Which would you guys say was the better all around caliber...the .243 or the 22-250? I'm talkin varmints, deer, long range paper punching? I know most would say the .243 was better for deer but I was looking at some ballistics tables (yes I'm a nerd) and found that the 22-250 has almost as much energy as the .243 with many bullet types. Also which has the heavier recoil in your opinions? I would love to hear ALL of your takes on this one. Thanks

with deer in ther 243
hands down

I think this ones a personal opinion, Ive seen my dad take numerous deer with his .22-250 and they were all 1 shot kills, but my dad is all about precision, and Ive also seen my buddy take a few cleanly with his .243...

Personally I usually go with the idea of using enough gun, and I think for deer the minimum Id go is .243 if I had to choose between the two.

Either one would require precise shot placement in my opinion. The retained energy shown on a chart is based on a mathematical formula and this doesn’t take the bullets construction into consideration. 22 and 6mm (243) bullets are typically fragile in construction and even bonded or partition bullets in these calibers are light weight and do not carry the momentum of heavier bullets to penetrate through and give a reliable exit on chest shots. If you are will to accept this and restrict yourself to head or neck shots any deer you take will not know the difference anyway. You should also check your local game laws as to the legal issues of hunting with these calibers. Personally I would go with the 22-250.

243

.243 for me, by a long shot, and i wouldn't feel the least big undergunned on whitetail, 200yrds n less especially.
for a "varmint outfit", i'd choose the .223, or just use lighter bullets in the .243 barrel.

Something else to consider is what the manufactures have designed the bullets to be used for. 99.99999 of the bullets for the 22 are designed for varmints, EG, bullet expansion. The heavier partition bullets, 55gr +, are still going to be marginal at best for deer. Yes I have shot a deer with my 22-250, but there was nothing left of the doe’s head after the 25 yard shot from my bow stand. The other thing to consider is that I have not had very good luck with “My” 22-250 at the higher velocities. I have a nice article that goes into handloading for the 22-250 for deer quite extensively. The author basically states that by the time you buy a fast twist barrel and spend all the time on the rounds, you would be better off just shooting a bigger caliber. I think the 308 case based cartridge is a fine choice in a handgun. But the 22-250 loses 400fps+ in the pistol. In a handgun, the 223 will shoot up with the 22-250!! This is just my .02 cents. Here are some other options. All data listed is for handguns.

*New Info*
Rifle Data
22-250 75 grain 3000-3100


243 80 grain 2900+

708 100 grain 2900+
708 120 grain 2700+

308 110 grain 2900+
308 125 grain 2850+/-

If I was looking again, I would look at the 708 or 308. The 308 also has a lot of advantages for the non handloader!!! That is a large variable to consider.

Take it for what it is worth.

.243 with the right bullet IMO.

Hi there Hunlee here!!!Sometime Hunlee get confussed but Hunlee know one thing for sure!!!!22-250 and 243 kill deer dead but befour going to the field with 22-250 one should check hunting regulation in yur home state!!!!Some state say no to 22 caliber for large game hunting,,,,,Ifin yur home state say yes to 22 calliber than kill deer with you 22-250......Hunlee suggest youin get good quality bullit like Nosler partition for large game killing over varmut style bullit<<<<------>>>>

hunlee

Thanks for all the responses! I actually do my deer shooting with a .270 but didn't want to mention that because this way everyone's reply was an emotional response rather than just an opinion. However im going to pick up one of the two for a smaller target gun than the .270, and also plan to sometimes take it on trips for a backup and wanted to know which would be best. I think im going to go with the 22-250 and reload some heavier soft nose bullets for the situation in which I might use it to take a deer. Keep the comments coming, this is an interesting discussion.

Don't want to start any debate, but I'm not a fan of either for use on whitetail. When instructing young-to-be -hunters, I am often asked my opinion of a caliber for the young hunter for deer and my answer is nothing lighter than the .25; such as the Roberts. I believe in the heaviest within the recoil limits. Just my opinion. Of the two it would have to be the 243. Both are great varmint cartridges and the .25 is as well.

