Yes after 3 years with the 223 and over 500 foxes, iv'e got to agree with this, there all flatter shooting than the 223, then the question would be which one, i know most 204 owners swear by them, but for me there would be the doubt of long range knock down power, my thinking at the moment would be 22-250.
Dave (warbucks)
Theoben Rapid MK1 177
AA S410 22
Bushnall Scout Range Finder
Hawk 3 x 9 x 40 m.a.p scopes
Deben mini pro lamping system
If you think you need a 22.250 go for it but i can assure you if you don't hit them in the right spot it won't matter what calibre you use. I have shot plenty of foxes over 300yds and they have dropped on the spot, i have also had one or two leg it up to 50yds when i have hit them too far back.
True, but you were closer to the target!
Work them hard, treat them like heros.
Don't bother with the .204 as its only flatter with lighter bullets which don't have the knock down power, go for the 22-250 as you can get that up too near the same speeds with a 50 gr which will still have the knock down power you need however after a few runners I'm looking to up the weight to ensure a clean drop on the spot but at the cost of 100-200 fps however it will still be flatter and faster than anything else
Don't bother with the 53gr V-max in your 22-250 as I've just dropped a bollock trying the same, bought my new toy a Sako 85 finnlight early last year in 22-250 and never looked back however the barrel is 1 in 14 twist as standard and too slow for the longer bodied 53gr! it doesn't tell you anywhere online but it is in the manual, I didn't check so now have about 400 of the things that won't stabilise!!
So if anybody wants to buy them drop me a pm as they are already sorted by weight into a few groups, less than 53.1 gr, 53.1 gr, 53.2 gr 53.3 gr and over 53.3 gr, the majority of them are sat within the three middle group weights Hornady bullet number is #22265
.220 Swift, anyone?
tac
Never had a 220 swift but used a 22-250 till the barrel died, at the 300 yard ish ranges wind becomes the problem and a fast heavy bullet is the way to go plus the bonus of a little more knock down. I used 55g blitz kings with a good success rate. Now playing with a 223 1in7 twist barrel and 80g Bergers.
but the quality and real world results in MUCH better
just google for the amount of people with issues with 53gr
I ran 52s in the .222 and shot them out to 400yds without issue
certainly enough accuracy and energy to knock a fox over at 300+
they are foxes not wild boar
an extra 2-300fps is not going to save a crap wind call on a moonless night with the rain coming down your neck
Theres not a huge difference in terms of trajectory, between .223 40grvmax , .243 58gr max and .22-250 40gr vmax.
.243 is slightly flatter using 58gr vmax to 400yds than the .22-250 with 40gr vmax, half inch difference. The .223 is virtually the same out to 300yds using 40gr max, then at 400 drops 3" more in comparison to the others. As a rough example.
Personally I would go for the .243 its has equal laser like shooting to a .22-250 and is deer legal for all species in the UK.
I used a .243 for a long time and was tempted by a .223 for foxing with night vision, so i can see the animal drop in the sight due to the softer recoil of the .223.
If using fast bullets the difference is next to nothing out to 300yds, same goes as a comparison with .204 and .223 if using light 40gr heads..its a nats nob difference..