gun in Alaska, we didn't have no stinking yotes, just wolves. Thinking we had a few bears and a year of 144 inches of rain would have be a drought.

I'm confused, are you looking for a predator rifle or a rifle to hunt bear with also?

Seems you were concerned with something bigger showing up, and I'd not be overly worried about caliber restrictions when defending my life, if needed.

I have a Rem Model 7 custom shop rifle in 250 Sav. I load it with 87gr SP or 90gr HP bullets for Coyotes. It's very light so make's for easy walking to stands. I like it.

I would suggest, depending on the distance you expect the shots to be for the Coyote, a 22-250 with the right bullet would work for both, a solid bullet or partition for a Mountain lion or bear if the shot placement on the bear were a ear shot.


I don't think moving up to a 250 savage is much gain for the bear situation, I would pack a sidearm in 44 magnum for the possibility of finishing off a bear, and protection of bears you may not even shoot at.

Allen

We have all seasons running concurent and no draw for tags.

The Elite works perfect for that country. I've hunted coyotes in MT, UT, AZ, and NM this year and my gt to scope even in open country is the 1.5x6x40mm and have them on my 22-204 and 6mm-204 and 25-204. My combo gun that I use allot usually has a 1x4x20mm VX-II but this year I'm trying a 1x3x20mm Weaver and have had no trouble ringing a MS ram at 300yrds.

This coyote was taken a 150 paces in NM. pic in a min

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/Browndaug/AzandNM2013014_zpsf8eab297.jpg[/img]

The idea started off as a coyote gun but as "erich" pointed out our seasons for cougar, bear and even deer overlap and coyotes are not considered game animals so 24/7/365 for them.

I don't own anything under .30 cal so wanted something smaller and was looking at 222 Rem and 22-250 initially... State of Washington requires .24 Cal or larger for bear and even deer so a dual purpose cartridge makes more sense here.

I'm not "concerned" about larger predators showing up. I just don't want to miss out on a chance at bear or deer if this gun is in hand when one shows up! I want to be legal...

A .243 was my first thought but I've shot the 250-3000 since I was a kid , Gramps had an Savage 1899 takedown he bought in 1918 in 250 that my older brother has now, so I have shot it all my life and have a soft spot for the cartridge, but have never owned one.

So it seems like a good alternative to the 6mm's to me. Same basic trajectory etc. as the 223 but hits harder and is pleasant to shoot!

Thanks for the optics info. Might have to try the 1.75X4 I have to start out with.

Although I don't specifically varmint hunt with my .250-3000, it has done the job nicely when asked.