223 effective range is out to about 300-350 yds maybe even a little further the 22-250 400-500 yds. It really depends on a lot of conditions, your intended target, the bullet your shooting, the weather conditions and how good of a shot you are. Inside of 200 yds it's a wash when you start stretching the legs is when you see that practice really makes a big difference. There is no substitute for actually shooting at ranges of 300 + yds. My dedicated varmint rigs are a Howa 1500 Varminter Supreme topped with a Bushnell Elite 3200 5x15x50 and a Savage M110 that I rebarrelled to 223 AI topped with a Nikon Buckmaster 6x18x40 SF. Both shoot the 50 gr Vmax and Ballistic Tips to the same poi at 200 yds. Right now Probably the best value on the market is a Savage. For windy days I switch to the 257 Roberts, I shoot the Hornady 75 gr hp into 3/4" groups at 100 yds. Very potent medicine for groundhog.