lookin for something smaller than my 243 Win. so which would you get ? A 204 Ruger or 22-250 ? Will be use for groundhogs

depends what for....

I have both and like both of them. But if I could only have one varmint cartridge it would be the 22/250. I just think it's a more versatile all around cartridge. It can be loaded up or down to match about any other varmint cartridge and in a pinch can be used for deer and antelope.

Dad has the .22-250. I have the .204 rifle. We're both happy, and truthfully I don't see much difference afield or at the range.

I went with the .204 because it was new and different. Never had a .20 before the advent of the .204 Ruger. It's been interesting, and a lot of fun. Is it better or worse than the .22-250? Beats me.

A specialized fast-twist .22-250 is a different critter when it comes to long range shooting, but the average .22-250 vs .204 in the varmint fields? Not much difference in my opinion. The .204 has less recoil & muzzle blast and goes through less powder. Both of them vaporize small varmints and handle stuff the size of rockchucks just fine.

FWIW, Guy

Have never owned a .204..my shooting pal likes his for p. dogs, but not for coyotes...have used the .22-250 since its wildcat days...I would say the wide range of bullets for it even with a 1-14 twist gives it an advantage...I shot everything in mine from 30 grain Bergers to 70 grain Speers..as someone pointed out in a pinch with 60 grain Noslers it will take deer or antelope..If I were owning just one, with the cost of componets, etc. It would be the .22=250....

Yes...

Do you reload? If not, I'd go with the 22-250. Ammo will probably be more available than the .204 depending upon your area. .204 Ruger ammo around these parts is just about non-existent. I have both calibers and reload for both. You will have a wider selection of bullets with the .22-250 compared to the .204, but the .204 will be cheaper to reload for. I've shot a few groundhogs/woodchucks with both calibers and they were equally as dead! Good luck!

I just read an article in Guns and Ammo comparing these two calibers.

The thing that stood out the most to me is that the .204 has HALF the felt recoil of the .22-250. Other than that he said they're a wash and you should own one of each. lol

I've got a CZ 527 in .204 and like it, but don't love it.

HALF the recoil for me would be a good thing on a day in a pd town where I was running 600 rounds or so but for a groundhog gun it's not an issue far as I'm concerned.

Dober

All good advice, especially if you don't reload, but since you have the long range heavy covered with the 243, it would be pleasant to shoot the 204 with less kick and less noise. If you reload then the 204 is going to let you shoot more for the same price.

For ground hog shooting it would depend on the distances you hunt.

IMO the 204 Ruger compares to the 223 in killing ability for ground hogs. The 22-250 is a good full step above both the 204 and 223 for killing efficacy on groundhogs.

Normaly I limit my shooting with the 223 and the 204 to about 300 maybe 350 yards with those two cartridges. I believe the 22-250 to be extremely effective to the 500-600 yard range for ground hogs. And that range can be stretched if you go with a 1in8 and shoot the 75 grain pills in the 22-250 fast twist.

So do you shoot over 300 yards?? If so then I would go 22-250. If you keep your shooting at 300(or 350 max) or less then the 204 will serve you well. Tom.

Ts300wsm: Some folks sell the 204 Ruger short!
Take HOGGHEAD for example - I simply refer him and you to page 105 of the Remington 2,011 Product Catalog.
The 204 Ruger offerings by Remington both shoot flatter than ALL their 22-250 Remington offerings - this when all bullets are sighted dead on at 200 yards and then compared for drop at 500 yards!
And in some of those comparisons the 204 is 9" to 11" flatter shooting!
Flatter trajectory means MORE hits/kills afield - its that simple.
I have killed all manner of Varmints in the 400 to 500 yard range with my 204's and I would not despair their lethality at all.
This includes Coyotes, Badgers and Rock Chucks (along with several smaller type Varmints).
There are many reasons to pick the 204 Ruger over the 22-250 for all around Varmint Hunting (including Chucks) and those reasons are not just limited to improved ballistics (flatter trajectory) and reduced recoil allowing the shooter to spot their own hits/misses.
I strongly suggest you try a 204 Ruger Rifle afield for a season and see for yourself how wonderfully well it performs.
I purchased my first 22-250 Remington Rifle in 1966 and have owned dozens of them since - in fact I currently own 9 (nine) of them. Its a fine round - but in my opinion it does not hold a candle to the wonderful and versatile 204 Ruger for all around Varminting useages, including Chuck Hunting (my first love!)!
Best of luck with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Kinda depends. If you plan to use the .243 for varmints but save it for "special shots", then I'd go with the .204. A .204 and a .243 working together cover more ground. If you're not wanting to use the .243 for varmints at all, then I'd go with the .22-250.

