Advice on first .22-250 purchase...

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2dswamp

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I've got the itch for a .22-250. Haven't done any research yet, thought I start with my fellow THR attandees.

Any recommendations on what's out there?

Criteria:

Use: Hunting coyotes and long distance plinking/practice.

Cost: I subscribe to you get what you pay for, but I'm not inclined to go the custom route either. So who is making a good rifle in this caliber that won't break the bank?

Appreciate the forthcoming advice!
 
if you can find one...Remington 788 in 22-250

I had one for a couple months, it was awesome but i sold it for tuition

it was quite accurate and from what i understand, it had/has one of the fastest lock times of any production gun
 
For a "fixed position" rifle it's hard to beat the heavy barrel 700 Remingtons.
I use a Kimber 84M Varmint for still hunting.
 
I have an old Remington 700 that will shoot under a half inch at 100 yards all day long with handloads. For hunting coyotes, you will want something light, and don't need a heavy barrel since you wont be shooting a sting or rounds. For plinking and shooting prairie dogs, you will want a heavy barrel rifle that will stay cooler. If you don't plan on doing a lot of walking while coyote hunting, I would get a heavy barrel rifle.
 
Maybe a T3 Varmint. Tikka carries it in .223 and 22-50 and .243. If you shop around you can find one for $650-750 range.
 
Appreciate the feedback. I won't be doing a great deal of walking...I'm in the southern most tip of VA and northern most tip of NC hunting yote's on bean and corn farms (not like you lucky fellas in the mid-west).

Heavy barrel sounds appealing though I won't be doing a great deal of shooting when I do go out to plink/practice.

I'm also not a reloader....
 
iv got a savage 11 BTH with a Schmidt & Bender 8x56 which works very well in low light conditions and a wildcat predator 8 can on the end of it very very good foxing rifle and as reliable as anything if you dont like that il recamend a tikka T3
 
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No 700's for me...

...due to two of them discharging when disengaging the safetys, and no I did not have my finger in or on the trigger!
 
I am a fan of the Savage 11 with the Accustock. For the price you get a proven action, a barrel known to shoot anywhere from good to amazing, a solid stock (thank the lord they improved that tupperware junk), and the accutrigger. I'm not sold on the accutrigger for every type of shooting, but in a hunting rifle I think it is a very very good option. All of this at a decent price.

For a budget rifle I think Savage has one of if not the best design, though with Marlin duplicating many of these features it is coming in at a close second. The accutrigger is crisp, light and safe. The floating bolt head allows for less expensive manufacturing to get solid lug contact. The barrel design with the external barrel nut allows for inexpensive and simple headspacing, both at the factory and at home. The new accustock rounds things out giving a very solid, yet still fairly inexpensive stock option.

These features may not make the absolute best rifle possible, but in my opinion, they make the best rifle built to the price point they fit. They also lead to easy home gunsmithing with things like barrel swapping and such. Again there are better designs out there, just not many that can compete when built to the price the Savage is sold.
 
See if you can find a good deal on a lightly used Ruger #1. The 22-250 makes good use of a 26" barrel and for a half-stock its still very accurate.

TB
 
Another recommendation for the Tikka T3, although I don't really like the stock. If you can find a gently used (they are no longer made) Tikka 595, you are in luck. I've got one with the target stock (very close to a Sako TRG stock in walnut), glass bedded, which will shoot .25 MOA with handloads if I'm up to it. Unreal great rifle.
 
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Low budget,Stevens200 with a low end Leupold, mid budget Weatherby Vanguard or mid price Savage, Remington, with Bushnell Elite 3200 or 4200 scope, after that if you got the cash spend it, its only money (if you got it, and your old lady dont beat you with the rifle butt) thereis all kinds of rifles some thread readers will talk you into.:evil:
 
My .22-250 was a M700V and I really didn't care for it too much. My .223 and 6mm Rem in M700Vs were far more accurate. However, most M700 heavy barrel rifles are quite accurate. My .223 is so pin-point accurate that I don't even bother hand loading yet. Once I have a few hundred pieces of brass I can start working up loads. Sorry, I keep drifting. I would get a Remington 700 Varmint of one model or another. That is no slam on Winchesters, Rugers, Savages, etc. Simply stated, Remington 700Vs usually is a good rifles.

Geno
 
12bvss.png
Savage 12BVSS I am in love with mine. http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/models/
 
If you buy used, make sure to first check the throat & bore with a borescope. This is one caliber that can quickly torch a throat, even with a very low round count on a very new looking rifle.

edit: apparently, so can the .243/6mm
 
Ditto on the remington model 788, if I ever run across one in good condition I'll try to snatch it up. Meanwhile take a look at the Howa rifles, they are extremely accurate and much lower priced though you probably will only be able to get it in 22 inch barrel.
 
I saw one mention of the Stevens 200. I'm considering buying a used one from someone.

So far my limited search tells it's an excellent "basic" rifle for the money.

Any owners out there wanna comment?
 
I was in this same boat several years ago. I was a bit disappointed with the 22-250, only because it's not THAT much more powerful than a 223, but by getting a fast twist barrel, a 223 could use the 69 grain Sierras. I do not think a 14 twist 22-250 will shoot that very well at all. And for long range, you gotta have that heavier bullet. So maybe look around for a twist rate in the 10-12 range for use with the 60 to 70 grain pills? I don't know if anyone makes a factory rifle with that 10 twist, but maybe a 12 would work. You MIGHT be happier with a 7 twist 223 and a long barrel to shoot anything made in that bullet diameter... 2cents
 
Given my experience in the last few years with Savage bolt action centerfires, I highly recommend you give them a good look - especially the varmint models (heavy barrel and lighter trigger). Savage rifles are typically very accurate out of the box at a very reasonable price, and there is good aftermarket support if you're inclined to upgrade down the road.

The Tikka models are also very good, I'm not crazy about their stocks but they shoot just as well IMO.
 
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