204 or 22-250

[mrburtreynoldsou]

I'm looking to get a varmint rifle in one of these. I'm leaning more towards the 204 because I've heard they cause less pelt damage. Plus I think it would be cool to shoot a laser, which I hear them to be. What are your thoughts?

 

[42769vette]

22-250. It will shoot near as flat as the 204 with less wind deflection.

 

[10mmfan]

22-250 gets my vote just based on availability of new ammo as well as reloading components like brass and bullets.

 

[crazyj789]

+1 on the 22-250. It is quite the varmint laser and a lot of predator hunters use it including myself. Either choice is great tho

 

[Fourtrax]

I like the 22-250 over the 204. It's just doing more and as stated, it's gonna be flatter.

But, I'm wondering why not step up to the 220 swift? I know it never gained the popularity of the 250, but ballistically, I think it's a better round than both mentioned, IMHO.

edited to say, .......after looking, it hard to say definitively that the 220swift is better than the 22-250 ballistically. The numbers are so close, it's possibly a wash.

 

[Nevernoluck2]

As I've had a 22-250 and can't argue with its capabilities I'm on a 204 kick myself

 

[USMC-Johnson]

204 and 220 swift is pretty easy to find...22-250 is pretty sparse

 

[Mgderf]

I have a .204 Howa 1500, and I like it a lot, but I've never shot a .22-250.
I had no idea the .204 shot as far or flat as it apparently does.

I knew it was fast at > 4000fps.

I bought mine on a whim and have yet to really stretch it out. Ammo is a little spendy so I don't play with it much.

One thing I can tell you.

The .204 Ruger round is LOUD!

 

[mrburtreynoldsou]

I have a .204 Howa 1500, and I like it a lot, but I've never shot a .22-250.
I had no idea the .204 shot as far or flat as it apparently does.

I knew it was fast at > 4000fps.

I bought mine on a whim and have yet to really stretch it out. Ammo is a little spendy so I don't play with it much.

One thing I can tell you.

The .204 Ruger round is LOUD!

The Howa 1500 is the .204 I was looking at.

 

[Mgderf]

The Howa 1500 is the .204 I was looking at.

Mine is really nice for a stock rifle.

It wears a Houge over-molded stock that you almost can't drop. It feels like it sticks in your hands.
It also has a Weatherby action from what I'm told.

 

[traderdan]

How many rounds do you get out of a barrel on these ultra fast rifles? Seems like 220 swift used to burn them up pretty fast...And did I understand someone to say that it was easier to find 220 Swift that 22-250??

 

[BoilerWes]

I have both a 204 and 22-250. They are both excellent varmint rounds. If you are going to be consistently taking shots greater than 400 yards I would probably lean towards the 250. You can shoot a little heavier lead and don't have to take quite as much consideration for the wind. The 204 is pretty slick in that the recoil is next to nothing.

I like CZ's and Savages out of the box. I picked up a Weatherby Vanguard (which is basically a Howa) SMOA in 204 and after a Timney Trigger install has become my go to yote rifle.

 

[bstewrat3]

Between the 204 and 22-250 I would go with the 22-250, but I have always been a 220 Swift guy. In factory loads the 22-250 and 220 Swift are close, but when you start handloading, the 220 Swift will match the 204 in velocity with bullets almost double the weight.

 

[DRob]

Hey, OP. Do you reload? If so, compare powder charges. If you don't, compare the cost of factory ammo. We shoot a lot of .204 in both a Savage and a CZ. They are both very accurate. I reload it and there are several bullet options. We shoot mostly 32 & 40 VMax and 39 BK. I suspect if .204 factory ammo is hard to find, it's due to popularity.

 

[jburris]

I would go with the 22-250. I have one of the stevens model 200's. love this gun. its a laser out to about 350 or so. mine has a 1:12 twist and will shoot up to 70gr bullets. it really likes 63gr. and also likes 50gr on the lighter side.

 

[AtTheMurph]

I just went through the same debate and ended up choosing a CZ in .204. Couldn't be happier. I know I will never be shooting anything over 400yds and with the .204 I basically just put the crosshairs dead on and squeeze the trigger. Sucker is lightning fast, flatter than a pancake and I don't have to worry as much about deflection/ricochet of the bullet. No recoil just a loud pop (but not louder than my buddies 250). Ammo is a little cheaper (I don't reload) but not a big difference.

either caliber would be great. 250 a little more versatile on other game if you want but for IN the 204 was my choice.

 

[Sgt7330]

My varmint gun is a 204 Ruger M77. Caliber didn't matter as much to me as the M77 model. It matches my other 300 Win Mag M77. Either 22-250 or 204 will make you happy.

 

[flashpuppy]

LOVE my .204! Realistically, how many 300+ yd varmint shots are you really going to be taking? Factory ammo is always around and seems to be hanging in the sub $20/box range. Reloading is pretty simple for it and brass has a long life. Long barrel life is another plus of it. Just an absolute laser. Fantastic.

EDIT: AR uppers are also becoming more popular and available. Semi-auto laser gun.

 

[ruger1800]

Have the 204 and 22-250. Would go with the 204 no recoil, quiet compared to the 250. Would go with the 22-250 with a fast twist barrel, if it's going to be your only centerfire.

 

[JettaKnight]

I have a .204 Howa 1500, and I like it a lot, but I've never shot a .22-250.
I had no idea the .204 shot as far or flat as it apparently does.

I knew it was fast at > 4000fps.

I bought mine on a whim and have yet to really stretch it out. Ammo is a little spendy so I don't play with it much.

One thing I can tell you.

The .204 Ruger round is LOUD!

YEAH!

I found the Fiocchi 50 round packs to be comparable in accuracy to the Hornady rounds. This makes it more affordable. For me, it fits that niche between rimfire and .30 cal / 6.5 mm quite nicely.

Of course, there's always talk about .22-250 being a "barrel burner" and such, but who really fires that many rounds?