Tom

I don't hunt all types of varmints. I mostly hunt ground hogs. I normally do 75 or more hunting trips per year for groundhogs. Many years that number clears 100+.

The OP said he specifically wanted to shoot groundhogs. Not other types of varmints.

I have shot a vast number of ground hogs with 223's, 204's, 22-250's, 22 Hornet's, 243's, and several other cartridges.

IMO once you go past 300 or 350(max) with the 204 Ruger and the 223 Remington cartridge the round runs out of steam. That has nothing to do with trajetory. It is a simple loss of energy. If you detest crawl off's as much as I do then you won't shoot at ground hogs with the 223 and 204 at 400 or 500 yards. Those cartridges simply do not have enough steam to effectively kill large ground hogs without crawl offs.

Now if you don't care if a ground hog crawl's off and dies later then by all means shoot those two cartridges at 500 yards.

Shooting large groundhgos is not like shooting prarie dogs, or smaller critters. Large ground hogs(15# range and up) are tough critters and deserve not to be mortally wounded and crawl off and die. That is just my opinion. But it is based on the killing of thousands of ground hogs in my lifetime of hunting them(over 40 years).

It also needs to be saidthat very few guys consistently hunt and shot ground hogs at distances like 500+ yards. Especially here in the East. Longer shots are limited more and more every year.

So I am not saying the 223 or 204 is not an effective ground hog cartridge. Especially since the vast majority of the shooting will be in the 100-300 yard range. No doubt about that. But if you are wanting to specialize in the 500 yard+ area of shooting then please use a cartridge of enough power. Heck most long range ground hog hunters I know--when they hunt in the 500 yard+ range hunt with 6mm cartridges. Larger than 22 caliber-not smaller.

And one last note. I have killed more ground hogs with a 22 Hornet than any other cartridge. With shots being 150 yards or less. Tom.

This is an easy one: since you already have a .243, go for the .204. I have a 22.-250 and 204s for groundhogs and have been thinking of selling the '250 for a .243 or 6mm. The sweet thing about the .204 is being able to see your hits through the scope. Also, the .204's a bit quieter than the .22-250, if that's an issue in areas where you hunt.

IMO there is no reason to have both a .243 and .22-250. Go .204.

But if it were me.......... I'd be looking at some of the .17's.

CB

220 swift. Older than both and still the king.

(someone was gonna say it, could just as well be me)

Hogghead


Have you shot any with heavy 224 bullets, as in a 1 in 8 twist 22-250 pushing 70+ grain bullets far out? Curious if you have the same negative opinion/experience on heavy 224's

"Curious if you have the same negative opinion/experience on heavy 224's"

I'm curious to your negative experience. I'm shooting 77gr SMK's in 223's on coyotes and can't imagine anything negative.

TRW, if you are talking to me, I have no heavy bullet experience, my question to Hogghead was about his last reply...


Somehow I missed Hogg say this

"Normaly I limit my shooting with the 223 and the 204 to about 300 maybe 350 yards with those two cartridges. I believe the 22-250 to be extremely effective to the 500-600 yard range for ground hogs. And that range can be stretched if you go with a 1in8 and shoot the 75 grain pills in the 22-250 fast twist"


So, I see he already answered my question ...

I am trying to decide if my next gun will be a 22-250 1:8 twist or a 243 Ackley.

Allen

Allen

I actually built a 22-250 with a 28" Krieger with a 1in8 twist barrel to shoot the 75 grain A-Max bullets. The rifle shots like a dream. But it is too heavy to use for normal hunting. I wish I would have went with a lesser contour and a shorter barrel for the 75 grain A-Max. I have not had any negative experiences with my rifle(just too heavy). Tom.

