Hi Jrb:

I'd suggest you go with the .223. I use a .204 for the shooting you described, and if I didn't love reloading, I would have traded it off (I also load .223 for a mini-14) for a .223 bolt. With a .223, brass/bullets costs next to nothing and factory loads are available everywhere.

My .204 reloads come in at $.24 each, and you can buy new winchester .223 loads for less than that.

Ballistically, at extreme ranges the .204 slightly surpasses the 22-250, but no critter will ever know the difference. Quite a few folks (braver than me) are getting way over 4,300 fps with reloads, but I don't want to be replacing barrels every few months...

If Winchester and others pick up the .204, it would be a great choice, but until then, I think you should stick with .223

Good luck.
CE