Help me decide which rifle to take.....

[Keith in Ga]

for pd's this year. Of course, my Cooper .204 is going. I've been taking a Tikka varmint in .223 and 22-250 until the .204 came along. Last year, I took the 22-250, but had fouling problems after the first day. Unfortunately, I didn't figure out the "fouling" problem until I got home and had a serious cleaning session. My accuracy was good to start, but it went astray after a couple hundred rounds. I'm thinking seriously about taking the .223 this year and leaving the 22-250 home. We're flying to SD, and driving over to Montana, so two rifles are all I can take on the airplane.
I know my distance is going to be more limited, but I'm leaning toward the .223. Any suggestions?

[Rick in Oregon]

Keith: It's a no-brainer, take your 204 and your 223. The 223 and 223AI were my "standard" PD and ground squirrel cartridges for three decades prior to the 204 coming along. Sure, I also shot my 22-250, Swift and 6mm's, but for work out in the PD or squirrel patch where sustained shooting is the rule, the 22-250 is just too much powder capacity, and will heat the barrel and erode the throat much too quickly.

The 22-250 is a great chuck and coyote caliber, but for colony rodent shooting, the 223 family of cartridges is the hot ticket. With your 204 going along for the trip, you won't miss the 250 at all.

I'm leaving in a week for another 4-day squirrel shoot, and my Swift and 22-250 will be sitting at home, while my 204's and 17 Mach IV will be having all the fun. Barrel heat and throat erosion won't be a problem, and any squirrel sitting on his mound out to 500 or 600 yards will be in trouble.

[Hotshot]

Given those choices I'd advise the same as Rick for the same reasons. During three decades of enjoying various levels of prairie dog shooting I've fired(conservative guess) 35,000 rounds of 223 at the varmints mostly through one Remington 40X rifle. My choice now for two rifles would be my favorite 204 and my second favorite 204. You're just one short. Get rid of the powder burners and the balistically unexciting 223 and get yourself more 204's.

[Captqc]

I'd have to agree with Hotshot. I've shot both the .204 and the .223 and the difference is very noticeable. Sell all your other stuff and get a second .204 That way if you heat up one you can switch to the other! Gary