Is 22-250 "enough gun" on wolves?

[Hunthigh1]

I shot a wolf this year with a 30 cal. Sure did a number on the hide but of course did its job. This winter I am going to pursue wolves more seriously. I have been considering the 22-250 for faster follow up shots and less hide damage. If I go with this rifle what bullet should I shoot? That round is sure perfection on coyotes. . .

 

[insanelupus]

The biggest issue will be barrel twist rate and bullet performance. I'd give serious consideration to the Barnes TTSX, .224", 50 grain FB if they shoot well for you.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Shoot them in the lungs with my Tikka .22-250. They drop like a coyote every time.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Also. They’ve been killed with .22LR for decades. Hit vitals and they die.

 

[Wingshooter]

If I were picking a rifle specifically for wolves it would probably be a .243 with a controlled expanding bullet barnes TSX or Nosler partition. A 22-250 will certainly kill wolves it's the less than ideal angles that would lead me to a little bigger bullet.

 

[Hunthigh1]

Thanks all. I will start testing the rifle with a Controlled expansion bullet.

 

[N.ID7803]

I've got some Hornady ELD-X 95gr loaded up for my .243 right now for wolves. I wish I could tell you how it performed on a wolf, but I missed..... grouped well on paper though.

 

[VernAK]

A wolf of the year isn't a lot larger than a big coyote but an old male is a considerably larger animal and I prefer to be loaded for that exceptional size. I have taken a couple wolves with the 22-250 because that's what I had with me. A running wolf gut shot with 52 gr Sierra took a while to find as it would have with most any bullet. That 22-250 now has a 1:8 and shoots 62gr TTSX very well but hasn't had occasion to take a wolf but it does a good job on coyotes.

Having worn out a couple 243 barrels, I've moved on to 6CM and I think that's about as close to a perfect wolf cartridge as one can get. Thus far the 6CM has taken two wolves with instant kills and minimal pelt damage from the ELD-M 108gr.

A friend that shot many wolves over several decades preferred the 250-3000. Close enough!

 

[Wrench]

I've had good luck with the 70rdf from my 223ai on several yotes. Given the size difference, i wouldn't expect an exit hole.....or much blood trail.

 

[Super tag]

Wolves are tougher than hell, if your shot happens to be off the mark there is a good chance you could lose it. I shot a wolf with a 260 Remington Nosler accubond, hit hard in the front shoulder, dumped it, and ended up tracking him 3 miles before I could get a second shot and put him down.

 

[bluetick78]

Contrary to prevailing opinions and/or experiences, I haven't had much trouble killing wolves with light calibers. 2 with a 223 shooting 53 gr V-max's and one with a 22-250 shooting 40 gr hollowpoints have made me think they die kinda easy. My brother gut shot one with a 243 that went a couple hundred yards though. I've been shooting 55 gr Hornady soft points in 223 from a 16" AR-15 for the last few years and it's worked every time. Most shots are 150-200 yds on packs with a taste for bovine.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’ve always felt my 6.5 creed was pretty good for wolves.

 

[Outhunting]

Of course it all depends on the distance. If I wanted to cover all of the bases including an across a canyon 500+ yard shot it definitely would not be a 22-250.

 

[hodgeman]

While a 22-250 is going to work more that it won't...if I were building a dedicated wolf rifle, I'd look to a .243 or 6CM.

You'd also end up with a pretty good winter caribou or deer rifle as well.

The last wolf I shot was with a 300WSM at 25 long paces... not ideal for a completely different reason.

 

[wildwilderness]

I just saw a sweet suppressed AR build for wolves based on the new 6mm ARC round. Seems about perfect and allows fast follow up shots for multiple targets!

 

[WCB]

Yes. I'd use something like a Partition.

 

[NickKreutz]

I just shot my first wolf the other day and used a 22-250. 70 yards, high shoulder and dropped it in its tracks. 55gn V-Max passed right through. I've also seen trapped wolves die pretty quick with a 17hmr to the lung, but that's a different story.

 

[bairdi]

So far, all of my wolves have come from trapping, but I have a friend who has shot alot of wolves over the years. His favorite wolf caliber was the 243 in a semi-auto rifle. Multiple times when he was shooting .223, 22-250, or similar rounds he had opportunities to shoot multiple wolves, but only ended up with one because it took multiple shots to put it down for good. Usually the first shot was going to be lethal, but didn't want the chance of the animal running off somewhere before expiring. No one want to track a wolf for who knows how long and then drag it out of the brush and trees through 3+ feet of snow at 20 below.

 

[Northern Shrike]

I shot three recently (one large, two one-year olds) with 30-06 using Hornady 178 gr ELD-X; all three were neck/head shots in the 20-35 yard range and all dropped immediately. Exit holes were large, but my cartridge selection was based on bear/moose, so .22-250 would be smaller than I’m comfortable with. Any recommendations on a .30 bullet that I could carry in addition to the ELD-X should I happen on wolves in the future?

 

[Northern Shrike]