Im thinking about buying a new Remington SPS in either a 223 or 22-250. Havnt had either one, but I like to shoot long distance for varments.
Any thoughts or preference and why?

If I were only going to have one it would be the 22-250 but I have a 223, a 243, and a 25-06 to use...so I am not as limited....I went with the larger rounds due to wind in the desert Southwest....

Depends what you're chasing. If you are just out smackin gophers, then your best options , if you don't re-load, is the 223. The 204 or 17 fireball if you re-load or want to save fur.
If you just occasionally go out to whack the bigger critters at longer ranges, the 22-250 or the 243 would be the way to go.

Shooting Pdogs a long way out and reloading, 22-250. Closer in and milsup and remanufactured ammo so cheap you don't have to reload, .223.

I have owned and used many 22-250s, but have found that I prefer the 223 for shots under 300 yards, and for anything longer I step up to the 243. Lou

I agree with Lou. If you're using a .224" bullet, then the .22-250 will do some, but very little for you that the .223 won't. To increase your effective range significantly you'll need to step up to a 6mm.

Put another way, if I had only one .22 centerfire, it would be a .223.

all things considered If I want more than my "slow twist" 223 can deliver I'll buy a 243win, possibly a 6mm Rem
OR mabey I'll buy another 25-06.

I all likelihood it's be a 6mmRem or a 25-06 because I already have all the tooling to load them

I consider fast twist 223's to be neither fish nor fowl nor good red meat. I simply don't understand what purpose they are supposed to serve in varmint shooting.

Don't get me wrong I know the arguements people use in support of them, but I consider those arguements to be made of little more than smoke and wishful thinking, but to each their own...

AD

.22-250 has lived long and well for a reason.

Look up some of Seafire's Blue Dot loads and you can load the 22-250 down to .223 levels. Those more experienced than me are more correct, however, in saying that if you want to really go long range, then get a 6mm or larger. I am currently looking at a .22-250, but mostly I will be shooting paper, ravens (we do have a season and limits), crows, magpies, and coyotes as I feel like it. I just like the small bore versatility it seems to give me, even if it is only in my head.
Happy shopping,
Regards,
Graham

Would 223 be cheaper to feed than 22-250?

"would the .223 be cheaper to feed" Do you reload? Then you're looking at the cost of components with the 22-250 taking perhaps a third more powder with the rest of it being close to a wash.I don't know what the cost of milsup or remanufactured .223 ammo is in OZ but here it's pretty reasonable. Of course you can reload for the .223 also. Bulk bullets are cheap and some are quite good and a pound of powder goes a long way. Brass last forever as does the barrel on the rifle. The barrel on a 22-250 can go for quite a while too if you practice a little self restraint. The .223 is cheaper to feed but not by enough to put me off if my heart was set on a 22-250.

CNEBEAR,

If you have a rangefinder and target turrets on your scope, a fast-twist 223 is what you want.

Check out bullet manufactures' web sites for ballistic coefficient data and reloading sites for velocity data and enter that data into ballistics programs so you can make a scientific comparison. No matter what some people say, it works. Soon you will understand what the fast twist barrels and high BC bullets have to do with long range rifle accuracy. (It has nothing to do with eating or red meat )

Example: 500 yd velocity energy
Cart. Bullet MV(fps) drift @10 mph @ 500 yds @ 500 yds
22-250 55 gr v-max 3786 27.6" 1943 473 ft/lbs
.223 75 gr a-max 2907 20.4" 1968 629 ft/lbs

So, the 22-250 gets blown 7 inches more at that distance...enough to matter for sure. And besides that, with a little lead in the stock, you will be able to see the bullets hit with the .223. Like I said though, you will need to know exactly the distance to your target.

My 7 twist Savage LR varminter with 75 gr a-max bullets will stay MOA to 1000 yards (10 inches) while a 55 gr. v-max in the 22-250 won't even be above the speed of sound at 800 yards. From what I've read, the bullet upsets when slowing to subsonic speeds. I know, more science

I could go on and on

I know, get a fast twist 22-250! Then you would really have something

Shoot what you wanna shoot but if you're gonna try to make a .243 out of your .223, just get a 22-250 or a .243.

22-250 out performs the .223 by a little, the .223 is much cheaper to shoot..I like the .223 best and I shoot the .223, 222 and the 6x45..

We shoot a lot of rock chucks in Idaho, and you can burn up a hell of a lot of ammo shooting rock chucks, pin heads and P dogs, and in a hurry...thus the .223...

As to long range, if I miss a varmint, its not a big deal, I can live with it very easily. A more intense varmint shooter might find the 22-250 a better deal for his purposes,

I agree with most of what has been said. For a walking around casual varminter its tough to beat a 223. Ammo is too cheap to bother with reloading. If you really want to shoot over 250 yard a 243 or something will provide a noticeable improvement.

Having shot a ton of both .223 and 22-250...I don't think you could go wrong with either one.

When varmints are the order of the day...I tend to grab my 22-250 more than the .223...but that is just personal 'druthers.

I grew up shooting a 6mm rem with 60 gr hp sierras and I have not really noticed that the 22-250 gives up that much at ranges out to 400 yds...

If you don't reload..get the .223. If you do..then the 22-250 will serve you very well.

since the 1960s I've used a .222, a .225 Win, a couple .22-250s a couple .220 Swifts nd six .223 rifles for varminting.......today I use only a .223 and if I want more, I use a 6MM Remington or a .25-06!

Be your own judge.