Thanks


How much shorter/ lighter would you have gone? I was thinking ( still 243 or 22-250) with a straight tube like yours, to allow hits to be seen, curious where that magic length/ weight is appoximately. Maybe a 26" varmint taper...

Allen

24" or 26" with a varmint taper and fluted. The one I have is a full bull.

My rifle does not have a muzzle brake.

With a full bull 28" barrel you could not see the hits with the 75 grain A-Max. and a good dose of H-414. Tom.

Sorry hemiallen, I took this statement "Curious if you have the same negative opinion/experience on heavy 224's" out of context. I read it as you've had negative experince with them. Since I hunt with them I like to hear other's reasoning for or against them.

Back to your delima, I have a 243AI and a standard 22-250, when the barrel gets shot out on the 250 it will be replaced with a fast twist AI version but I won't give up my 243AI. If I had to choose one over the other, the 243AI would win.

Sorry for my confusion.

Thanks


Perplexed by the bull barrel and not seeing hits... maybe I am in need of a brake and the 243 AI...


I still haven't shot the donor 243 yet, so I have time to decide.


Thanks again for the information... and no Problem TWR, I am usually the person to misread posts, it's easy to do.

I do have the gun I bought the day I got married, an adl 22-250, maybe I need to make it a fast twist 22-250ai after the 243.

Thanks again

Allen

I think we're all different. I've worked with pretty near every factory varmint cartridge out there at one time or another. The only two I can see hits with in factory form, sporter or varminter, are .22 hornet and .17 Fireball. Put a different person behind the same gun and the result may be different. Don't worry about what other people can or can't see. Figure out what works for YOU and go with it.

Tom

204 upside:
-Less powder
-Less recoil
-Less muzzleblast
-Better external ballistics downrange than the 22-250 (generally speaking. Ppl like to argue this but the numbers don't lie)
-Can be loaded with trailboss to mimic 5mm rimfire performance with ZERO recoil and low noise

22-250:
-meets a .223 requirement some states have, if you plan on hunting deer
-If you go up to a 1-9 or 1-8 twist shoots heavier bullets that can do things the .204 can't

I am a huge .204 fan and more often than not a pair of my .204's come with me and my 22-250 stays in the safe when I head out of the house.

--Duck911

I'd choose the 204 for groundhogs. It's always fun to see your shots!

The 204 has as much energy as the 22-250 (with no special twist bullets) at 500 yards, so the actual energy is not the issue. Maybe it's the lack of bullet weight to create shrapnel when the velocity of both starts to drop.

ill vouch for the 204 i have been shooting one since their arrival. i got tired of rebarelling my 22-250. i have a total of 4300 shots through a savage 204 and it still shoots good.my son has one in a hr pardner. he has killed several deer with his using a 45 gr. hornady soft point.they do make 50 and 55 gr. bullets.my best loadings are 25.5 gr of rl 10x hornady case fed primers 39 gr. sierr blitzkings,i have dropped coyotes at 400 plus yards.

That last fella there knows what he's talking about. I haven't shot that much in my life and I hunted coyotes and vermin a lot!

Given favorable wind conditions, a 204 is probably a great choice for colony varmints. However, we primarily hunt where 20+ mph winds are the norm. I have a buddy who has a heavy barreled 204 that is a dandy shooter, but it gets whipped by the wind after about 250 yds. A 22-250 shooting 55 or 60 gr pills is a much better choice when the wind becomes a factor. As others have said, it is a little more versatile as well. The only advantage I see with the 204 is the ability to see your hits, but I usually lay bags over my scope and have pretty good luck seeing most of my hits. BTW, I shoot 52gr A-Max out of mine and the lift factor is incredible.

I have fired both, and was trying to decide between the same two calibers for my predator rifle. The existence of wolves that can exceed 200 lbs. in Alaska made my choice for me. My predator rifle is a Ruger M77 Hawkeye all weather in 22-250. It is more accurate than I had hoped, and I haven't even had a chance to put any handloads through it yet. I'm looking forward to developing some loads when I get home.