Local Bass Pro Shop has Savage 12FV rifles in these calibers for $419. I think that is a good price. Will use this rifle for bench shooting mostly. However, the 22-250 and 204 can be used in MD for deer hunting if I ever decide to go. Should I stick with the 223 to save ammo $$ or go with one of the zippier calibers?

Thanks for your opinions...

I have no experience with the .204.

That said I have rifles chambered in both the 5.56 and .22-250.

The .22-250 has the scope set for 2" high at 100yds, and will be two inches low at 400.   I have shot rock chucks at  400yds with almost boring regularity.   If you are using this for hunting, the .22-250 will be more versatile, IMHO.   It is easy to load 55gr loads at 3600-3700fps, with out getting too hot.   Even 3800fps is very easy to accomplish with the .22-250.   If you drop bullet weights down to the 45gr bullets, 4000fps is close.   The 300+fps difference from the 5.56 will make for considerable bullet drop advantage.

Some will say that the .22-250 will wear out the barrel sooner, but I think as long as you aren't shooting too many rounds trying to get to 4000fps, you will be fine.   Most of the barrels that were "shot out" of .22-250s just needed a really good cleaning to remove all the copper build up in them.  

I would consider both calibers to be equal in inherent accuracy.  

If they are both bolt rifles, I would want the flatter shooting .22-250.    That's just my opinion.

i agree with the above post. i would just make sure your are a very very good shot before you hunt deer with a .223 or .22-250

Quoted: Local Bass Pro Shop has Savage 12FV rifles in these calibers for $419. I think that is a good price. Will use this rifle for bench shooting mostly. However, the 22-250 and 204 can be used in MD for deer hunting if I ever decide to go. Should I stick with the 223 to save ammo $$ or go with one of the zippier calibers? Thanks for your opinions...

you don't have a 243 or other 6mm rifle or bigger for deer hunting?   why not?  

I'd get the .20 caliber gun.  

If you do get a 22-250 check to make sure it is at the slowest a 1-12 twist.   If you do hunt deer you will want the longer bullets, such as a nosler partition.   I know it isn't really that long for fast twist, but some of the other bullets will need the faster twist.

run 40gr nosler b-tips thru my 22-250 at 4100fps with no issues what so every.  I cant be happier with the performance of this round.  rem 700vls btw

You just dont have the trajectory w/ the 223 when hunting varmint

Quoted: It is easy to load

What if one doesn't reload???????? Which caliber then????????? Seems like up to about 300-400 yards, the .223 would be sorta equal to the 22-250 on terminal performance & accuracy??????

What say you??

Quoted: Quoted: It is easy to load What if one doesn't reload???????? Which caliber then????????? Seems like up to about 300-400 yards, the .223 would be sorta equal to the 22-250 on terminal performance & accuracy?????? What say you??

No.   Accuracy, yes.

Factory loads, if memory serves me right will be right at the 3650-3800fps.   Still a consierable amount more than the .223/5.56X45.    I can't tell you how much energy either round will have at 300-400yds, but I will tell you that rock chucks show much more damage with the .22-250, using the same 55gr Nosler bullets.

The drop of the 5.56 at 300-400 yds is so much more that if you intend to do some serious shooting past 200yds with a scoped rifle, I'd go with the .22-250.

Yes, my A2 AR is very accurate out to 600yds with me behind the trigger, and only with Irons, but the fact that from point blank to 400yds, I only have to put the cross hairs on the target and pull the trigger with my .22-250, makes it so much easier to have success.  

The .22-250 is in a class above the 5.56 in performance.   300-500fps is quite of bit of speed difference, and that is assuming you are using the hotter 5.56x45, and not .223rem.

.223 is cheap
.22-250 is fast
204????   not sure

What do you want the gun for?  Hunting, plinking, .....

According to the Ammo Oracle it is unsafe to shoot 5.56mm NATO in a rifle chambered for .223 Remington. To me, that would mean the .223 chambered Savage would be no cheaper to shoot then the .22-250, so I would go with the .22-250. Just my $.02

.223 ammo not a problem. I have a LOT of Federal AE .223.

Quoted: According to the Ammo Oracle it is unsafe to shoot 5.56mm NATO in a rifle chambered for .223 Remington.

Did they say why????

I've seen lots of guys do this w/o any problems.

Quoted: Quoted: According to the Ammo Oracle it is unsafe to shoot 5.56mm NATO in a rifle chambered for .223 Remington. Did they say why???? I've seen lots of guys do this w/o any problems.

So have I, but according to the link:

Dimensionally, 5.56 and .223 ammo are identical, though military 5.56 ammo is typically loaded to higher pressures and velocities than commercial ammo and may, in guns with extremely tight "match" .223 chambers, be unsafe to fire.

The chambers for .223 and 5.56 weapons are not the same either.  Though the AR15 design provides an extremely strong action, high pressure signs on the brass and primers, extraction failures and cycling problems may be seen when firing hot 5.56 ammo in .223-chambered rifles.  Military M16s and AR15s from Colt, Bushmaster, FN, DPMS, and some others, have the M16-spec chamber and should have no trouble firing hot 5.56 ammunition.

Military M16s have slightly more headspace and have a longer throat area, compared to the SAAMI .223 chamber spec, which was originally designed for bolt-action rifles.  Commercial SAAMI-specification .223 chambers have a much shorter throat or leade and less freebore than the military chamber.  Shooting 5.56 Mil-Spec ammo in a SAAMI-specification chamber can increase pressure dramatically, up to an additional 15,000 psi or more.


SAAMI specifically warns against the use of 5.56mm ammo in .223 chambers.  The .223 SAAMI specification was originally made with bolt rifles in mind.

With keeping deer hunting in mind, the .223 and 22-250 will work if the correct bullet is used.  The .204 is a varment round and at this time I do not know of a 20 cal. bullet that is made for deer sized game.  

thought I would add:
I just looked at my reloading data for the .22-250.   An interesting note about the cartridge, and a pretty well known powder is that:

Per Sierra:

38.0gr of H380 with a 55gr bullet =@3800fps
H380 was developed for the .22-250 cartridge.  There are powders that are better suited today, but I thought that was interesting.  I have duplicated that data out of my 26" Rem700 classic in .22-250

The most velocity that  I have gotten out of my 20" A2 in 5.56X45 is:
Ball M1A3-55gr= 3250fps

Neither load was the most accurate out of either rifle.

i have used  5.56 ammo in a .223 chamber with no problems

No stress obtaining factory 223 of any flavor, just about anywhere. This is a good reason for someone shooting factory loads to go with the 223. I love mine[700 vs] . I use 50gr. ballistic tip Black Hills Blue box and miss a bunch past about 250. Hmmm, mabie a 22-250 is in order-

get both, I use my AR for 300 yards and less and my 22-250 for anything over 300 yards, for the shorter ranges the 223 makes more sence to use and you can fire around 20 rounds right after another before POI starts to change drasticly due to barrel heating, even with the heavy barrel, my 22-250 can only fire around ten before I have to let the barrel cool down a little, even a little change in POI due to heat can mean a huge miss at extended ranges.