Walking Varmiter

Originally Posted by new_camper @Brian

How come you would choose a .204 over a .22-250? I have no experience with either, just wondering.

The .204 is a little quieter, has a little less recoil and (on average) slightly flatter shooting with most factory ammo offerings.

I don't agree that you need a long barrel to get the most out of a 22-250, unless you're really picky and worry about 25 or 50 fps at 4000+ fps. At those speeds, a couple inches of barrel gains you almost nothing.

However, if you handload (and you really should be), virtually no other cartridge can shoot any bullet as flat out to 500 yards as a 22-250 loaded with 35gr bullets at over 4,400fps.

As far as "burning barrel", the 22-250 will be somewhat worse but the .204 is also "over bore" and is not exactly barrel friendly. If you're going to shoot a lot, as in excess of maybe 3,000 rounds in 5 or 6 years, its possibly a concern. Otherwise it's no factor, IMO, as the cost of an excellent barrel is $400 or so. If your original barrel lasts 5 years, that's a cost of $6.66 a month.

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