ORIGINAL: Bernie P.
The .22's are fine cals but bear in mind they are also much more affected by wind/drift than the 24 and 25 cals.Their heavier bullets take a lot of the guess work out.Doubling as deer rounds is a plus to.
The .204 is also less affected by wind. A 39/40 grain ballistic tip style .204 bullet has a similar or even slightly higher b.c. when compared to a 55 grain .224 caliber polymer tip, and starts out faster. You'd have to handload some more aerodynamic match bullets and/or step up the juice to get a 22-250 or a Swift to match the .204's wind characteristics. Also, the .204 ammo is cheaper(quality ammo is close to .223 prices), it uses less powder if you reload, it kicks less, almost all rifles chambered for it have been pretty accurate, etc. I reeeaaallly don't see the use for a .224 caliber, unless you already have one or just want something to run some cheap .223 ammo through...