barrel life 223 vs 22-250
Looking to purchase a rifle to just reload for and use at the range mostly. Just for the fun of shooting and reloading. What would the difference be in average barrel life between the two rounds? Would not be loading to max loads. Also, would the 223 be a little cheaper to reload for?
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The 22/250 might be slightly faster under MAX loading. HOWEVER I would go with the 223 Yes you can have fun reloading but believe it or not it may actually be cheaper to shoot available 223 for plinking and this will also give you brass to reload. 0 -
Like previous advice goes, I would say go with the 223 Remington.
On that advice I will also add, one must be careful not to shoot the 5.56 NATO rounds in the 223 chamber. One can shoot 223 rounds in the 5.56 NATO chamber, but not the reverse.
I am not sure if any bolt gun manufacturers make the bolt gun in the 5.56 chamber or the 223 Wylde chamber(you can shoot either 5.56 or 223 in the Wylde chamber), but it is worthwhile to look. Some 5.56 ammo might be OK in the 223 chamber, while the heavier loads will not, so it is best to avoid the 5.56 in a 223 all together.
Best0 -
.223 will use less powder than 22-250 therefore it will cost less to reload for. Will the difference be enough to rule out the 22-250? Most likely not. However, the 22-250 is neck and neck for performance with the .223 only edging it out at the top of the load spectrum with more velocity. This translates to a slightly longer effective distance for the cartridge. Accuracy vs accuracy depends more on the rifle and the loader than on the caliber itself.
If you're planning to keep it under 300 yards, I'd say go with the .223 to save money on powder, deal with less recoil, and not give up anything worth noting in ballistic performance. If you really want to stretch it out, Then you may wanna take a good look at the 22-250.
If you're not loading to max loads, I would guess barrel life would be pretty close between the two calibers. I can't say for sure though because I have yet to wear out my .223, my brothers 22-250, or my dads 22-250 that's been around since the 70's...0 -
If you go with a 22 BR, a 6 BR case necked down to 22 cal you can use Lapua brass, get over 4,000 FPS if you need it with light bullets or shoot 52-53 grain FB bullets into little-bitty holes all day long.
It is a reloaders ONLY cartridge that has limitless potential for fun.0 -
I absolutely LOVE the .22-250 round. Quite a bit more velocity and energy then a .223 actually. Over 4,000 fps with small pills if you so desire, or 3,500 fps for something heavier for good deer medicine. I actually load 45 grain Barnes TSX's at around 3,700 fps for deer and hog, but a lot of people like the 60-70 grain pills. You can hurl them quite a bit faster, but that is where my Tikka .22-250 likes them.
That being said, the .223 is a very affordable round to shoot and it sounds like it may be more suited for what you desire.
Jon0 -
The problem to me is the set-up of most 22-250's. They're never twisted tight enough to handle as heavy of bullets as the .223's. A 1-9" twist will stabilize 75/77 gr. match bullets when pushed hard. Pushed lightly they won't stabilize so well. A 1-8" stabilizes them down to relatively slow speeds. A 1-7" twist will stabilize up to 90 gr. bullets.
I can't think of any manufacturers of .22-250's that give a stock, accurate 1-8" or 1-9" twist in their barrels. So it pretty much concludes that shooting past 500 yds. is going to be a crapshoot, even though they leave the barrel at quite a bit faster than the .223.
Also, what everybody says about the .223 is correct. It depends on the kind of accuracy you want. In an AR, no question I would go with the 5.56. But, in a bolt gun for best accuracy, I would stick with the slightly slower .223. That is for precision accuracy though. We're talking 1/2 -1 MOA difference in the chambers. So, if being under those is not critical to your shooting, then go with the 5.56 chamber if you can find one.0 -
Go with the .223. Less expensive,cheaper brass,a wider range of off the shelf ammo, and you can usually find an accurate load from the bench. Bbl.life?- keep it cool and keep it clean. Have fun. 0 -
Either way, .223 or Varminter, a new barrel will be a pretty small percentage of the total you'll spend on lead, primers, powder, etc. to wear out the original. Sounds like either will suit your purpose. If you like small neat actions, you might look into a small action Sako. Otherwise the 22-250 is about as versatile a .22 as you'll find. 0
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