I have one rifle for groundhogs, a 222 remington, slightly less a cartridge than the 223. My scope maximum power is 12X and I shoot chucks to 250yards. The 223rem is said to be a 300 yard gun. With my outfit 100yards is a casual shot the 200+ shots get challenging due to buffeting wind on the rifle and the limits of 12X. My experience tells me and accurate rifle with a 18x or 24x scope may make 250-300yds less interesting and then the range of the 22-250 will bring back the thrill(once you get going). Some other things to consider is what you plan for your expanded setup. I use a simple folding chair and a tripod to steady my shot. If your planning on shooting from a mobile bench, my guess is that in short order your going to want to shoot longer ranges(=22-250). Actually in my area if I was buying a second gun it would be a .17hmr as I have many places with lots of hogs, but with homes in close proximity I would rather not draw much attention from. Get an accurate rifle and a good power scope and start shooting. If you have long range shooting available go long range with you outfit. I personally find making a hit at 100yards my responsibilty to the farmer, a hit at 200+ a thrill and a miss at any range very annoying. Kurt