Rupe/PA

The .243 is plenty for deer with 100 gr. bullets. My dad and uncle used them exclusively for hundreds and hundreds of deer and so did I until I took up handgun hunting. I've killed a couple at around 500 yards and I've seen my uncle kill them at unbelievable range, although he was using a 6mm/284 which has just a little more giddy up than a .243 Win. Any shot into the heart/lung area will take them down with a good bullet. We always used the Sierra 100 gr. spitzer sp.

That was also in a rifle...so it had WAY more giddy up than the .243 in a handgun configuration.

I'm with Rupe/PA on this matter...I like .257" and larger. I've used the .243 w/ 75gr varmint bullets for crop damage deer hunting with devistating terminal results...and at ranges close to 400yds. But this is basically a controlled environment, shooting from a bench rest and all the time in the world to take the shot...most of which is not afforded to you in a fall hunting set up.

But since you limited it to the 22-250 and .243...with deer in the mix...definately the .243 with at least a 80gr bullet.

You also mntioned LR paper punching...the 22-250 will have a twist not conducive to shooting any kind of decent BC over the counter LR bullet. There are some custom bullets in the 63gr range that will work but they will be pricey. So the 60gr V-Max will be about as heavy as you can go. The .243 will easily handle the heavier 100gr offerings...and you even be lucky enough to get it to handle the 107gr bullets. Those are about the best for LR shooting that a factory gun will handle.

If you are a chart nerd...like me...the 22-250 may look flatter but drop is easy to dial in for. It's the drift that will kill'ya. The .243 bullets will beat the .224's all the time in standard weight offerings.

I thought about using the 105’s in my 243. Before TC was bought out and I still had friends up there, the tech told me that the 243 might not handle that weight bullet. I would recommend going to a gun show and just buying a few of them to try them out so you are not wasting your money.

Even though they maybe similar on paper with energy, the KO factor is still going to be different.

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/rescources/calculators/php/taylor.htm

That is something I didn’t learn until I got to this sight!

To date, the longest kill with my center-grip 6-284 XP has been 350 yards. I wouldn't hesitate to use it out to 500 or so.
My MV with a 115 grain bullet is 2725 fps.
All whitetails out to 350 have been 1-shot kills.

XPHUNTER-I've seen some of your pics. You might be a smidgen above the average handgunner. Who can even see a PD at 1000+ yards, much less hit one? I couldn't pop one that far with a laser guided missle.

I would certainly take the 243 over the 22-250 for versatility in the std. twist barrels due to the wide variety of varmint and controlled expansion bullets available for it. Besides that the Hornady 87 V-Max is the highest BC pure varmint bullet made and should work well for longer intermediate ranges.

Crew Dawg,
Shooting at 1K is not as impossible as it may seem.
I think you would be surprised what you could do, just given the opportunity and maybe some coaching.

Regardless, that is some talent. I am pretty proud of my own ability. I haven't missed a game shot since i was 11. That buck blew my mind. I could see him through the scope but, i couldn't tell you where the cross hairs pointed. Not much opertunity for that range around here. You have to bulldoze trees just to get 200yds in some places. Didn't you put a big hurt on some guys at a tacticle shoot a little back? Any way, back on track. I would go with the 243 simply because you can go with a heavier weight bullet if needed.

Yes, I shot at a tactical style match about a month ago. I didn't embarrass myself, but the next time I do it I expect to do better.
The cartridge I will use next time will be the 6x47 Lapua (6.5x47 Lapua necked down to 6mm). Shots range from 300 yards to 800 yards with a 4 second per 100 yards allowed per target with an average of 8 targets per stage. There is also a 1 minute per stage added for set-up.
The cartridge mentioned has less capacity than a 243 Win.